# Broken Pex Fitting



## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Snapped off at the top of the fitting. The rest of the fitting was intact until I tried cleaning it off with the bench grinder. Then it just flaked off in small brittle pieces. The cleaning also revealed a lot of pitting in the copper.


----------



## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

Soft soldered or brazed?

It looks soft soldered to me and it looks like the solder didn't flow or convect -- They probably overheated it with acetylene or Mapp and burned out the flux and then tinned it.


----------



## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

Is it a lead free pex fitting?


----------



## ZL700 (Dec 8, 2009)

Looks like it was buried. I think I see concrete or dirt in clamp area


----------



## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

ZL700 said:


> Looks like it was buried. I think I see concrete or dirt in clamp area


It actually looks like it's under part of the band...


----------



## GREENPLUM (Jul 27, 2008)

notice how good the pex pipe looks

what do you copper guys have to say bout that?


----------



## ZL700 (Dec 8, 2009)

Airgap said:


> It actually looks like it's under part of the band...


Look at the PEX gouging, its been working its way back and forth in cement, failing at the weak spot-The Copper & Brass


----------



## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

ZL700 said:


> Look at the PEX gouging, its been working its way back and forth in cement, failing at the weak spot-The Copper & Brass


It looks to me like somebody tagged on to an old buried copper waterline.

They probably didn't clean it well enough, used the wrong flux (it looks like Eco Brass -- Regular yellow or red brass wouldn't be that brittle), overheated it and then tinned the joint with their acid brush when the solder didn't flow.


----------



## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

Maybe the pressure treated bottom plate on the wall ate away at the brass weakening it? cause by the look of the copper it's soft copper, so that would indicate to me it was coming outta the slab.

sent from the jobsite porta-potty


----------



## gitnerdun (Nov 5, 2008)

The copper doesn't appear to be pitted where the fitting was. What kind of environment? Salt air?


----------



## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

I bet there was an excessive amount of heat put to the fitting.


----------



## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

Titan Plumbing said:


> I bet there was an excessive amount of heat put to the fitting.



:yes:


----------



## billy_awesome (Dec 19, 2011)

Yeah something looks odd with that.....

Not be to a dick but seems like people are always trying to prove anything to do with pex wrong.....

Did an air test to 100 psi the other day and I had two 1/2" copper 90's blow out the outside edge.....? Both 90's had the logo "KOREA" on it


----------



## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

billy_awesome said:


> Yeah something looks odd with that.....
> 
> Not be to a dick but seems like people are always trying to prove anything to do with pex wrong.....
> 
> Did an air test to 100 psi the other day and I had two 1/2" copper 90's blow out the outside edge.....? Both 90's had the logo "KOREA" on it


Ok, so dont by ftg's with Korea written on them and you won't have an issue. 

Ps copper > pex


----------



## user4 (Jun 12, 2008)

Michaelcookplum said:


> Ps copper > pex


There are many areas of this country that have water that will destroy copper, and the municipalities that deliver this water would rather approve piping systems that can withstand the crap water that they expect the people that use it to wash, drink, and cook with over delivering treated water.

Go figure.


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

the fitting broke at the brass.. looks like the copper is still in tact 

wether they braised the brass pex connector onto the copper this should not matter....

it looks like the brass in the fitting snapped.....and that is just some more crummey high zinc brass fitting from Cccchina...

maybe it was under the slab 
maybe that is why they braised the copper to the brass pex connector
but either way the joint should not be underground 
... 


I agree that the blue pex pipe still looks good....

that stuff takes a licking and keeps on ticking.....


----------



## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

Cheap Chinese crap fitting will do that. I've been using Sioux Chef PEX fitting as they are made here in the USA. Thinking of switching to Viega just for the warrenty and piece of mind. 

What is up with the copper pitting? Was it in cased in concrete?


----------



## ToUtahNow (Jul 19, 2008)

What was the original orientation?

Mark


----------



## Pipecommandor (Apr 18, 2011)

Should've just used a shark bite !!!!


----------



## No-hub (Sep 1, 2012)

cheap brass


----------



## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

I use pex because I have to compete with every hack out here using it, but I use Viega atleast the fittings are bronze. Ya get what ya pay for. The area I work in the average water PH is 5.5 to 6 needless to say copper dosent last real long. But neither do cheap pex fittings. I went on a service call 6 months ago for.a leaking pex line in a laundry room ceiling, looked like a bad crimp figure I would cut the pipe remove the ring and re crimp. Before I got a chance to turn off the main I wiggled the pipe gently thats when the fitting that was actually cracked at the barb broke all the way off soaking he crab out of me up on he ladder and the entire room. I stuck my thumb over the en of the pipe and started screaming for the homeowner like a little girl to shut the main off. It was a zurn fitting female sweat by pex. Just like in the picture in the beginning of this thread. And thats why I use viega. Still prefer good old type L any day though.


----------



## Piper34 (Oct 10, 2011)

Looks like old pipe was in slab or very over heated that to me looks like the original connection should of been compression there's a place for everything. But you also can't under estimate the sh..t the comes from china


----------

