Is there a way to identify PEX pipe?

Last summer I was at a farm auction, and bought a whole stack of plastic pipe. Most was rolled up, but a few were unwound and thus messy. No one was very interested, because the stack was pretty messy due to the unwound ones. So, I got the whole pile for a few bucks.

A few rolls are obviously poly pipe made for underground water supply (black), but theres a roll of red, orange, and others that are 1/2 or

3/4" sizes as well as a roll of 1" red. Also a bunch of (unrolled) 3/8" clear.

I think the clear stuff is some sort of dairy tubing used for milking machines. But I'm not sure about that red or orange stuff. There is no markings or words on it.

Is there any way to determine if any of this is PEX?

I dont really need it at the moment, but I'd like to try to identify what I have.

For the price I paid, that black poly pipe alone was worth it, and that

3/8 clear stuff is good for tranferring gasoline, and hose for pump insecticide sprayers, and other odds and ends around the farm. I already got my money's worth from that clear stuff alone. But I'd still like to determine what that other stuff is.....
Reply to
Paintedcow
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Burning a piece can give you some idea. Polyethylene will smell waxy but polyvinyl chloride will have an acrid smell due to presence of HCl PVC is more readily attacked by solvents while PE is not. Put a piece in acetone and see if it is attacked.

PEX is crosslinked polyethylene and I suppose above advice would not differentiate between PE and PEX.

Reply to
Frank

With PEX , the color is more for your convenience as you can use white for everything.

However you may want to use blue for cold water and red for hot

Reply to
philo

Thanks for the advice. One thing I never understood is the use of the word "crosslinked". What exactly does that mean?

I'll have to try these suggestions. I do wonder what would happen if this was PE, (Not PEX) and I was to install some of it as water pipe, using regular PEX fittings and clamps? When weather allows, I want to run some water lines in my barn and would like to use what I have. This will not be left under pressure, since it will just be connected to the barn hydrant with a piece of garden hose, when needed to fill stock tanks. Once the tanks are filled, the water hose will be disconnected, so all water can drain out (to prevent freezing) in cold weather. I intend to run this so all pipe slopes toward the hydrant, so it drains out as soon as I disconnect that short piece of hose.

But if it's NOT PEX, then I suppose I'd be better using regular hose clamps and barbed fittings. That's why I am trying to determine what I have.

Reply to
Paintedcow

I have never seen "WHITE" PEX. I have seen completed jobs where only blue was used for both hot and cold. If I was doing a PEX plumbing job, I'd prefer to use both colors. You have to buy it anyhow, so why not buy both. That's why I'm thinking the red stuff I have might be PEX. I sure do wonder what that orange stuff is though....

Reply to
Paintedcow

I just bought white when I replaced a section of pipe in my house... as they say, installing PEX is "no sweat".

Worked the first time with not a leak.

Reply to
philo

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... maybe ?

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Reply to
hubops

Crosslinked means the otherwise linear polymer chains are chemically bound to each other. PEX with heat will soften but not melt like PE does. Crosslinking extends the use temperature maybe 20 deg. C.

Reply to
Frank

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Reply to
Paintedcow

Orange could be OLD natural gas piping, this color was used before utility color codes were standardized. Now they use yellow piping to denote natural gas.

Reply to
EXT

Frank posted for all of us...

Breathe DEEP while doing this Cowshit.

Reply to
Tekkie®

snipped-for-privacy@unlisted.moo posted for all of us...

Have you EVER heard of Google or search engines? Obviously you never used one; including the pimple on your shoulders.

Reply to
Tekkie®

Oren posted for all of us...

I didn't read down from his post. Do you think this asshat will ever learn?

Reply to
Tekkie®

Oren posted for all of us...

Could this be known as what is called a klue?

Reply to
Tekkie®

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