I want to run about 5 metres of pipe branching off from my incoming water main to a new garden tap. The main comes into my cellar and reduces down to 15mm copper at the point I'll be branching off. The new pipe will run under the floor of my front room and then out through the corner of an inconspicuous air brick into the front garden.
I don't want to have to lift the floorboards in the front room, and envisage a semi-flexible plastic pipe that can lie upsupported on the ground under this floor. Also I'd like a continuous run of stuff rather than having to join two 3m lengths (to avoid the possibility of a leak under the floor where I'd never see it). Any suggestions for what type of pipe, and source? Will I be able to go to a plumber's merchant and get them to cut off a 5m length of *whatever* from their
You can buy plastic barrier pipe in 6m lengths - cost about £6.
Manufacturers are Hepworth (Hep2O), Marley and JG (and others) and obtainable at any plumber's merchant.
There are coils as well - 25m length.
You can use push fit plastic fittings as well - These push onto copper pipe (must be deburred) as well as plastic.
It's important to use the recommended pipe cutting tool to get clean and squar ends to the plastic pipe.
For an outside tap it is a requirement to fit a double check valve (basically a non return) to prevent the possibility of contaminated water flowing backwards towards the mains.
This cannot be used inside premises. For direct burial only. Although they will allow it to be run inside a floor void for a few meters up to the old stop c*ck position, say like under the stairs. It cannot be used surface run after the stop c*ck, that is for sure. It can be used after the stop c*ck for direct burial to say a garage.
I do believe it has properties that make it more suitable for direct burial, although I have never investigated why and just accepted it. When under the ground it is supported all around, unlike in the open air where it is supported on one point along it whole length, and that is when it is on the ground. Internal plastic pipe is designed to be supported at various points with clips, hence the sagging when hot. MDPE pipe is not suited to being supported at specific points, as with clips. AIUI.
It works perfectly well supported by clips in my experience, I have lots of it outside feeding water around the garden and in places where it's above ground I have it supported by clips (e.g. on sides of shed etc.). They sell clips for it so presumably someone thinks it can be clipped.
Tha chances of it leaking compared with the chances of ordinary plastic (or copper for that matter) pipework leaking are so infinitesimally small I don't think I'll lose any sleep over it. That blue MDPE pipe is *tough*. Anyway I don't have any in my house.
It survives lots of abuse out in the open air (horses stepping on it for starters) that other pipes certainly wouldn't stand up to.
I think that your biggest challenge with this is going to be getting the pipe to run through one small hole and out through another some way away.
Plastic pipe in that length will at least be reasonably straight, but I think the chances of getting it to thread through an airbrick, across several metres and out through a brick sized hole in the cellar are fairly slim.
Assuming that you have access such that you can thread something through a hole in an air brick in the front wall then I think that I would try something like the following:
- Get some garden canes that are fairly stout and tape them together with Duck tape - the strong reinforced stuff - sold in B&Q etc.
- Chop out a brick in the cellar and arrange a torch to shine through it towards the air brick. An assistant to hold and move the torch around would help.
- Feed the cane through from the front airbrick hole and aim for the hole in the cellar wall.
- Once the cane is through in the cellar, chop the end off at the front and tape a length of cord, doubled over to provide two lengths to the cane.
- Start pulling through and untaping the canes. Eventually you will get the loop in the cord through.
- Tape one end of the cord to the plastic pipe and then have the assistant pull on that side leaving the other side of the cord in place.
- The reason for the extra step of the cord (I'd use polypropylene cord) is that it is less likely to get stuck and you can jiggle the canes around to free it if need be.
- With luck, you will be able to pull the pipe through first go. If not, then you have a cord in place which will allow you to pull another cord through and have another go.
I always use this technique for pulling cables etc. through ducts and leave the cord in place. It means that you always have a way to pull things through.
Thx Andy. Happily it's not going to be quite as difficult as that (I hope). The floor joists for my front room rest on top of one of my cellar walls so that I can see/ poke things through a 6" high gap.
Also it's not an airbrick as such, rather its's a brick-sized metal grille (I was being concise in my O/P). I've Dremelled out one corner to enlarge the hole so that I can feed a pipe from the garden towards the light I can see shining through from my cellar.
I agree that running stuff under floors can be an absolute b*gg*r ... I've used everything from canes to plastic/ copper pipe and even chimney rods in the past Cheers John
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