Do you pros use flexible supply lines? Any tips?

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hj

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supply lines

I REMOVE plastic supply lines, I do not install them. for a toilet, if you install the valve pointing sideways you do not have to make sharp bends to connect the supply to the fill valve. "replace them"? I haven't had to yet. And for customers, I will replace them when the toilet or faucet is changed, but otherwise there has been no need to.
 

Master Plumber Mark

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every 25 years...

RUGGED STATED..
I've seen many of the hard ones indirectly supporting a fixture like a wall hung sink or a toilet.

I use Fluidmaster or Watts stainless steel flex supplies only, ONLY with the brass barb inserts that connect to the crimps that hold the supply lines on.


Verdeboy on those that you are using,

If those have plastic barbs holding the nuts on, they break over time and that vinyl braided plastic gets hard a freaking rock. I've replaced a few of those for splits either on toilet supplies, faucets, then leading down to washing machine hoses.


I have had flooded homes already from the plastic barb type supply lines. snapping off..

The Stainless steel type flexible supplies with the innner brass barb are the best ...

I used to have idiot employees that would bend and break 3 or 4 copper tube type supplies before they could make one look good on a toilet... so I went to them for the convienance and the time that they saved back in about 1990....

I suppose that those supply lines are still out there...


their is only one situation where they actually failed me... someone in a doctors office always left an open can of toilet bowl cleaning solution under their vanity...

somehow over a period of a few years the fumes from
the soution actually ate up the SS braided part of the supply line leaving the plastic inner supply line exposed ...


it never leaked but when we found it , we changed it out..


brass craft has come out with this new Black vinyl braided
supply line for water heaters which is supposed to somehow be better
than the SS ...


they work great in many applications ... especially
when you cant get the water to completely shut off
to the system ...
 
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Cass

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Yeah but isn't the ID smaller on them than hard piped copper?
 
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Jimbo

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My toilet and ss flex was installed in 1992. I have not given any thought to replacing it.

An the subject of "looping": On a typical install, if you install the valve with the outlet horizontal, this often give just a nice smooth curve up on a 12" flex. If the situation is such that a 12" won't work, then if you install the valve with the outlet pointing down, then you may only need a 180º loop, rather than a full loop.
 

99k

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I default to chrome supplies, flexes only get used when I have some kind of reason not to use chrome. Hard lines are a little cheaper then flex lines so it's really just the labor. Once you get the hang of bending it only takes a couple minutes to install a hard line which in my opinion it is a much more finished and professional look then a thick braided line with a loop in it that anyone with a wrench can throw on.

I agree. I just put two totos in my house and couldn't stand the thought of looking at braided SS lines ... under the sink is fine. The trick is to use some teflon paste with the ferrules (under and on top) and this provides a nice seal without the pesky drip and allows for easy torque ... just don't overtighten.
 

Dunbar Plumbing

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Jimbo is spot-on about moving the valve to make a better radius. However, I don't get into "moving" older valves at homes to accomplish that as I'd be setting myself up for another potential leak if for some reason it tightens and don't seal.

I "could" replace the valve on an upsell, but recently I had a situation where a valve didn't match the thread pattern on a switchout, found that really strange, but not surprised.

Jimbo, do you upsell a new valve replacement, back nut and all? Most if not always I can't get enough pipe to work with on removing nut and ferrule, and sometimes the nut has been cranked down so hard that it's impossible to remove the ferrule, even with a puller. :confused:


99K,

I tried for years hoping I'd catch on to bending those tubes....to this day, still can't do it right. Mark, that's the reason why I've never looked back when I switched to stainless steel braided.
 

Jimbo

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They still make a compression angle stop with the so-called "coarse" thread, and it is a good idea to keep one of these on hand for just such occasions.

On balance, your odds are better if you re-use the existing ferrule. There can be issues, but removing it and having the new ferrule land in a location which only partially overlaps the old one, can also cause a leak. So having a new valve on hand lets you keep the old nut and ferrule.

shutoff_corragated_replace.jpg
 
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99k

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I tried for years hoping I'd catch on to bending those tubes....to this day, still can't do it right. Mark, that's the reason why I've never looked back when I switched to stainless steel braided.

I have only installed a few of these since I am not changing toilets in customers houses ... otherwise I would probably use the SS lines too. I understand they sell a special tool (I don't own one) but I bend they by hand or bend them around a round object. I think it is important how "hard" the copper tubing is and the closet riser that I purchased was "dead soft" which you can easily determine by how much force is necessary to bend this tubing in your hand.
 

Master Plumber Mark

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Id....looks ok to me

Yeah but isn't the ID smaller on them than hard piped copper?

Cass..... I have not taken out my micrometer and actually measured the id of those braded water ehater connectors....

they work great and have saved me well over an hour
fooling with some of my meaner nastier heater and water softener installations....

They have the quality Brass Craft name on them
they are much more flexible than the SS braided
ones you can buy

and they look like 3/4 to me....


 

CarlH

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What about those gray plastic lines that use compression fittings. I'm not sure what they are made out of. PB? I've seen them at one of the big box stores and a local hardware stores. Does anybody use those?

From a homeowner perspective I like the look of the chrome plated copper lines, but those flexible lines go on much quicker.
 

Kingsotall

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CarlH, Those are PEX lines and are mainly used under sink cabinets. Need to use brass insert and nylon ferrule.
 

Cass

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Cass..... I have not taken out my micrometer and actually measured the id of those braded water ehater connectors....

they work great and have saved me well over an hour
fooling with some of my meaner nastier heater and water softener installations....

They have the quality Brass Craft name on them
they are much more flexible than the SS braided
ones you can buy

and they look like 3/4 to me....

I was at Low*s the other day picking up a upper stat for a heater and looked them and the ID looked smaller than 1/2" that is why I was asking...
 

Atomic1

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It has been almost 10 years since the last post. Are there any updated schools of thought for using stainless steel braided lines vs polymer braided lines vs something else and where to buy them? I was just at home depot today and they no longer have any stainless braided lines...and not only that are mainly carrying a brand called "Homewerks" which I've seen at Wally Mart in the past. I assume the best bet is to get a fluidmaster line from a local supply store?
 

NJHomeownerguy

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This is a very interesting thread- and I am amazed how much mis-information is out there and the amount of different opinions out there. I believe people each have their own experiences and I believe them. All have some risks and all have pluses and minuses. I have a 10 year old home I just moved into. Recently a braided Stainless Steel supply hose under the kitchen sink ruptured. Thank goodness I was home and shut off the water right away. A nearby home had a similar situation. I will NEVER use stainless steel lines under the kitchen sink other than for a short term situation- or any sink if I can avoid it. I DO use them for my washing machine, icemaker and dishwasher- although I am considering changing them out as well. But since they are brand new- I have some time. They are easy to install and strong when new yes- but the stainless steel corrodes in time due to the chlorine in the water (if water gets on the OUTSIDE of the hose- which is rare but possible - think about kitchen sink moisture and water running down the pull out line and onto the outside of the supply line for example. That is what happened to me- as I de-constructed what caused the rupture. Also an open container of COMET and other cleaners will corrode the stainless steel. (see explain here: http://www.werc.com/2014/11/10/common-plumbing-parts-cause-catastrophic-water-damage/) and (https://subrogation.org/download/ar...idedWaterSupplyLineFailureSubrogation3715.pdf)

I put in the chrome plated copper under the bathroom sink and toilet. It was easy and took only about 15 mins longer than the braided line to install. That's worth it to me, as I previously lived in a house for 20 years with copper supply lines and no issues. My parents have been living in their house for 58 years and never had a copper pipe burst. Under my kitchen sink I used the PEX supply tubes (https://www.brasscraft.com/product/38-in-o-d-pex-faucet-riser/) . [YES these are PEX. A number of years ago, there were a different kind of plastic supply lines sold (polybutylene maybe - but not 100% sure- and they were not good) so I understand people being concerned with them- but that was a different material. ] It was very difficult for me to get in there and the PEX supply tubes require only hand tightening at the faucet - which is why I wound up using them with the proper plastic compression ring on the valve end and careful installation. Time will tell- and just to be extra safe- I put water sensors under my sinks connected to my home automation hub-that can text me when there is an issue- as a last resort for safety. I hope this helps some of you struggling with this question. To the professional plumbers out there I respect your experience and mean no offence- especially those of you who have been doing this for years. What I see too often where I live, is junior plumbers with little experience, using the braided lines, because its fast and therefore cheaper for the companies they work for (time=money) and a couple I've seen, I don't think even know what a compression fitting is. Hope this helps someone.
 
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Plumber69

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This is a very interesting thread- and I am amazed how much mis-information is out there and the amount of different opinions out there. I believe people each have their own experiences and I believe them. All have some risks and all have pluses and minuses. I have a 10 year old home I just moved into. Recently a braided Stainless Steel supply hose under the kitchen sink ruptured. Thank goodness I was home and shut off the water right away. A nearby home- built at the same time, in the same development, same builder- had a similar circumstance- but they were not home- causing tens of thousands of dollars to the home and a big insurance claim, plus tremendous hassle. I will NEVER use stainless steel lines under the kitchen sink- or any sink if I can, even though that is what the rage is. I DO use them for my washing machine, icemaker and dishwasher- although I am considering changing them out as well. But since they are brand new- I have some time. They are easy to install and strong when new yes- but the stainless steel corrodes in time due to the chlorine in the water (if water gets on the OUTSIDE of the hose- which is rare but possible - think about kitchen sink moisture and water running down the pull out line and onto the outside of the supply line for example. That is what happened to me- as I de-constructed what caused the rupture. Also an open container of COMET and other cleaners will corrode the stainless steel. Failure happened twice in my little development. That's enough for me. (see explain here: http://www.werc.com/2014/11/10/common-plumbing-parts-cause-catastrophic-water-damage/) and (https://subrogation.org/download/ar...idedWaterSupplyLineFailureSubrogation3715.pdf)

I put in the chrome plated copper under the bathroom sink and toilet. It was easy and took only about 15 mins longer than the braided line to install. That's worth it to me, as I previously lived in a house for 20 years with copper supply lines and no issues. My parents have been living in their house for 58 years and never had a copper pipe burst. Under my kitchen sink I used the PEX supply tubes (https://www.brasscraft.com/product/38-in-o-d-pex-faucet-riser/) . [YES these are PEX. A number of years ago, there were a different kind of plastic supply lines sold (polybutylene maybe - but not 100% sure- and they were not good) so I understand people being concerned with them- but that was a different material. ] It was very difficult for me to get in there and the PEX supply tubes require only hand tightening at the faucet - which is why I wound up using them with the proper plastic compression ring on the valve end and careful installation. Time will tell- and just to be extra safe- I put water sensors under my sinks connected to my home automation hub-that can text me when there is an issue- as a last resort for safety. I hope this helps some of you struggling with this question. To the professional plumbers out there I respect your experience and mean no offence- especially those of you who have been doing this for years. What I see too often, is junior plumbers with little experience, using the braided lines, because its fast and therefore cheaper for the companies they work for (time=money) and a couple I've seen, I don't think even know what a compression fitting is! Hope this helps someone.
I changed the whenever a new valve. new toilet guts or new faucet goes in. I've only ever came across 2 in 12 years that blew. Both toilet ones and the both had the plastic nut that threads on the toilet fill valve
 

Reach4

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The corrugated toilet connectors, as in the picture, look interesting. I think the top gets secured to the 7/8 fill valve with the coupling nut that comes with the fill valve, and the bottom would connect to a 3/8 compression output with a ferrule and nut that comes with the valves. Do I have that right?



westbrass-brass-pipe-tubing-d113-07-64_1000.jpg

Also, there is a different one that has the threaded connectors on the end like the stainless braid-covered lines do. You can get that with the 7/8 fill valve connection and 3/8 compression or 1/2 inch FIP on the other.
stainless-water-wc-flex-038-compression-12.jpg
 
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