metal tubing for wvo line

[adamanderr]

i'd like to make the most efficient and robust system i can. was thinking of plumbing it with stainless or alum tubing with compression fittings for fuel and coolant lines. any opinions or experience. have people really used pex with crimp fittings without problems?

[the_experience03]

Copper tubing with flares is stupidly simple and not out of this world expensive. The nice part is that parts are available everywhere for copper soft lines. I suppose you could say it is a disadvantage in that it will conduct some heat away from the lines, but it can also conduct heat back into the lines. Mine is all plumbed in copper with brass fittings, save for a few galvanized pipe fittings.

[adamanderr]

wvo is reactive with copper and zinc the worst, copper to steel invites electrolysis, leaving it up to stainless or alum. what's your opinion on pex?
yhanks

[the_experience03]

The WVO has done nothing to my copper thus far. Electrolysis might be a concern if I was going to have the system in place for half a century to come, but thus far I'm not worried. To each his own.

I think a few guys on the board here are using PEX. My personal fear is that you would be operating right on the edge of its capabilities in terms of temperature. I would be far more worried about it breaking down from the heat than from steel or copper. The other concern is the emergency fix scenario. The PEX fittings aren't hard to come by, but the crimping tools can be.

I suppose you could use some of the high dollar oil resistant air hose if you wanted. I think that might work just fine, but it's going to be darn near as expensive (maybe more?) than running metallic lines.

[adamanderr]

right good point, thanks