PEX管道项目需要哪些工具？

房主很少做自己的管道，对吧？错误。如今，Indepid Do-IT Ownerers依靠自己的技能和劳动来完成工作。“这是一个大的转变，”丹尼尔奥布兰人，技术专家SupplyHouse.com。“Plumbing used to intimidate even those homeowners who really know what they’re doing.” Today? “There’s a whole different mindset,” says O’Brian, who chalks up the change to a relatively new plumbing product—PEX, or cross-linked polyethylene tubing, an innovative and increasingly popular alternative to conventional copper pipe.

当然，一些纯粹主义者仍然相信你根本不能比铜管更好。但Pex Tubining在一组至少三个强度，令人信服的原因中有许多皈依者。首先，PEX成本低于铜管。明显少。其次，PEX提供卓越的冻固性，但仅供在室内。最后，最重要的是：PEX比以往任何时候都更容易。毕竟，使用铜管几乎总是涉及焊接 - 即在高温下将管道和配件融合在一起。使用PEX不需要任何类型。

That said, if you’re only accustomed to traditional materials and techniques, or if you’ve never taken on a plumbing project before, there’s one thing you need to figure out first—the method by which you’re going to join one PEX tube to another. “There are basically four different types of PEX connections that you can make,” O’Brian explains. The reason it’s important to choose a connection method at the outset? Your choice largely determines the tools that you’re going to need by your side. Continue now for all the details on the four types of PEX connections and the minor-but-still-important differences between them all.

方法＃1：压接

在蝙蝠右转，知道每个连接方法都涉及自己的特殊配件和戒指。无论连接方法，配件和环都始终执行相同的必需功能，但从一个方法到下一个方法，它们的设计略有不同。这种工具也用于将配件和戒指紧固，拧紧，完整的连接。因此，卷边那perhaps the most common method, calls specifically for crimp fittings, crimp rings, and a crimp tool. Though not strictly necessary, O’Brian points out that to reduce the risk of leaks it’s also often handy to employ a go/no-go gauge. “That tells you whether you made the connection correctly or not,” he says. If you make a mistake? “Easiest is to use a de-crimping tool,” O’Brian says. If you don’t have one, “you can use a regular knife instead,” O’Brian concludes.

METHOD #2: CLAMPING

Next to crimping,夹紧sounds like it wouldn’t be much different, and it’s not. For one thing, clamp connections rely on the exact same type of fittings as crimp connections. The rings are different, however, and instead of a crimp tool, you must use a clamp tool. Why choose clamping over crimping? One reason is that a clamp tool can do something a crimp tool can’t—self-adjust. Meaning, if your project involved PEX tubes of different sizes, you would need a different crimp tool for each size. A clamp tool, meanwhile, comes with adapters that enable it to size up or down to match that of the tubing. Another potential reason to choose clamping over crimping: Whereas crimp rings are copper, clamp rings are stainless steel. Because the latter better resists corrosion, clamp connections often perform better over the long term in direct-burial applications,” O’Brian says.

METHOD #3: EXPANSION

如果您正在处理一个主要的管道项目，请考虑易于使用的速度快速的连接方法。由密尔沃基工具完善的专有系统 - 只能通过使用同一公司制造的工具 -扩展PEX连接stand out for reliability. “These types of connections are known for never failing in the field,” O’Brian says. The key? Expansion connections rely on oversize fittings, driven into place by the powerful ProPEX Expander Tool. Unfortunately, at nearly $400, the Milwaukee tool isn’t cheap. Even though the system saves time and effort, its cost turns off many DIYers, leaving its use largely limited to the trade. Another reason why expansion connections suit experienced pros but may not suit DIYers: It’s a pain to remove and reuse a fitting, and if you’re a novice, you’re more likely to make mistakes along the way.

METHOD #4: PRESS

新闻连接是另一种众所周知的，主要是由作为管道工生活的人而被爱。正如旧格言居住的人，“时间就是金钱，”专业人士欣赏禁止大惊小怪的系统，特别是在新建筑中加快安装管道系统的能力。另一种专有方法，按连接到Viega，因为扩展连接是密尔沃基工具。因此，依靠按PEX连接，您不仅需要Viega制作的配件和戒指（Viega调用它们“袖子”）和Viega制作的Pex按压工具，而且 - 用于最佳效果 - 以及Viega Pex管道。与Viega配件和戒指配对研磨型普氏管并非不可能，但正如奥布里亚人所说，专家们通常会推荐“将它保持在家庭中”。除了演示外，来自SupplyHouse.com的视频提供了进一步的细节。

无论如何，无论您选择的连接方法，都要考虑到专业和经验丰富的DIYERS将几个额外的工具在手头上贴近PEX项目。例如，为了在管道中创建干净的切割，考虑一个PEX cutter。“一架实用刀可以用捏，但是用正确的工具，你会更快地获得更好的结果，而且麻烦更少，”奥布兰说。另外，奥布兰人建议了一个clip gun那whether a manual or pneumatic, if the task at hand entails fastening PEX to studs, joists, or subfloor. Finally, for especially long runs or installations involving many different runs, O’Brian recommends purchasing a simple, low-costuntoiler.。那样，奥布兰人的总结说：“而不是特别努力保持管道整洁和组织，它留在你身边，总是准备好了。”

This article has been brought to you by SupplyHouse.com. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila.com.