Patching a hole in pex pipe?

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jason.loxton
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Patching a hole in pex pipe?

Post by jason.loxton » Tue Oct 03, 2017 12:16 am

I built a cheapo counterflow chiller with pex pipe awhile back. Stupidly burned a hole in it by putting it too close to a stove element. As the copper pipe is running through it I can't just splice it. I tried using aluminum foil tape and that wasn't workable. Looking for suggestions on what sort of glue/patching material might create a seal that will hold up to the water pressure. Thoughts?

Something like this or a patch and adhesive? https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.1-in ... 05020.html

Jason

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CorneliusAlphonse
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Re: Patching a hole in pex pipe?

Post by CorneliusAlphonse » Tue Oct 03, 2017 2:21 am

does wort go through the copper or through the pex? i.e. does the patched pex have to be food grade? (i'd have qualms running hot wort through pex regardless, personally)

edit: re-reading, i see you mention the pex holding water pressure, so clearly the water is running through the pex. my bad. i don't have any useful advice
Last edited by CorneliusAlphonse on Tue Oct 03, 2017 9:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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LeafMan66_67
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Re: Patching a hole in pex pipe?

Post by LeafMan66_67 » Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:30 am

jason.loxton wrote:I built a cheapo counterflow chiller with pex pipe awhile back. Stupidly burned a hole in it by putting it too close to a stove element. As the copper pipe is running through it I can't just splice it. I tried using aluminum foil tape and that wasn't workable. Looking for suggestions on what sort of glue/patching material might create a seal that will hold up to the water pressure. Thoughts?

Something like this or a patch and adhesive? https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.1-in ... 05020.html

Jason
That tape doesn't seem to have the best reviews. I'd think a two part epoxy like this may work?

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.4-oz ... 18490.html
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jason.loxton
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Re: Patching a hole in pex pipe?

Post by jason.loxton » Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:56 am

UPDATE: I used this silicone wrap from Home Depot. $10. Seems to have worked. Tried it at full pressure and no apparent leaks. We'll see how it holds up.

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.llfa ... 57551.html

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oceanic_brew
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Re: Patching a hole in pex pipe?

Post by oceanic_brew » Thu Oct 05, 2017 12:20 pm

I would not want to make a break in a copper line inside of a pex pipe that's holding beer but you could have cut the pex and the copper. Soldered a copper union on the copper pipe, then slip a shark bite union on only one side of the pex.

Then solder the copper pipe to the union and then push the other end of the pex into the shark bite union.

But then you'd have an area in your copper that would be impossible to clean. I suppose there could be a fitting that would help with this.

Either way good luck




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