Selectring central heating pipe

[Steve]

Hi

I'm going to be using quite a bit of (22mm and 15mm) plastic barrier pipe for central heating and wondered if anyone can advise on the following.

Q1. I used a coil of Speedfit a few years ago and it was a bu**er to work with because it was so springy and wanted to return to its coiled shape. Are coils of other makes any better in this respect (I have Hep2O and Equator in mind)?

Q2. Presumably the different makes have slightly different internal diameters. I calculate that if an internal diameter increases, for example, from 11mm to 13mm then the internal cross-sectional area increases nearly

40% (area being proportional to diameter squared). This would give a significant reduction in resistance. Are any of the available barrier pipes of significantly greater internal diameters than their competitors?

Cheers

Steve

[Andy Hall]

Not really. Warming it can help a little but a better solution is just to buy straight 3 or 6m lengths.

They are supposed to be standard according to the BS specs. The critical thing is to use the inserts that relate to the fittings as these are not interchangeble between brands

Finally, it is advised to use a proper tube cutter and not a hacksaw for cutting the tube in order to retain system continence and your reputation.

[Roger Mills]

Ecxept that one gentleman(?) whom we haven't seen much recently maintains

*his* reputation *by* using a hacksaw!

[ARWadworth]

The JG speedfit is in my experence the most springy. I have never used Equador. I have used Hep 2O and PolyPlumb. They both seem easier to use than JG. I have no preference over either of these, but as the same person designed both Hep and Poly they are probably the same thing in all but name and patent numbers.

The JG Speedfit pipe cutter is the best I have used on any plastic pipe.

Adam

[Ed Sirett]

The JG Speedfit pipe is made using PEX which is a lot less flexible than Hep2O whcih is made using PB there is at least one other manufacturer that uses PB (PolyPlumb IIRC?).

The difference is very marked. The 15mm PB stuff will nicely follow a

300mm radius without too much work.

You must use the same manufacturer for the end supports as for the pipe. IME the PB pipes use stainless steel supports which offer less resistance than the plastic ones from JG (and others).

I've not had an issue with the flow resistance of plastic pipe relative to Cu.

[Steve]

Thanks all. Very helpful. I'll be opting for the Hep2O.

Cheers

[Steve]

Thanks all. Very helpful. I'll be using Hep2O.

Steve