Hi all
I am fitting a couple of rads today and we have chrome plated pipe for the tails and then under the floor all the pipework is plastic. What's the best way to connect the plastic to the chrome? Can I use a standard plastic fit ting as you can with copper? Do I need to remove the chrome plating?
Thanks
Lee.
The grip ring will not grip the chrome plating reliably, the chrome is too hard for it to bite into.
I use compression fittings, preferably with a brass olive (as opposed to a copper olive) on the chrome. You also need to use an insert in the platic pipe end to prevent it squashing and allow the olive to bite into it and seal.
If you really want to use push-fit, you will need to take the chrome plating off, which isn't easy because it's very hard. Pushfit doesn't have the life of compression fittings though so I personally only use it for temporary work.
Thanks both. Seems like a compression fitting it is. I have never used a compression fitting in plastic pipe before and TBH have had mixed results on copper. Besides the plastic insert any other top tips?
Especially if its heat cycling as well of course, as expansion rates will stuff you.
Brian
snip Pushfit doesn't have the life of compression fittings
Is that personal experience of pushfit failures, or reported somewhere?
I hadn't realised those were available. Thanks!
Confirmed.
Not sure if it is still available, but Acorn (brown) plastic pipe came with metal inserts which also fit Speedfix pipe. I use these on the relatively rare occasions that I use compression fittings. I just feel slightly more comfortable with them.
You can buy metal inserts. I use them particularly when I want minimum pipe restriction, because they are a thinner profile within the pipe.
One thing that does wreck compression fittings is trying to use a poor quality adjustable spanner where the jaws spread and become non-parallel when you apply force. It bends the compression nut into an oval, which then never seals.
The O-rings are rated for 25 years. I rarely do plumbing with a life expectancy that short.
I have had them fail in 10 years, which is remarkable considering how rarely I've used them (this was on a shower which was supplied with them).
When disassembling them. I often find the rubber is hard and they've been leaking and are now sealed with hard water, but of course any movement will break that seal, and that could be simple pipe expansion due to heating.
I normally plumb in copper and soldered fittings, and use compression fittings when that's not possible, or where disassembly is expected for maintenance.
I've also had ones supplied with a shower pump fail, in a few years, needing a ceiling below replacing. I find the pushfit stop-ends are great while carrying out work on copper systems, and have a couple of tees and couplers in my "bits box" along with a few lengths of PEX pipe, for temporary lash-ups, mid job.
+1
I try very hard to avoid flexi connectors, but sometimes they are the most sensible choice.
However, at least I only have a couple I need to consider under a decade+ maintenance cycle, whereas if I had push fit O rings everywhere, I'd be nervous.
The Speedfit ones I've been using are guaranteed for 25 years - I doubt they'd market them as having a life of 25 years!
Quite right IMO.
Could have been poor quality? Even so . . .
That does sound ominous. Quite a few homes are going to need a fairly major replumb after 10 years or so. Wonder what they do - completely replumb, or just replace all the fittings?
Specialist plumbers I've used all use copper. Any other trade plastic. I thought most new build has been plastic for over 10 years - is that correct?
I've replaced parts of the system here with pushfit - but that's a lack of skill, and the idiot-proofness of plastic. And I had assumed they had a rather longer life. I wouldn't have bothered taking so much care/planning had I known.
While I do imagine I'll move from here before it falls apart in the next
5 years or so I have at least made sure pipes and fittings are reasonably accessible via screwed down floorboards etc.Must just be a matter of time before the entire system is discredited.
Rob
The plastic inserts on 10mm pipe leave a very small hole - 5/6mm I'd guess. Used them throughout 2nd floor heating - so 8 in all.
Doesn't *seem* to have had any effect, but not sure if it puts more strain on circuit/pump etc.
Cheers, Rob
I presume 22mm speedfit is a no-no onto what I suspect is old 3/4" copper?
Well ... having tried the speedfit onto know samples of both 22mm and
3/4" pipe, the metal grip fingers seems to get as much purchase onto both of them once tightened up, so I think I'll risk it for what is only a temporary lash-up during bathroom refurb.
Well that's done, the 3/4" pipe is only low pressure hot, not mains cold, and the pushfit 15mm reducer elbow seems happy. For now I've bypassed the bathroom connections to the sink and bath while still providing hot and cold to the kitchen below, shower already had separate H&C feeds direct from tanks, oh and a mains cold to the loo.
But boy is that JG PEX pipe hateful stuff to work with? I only needed two 6' lengths and two 18" lengths, it's got a mind of its own, presumably the lay-flat stuff is better behaved?
Funny you should say that. I just bought another 25m of pipe and happen to have bought this stuff too. It was very tightly wrapped in a small loop ( easier transport) but now the resulting pipe is too bent and doesn't seem t o like straightening out... The other stuff I had was bent into a large loo p and then behaved itself
One of the firms (was it JG?) also used to sell straight lengths. I was always too mean to pay for extra connectors, and struggled with the coils instead. But they would certainly make sense in some builds.
Oh this coil has sat in the shed for 16 years, so no way was I going to buy any straight bits for a temporary job!
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