HELP!! Kinked PEX

[jlckmj]

I was laying the pex (1/2 inch) for my garage floor today and my helper, (actually my son's employee) grabbed the pex near the madifold area and kinked it.
I could see it was smashed, I grabbed it and brought it back, but I could see some distortion in the tube.

My questions?

Should I leave it alone? it seemed to open up again because i squeezed it with a pliers right away, or does it collapse inside?

Should I pull it out of the loop, it would mean shorting the total loop by about 8 foot on a 250 ft loop, along with leaving one of the area's a little short on heat tubing.

Is there a repair I can do to it that would hold up under the concrete? I have to do something first thing in the morning, they are pouring the slab about 1PM, so it's too late to do a reconfiguration on the loops.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Jim

 

[chickenhauler]

I've been there, but I just replaced the loop with another piece. If it didn't kink it bad enough to discolor it, and you were able to straighten it, I'd be inclined to let it go. I would never make any splice or repair that will be in concrete. On the other hand, 8 feet in a 250' loop is nothing. If you think it will bother you after the pour, pull it now.

 

[green.bubbly]

 

[dellwas]

Thanks for the link, didn't know that....

 

[Commando]

Glad I watched that without posting first. Looks like you are good to go if you do that. Was thinking it could become a weak point in the system, but not if it still meets the standards after heating it.

Great info!

 

[danski0224]

The heat trick may be exclusive to Uponor tubing.

 

[dellwas]

Good point...

The heat trick may be exclusive to Uponor tubing.

 

[chickenhauler]

I never thought to look for that. Wow.

 

[Zick]

This is a good one too.

 

[jlckmj]

Thanks for the suggestions guys,

I decided to not take a chance with it, so I shortened the last loop and pulled it out about 3-4 feet. Now the kink, or what is left of it, (it is actually hard to find) is out of the concrete and where it could be repaired if the need arises.

Jim

 

[chickenhauler]

This is a good one too.

I saw that one too, and was just amazed. I've been working with the stuff for close to 15 years, and didn't know it was capable of that.

 

[jhelrey]

I had to play around with a scrap piece I had. This is the white "pex" from Lowes.

I took a BFH and smashed half of it completely flat. I took out my Map Torch and heated it slowly while turning it. The stuff got very rubbery like. I let it cool and it looked like I had not done a thing with it. I didn't manipulate it, etc. into shape. It did not turn clear when I heated it.

Kinda cool if you ask me.

 

[ktm010]

From the research I've done Pex A is the type with the most memory followed by type B then C. Which is why type A can use the expansion ring type connectors