plastic pipes and central heating

Been visiting a number of new build houses before starting a renovation project and without exception I have noticed that the radiators are connected by plastic pipe that emerges from the wall behind the centre of the radiator and is sort of curved round to the radiator valves. It looks less than 15mm pipe and some of the angles into the valves look a bit dodgy. However it does seem a very neat way of plumbing radiators where there is a solid floor as it solves the problem of runs of surface mounted copper pipes. Has anyone tried this or have alternative ideas for hiding pipe runs where there is a solid floor? Would this method be useable with a combi boiler?

Reply to
Roy
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On 20 Sep 2006 02:05:12 -0700 someone who may be "Roy" wrote this:-

Why hide them? They give off useful heat in the space and look attractive to a proportion of the population.

They don't heat the water any hotter than any other sort of boiler one will find in a domestic installation.

Reply to
David Hansen

Make sure you use barrier grade for heating pipes! This protects against air ingress through the pipe wall and is recommended for combi installs (I'd use it, rather than non-barrier, everywhere if I was happy to use plastic that is).

Phil

Reply to
TheScullster

I guess that this would be to those who find CF lamps and industrial windmills to be works of art?

Reply to
Andy Hall

The fitting inserts can accumulate crud and cause blockages.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

You are right most new houses use plastic for CH, HW and cold nowadays. 2 things to note are use barrier pipe (actually I couldn't find anyone selling non barrier Osmagold piping last time I tried) for CH as it stops oxygen getting in the system and causing corrosion and there is a max temp limit (usually 95°C) so can't be used too near a boiler (2 meters ?), just in case boiler faults and starts outputting too hot water. In fact most places I have seen recently had boiler -> HW tank -> loft tank all done in copper to guard against this fault and as soon as pipework left HW tank area it was plastic.

Reply to
Ian_m

The message from Andy Hall contains these words:

When I was a kid we had a lovely bank of four gleaming copper 22mm or

28mm[1] pipes running up/slant/up from the boiler. Looked very attractive. [1] Or whatever the Imperial equivalent was.
Reply to
Guy King

I'm not quite sure why copper would need to be surface run on a new build?

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

That's one thing, and of course they were kept gleaming, or else.

However, I don't see that one can have the same love affair with plastic. At best, with all the sags and appearance, it can look no better than an ageing female in need of a boob job. Not really what you want in the living room is it? Or maybe it is?

Reply to
Andy Hall

On Wed, 20 Sep 2006 23:12:38 +0100 someone who may be Andy Hall wrote this:-

Ah, more trolling. I didn't advocate plastic pipes being run on the surface anywhere. I did ask about the mainia for hiding pipe runs away when they give off useful heat and look attractive to some. Obviously to look attractive the pipes must look attractive, which in a house means copper with no blobs of solder in my view properly painted.

As for compact fluorescent lamps being "works of art", please indicate a posting in which I made such a remark.

Wind turbines do indeed look wonderful in the right setting.

Reply to
David Hansen

Nope. I like industrial windmills, but do NOT like to see plastic plumbing on view.

Admitedly I like my CFL lamps, but preferably dolled up to look otherwise!

Christian.

Reply to
Christian McArdle

Ever tried threading copper pipe into holes drilled in joists/studs?

Occassionally possible, but a right PITA compared to threading bendy plastic through the same holes.

That is why copper is usually surface mounted and boxed in instead.

Christian.

Reply to
Christian McArdle

With my new loft extension, I ran the main runs in plastic, but come out of the wall near the valve (not the middle of the rad) in genuine chromed copper pipe. This way you get the nice easy concealed installation of plastic through holes drilled in studs, whilst getting nice looking chromed pipe and fittings whenever it is on display. It makes fitting flooring easier, too. Pipes coming out of the floor look pretty old fashioned these days!

Christian.

Reply to
Christian McArdle

Not really.

Subject is *plastic* pipes and central heating.

So by context reference was to plastic pipes.

If you didn't mean plastic pipes, then perhaps you should have been more explicit.

Did I say that you did? Don't think so. However, the reaction speaks volumes.

Dismantled and being recycled as scrap?

Reply to
Andy Hall

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