Plastic PushFit

[jaime]

We need to run new plumbing to our new kitchen in a different location. This involves running the cold (main) and hot water to the new sink and dishwasher position with the pipes running perpendicular to the joists. To do this efficiently I though that a coil of 15 mm plastic push fit pipe (such as

would be the easiest solution. However screwfix don't seem to sell any connectors to standard 15mm copper piping, are these available? Also how tight a corner will the pipe bend around, do I need elbow fittings for where the pipe goes down the wall (which will be boxed in) or will the pipe bend the nearly 90 degrees needed.

Thanks

Jaime

[Mark S.]

need some of these where you are joining plastic to copper.

I do think they should be listed in both plastic and copper pushfit rather than only in the copper section.

I'd advise buying the straight lengths of plastic pipe as the coils can be a tad unweildy and annoying to wrestle with. :-)

Oh and someone will be along shortly to slag plastic pushfit off as the product of the devil... :-) Can't fault it myself.

Mark S.

[Grunff]

Any of the pushfit connectors (SpeedFit, Hep, Cuprofit, whatever) will work fine with copper.

15mm pipe will comfortably go round a 4" radius, but no tighter. So you will need elbows where you need a tighter bend.

[jaime]

Thanks for the reply, the main reason for the coil of plastic is that joining small sections of copper between each joist (must be at least 20 sections) seems very tedious and time consuming.

Jaime

[jaime]

snio

snip

So the linner goes in the plastic and I then use a copper push fit connector to connect to the exisiting copper pipe?

Thanks

jaime

[John Rumm]

I had to do this recently for my loft conversion. I needed to get heating pipes under the floor perpendicular to the main direction of the joists. A roll of the plastic pipe worked nicely. A bit awkward to work with until you get it fixed at at least one end! (I kept the visible "tails" from the radiatora in 15mm copper since it looks better)

The standard pushfit connectors work with copper pipe "as is". Just cut it with a pipe cutter and make sure there are no burrs on the pipe. Then just push it into the fitting.

The plastic pipe works much the same - cut the end cleanly with a sharp knife or a vinyl pipe cutter and stick one of the inserts in the end

before pushing it in the fitting.

[Chippy]

He only needs those if he is using copper push-fit fittings. If he uses plastic push-fit fittings he needs similar plastic inserts to go in the plastic pipe, but doesnt need anything in the copper pipe.

[nick smith]

"> > I'd advise buying the straight lengths of plastic pipe as the coils

15 mm is not too bad but the coils come in 25M lengths which may be a bit OTT for only a few metres - still straight lengths do have their place for short runs even though they are more expensive per metre

Me neither - wall thickness is a bit more than copper so ID / flowrate would be a be a less if you are "on the limit".

Bear in mind that "15mm" refers to the OD of the pipe, whether plastic or copper, so the fittings will fit either.

The inserts (pipe support sleeves) must be used on plastic pipe and must be the correct sort for the pipe in use - I.e. use Marley for Marley. The Marley / HEP2O ones are metal (stainless?)

At the risk of opening the floodgates (pun intended) of the ones I have used (all) I am most comfortable with the HEP20 / Marley Equator range. Also local B and Q resident plumber rates them as the high end product.

Nick

[Grunff]

Good so far.

Not true in any way I'm afraid. The purpose of the insert is to support the plastic pipe and stop it deforming, thereby maintining a seal. In order for this to happen, what /is/ important is that the insert is a snug fit into the plastic pipe. Inserts made for the thicker walled PEX pipe can only be used on PEX pipe. Inserts made for thinner pipe can only be used on thinner pipe.

But as long as this is observed, you can happily use any manufacturer's inserts with any other manufacturer's pipe and fittings.

I've used the Hep stainless inserts with Hep, Speedfit and Cupro fittings. I've also used the Cupro copper inserts with all of the above fittings. I've only ever used the Speedfit plastic inserts (with extra o-ring) on speedfit, because they need a space for the insert's o-ring, which the Speedfit fittings have built in.

I've used them as well as the others I mentioned, and B&Q's own brand, and I can't say I have a preference.

This worries me a little...

[nick smith]

Hi Grunff, How you doing ? - comments below....

"> > The inserts (pipe support sleeves) must be used on plastic pipe

On this point I was trying to spare the newbie ambiguous information and having to think about / worry about what combinations might work and the easiest way I could quickly come up with was to suggest using the intended item for a given pipe. I agree that some wall thicknesses will be the same but equally some are not and the object (as you say and we both agree on) is to get that snug fit to support the pipe.

a real plumber of some 20 years and does seem to know his stuff. I don't like the Speedfit stuff as much - it feels sort of "engineered to a budget" rather than the others ( and Homebase do / did it last time I looked)

Again, normally most advice from some B and Q staff needs "to be checked and not immediately taken as being definitely correct" , shall we say then ?

Nick

[Grunff]

Hi nick!

Fair enough. Maybe I was being too picky.

I was only joking; some of them are ok ;-)

Especially when they happen to be extalling the virtues of PPPoo tools. I had a nice little argument with a B7Q employee a couple of weeks back, when I overheard him telling a customer how there's really no difference at all between the PPPoo SDS and a Bosch SDS which the customer was considering buying, and that all you pay for is the name.

[Andy Hall]

I've heard them say that as well - perhaps they are on a bonus or something.

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

[nick smith]

Oh dear, oh dear-o-dear !

Thanks for the reply - must get on with the days' tasks now. Good to catch up, Nick

[IMM]

AFIIK, PP Pro do not make an SDS drill. Only PP.

[IMM]

NO they are not. They just look in the skip at the back and see as many Bosch as other makes in there.

[Andy Hall]

That's interesting. You were extolling the virtues of Bosch SDS drills bought from Argos quite recently.

Have they suddenly become bad or just out of fashion this month?

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

[IMM]

As a budget SDS drill it is OK. Other makes have come about around the same price since. Wickes (Kress), etc.

[Grunff]

Sorry, my mistake - PP. The grey one.

[IMM]

PP Pro (the blue one) is good stuff, made by reputable makers, etc.

[Grunff]