PVC plumbing

[Dspcole]

My 1987 42 Classic has what appears to be the original grey pvc piping . The main water feed going to the fw pump has an O.D. of 0.88 inches. I am looking for quick connect fasteners such as John Guest to make some modifications but I have no idea on what size to use. I am not sure of I. D. Yet.
Any help out there?

 

[SteveK]

OD would matter if the pipe was current vintage. Things change (wall thickness) so you best find the ID and work from there.

 

[Stabi]

My 1987 42 Classic has what appears to be the original grey pvc piping . The main water feed going to the fw pump has an O.D. of 0.88 inches. I am looking for quick connect fasteners such as John Guest to make some modifications but I have no idea on what size to use. I am not sure of I. D. Yet.
Any help out there?

This is probably polybutylene pipe. No longer made because of numerous problems. There are PEX fittings that connect PB pipe to PEX, I believe the ID is different.

 

[Dspcole]

So to rephrase the question: Does anyone have any experience making modification to the original polybutylene piping that has an OD of 0.88 ?

 

[AlanT]

So to rephrase the question: Does anyone have any experience making modification to the original polybutylene piping that has an OD of 0.88 ?

Yes PBTE piping will accept most if not all PEX fittings. Its an easy conversion. I did a partial conversion simply because some of my PBTE was not accessible and was able to marry PEX fittings directly onto PBTE for much of the boat (last boat). My current boat of 1995 vintage is 100% PBTE and so far I have had no need to dive into changes.

If you haven't worked with PEX before and only have a few connections to make then use SHARKBITE available at any Home Depot and need no special tools. However they are very expensive, ($7-10 per fitting) so for a larger job it will be worth investing in a PEX tool which results in a per fitting cost of less than $1. Here is a good site for all things PEX.
https://www.supplyhouse.com/

Checking this site today for this message I do see that the prices for PEX tools has dropped significantly. The different tools can be confusing. PM me it you want further explanation.

~A

 

[CaptTom]

The grey stuff is probably "Qest." Searching on that may help.


That's what my boat came with, and I've never had a problem with it. One thing I like is that the fittings are all hand-tightened. I pop the fitting off the water tank and stick it into a jug of pink anti-freeze to winterize. Couldn't be easier.

The fittings are normal pipe thread. Where I've had to make changes, I've just attached a threaded-to-PEX fitting and run new PEX. Eventually I'll probably switch over to all PEX, but it's hard to justify when the Qest is working fine and so easy to maintain.

 

[rwidman]

The grey stuff is probably "Qest." Searching on that may help.


That's what my boat came with, and I've never had a problem with it. One thing I like is that the fittings are all hand-tightened. I pop the fitting off the water tank and stick it into a jug of pink anti-freeze to winterize. Couldn't be easier.

The fittings are normal pipe thread. Where I've had to make changes, I've just attached a threaded-to-PEX fitting and run new PEX. Eventually I'll probably switch over to all PEX, but it's hard to justify when the Qest is working fine and so easy to maintain.

"Qest" fittings are available at some hardware stores and on amazon.com. They work, that's what I have in my boat.

 

[koliver]

Yes PBTE piping will accept most if not all PEX fittings. Its an easy conversion. I did a partial conversion simply because some of my PBTE was not accessible and was able to marry PEX fittings directly onto PBTE for much of the boat (last boat). My current boat of 1995 vintage is 100% PBTE and so far I have had no need to dive into changes.

If you haven't worked with PEX before and only have a few connections to make then use SHARKBITE available at any Home Depot and need no special tools. However they are very expensive, ($7-10 per fitting) so for a larger job it will be worth investing in a PEX tool which results in a per fitting cost of less than $1. Here is a good site for all things PEX.
https://www.supplyhouse.com/

Checking this site today for this message I do see that the prices for PEX tools has dropped significantly. The different tools can be confusing. PM me it you want further explanation.

~A

In the PTBE era I added my saltwater system. Recently, after PTBE fitting had been phased out, I replaced the garden hose fitting at the bow and had to use pex. It was exactly the right size to connect directly to the PTBE. I used this tool: https://www.supplyhouse.com/PEX-Clamp-Tool-Clamps-360000. I have done all of my home stuff with pex since 2001, so already had the tool. Initially, I was able to borrow the tool from the local hardware store.