What are you doing today?

[jaybee]

I think those were actually an earlier form of polyethylene pipe, and it was a big deal at the time. PEX is actually PolyEthylene Crosslinked (X for shorthand) which is a different form of the plastic. The failure mode for that tubing was that the long chain molecules were very strong but not connected to one another side to side. As a result of the way the molecules were oriented in the tubing it meant the crimp rings would cause something like a stress riser that would separate the "threads" of the plastic from one another. In PEX the molecules are both very long and linked to one another to create a material that is strong in all directions.

I get being leery after the issues with earlier materials, but this stuff seems to be tough as nails and has been used in Europe since 1970 even though it's comparatively new here. It doesn't help that the price of copper has gotten just plain crazy. I have no love for iron pipe, it's just a pain to fit unless you have the machine to cut and thread it.

In any case working only 2-3 hours at a time the hot water was all hooked up by Thursday night and the only leak in the whole system was a water heater connection not quite fully tightened.

[Arnold]

Looking at an interactive map that shows(as well as my neighbour calling me) that pretty much all the highways/roads leading to my house..
which I am selling..
are closed
due to yet another..seemingly ENDLESS round of snow/storms. :evil:
At least I don't have to spend an hr or two each way in very bad driving conditons driving a Police Suburban
But then tomorrow there will be that much more snow to HAND shovel before I can get acces to my shop door to get the blower out

[kb426]

Arnold, I'm sympathetic. Nature always wins.

[purplepickup]

LMAO

Wayne, is that propane propellant used in tire sealant exploding? ...or just an idiot that likes to hear things go boom?

[enjenjo]

LMAO

Wayne, is that propane propellant used in tire sealant exploding? ...or just an idiot that likes to hear things go boom?

Probably ether. It does work, but I will only do it when there is no other way.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

My Texas Ash trees are starting to bloom.  Spring is near  or perhaps already here

[Mikej]

This is my first time working with PEX, and I like it. The crimp rings aren't hard to check with the go/no go gauge, and its flexibility has advantages. I can lay in the whole run without having to put the piping just where the old is coming out to keep down the amount of time without water, and in an old house it's also handy to route it through spaces you couldn't use for hard piping.

We bought a house in 1985.  A new construction house.  Never thought to ask or knew that some type of Polybutylene plastic plumbing had been approved in city of Phoenix.  I doubt it was PEX.. as I recall it was a gray color, with copper compression rings at connections

Years later; I guess this Polybutylene tube started failing at a high rate. There were new companies created to fill demand for repairs - re-plumb with copper

They had programs to replace the gray water lines Class action law suit.. Not the same as PEX.  The gray was used in trailer homes mostly... Say junk...I'll bet it was UL listed though..

[jaybee]

I did a little research, the piping that failed in lots of homes creating class action lawsuits and Attorneys General actions all over place was flexible PVC. Now that I've spent a few hours working with it I'm just flying through the cold side.

[wayne petty]

i did a little carving on an old AVS primary booster.. LEFT...

thought i would share it...

carter edelbrock AFB/AVS flat spots just off idle have been around for too long.




if the engine displacement is larger than about 355 Cubic inches..

or you have a big cam .. a big plenum intake..  perhaps large intake ports..

you will need to increase the idle feed restriction size.. just a tiny fraction at a time..

the idle transition circuit feeds the engine from just off idle.. thru about 2000 rpms on most..

you can tell if the idle transition circuit is out of whack..

take the engine to 2500 RPMs.. then slowly back off the throttle until the RPMs are down around 1000 to 1200 .. it should still be running cleanly..  you should be able to slowly accelerate the engine or deaccelerate the engine from 700 to 2200 .. you can tell if you are running on the idle transition circuit.. use a mirror and look down the primaries.. you won't see any fuel being pulled over by the primary booster nozzles.

at low cruise.. the engine operates on both IDLE transition feed and the primary mains..

you can see the primary mains in this image..



at cruise.. the manifold vacuum is high.. the metering rods are pulled down .. if you tip into the throttle.. you lower the manifold vacuum the spring pressure overcomes the reduced vacuum . so the metering rod and piston pop up slightly allowing more fuel past the metering rod..  but this only works when there is enough throttle opening to lower the pressure in the booster leg and pull the fuel up and over..


one can also use an air fuel ratio display.. and look at the idle air fuel ratio.. and then tip slightly into the throttle.. without going fast enough to really get the pump to squirt..

or take the engine to 2500 RPMs and then back off slowly as you monitor the air fuel ratio..

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Worked on Falcon a little today.  Putting it back into race trim.

Lectrik water pump drive, fresh air intake..

Built new exhaust collector for end of header.  Rectangle tube.

[kb426]

I gave the H.F. creeper an update. I found out that the large section had 3/8" plywood that was about to die on it. I replaced it with 1/2" and installed 2" high density foam and a new skin. One less item on my to-do list that was postponed when I started the 51 project.

[Arnold]

Arnold, I'm sympathetic. Nature always wins.

  Thanks..it has just been a SLOG for over a month now.
  I am as prepared as one can be for this stuff.
  The Police Suburban is too un-civilized to use as a daily driver. I knew that. Sure is tank like for this kind of driving I will keep it as a toy..getting another 4wd truck on Tuesday.
  The area where I live..about..roughly..45 minutes North to South..about 30 minutes East to West..Police had to rescue 400 trapped/stuck motorists Fri nite and somehowget them all  to a warm community centre
 Our Provincial Police..1600..yes..1600 accidents in the last 24 hours.

  A big enough part of the problem is there are some ski resorts..resorts..wealthy people who come up from Toronto.

  I think deep..buried in their sub-concious..is:
 
  Just how far can I get this awd/4wd thing FROM THE ROAD
when I DO lost control of it. Man..to see just how far from the road some of these yahoos get their vehicle
   The other day..in the parking lot of one of the private ski resorts
Brand new 4x4. Outta control..hits the snow bank..spins around..
  Truck is junk..all 7 air bags went off

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Weekend over... not as much work performed as I wanted.  

Wife is very sick. Came home friday afternoon with 101 fever. Saturday and sunday fever still at 101 - 102

I may take her back to the doctor on monday... time will tell.  She saw the doctor 1 week ago with the throat crud - coughing... Got a bit better with meds, then back worse on friday.  Got more meds friday evening.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

New Year resolution:  I made a simple one.  

To "unsubscribe" from most of the vendors, web forums, web sites that send out daily, weekly, monthly email offers.

SO far I have dumped about 26 as they come in, I decide if I 'really' need that email notice.

Only had one web forum operator send me a message asking: "why?"

[phat46]

This is my first time working with PEX, and I like it. The crimp rings aren't hard to check with the go/no go gauge, and its flexibility has advantages. I can lay in the whole run without having to put the piping just where the old is coming out to keep down the amount of time without water, and in an old house it's also handy to route it through spaces you couldn't use for hard piping.

We bought a house in 1985.  A new construction house.  Never thought to ask or knew that some type of Polybutylene plastic plumbing had been approved in city of Phoenix.  I doubt it was PEX.. as I recall it was a gray color, with copper compression rings at connections

Years later; I guess this Polybutylene tube started failing at a high rate. There were new companies created to fill demand for repairs - re-plumb with copper

They had programs to replace the gray water lines Class action law suit.. Not the same as PEX.  The gray was used in trailer homes mostly... Say junk...I'll bet it was UL listed though..

We acquired a 70 ft. Mobile home for our deer camp this past summer. It was plumbed with the grey plastic tubing. We decided to replumb 99% of it with Pex and ran it independent of the old system. We have to bring in our own water and store it in a tank so the majority of the plumbing is exposed. This makes leak detecting easy and the drain valves are all exposed. I used Sharkbite type fittings so it was very quick and simple to plumb it all. For a pump from the tank we use a cheap H.F. well pump that has been going for years, just transferred from our old trailer.