Best PEX Manifold (2026): Valved, Open and Push-Fit

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Quick answer from a licensed plumber: For most whole-house PEX home runs, buy the SharkBite RM22712 12-port home run manifold. It has a brass ball valve on every port, takes copper crimp rings or stainless clamps on 1/2 in. PEX, and carries RWC’s 10-year home run manifold warranty. Get the 24-port RM22724 for more than 6 fixtures per side. Without a crimp tool, the push-to-connect SharkBite PM012SB fits. For a bathroom group that needs no valves, use the open SharkBite 22788 copper manifold. In Georgia, a valved manifold needs access and a label on each fixture valve.

Our pick for most homes: the SharkBite RM22712 12-port home run manifold with brass crimp ball valves. Check the SharkBite RM22712 on Amazon

A PEX manifold is the central fitting a water line feeds into. Separate PEX lines run from it to each fixture, which is called a home run. Choose one in three steps. First decide whether each line gets its own shutoff (valved or unvalved). Then pick the connection type your tools can make: crimp or clamp, expansion, or push-to-connect. Last, count the ports you need. The picks below come from SharkBite, Viega and Uponor documents and the Georgia Plumbing Code. For the pipe itself, see our PEX tubing and fittings starter kit picks.

PEX Manifolds Compared

From the SharkBite, Viega and Uponor documents listed below, read on September 29, 2026. For the SharkBite RM22712, the rating shown is the spec sheet’s. Its product page lists 160 psi at 33°F and 80 psi at 200°F.

Two more brands we read but did not link

Uponor LF2500400 (PEX-a, expansion). This is Uponor’s 1 in. type L copper manifold with four 1/2 in. ProPEX lead-free brass ball valves. Uponor also makes 6-, 8-, 10- and 12-outlet sizes, and sections sweat together with a standard 1 in. copper coupling. Uponor lists 160 psi at 73°F, 100 psi at 180°F and 80 psi at 200°F, and a maximum flow of 21 GPM. It notes those are hydrostatic ratings and says domestic hot water should not exceed 140°F at 80 psi, per ASTM F2023. Both 1 in. ends are copper pipe size and need a copper end cap, a coupling or a transition fitting. Its outlets are ProPEX (ASTM F1960) expansion connections, so you need an expansion tool and ProPEX rings; Uponor’s notes on its other copper valved manifolds say the rings are sold separately. Uponor says to use a Tube Talon or a bend support on any bend within 6 in. of a ProPEX connection, and that it makes the manifold to order. The only Amazon listing we found was from a third-party seller, and we could not confirm its stock on the listing page on September 29, 2026, so we did not link it. If you already own an expansion tool and pipe PEX-a, this is the documented valved option. See PEX-A vs PEX-B and our PEX expansion tool picks.

Apollo. Apollo valved PEX manifolds are listed on Amazon in 12 to 36 ports. The 12- and 24-port listings we found showed four or fewer left from third-party sellers, so we did not link one.

How to Choose a PEX Manifold

Home run or trunk and branch

SharkBite’s PEX guide describes three layouts. In trunk and branch, a main line runs past the fixtures and tees off to each one. In a home run, a central manifold sends one dedicated line to each fixture, hot and cold. A combination system mixes the two. SharkBite says a home run gives quicker hot water at the outlets and steadier pressure when several fixtures run at once. It also says the home run gives you the chance to eliminate all fittings between the manifold and the outlet. Those are SharkBite’s claims, and they are the reasons plumbers pick a home run. The tradeoff is more pipe, since each fixture gets its own run.

Valved or unvalved

A valved manifold has a shutoff on every port, so you can isolate one fixture from the manifold. The SharkBite RM22712 and PM012SB use brass ball valves, and the Viega ManaBloc uses a built-in 1/4-turn valve on each port. An unvalved manifold, like the SharkBite 22788, just splits the flow, and each fixture needs its own stop. Valves come with two code duties in Georgia: label each fixture valve at the manifold, and provide access to the manifold. Both are covered below.

Open or closed

SharkBite’s copper manifolds come open or closed. An open manifold carries the trunk through to a 3/4 in. outlet on the far end, so you can keep the line going or feed another manifold. A closed one stops at the last port. Buy open if the same line has to serve something past the manifold. Otherwise a closed one saves capping the far end.

Port connection: crimp or clamp, expansion, or push-fit

The ports decide your rings and your tool, so pick this before you pick a brand.

• Crimp or clamp (ASTM F1807 brass, F2159 poly): the SharkBite RM22712 and 22788 take copper crimp rings or stainless clamps, per SharkBite. You need a crimp or clamp tool. Crimp rings get checked with a go/no-go gauge; for stainless clamps, SharkBite says a calibrated clamp tool removes the need for the gauge. The Viega ManaBloc uses Viega’s own PureFlow crimp port adapters.
• Expansion (ASTM F1960): the Uponor LF2500400 uses ProPEX rings and needs an expansion tool. Uponor makes it for its PEX-a pipe; use pipe that its maker approves for F1960 expansion fittings.
• Push-to-connect: the SharkBite PM012SB needs no ring tool, only a square cut and a depth mark.

Brass or poly? See brass vs poly PEX fittings. Whatever the type, a clean square cut is part of the joint; see our PEX cutter picks.

Port count and size

Count fixture connections. Most fixtures take two ports, hot and cold. A toilet, an ice maker line or an outdoor faucet takes a cold port only. Georgia code sizes a manifold by the flow it carries (Table 604.10.1, below), and the makers list their own limits: 31 GPM per side for Viega’s 1-1/4 in. bore and 21 GPM for Uponor’s 1 in. copper manifold. SharkBite does not list a flow limit in the sheets we read. Plumber’s note: buy one size up if you are close. A spare port costs nothing to leave capped, and adding a fixture to a full manifold means a second manifold.

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Before You Buy

1. Pick the connection type first. Match the ports to the rings and tool you will use on the whole job: crimp or clamp, expansion, or push-to-connect.
2. Count ports on each side. List every fixture and appliance, hot and cold, and add a spare on each side.
3. Check the supply connection. The SharkBite RM22712 has 3/4 in. male-thread inlets. SharkBite’s sheet lists FNPT inlets for the PM012SB. The Viega ManaBloc needs a separate supply adapter, and Uponor’s copper ends need a cap and a coupling or transition fitting.
4. Plan the access. A valved manifold needs access in Georgia. Pick a stud bay where a panel can go, or a mechanical room wall.
5. Check your pressure. Georgia code requires a pressure-reducing valve above 80 psi static. See low water pressure fixes if your problem runs the other way.

What the Georgia Code Says About Manifolds

Since January 1, 2026, Georgia’s State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code has been the 2024 International Plumbing Code with Georgia amendments. Georgia’s residential code amendments delete the IRC plumbing chapters and substitute that plumbing code, so these sections apply to houses too. Georgia’s 2026 amendment packet does not change Section 604.10. Your local inspector enforces it, so ask before you start.

• 604.10 (manifolds): hot and cold manifolds that feed individual lines to each fixture “shall be designed in accordance with Sections 604.10.1 through 604.10.3.”
• 604.10.1 (sizing): manifolds “shall be sized in accordance with Table 604.10.1,” where the demand is “of all outlets supplied.” The table: 1/2 in. nominal, 2 GPM at 4 feet per second or 5 GPM at 8 feet per second; 3/4 in., 6 or 11; 1 in., 10 or 20; 1-1/4 in., 15 or 31; 1-1/2 in., 22 or 44.
• 604.10.2 (valves): “Individual fixture shutoff valves installed at the manifold shall be identified as to the fixture being supplied.”
• 604.10.3 (access): “Access shall be provided to manifolds with integral factory- or field-installed valves.”
• 604.5 (line size): individual lines follow the fixture sizes in Table 604.5. Note a to that table lets a line from a manifold be “one nominal tube size smaller than the sizes indicated” for the fixtures it marks (bathtubs, showers, kitchen sinks, dishwashers, laundry and one-piece toilets), where the line is 50 ft or less and the pressure at the meter is 35 psi or more.
• 606.2 (fixture shutoffs): shutoff valves go “on the fixture supply to each plumbing fixture other than bathtubs and showers in one- and two-family residential occupancies.” Georgia adds a rule that matters for a manifold: “Shutoff valves to water supplies for refrigerators with automatic icemakers shall have access on the same floor as said refrigerators.” If the manifold is on another floor, put an accessible stop for the ice maker line on the refrigerator’s floor. Plumber’s note: 604.10.2 calls the valves at a manifold “individual fixture shutoff valves,” but ask your inspector whether they meet 606.2 on your job. We still put a stop at each sink and toilet so the fixture can be serviced in the room.
• 604.8 (pressure): where static pressure exceeds 80 psi, a pressure-reducing valve “shall be installed to reduce the pressure in the building water distribution piping to not greater than 80 psi” static. See pressure-reducing valve replacement.

Installing a PEX Manifold

Mounting and access

The SharkBite valved manifolds come on a steel mounting plate. Uponor says any product made to hold 1 in. copper pipe can hold its copper manifold. For the ManaBloc, Viega’s access panel steps say to center the opening between the studs and make sure all tubing connections and valves are accessible. SharkBite says to keep PEX at least 12 in. vertically and 6 in. horizontally from high heat, such as recessed lights, gas flue vents and heating appliances. It also says not to store or install PEX where it gets direct or indirect sunlight, and Viega says the same for the ManaBloc.

Making the connections

• Cut: cut every line square and check it for burrs, cuts and scratches (SharkBite).
• Crimp or clamp: SharkBite says to set the ring 1/8 to 1/4 in. from the end of the pipe and close it. Check each crimp ring with the go/no-go gauge. For a stainless clamp, SharkBite says a calibrated clamp tool removes the need for the gauge; check the clamp tab by eye.
• Bends: SharkBite says to bend the pipe 2 in. away from the fitting so the fitting is not used as an anchor. Uponor says a bend within 6 in. of a ProPEX connection needs a Tube Talon or a bend support.
• Threads: a SharkBite support answer on its product page says PTFE tape goes on the tapered male inlet threads, and the outlet ports use an EPDM rubber seal, so no tape or pipe dope.
• Push-fit: mark the depth, push to the tube stop, and confirm the mark at the release collar (SharkBite).

Label, test and close up

Label every valve with the fixture it feeds, as Section 604.10.2 requires. SharkBite says to pressure test the system when it is complete. RWC’s warranty requires field pressure testing before the pipe is concealed and excludes failures from skipping it. SharkBite says not to pressure test with water in freezing conditions. It also says its PEX is freeze resistant but not freezeproof, and that frozen pipe may damage joints or manifolds. RWC’s warranty does not cover freeze damage. If a leak shows up later, see PEX crimp fitting leaking or SharkBite fitting leaking.

When to call a pro

Viega says its products are designed for licensed, trained installers. SharkBite says to install its PEX to the appropriate plumbing code. Plumber’s note: a whole-house repipe usually needs a permit and an inspection, so call your building department before you start, and hire a plumber if the job includes the main shutoff, the water heater connections or a pressure-reducing valve.

FAQ

Should I get a valved or an unvalved PEX manifold?

For a whole-house home run, get a valved one. A valve on each port lets you shut off one fixture without shutting off the house. That is the point of the SharkBite RM22712, the PM012SB and the Viega ManaBloc. An unvalved copper manifold like the SharkBite 22788 suits a bathroom or laundry group with stops at the fixtures. In Georgia, a manifold with valves must have access and each fixture valve at the manifold must be labeled.

How many ports does a PEX manifold need?

Count fixture connections, not rooms. Most fixtures need two ports, one hot and one cold. A toilet, an ice maker line or an outdoor faucet needs a cold port only. A SharkBite support answer on its product page says its 12-port manifold feeds 6 cold and 6 hot fixtures, and its 24-port feeds 12 of each. Plumber’s note: leave at least one spare port on each side for a fixture you add later.

Does a PEX manifold need an access panel?

In Georgia, yes if it has valves. The Georgia Plumbing Code (the 2024 IPC with Georgia amendments) says in Section 604.10.3: “Access shall be provided to manifolds with integral factory- or field-installed valves.” Section 606.3 also says access shall be provided to all shutoff valves. SharkBite markets its push-to-connect manifold as needing no access panel, but plan on one anyway.

Can I use crimp rings on an expansion manifold, or push-fit pipe on a crimp manifold?

No. Each manifold’s ports are one connection type, and that type sets the ring and the tool. The SharkBite RM22712 and 22788 take copper crimp rings or stainless clamps. The Uponor LF2500400 uses ProPEX expansion rings and needs an expansion tool. The SharkBite PM012SB is push-to-connect. Viega says ManaBloc components are not interchangeable with other suppliers’ components and tubing. Choose the connection type first, then the manifold.

What size pipe should feed a PEX manifold?

Size it to the flow. Georgia code Table 604.10.1 sizes manifolds by demand: a 3/4 in. manifold handles 6 GPM at 4 feet per second or 11 GPM at 8 feet per second, and a 1 in. manifold 10 or 20 GPM. Viega rates the ManaBloc’s 1-1/4 in. bore at 31 GPM per side, and Uponor lists 21 GPM maximum for its 1 in. copper manifold. Plumber’s note: in most houses the line feeding the manifold is 3/4 in. or 1 in. Size the whole system, not just the manifold.

Why Trust Plumbing Picks

Plumbing Picks is written by a licensed Georgia journeyman plumber. Every spec here comes from the maker documents and code text listed below or the Amazon listings we link; nothing comes from hands-on testing. On September 29, 2026, the SharkBite RM22712, RM22724, PM012SB and 22788 listings were sold by Amazon.com and in stock. We found no Amazon- or Viega-sold listing for the ManaBloc 50143, so that link goes to a third-party seller offering the Viega 50143, in stock and shipped by Amazon when we checked. If you buy through a link we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nobody pays to be included here. More on who writes this and how we pick.

Sources

• SharkBite: Home Run Manifold with Brass Crimp Ball Valve (RM22712, RM22724) product page, Barb Manifold Systems with Shut-off Valves spec sheet HB001 (rev. August 2019)
• SharkBite: Home Run Manifold with Brass Push Ball Valves (PM012SB, PM024SB) product page, Manifold Systems with Shut-off Valves spec sheet (rev. August 2017), push-to-connect installation guide
• SharkBite: Copper Crimp Multi-Port Tee (22783-22790) product page, SharkBite US product catalog 2024, SharkBite PEX installation guide, RWC limited warranty
• Viega: ManaBloc submittal package SM-PF 0326 (tech data, dimensions, access panel, warranty)
• Uponor: ProPEX (type L) copper lead-free valved manifolds, LF2500400 product page, LF2500400 submittal
• Georgia Plumbing Code 2024 (IPC 2024 with Georgia amendments), Chapter 6, on UpCodes, Georgia DCA: State Amendments to the IPC, 2024 edition (revised January 1, 2026), Georgia DCA: State Amendments to the IRC, 2024 edition
• Amazon listings for the SharkBite RM22712, RM22724, PM012SB and 22788 and the Viega 50143 (linked above), plus the Uponor LF2500400 and Apollo listings we checked but did not link

Bottom Line

Pick the connection type your tools can make, then count ports. The SharkBite RM22712 is the valved crimp-or-clamp manifold for most houses, the PM012SB skips the crimp tool, the Viega ManaBloc has the highest listed flow for Viega PEX systems, and the open SharkBite 22788 serves a bathroom group. In Georgia, label each fixture valve at the manifold, give a valved manifold access, and pressure test before you close the wall.