Looking for a quality Pex manifold suggestion

[gatorgrabber]

My long suffering galvanized pipes are not long for this world, their flow getting slower by the month as their arteries harden with calcium carbonate buildup. Since I'm going to refinish both my kitchen and two bathrooms this spring, now's the time to start planning the by-pass. I'm looking for a nice, quality Pex manifold so I can have all of my plumbing controlled at a central location. I have the perfect spot for this; all I need are the components. I haven't counted yet but I'm guessing I'll need outlets for around 15 cold water lines and, perhaps, 12 hot water lines. Any suggestions for a quality part? Cheers!

 

[rburke65]

Sounds like a project but I have no "brand name" for you. I would think you will want to stay away from the Made in China stuff. Maybe Zurn or Viega. I'm sure that someone more educated in this field will chime in with help.

 

[36truck]

Here's a good company can be found in pro/contractor supply houses.
http://www.uponor-usa.com/Residential-Plumbing/Contractor/PEX-vs,-d-,-Rigid-Pipe.aspx

I used this brand for my in-floor heat in the shop & house. They make quality stuff.

 

[gatorgrabber]

It's more of an irritation than a big, scary project for me since I design water filtration systems for zoos, aquariums, etc. We just don't use residential plumbing bits and pieces for our projects, so I'm not up to speed on where the quality lies.

 

[gatorgrabber]

I'll look at the Uponor site and see what they have to offer. Thanks!

 

[mires]

I've put in a few Viega Manabloc units and have never had anybody complain about them.

 

[gatorgrabber]

I keep running across the Manabloc in my searches. Is one side dedicated 'hot' and the other 'cold'?

 

[randomtwinkie]

manablock.. its like a breaker panel for water. Just turn off one thing at a time.

 

[gatorgrabber]

That's the part of this I really like. I hate shutting down the entire house to work on one small leak.

 

[mires]

I keep running across the Manabloc in my searches. Is one side dedicated 'hot' and the other 'cold'?

Yes, there are dedicated hot and cold outlets. More cold than hot though as any house will need more cold lines than hot.

This video will actually sum up how the manabloc works.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uI6esC2bdjA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[benjamintmiller]

Uponor Wirsbo and Viega are the two big brands you'll find at a plumbing supply house, not a big box store. I'd think that either of them would work well.

 

[saabman]

I left a copper 3/4 trunk line when I went to PEX, but it runs exposed in the basement. I used 4 port SIOUX manifolds tee-d off the trunk. This allowed me to convert a subset of lines at a time without disrupting the existing copper plant.

 

[gatorgrabber]

Since I live in FL, almost all of my water lines are either in the slab or stuck inside concrete block walls. The plan is to install the new manifold (tied into the meter) and abandon-in-place the old lines as they're bypassed. This way I can leave the old system operational until I'm done replacing stuff. I'll then cut it free from the meter, cap it and forget it.

All of my cold water fixtures will have dedicated 1/2" lines. I'm considering plumbing the two bathrooms and kitchen sink into a recirculating hot water loop. I have a 40gal gas hot water heater that's only a couple of years old, so I may add a recirc pump onto it, along with a timer(?). As always, any feedback would be welcome!

 

[mountainman72]

PEX is great to work with, and it is amazing how quickly you get things done relative to copper. As for manifolds, I have made my own a few times with zurn parts. I bring a 3/4" line in, then multiple reducing Ts down to 1/2", then a 1/4 turn ball valve right after the T. It's a bit of work, but less expensive than the big premade manifolds. Obviously it's totally custom, so maybe this approach could work out well for your application.

Good luck, Brett

 

[gatorgrabber]

Can anyone suggest an on-demand hot water heater brand that's designed for natural gas?

 

[gatorgrabber]

Mountainman72, which Zurn parts did you use for your manifolds, their 'Quick Manifolds'?

 

[sberry]

I am going to get the tools for the next system I do. Run a hose and skip most of the fittings. We do it for hand washing. A conventional faucet with a MIP to garden hose with swivel, sometimes I put one of those baby ball valves in it.
The manifold idea is great. I am on a well and changed my pressures some which helps and over a career it still bugs me to see a 1/2 line to an outlet and I got to realize its easy and its used for hand wash.
I might use some T on some circuits due to being able to speed up the hot water delivery.

 

[mires]

Can anyone suggest an on-demand hot water heater brand that's designed for natural gas?

Rinnai makes excellent tankless water heaters. I've put in 5 or so of them and have not had any complaints. They make hot water for days and take up much less space than a tank.

 

[gatorgrabber]

What timing! A friend of mine, who also happens to be a home inspector, just suggested the same brand. Are their sizing suggestions accurate?

 

[mountainman72]

GG - I did not use their quick manifold product. I just used all individual zurn parts to make my own manifolds. Reducing Ts and quarter turn ball valves.

This is a weird, crappy picture that is not me, but it gives the general idea. It was found with a quick google search: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cy9w7bNJWfY/hqdefault.jpg

Good luck, Brett

 

[Scott r c]

I have had the best luck with Rinnai tankless over other brands, I will say the only brand that I thought was a total POS was called Eternal. We put in 2 on 2 different jobs and they both got replaced within a year with different brands after multiple issues. I usually make my own manifolds out of pex tee's but the factory ones do look better.

 

[gatorgrabber]

Thanks for the info! A friend asked if the same units (but electrical) were worth the investment. Opinions?

 

[jackfork]

For my remodels I get most of my PEX stuff from http://www.supplyhouse.com/. I have had good luck with them so far. I bought some 1/2" MANABLOC manifolds from them that worked well for me.

 

[Plump]

I'm only speaking from experience on my small, garage plumbing project, but a custom made manifold was the way to go for me. First, the small brass manifold that I was looking at had the branches too close together for me to get the crimping tool to the inner branches. Secondly, I made a couple of future-proof branches just in case I get another "bright idea". Simply capped off some branches and I'm ready to go. I made sure to measure out each tee since I wanted it to look halfway decent as well.

 

[gatorgrabber]

I ended up with a 24-port Manabloc (SupplyHouse) and I'm preparing to order the rest of the goodies in the next few days. I'm actually looking forward to playing with the stuff.