When operating with PEX for plumbing applications, it is important to install fittings appropriately, to ensure that the plumbing work does not begin to leak or even to burst. This may be accomplished by making use of a PEX Crimp Tool. This tool crimps together a piece of PEX tubing and a PEX fitting by the pressure and indentation it makes, forcing the two to merge close enough to prevent escape of liquid or of air. It is important, however, to join the two in the correct way, in order to avoid damaging the fitting, tube, or even the whole plumbing system.
First one must have a PEX Crimp Tool, and its Go / No-Go Gauge, crimp rings, PEX fittings, and PEX tubing in order to install. The Go / No- Go Gauge is a metal rectangle with cut outs made along it, on its two sides. These are used to measure if the connection has been made appropriately.
Now installation:
First: take a crimp ring that is sized appropriately as desired, and place it over a piece of PEX tubing. Next, insert the PEX fitting into the tubing. Slide the crimp ring up 1/8 of an inch from the end of the tube so that it is on the fitting.
Second: Take the PEX crimper and place it over the crimp ring. Squeeze the PEX crimper with enough pressure to crimp the crimp ring tightly onto the PEX tubing. The PEX fitting and crimp ring should be secure.
Third: To check that the crimping together of the crimp ring and the tubing was adequate, take the Go / No-Go Gauge and slide the “Go” side of the gauge over the ring. If it is adequately fitted, then the “Go” side should go unobstructed over the ring.
Fourth: Take the gauge and turn it to the "No-Go" side. Attempt to slide this side over the crimp ring. It should not be possible to slide the crimp ring through any part of the "No-Go" gauge.
Fifth: If the crimp wring does not go past the "Go" side, or does go past the “No-Go” side, of the gauge, then the crimping was unsuccessful. The PEX fitting should then be extracted from the tub, and a new crimp ring used to attempt again from the first step.
