SharkBite vs Apollo

[Kensington]

I've found that the pex bends into a nice curve without much coaxing. As for holding them in the shape, I put 1" PVC tees on the ends, run a screw through the tee and the pex, drill a couple holes through the "arms" of the tees, and drive landscape nails through the holes at an angle. Then I just bend the pex into whatever arch shape I want and nail the other end to the ground. They seem to hold up well, although they haven't been subjected to severe winds or snow loads.

For the OP, check other Home Depot stores. The one closest to my house doesn't have the 10-foot pex, but the one near my office does. Same with Lowes.

[munu]

I just got a couple of the McMaster pipes. I can see that the Apollo is not going to work. It is completely white/opaque whereas the ones from McMaster are semi transparent. I will wait for the other one from McMaster to come in. It seems I have to forget about the SharkBite because none of the HDs has 1"+ versions and the 3/4" are at least 300', no matter which HD I look at. No luck with Lowes, either. They also have 100' minimum and the 1.5" one is running $380 ($3.8/foot for 100').

@Kensington, do you have a picture of your setup? I am thinking of using Ts and then put some bricks on them. Maybe have a PVC pipe between both ends. I have bark in the yard so I can hide the bricks and pipe under the bark.

[Bwinter]

Yes, the PEX appears opaque. But put an LED in it...

[mr fix]

look led in pex

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[mr fix]

thats 1/2 inch pex

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[ppohlman]

Just curious...if you are buying 10 foot sticks, how are you planning on curving/bending them?

Even the straight sticks of 1" PEX curve really easily without much effort. No need for heat guns or hot water. I used the 10' sticks of 1" Apollo from HD and simply ran a small piece of cording through the middle and tied the ends together at the desired shape (roughly 6' from the ends). For mounting, I 3D printed a couple of bases that slide over the end of the pipe and run a piece of rebar through the hole into the ground. This was more than enough to hold them up straight with out any problems.

I can see that the Apollo is not going to work. It is completely white/opaque whereas the ones from McMaster are semi transparent.

I thought the exact same thing when I first started looking at the Apollo pipe. Don't be too quick to judge. Once you get the lights inside, they really light up the pipe well. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Especially at night, the colors come through really well.

[Bwinter]

1" PEX on the arches (0:33-:0:44) and 1/2" PEX on the icicles (1:07-1:15)

[1pet2_9]

I'm actually worrying about PEX pipe bending a little too easily. If they come in coils, and you can form 10' arches with even the 1" without too much trouble, then that'll likely mean they are wobbly at around 35 feet (which is where I need it). I need a good solution that does require a heat gun.

[rsegreto]

Even the straight sticks of 1" PEX curve really easily without much effort. No need for heat guns or hot water. I used the 10' sticks of 1" Apollo from HD and simply ran a small piece of cording through the middle and tied the ends together at the desired shape (roughly 6' from the ends).

How long did you leave them with the cord holding them together? And afterwards was the curve permanent or did they straighten back out? I just bought 5' sticks from HD but think that makes the arches a little too small for my liking, end up only being about 2' at it's peak which seems on the small side. Albeit I've never actually measured arches in peoples displays before hah.

Assuming since you used a 10' stick yours would be about 4' tall but can you measure if you don't mind? I might be looking for something in between so like 36" tall but again no clue what the norm is.

Thanks,
-Russ

[munu]

<snip>
I thought the exact same thing when I first started looking at the Apollo pipe. Don't be too quick to judge. Once you get the lights inside, they really light up the pipe well. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Especially at night, the colors come through really well.

Do you know if the SharkBite is similar in transparency (or lack thereof) as the Apollo?