jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I got the new sink in the counter, but the PEX water lines from the faucet are about two feet too long. If I shorten them, I'll have to use PEX, which means buying an expensive collection of tools for a one-time situation. I thought I could just make a big loop of the long tubing and run it to the copper supply lines. Sound good?

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Go for the tools, Jerry. PEX is becoming more and more prevalent, and you’ll probably need them again.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I have a set in a big loop under one sink.
Why would it matter?
I normally don't buy tools I'll probably never use again.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

That's what I usually do, but I wonder if I'll ever have to use PEX again. I can probably get the crimper and parts for under $50, but a loop is free, and I won't have to drive for an hour.

Thanks. I'll give this some thought.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I figure if it's a question of hiring a pro or buying a once-only tool, I'd buy the tool and probably use it again. The tubing seems to be flexible enough to make a loop, although it it breaks, I've got a real mess.

EDIT:
"• PEX is the most flexible plumbing pipe available. It can be bent around most corners
without a coupling or fitting. For example, 3/8” pipe may be bent to a 4” radius and 1/2” pipe to a 5” radius."

Sounds good!

brucebc Loc: Tooele, Utah

Most Home Depot's will lend you the crimping tool.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Wow, I'm so really out of it or old school about plumbing. I've mainly worked with Steel threaded pipe. Using copper tubing seemed ancient to me but it came back again in more recent years. My 1953 built house has steel threaded and some copper that was repair / retro fitted. My other house was build in 1988 and is all copper overhead supply as it is on a slab, PVC sewer. So what is PEX? Some sort of plastic other than PVC (cold water) or CPVC (hot water). OK, I looked it up myself. It is a new type of metal plumbing. Seems you do need special tools. I guess just like many automobiles you need some special tools for different brands and models. Say for a Honda Accord and a Cadillac Escalade you'd need some different special tools. As for Jerry's question. I'd have to agree with him. At my age and arthritic condition I am not likely to be doing any plumbing myself any longer. So I would be resistant to buying any new tools. In fact I plan to give away most of my AC Power tools was we move since I can no longer use them. So yes, just leave a long loop unless that would pose some hazard. I've seen that dome with braided metal or plastic reinforced water supply lines. Looks a bit sloppy but so their long.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

(Be funny if a pro used a 2' stock tube and looped it....)

jbk224 Loc: Long Island, NY

What faucet, model and mfg, did you purchase with PEX?

fotostory

Use PEX Sharkbite. No tools needed and very easy to work with.

Dave327 Loc: Duluth, GA. USA

Jerry,
You should not need any special tools. Can you send a quick pic of the tubes hanging down and the stop valves you have to connect with?

jbk224 Loc: Long Island, NY

Odds are you have a 3/8" angle stop for your supplies. This should work without any issues.
https://www.sharkbite.com/products/compression-adapter

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Delta 16927-SSSD-DST. I bought it a few years ago.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Many modern faucets come with flexible plastic supply lines for fast installation (prevents having to cut and bend the exact length of copper). They make them long enough to reach almost any supply valve. Some have the fittings crimped on. If they’re too long, just make a loop under the sink and hook them up - no crimping required, and no issue. If they’re the compression fitting type with the slip on ring, then you can just cut them to length. Either way, no tool required, and if they’re like the supply lines on my faucets, they may be another plastic with a non-standard size instead of PEX. They are convenient and fast for the installing plumber, but they’re usually smaller diameter so less flow and I wonder what the long-term life is compared to copper.

jbk224 Loc: Long Island, NY

I have no issue with the Delta faucet. This is a Lowe's only product. Most kitchen faucets come with stainless hoses with 3/8" fittings to directly connect to your supplies. So just go with the SharkBite adapters, loop without any kinks, and connect. On to the next project.