Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

All-Purpose OWF Discussions => Plumbing => Topic started by: justinb on October 29, 2018, 07:53:55 AM

Title: Splicing underground piping
Post by: justinb on October 29, 2018, 07:53:55 AM
As I've written in previous posts, I'm in the process of rebuilding our house from a fire.  I have 5wrap underground pex that was buried 4' underground that went into the basement.  After the fire and the excavation for the new foundation, the line is now 15ft from the house.  Can I splice this to get the rest of the way to the house, or do I need to run a new line from OWB to house? 

I believe I have read before not to splice pex underground, but don't understand why.  I found that Thermopex makes a really good splicing kit.  If splicing is ok to do, can I put pex inside a 6" tile with insulation around the pipes and then run it into the basement?
Title: Re: Splicing underground piping
Post by: juddspaintballs on October 29, 2018, 10:41:23 AM
Is the 5 wrap in good condition without water penetrating the outer shell?  You'll have to make sure you get a water tight splice to keep the insulation dry if you do it.
Title: Re: Splicing underground piping
Post by: justinb on October 29, 2018, 12:29:31 PM
Yes, its in good condition.  It has been cut and exposed to the elements for a few months however.
Title: Re: Splicing underground piping
Post by: RSI on October 29, 2018, 03:23:00 PM
If it is already there, it is worth trying to splice it. I have had pretty good luck using Fernco couplers. Find one that is a good tight fit and fill ribs in pipe under it with silicone should be a good seal. You could add an extra layer over that for extra insurance if wanted.\

There is heavy heat shrink available that is supposed to work well but the shrink temperature is not much lower than the melting temp of the tile so not easy to do without screwing it up.

For splicing the pex, use only crimp fittings, not push or compression.