Pex Plumbing

[Doug welborn]

Does the code require pex to be protected in a slab?

[John Dirks Jr]

I'm not sure if this applies to the particular situation you have but here is some stuff from the 2006 IRC.

P2603.3 Breakage and corrosion.

Pipes passing through or under walls shall be protected from breakage. Pipes passing through concrete or cinder walls and floors, cold-formed steel framing or other corrosive material shall be protected against external corrosion by a protective sheathing or wrapping or other means that will withstand any reaction from lime and acid of concrete, cinder or other corrosive material. Sheathing or wrapping shall allow for expansion and contraction of piping to prevent any rubbing action. Minimum wall thickness of material shall be 0.025 inch (0.64 mm).

P2603.4 Sleeves.

Annular spaces between sleeves and pipes shall be filled or tightly caulked as approved by the building official. Annular spaces between sleeves and pipes in fire-rated assemblies shall be filled or tightly caulked in accordance with the building portion of this code.

P2603.5 Pipes through footings or foundation walls.

Any pipe that passes under a footing or through a foundation wall shall be provided with a relieving arch; or there shall be built into the masonry wall a pipe sleeve two pipe sizes greater than the pipe passing through.

[Kyle Kubs]

Does the code require pex to be protected in a slab?

Are you talking about potable water or PEX for radiant heating?

[Doug welborn]

Potable water plumbing. This is a new construction and the pex is run in the slab, no protection around it.

[Jim Katen]

Potable water plumbing. This is a new construction and the pex is run in the slab, no protection around it.

How do you know its in the slab and not under it?

From the PEX Design Guide:

Slab-on-Grade Installation

Laying and Supporting Tubing under Slab

Only continuously-run lengths of tubing without fittings shall be used when installing PEX under a slab. All connections shall be outside or above the slab. Tubing shall be completely buried by a suitable, easily compacted, backfill material such as sand or pea gravel. PEX tubing should be installed under the rebar, re-mesh, or tensioning cables in the slab. PEX tubing shall be covered

or fastened to prevent the tubing from floating or being pulled up to the slab surface. PEX tubing does not have to be sleeved its entire length where it lies beneath a slab. PEX tubing shall be protected with a non-metallic sleeve where it comes through the slab. Because PEX is flexible, it may need support to keep it from falling back onto the slab once it exits the slab. To prevent this, PEX can be carefully tied to re-bar, wood stakes or rigid drain pipe for support. This will serve to protect the PEX tubing as the slab is poured, leveled and smoothed and from subsequent framing and construction work.

- Jim Katen, Oregon