# Split Uponor Pex at Bend Support



## gilbertjeffrey (Mar 6, 2011)

Found this today in a 6 year old building. I’ve had leaks before from the OX Box laundry valves in this building but this is the first time I’ve seen the pipe fail.  Hope this is a one off














occurrence as it caused a decent amount of damage before I found it. Didn’t help that I was the third guy they called. ;p


----------



## asapmarty (Nov 19, 2012)

That is dischoraging. I would reach out to the manufacturer and ask if a rep can determine a cause. Please keep us updated if you have any follow through. Thanks for sharing this.


----------



## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

gilbertjeffrey said:


> Found this today in a 6 year old building. I’ve had leaks before from the OX Box laundry valves in this building but this is the first time I’ve seen the pipe fail. Hope this is a one off
> View attachment 130396
> View attachment 130397
> occurrence as it caused a decent amount of damage before I found it. Didn’t help that I was the third guy they called. ;p


That's not good,scary in fact


----------



## jakewilcox (Sep 3, 2019)

Please keep us updated if you talk to the manufacturer. 

This reeks of the Spartan ABS debacle in the 90s.


----------



## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

jakewilcox said:


> Please keep us updated if you talk to the manufacturer.
> 
> This reeks of the Spartan ABS debacle in the 90s.


I got the total repipe of over 100 houses, because of that pipe


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Uponor/Wirsbo Expanding Pex is Gahbage!

Rip it all out and put in copper


----------



## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

skoronesa said:


> Uponor/Wirsbo Expanding Pex is Gahbage!
> 
> Rip it all out and put in copper


You would be in the extreme minority with that opinion, based on most guys that I've talked to. If for no other reason than by getting beat out of jobs on cost alone.

That bend looks clearly to have been scraped right at the spot it failed. Possibly a perfect storm if it was kinked there as well?? I have seen guys scrape long shavings off of pex pulling it through punched holes in metal studs.
I once opened a wall to find a leak and found white pex split right at the ring on a fitting. I'm assuming it was very early on after it was first used, because most of it was beginning to yellow. I have not run into that since. The building was once used as a laundrymat, so maybe there were other factors, such as chemicals, etc.


----------



## Sstratton6175 (Jan 10, 2021)

I’ve seen the pipe fail because guys get glue/primer on the pipe and it eats through and makes weak spots


----------



## jakewilcox (Sep 3, 2019)

@MACPLUMB777: because of PEX or Spartan?


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

jakewilcox said:


> @MACPLUMB777: because of PEX or Spartan?


The spartan ABS. Jerry is really old.


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

goeswiththeflow said:


> You would be in the extreme minority with that opinion, based on most guys that I've talked to. If for no other reason than by getting beat out of jobs on cost alone.


Did you not see the winky face?


----------



## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

jakewilcox said:


> @MACPLUMB777: because of PEX or Spartan?


SPARTAN, AND CENTUAR


----------



## nebojsa (Aug 20, 2020)

There seems to be a problem with a small batch of UPONOR , RED mostly of splitting, as per other plumbing forums.


----------



## breplum (Mar 21, 2009)

nebojsa said:


> There seems to be a problem with a small batch of UPONOR , RED mostly of splitting, as per other plumbing forums.


Yes, becoming increasingly upset about Uponor's poor "we will pay one leak at a time" position.
When do they admit the problem?


----------



## breplum (Mar 21, 2009)




----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Viega Pex has never had these issues, too bad they stopped making FostaPex. 

My boss ordered the pallets of 1/2" and 3/4" FostaPex rolls the supply house had for remaining stock and 20' sticks of 1". I get the feeling we'll be plumbing a few more houses in propress before we start using only the blue/red crap. If I built a 10,000 sq. ft. house with regular pex, I would freak at the idea of a rodent causing leaks anywhere.


----------



## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

I have no verifiable reason for doing this, but I always cut an inch or two off of the beginning of the roll or stick before I use it. I used to do it only when I saw visible wear from bouncing arond the truck or shop, but now I do it every time.


----------



## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

asapmarty said:


> That is dischoraging. I would reach out to the manufacturer and ask if a rep can determine a cause. Please keep us updated if you have any follow through. Thanks for sharing this.





breplum said:


> View attachment 130431


UHMW (not PEX/HDPE but same family) splits this way when it's bent too far for the temperature it's at. And it doesn't 'melt'. There's no temp where it'll do any bend, it just splits. Anything special about Uponor's material? Probly not, these plastics have been around a while.


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

DDDave said:


> ............ Anything special about Uponor's material? Probly not, these plastics have been around a while.


I disagree, I've seen a lot of HDPE/pex/uhmwpe and never seen it fail like this. Have you seen any other brands of pex fail like this?

Regardless I don't think it's a formula issue, I think it's poor quality control. My guess is they have to get it just right or it does this. Maybe the tolerances are wider o other types of pex so they are easier to produce correctly. Maybe Uponor/Wirsbo is trying to make too much too fast or just has poor quality control.

I've seen enough Uponor/Wirsbo to know that this isn't normal. At this point I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and not claim that all of their stuff is bad, just a couple production runs.


----------



## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

skoronesa said:


> I disagree, I've seen a lot of HDPE/pex/uhmwpe and never seen it fail like this. Have you seen any other brands of pex fail like this?
> 
> Regardless I don't think it's a formula issue, I think it's poor quality control. My guess is they have to get it just right or it does this. Maybe the tolerances are wider o other types of pex so they are easier to produce correctly. Maybe Uponor/Wirsbo is trying to make too much too fast or just has poor quality control.
> 
> I've seen enough Uponor/Wirsbo to know that this isn't normal. At this point I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and not claim that all of their stuff is bad, just a couple production runs.


What's to disagree with? I coulda said it better than I did, maybe. You said it better than I did. The stuff cracks when the temp's not right and these plastics have been around for decades


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

DDDave said:


> What's to disagree with? I coulda said it better than I did, maybe. You said it better than I did. The stuff cracks when the temp's not right and these plastics have been around for decades


You said you didn't think there was anything special about Uponor's material, I disagree. I think they are using a process to make the material different than any other HDPE and that process is difficult to get correct.

I think it is this difficulty that is causing all these issues.


----------



## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

I know a guy who stores his pex in his backyard unprotected, from UV/sun for and weather. There is prob going to be a bunch of problem trailing behind him, over the years


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Logtec said:


> I know a guy who stores his pex in his backyard unprotected, from UV/sun for and weather. There is prob going to be a bunch of problem trailing behind him, over the years


We had a guy move here who was used to working on slums. He did most of his waterlines in cpvc. Mostly basement repipes, softener installs, repiping kitchen sinks, small stuff usually less than 30' total. That was only a couple year span ending like 15 years ago. At least once a year we have to remove some of that crap that's cracked.


----------

