Reworking the plumbing ~ Lexington 210

[buzzards27]

Subject to this storm passing sometime today I am in the process of opening up the cabinets and cubbyholes and reworking the storage space. I should say I spent many years doing cabinet installations and finish carpentry, planned rework is no problem. Golly, there are a lot of little passages for the critters, more on that later....

My concern right now is the plumbing....

This thing is loaded with water traps in the fresh water lines so I am thinking about reworking some lines to allow better self drainage and to pick up new storage spaces under the sinks.

Question one, are the pex fittings and tubing something that is readily available at RV dealership and/or at the big box home stores?

Question two, can the same tubing be used for both hot and cold?

Question three, is there a reason why the hot water tank is still working with the propane off and the switch shut off at the convenience center? Is there a electrical element that warms the tank as long as water is in the tank? Fresh water system is still operational, shore line is hooked up and fresh water tank is half full. The water tank's hot water outlet is very warm to the touch.

And the last Question, should there be a valve on the inlet AND the outlet on the water heater bypass? there is a bypass on the hot water tank but there is only one valve on the bypass on the inlet side. Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the bypass and allow water to back feed the tank thru the outlet? Maybe there is a check valve inside the tank???

[jimh]

the only one i can answer is the hw heater still heating. it shouldn't be. there is a switch outside that shuts it off...near the burner that shuts off the heater element. i usually just kill the breaker on that circuit. it makes it easy for me to check when i go in the trailer. i shut it off when i leave a campground then turn it back on once in another.
the hot water out has a small inline check valve in it. that serves as ur other valve. someone posted a picture of the bypass and the check a few days ago on this group.
plex fittings...not sure. they should be available at a mobile home supply place. i haven't looked for then at the box stores (lumber yards) but i would think they would have them. they have the tubing.
can't answer the one abt the cold and hot as far as being different materials. i don't know if it is different like the cpvc or pvc.

[jimh]

try going here. there is a good picture of the hw lines with labels. scroll down to milzat's reply.
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...blem-8756.html

[Bayouownbeer]

The plex is available at lowes and homedepot along with fittings and crimper. My home has plex red for hot and white for cold and camper has plex uses red for hot and blue for cold. Not sure it plastic is different or is just color coded for identification. Good luck with your project

[tmmar]

Pex and pex fittings are available at Home Depot. They also have what are called 'Sharkbite' fittings. You just push each end of the pex into the fitting to make a connection. They work great and are easy to use- no criming necessary.

[bill and theresa]

any pex can be used for hot or cold. Color coded only for easier identification. It is available at the Home Depot with crimp rings and crimper. I worked there for three years after I retired and was bored.Yes the sharkbite fittings are great and work to join cpvc, pex or and they don't advertise but it also works on grey quest.

[2Susan]

We have PEX in our home.
We replaced a water softener and 2 water heaters within the past couple of weeks.

The PEX was readily available at Home Depot. You need a special tool to crimp the fittings. I thought the tool was a bit pricey - but then most everything in Canada seems expensive compared to US prices. Should have picked one up before we left the states.

THe good news is that using the stuff is ultra easy. Easier than PVC (no glue / fumes/ waiting for glue to cure). You will need a selection of fittings (elbows etc) and the little bands that crimp to hold everything in place, but they are not terribly expensive. The other bit of good news is that it is quite fast (if you have the tubing, fittings, and tool). My exisitng PVC cutter (looks like parrot jaws) worked fine cutting the pex as well.

I am interested in seeing what you are describing - extra, un-necessary plumbing that could be improved. How about posting some pictures please?

[buzzards27]

Thanks, got everything I needed and my modifications are well on their way.

I am reworking a couple of line around the water filter so that I can double the storage under the bathroom sink. Also, by lowering the water filter I am going to be able to double the size of the drawer. FR had a drawer next to the sink that was about 8" deep because the filter behind it, if they had dropped the filter 2" the drawer could have been 15" deep.

[buzzards27]

I think I got the attach image thing figured out. This is the bathroom sink cabinet with the cabinet front and much of the guts removed. I have also removed the heater.

I am moving the water lines to the area to the left close to where the outside shower. The filter is lower. The old arrangement had a screwed in plywood panel, My modification will have a plywood panel that is on wood slides that you can slide to the right.