Christmas Floods

No the huge ones all over Britain - that must be dreadful.

I've been haunted by the faint smell of warm wet floorboards and plaster for about two weeks. Finally this afternoon I found the cause. The downstairs bathroom has its own hot cylinder which I installed in April 1999 using Polyplumb plastic piping and joints. The stub that runs out of the top of the cylinder had developed a fine aerosol leak - not enough to make a noise but over some weeks enough to soak the walls but not have them run with water.

So this afternoon, a dash to B&Q to buy brass fittings and now I have a wee project to keep me occupied over the holiday. I will replace the stub and the right-angle bend in copper to get that bathroom back in commission, all the while wondering whether I should redo the whole thing in copper. My project for next year had been to redo the ground floor radiator circuit in plastic - but that will be copper too now.

Has anyone else had this kind of failure in good quality plastic pipe?

Geoff

Reply to
Geoff Pearson
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I've never had the nerve to use plastic. The fact that the first few feet from a boiler should not be plastic does not encourage me. Simon.

Reply to
sm_jamieson
[snip]

Waving! Yes, and have known many others who have experienced similar failures of a far more damaging kind thanks to these fittings. Seems they're fine for 10 years or more but then just suddenly 'let go' without the slightest warning. You were lucky. I ripped all mine out and replaced with *proper* fittings. I suggest you do likewise.

Reply to
Cursitor Doom

Let's see how many more crop up on this thread for a festive placcy pipe straw poll....

Jim K

Reply to
Jim K

Bugger. It's about 10 years since I fitted my CH and I used plasic pipe.

Reply to
ARW

In message , ARW writes

I replumbed the kitchen with plastic 11 years ago and (touch wood) all is still well.

Adrian

Reply to
Adrian

A lot of problems arose because people didn't use the plastic inserts in the cut ends of pipe in the joints.

Reply to
harryagain

My mates Acorn plastic plumbing (the first ever Hep2O) pipework is still sound after >25 years:-)

Reply to
ARW

or the metal inserts...

Jim K

Reply to
Jim K

So is this a pin hole in the plastic PIPE or where a pipe fitting is fitted i.e. some failure of a fitting or failure "mid pipe"

Jim K

Reply to
Jim K

I'm taking it out tomorrow morning - what else is there to do? I can just see minute jets as if there is a longitudinal slit about 3cm above the tank fitting.

Reply to
Geoff Pearson

?er nought, crack on..

mmm sounds like pipe then not fittings?

just curious as the plastic plumbing bashers are gathering ;>)

Jim K

Reply to
Jim K

My dad had a similar failure except it was copper pipe that developed a tiny hole and sprayed mist about.

I have had plastic pipe for 30 years without trouble.

Reply to
dennis

I have 25 yo Acorn as well, plus a fair amount of the more modern white stuff, including CH runs, with very little trouble. Just replaced a length of Acorn on an external garden tap run too, nearly 25 years of UV (direct sunlight) before it leaked.

Reply to
newshound

I've got it off now - seems to be a hairline crack just above the metal insert - I think the pipe was under some slight bending pressure - not much but over 15 years...

Reply to
Geoff Pearson

Just to clarify, just above the end of the metal insert where it finishes inside the pipe and presumably the tension side of the bend.

15 years and thermal cycling, hum...
Reply to
Dave Liquorice

And the inside of the pipe was a little crumbly - probably too hot. suggests the immersion thermostat is not right and allowing close to boiling temps - the water is scalding hot.

Reply to
Geoff Pearson

Yes - that's it - not an obvious problem 15 years ago when the pipe was very flexible. Now it is hardening up. I'll not use it again and will replumb that bathroom next year. I have two bathrooms one above the other and I think I could now work out something better for both.

Reply to
Geoff Pearson

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Looks a bit damp.

Reply to
mogga

Once had it years ago on the ABS stuff with glued fittings. Cold mains water. Pipe broke off completely near a washing machine on a fitting. I think it was the shock loads as the valves closed did it.

Reply to
harryagain

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