Table of Content
Cinch clamps work more like the traditional band clamps you’re probably familiar with. You slip the cinch clamp tool over the protruding tab and squeeze to tighten the cinch clamp. The same tool works for all sizes of cinch clamps.We like the one-handed version shown in the photo because you can hold the ring in place with one hand while tightening it with the other. PEX piping (shorthand for cross-linked polyethylene) costs less than half the price of copper and installs much faster. And since it’s flexible, PEX makes remodeling jobs easier.
But there are some situations where more volume is desired. Because my water heater is in a utility room on one side of the house. Even the farthest runs from the manifold, which is placed dead-center in the house, take only a few seconds to heat up. Perhaps the other poster was comparing to a recirc system, which isn't really comparing apples to apples.
Fittings
The pressure loss table can give you relative info, but to determine efficacy, you need to know your static pressure. However, without further improvements, remote manifold will waste just as much water as is lost in the traditional truck and branch system. Without added techniques such as water recirculation to the main manifold, this system can waste more water than the home run. The naming of these systems can be somewhat confusing since many plumbers will at times use different terms for the same thing and at times overlapping tags refer to separate things so first some definitions.
Some of the savings will go towards purchasing a special tool to install the fittings. But if you’re doing a medium-to-large plumbing job, you’ll usually save on PEX over copper. My preferred method for hot water is main trunk and branch.
Hybrid Systems
Trunk-and-branch systems have several disadvantages, notably a large number of fittings, which are costlier, slower to install, and more likely to leak than a single run of pipe. Also, a lot of water goes down the drain before hot water reaches the faucet. That means the OD outside diameter is equivalent to the OD of copper. The ID inside diameter is less than the ID of copper. The PEX fittings fit inside the PEX tubing acting as flow restriction and thus volume of water. Do not think that the rules of thumb for copper are equivalent for PEX.
While you may take the presence of water, be it hot or cold from your shower, for granted, it will surprise you the sheer amount of piping and plumbing resource that is expended to make this luxury a reality. So it seems that my thoughts are using Trunk and Branch for cold supply, HR for most hot supply and remote manifold . For example, a 2,300-square-foot, two-story home using a Logic design requires only 637 feet of pipe while a home-run system uses 1,515 feet of pipe. That’s more than twice the amount of piping necessary. And, like PEX, the EP material in multiport tees resists corrosion, pitting and scaling, so it creates a highly durable system that’s engineered to last.
Why Logic Plumbing Beats Home Run and Trunk and Branch
Here is a link to download a PEX water supply design guide. Pages show each of the three methods of installation. While home run systems may use the more ducting material for installation there are many advantages. Home run systems can bring significant improvement to the efficiency and effectiveness of a ventilation system, as there are fewer fittings to cause turbulence, and a smaller number of possible air leakage locations.
Another method is to solder in a tee and a PEX supply adapter. Then slip the PEX supply tubing over the adapter and attach it with your chosen connection method . You can also use a stab-in tee to connect PEX fittings supply to CPVC.
Do I Have to Use Red for Hot and Blue for Cold?
If you increase the diameter of the branch you also increase the time it takes for you to get hot water. In my climate I also like to get ground temperature water so having large branch lines increases the amount of water I have to dump before I get rid of the water in the pipe from the supply entrance to my faucet. This also wastes heat as the branch lines will have hot/cold water and heat or cool the wall spaces - eventually heating or cooling your house. Surprising everything was pretty close with the main labor be clips to clamps as well as total footage. The way my house is set up puts the manifolds right by the first floor bath and right underneath the chase to the second floor bath.
I ran a 1" PEX main to all floors serving a manifold on each floor. The manifolds have 1/2" branch lines with ball valves so I can control each line and the ends of the hot manifolds have a home run for a recirc system. Cold water is similar, but with no consideration for a recirculating system. You could potentially use a manifold for some fixtures and maybe a “trunk” line for the most distant two fixtures , to reduce the total amount of pipe. The trunk line might be less total labor to install due to fewer hangers and holes being needed. Is there an advantage to running the PEX tubing within the slab or not?
This means that the 3/8 line will carry far more water than faucets can deliver in these days of water-conserving fixtures. Shower valves, for example, can deliver only 2-1/2 gal/min, and that's the combined flow of hot and cold. You may be able to outrun your 3/4" feed though. If you have 20+ outlets you probably have laundry, showers, and hose bibbs all sharing that 3/4" feed.
Because water pressure variation won't scald or freeze you, home run also allows more latitude with pipe sizing. Say you have 100 feet of 1/2 inch pipe from meter to garage, and another 10 feet to the new shower. Should you put a manifold in the new bathroom, or do you put it in the garage but outside the bathroom ten feet closer to the meter? Then it's either 100 or 110 feet before branching. Some detailed calculations would be required, but probably not worth even thinking about.
I would also not put any plumbing in any exterior walls. If the manifold cost is not exorbitant, I would definitely go with your plan. A sub-manifold system involves placing a main manifold at the main water source and smaller shared manifolds at select junctions in the house. Now, i now you're doing the labor, but put a value on your time and calculate how many hours you think it takes drill holes, measure every pipe length ,crimp fittings, anchor pipes, nail plate, pressure test, etc. I doubt very seriously if your plumbing inspector will allow you to discharge the water heater TPRV into the shower pan.
Air reacts to obstacles and restrictions in very similar patterns, as can be seen when there is a source of the smoke. Air reacts to obstacles and restrictions in very similar patterns, as can be seen when there is a source of smoke. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.
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