Solvent weld pipe ?

[Arfa Daily]

I am just putting in a new kitchen, and wanted to connect to the existing waste coming up through the floor. That is 43mm pipe that formerly had solvent weld fittings. A while back, I redid my shower room, which had similar sized waste, and had to buy some more pipe. I still have a length of it, and it is stamped 1.9m / 43mm on the side. I needed an elbow, and a straight coupler for the kitchen job, so I popped down to B&Q to pick up those fittings. There was no 43mm at all, just 40mm and 32mm. I asked one of the lads, and he just looked totally blank. So I popped around the corner to Homebase, and likewise, just 32mm and 40mm (push-fit only there, not even any solvent joints).

Am I missing something here ? Has 43mm pipe and fittings ceased to exist ? There must be many houses like mine (20 years or so old) that have 43mm pipe, but I didn't even see any adaptors down to 40mm. How is this normally dealt with, because if I can't find any fittings, it's gonna be out with the heat gun to flare a pipe end that I can then use as a straight coupler.

Arfa

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The sheds round here have a very restricted range of solvent weld fittings

- if any. You need a good builder's merchant or plumber's supplies. It's one thing my local Travis Perkins is good for - it's mainly on display for self selection. But make sure you get their best price. ;-)

Terrain is the major maker of such fittings. See if they have what you want here:-

[Bob Mannix]

Try compression "40mm" fittings, they generally have slack to accomodate such things.

[nightjar]

Have you tried measuring the pipe, rather than relying upon the descriptions? The size should be the bore, rather than the OD, but that is not always adhered to and 43mm sounds about right for the OD of 40mm solvent weld waste pipe. Push-fit pipe is generally thinner, so you are unlikely to find push-fit fitting will work on it.

Take your odd bit of pipe down to a plumber's merchant and ask them to match it for you. The sheds don't want to sell the solvent-weld types, as they don't want to bother of having to control the sale of the solvent.

Colin Bignell

[Arfa Daily]

"nightjar .me.uk>"

Yes, I measured it with an electronic vernier gauge before I went. Just to make sure that they weren't quoting ID versus OD, I also checked the spare piece of pipe that I have marked "40mm". Both were within a couple of decimals of those quoted figures on the OD, not the bore. Bore on the 40mm, is actually about 36mm, and it's about 38mm on the 43mm.

FWIW, the piece of pipe that I have, which is the correct one, and is marked "43mm", came from B&Q about a year ago when I was ripping out and re-doing the shower room. They certainly carried it as a range then, but seem to have dropped it now. Oh, and there was actually no shortage of solvent weld fittings in B&Q yesterday, and I actually bought some more cement whilst I was in there. The cashiers keep it in a locked drawer at their tills, so it doesn't seem to be an issue with them. Homebase don't keep it any more, although I have bought it from them in the past.

I think today, I will pop down to the hardware store in the village. He is like a mini builder's merchant as well, and keeps a very good range of plumbing materials.

Arfa

[John Stumbles]

Yes: a proper plumber's merchant :-)

I'd consider going onto your existing stub of pipe with a compression fitting and then do the rest in either solvent-weld or push-fit as you prefer. But as others point out, DIY sheds may have a restricted range of stock. (So may plumbers' merchants: not all would have a cross-Tee or solvent-weld -to- BSP male or female fittings, or 45 degree Tees, or whatever - but since they don't stock lawnmowers and carpets they do tend to have a better stock of plumbing fittings than yer average B&Homebase.)

[Arfa Daily]

Hi John

I went to the village place today. He always used to keep a very broad range of plumbing fittings, but now, the only solvent weld fitting he had was a 'T'. It was 43 mm, but it was also the *only* 43mm fitting he had.

As it happens, I've sorted it now. I have been able to re- use the trap and bowl link-together fittings from the original sink, and I have now made a straight coupler by heating a piece of 43mm pipe until it softened, and then forcing in a piece of 40mm pipe to flare it. With that in place, I then softened it again, and forced in a piece of 43mm. I then cut it off, and repeated for the other end. Result ? A perfectly adequate solvent-weld straight coupler to join back to the original stub. Thanks for your input.

Arfa

[Steven Briggs]

In message , nightjar writes

I've got bits of both ABS and PVC solvent weld kicking about, as Colin says 43mm is the normal OD. Push fit pipe is about 41mm OD. B&Q usually have solvent weld fittings, certainly in the larger stores.

[Arfa Daily]

Well Steve, they definitely *did* not so long back, but don't seem to now. It was one of their 'big' stores that I was looking in, and the same one that I bought 43mm pipe and fittings from, 12 months ago.

Arfa

[nightjar]

I usually use a plastic rule.

The latter are the dimensions of Class D 1.25 inch PVC pipe, more commonly used in commercial applications than in domestic waste pipes.

Colin Bignell

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It's a bit like end feed copper being replaced by push fit. All in the name of ease. There's no way it's as good - simply more convenient. And the other problem with Terrain is it's often more expensive than push fit. But as with end feed copper, if done correctly, will never leak and lasts forever.

[Arfa Daily]

"nightjar .me.uk>"

Ah ! They were a strange company of plumbers that were involved in the building of this house. Small village builder of the '10 houses a year' variety, with little one man bands on the 'trades', so maybe that accounts for it ...

Arfa

[Steven Briggs]

In message , Arfa Daily writes

Aye, all the useful gubbins thrown out in favour of fluffy cushions and other tat. Humbug.

[Arfa Daily]

Glad to say, problem now sorted. My 'home made' straight coupler was today solvent welded into place, to join the downpipe from the original trap, now fitted to the new sink's 1.5 bowl cross-coupling arrangement, to the pipe stub coming up through the floor. No leaks - the job's a good 'un !

Arfa