Will these stand up to mains cold water pressure and "normal" temperature hot water tank water without leaking? Is it best to stick to plastic pipe runs or is it OK to mix/match with copper?
ADVthanksANCE
Mick
In my experience of them, I've never had one leak - but you must make sure that the pipe is not under stress near the fitting, and is able to hit it square on.
They are absolutely fine with copper or plastic, just remember to use pipe inserts if using plastic pipe.
I await a slating by the anti-pushfit brigade!
Alex
Yes.
Yes.
You can mix and match as required, or run all plastic or all copper. Many don't like plastic on display, so use chromed pipe radiator tails, but plastic everywhere else.
Complicated bits with lots of valves and 'T's (like on my S-Plan-Plus system) are best done in copper, as the copper pipe provides useful support to the heavy valve/pump gear and looks much neater. Also, most boiler manufacturers require you to use copper for the first metre or so.
Christian.
You'll have to wait for IMM then. ;-)
He has shares in a copper mine I suspect.
Used it myself as a first time plumber and it's a doddle. :-)
Mark S.
Use copper pushfit and copper pipe. Use plastic where access is poor. Plastuc pipe can be threaded through floor spaces etc.
Copper also looks neater.
Right on cue....
Gracias Senor Rio Tinto
.andy
To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
Copper with pushfit doesn't.
Don't use chrome pipe and Speedfit it will not hold and the makers advise against it.
Copper pushfit fittings are generally less bulky than plastic ones though, so wouldn't it make sense that copper pipe with copper pushfit fittings would look neater than plastic pipe with plastic pushfit fittings?
Alex
Yes, although if neatness is an issue, the only real answer is copper with end feed fittings. And if you're doing a few, the savings will pay for a blowlamp etc which in any case will have other uses.
If only everything in life was as reliable...
I tend to mix and match, using copper for straight runs and plastic for bendy bits.
The copper pushfit fittings do look neater, so I've used them when they're going to be visible (not many places). But they are a real pain to demount compared to JG or Hep plastic fittings.
I know the manufacturers recommend them, but are the inserts really necessary for plastic pipe/ push fit? I thought it was the case that the push fit/ plastic pipe system was originally sold without inserts and the inserts later came about to minimise the *slight* risk of failure. However, I could be (and probably am) completely wrong on this.....
Regards, Jim.
Yes, they really are, especially for non-crosslinked pipe. If you don't use an insert, even a small amount of sideways force will distort the pipe wall and eventually cause failure. This is much less likely with thicker walled crosslinked pipe, but can still happen.
I've experimented lots with trying to get pushfits to fail, and have only found two ways to make them fail. The first is to not push the pipe in far enough (duh), and the second is to not use an insert and apply some sideways force to the pipe.
Alex, yes it would. The fool who you are replying to has not seen them, except in a catalogue.
So you reckon copper with pushfit is neater than copper with end feed fittings? Nothing surprises me about your taste. Do you wear crushed velvet flared hipsters when you go tango dancing?
If you have to then abrade the pipe with medium silicon carbide paper AROUND (i.e. not ALONG the pipe) the 'biting' area.
The inserts are absolutely needed if the plastic pipe goes to a compression fitting.
The inserts make putting the pipe into all the other fittings (by any manufacturer) a magnitude easier by making the pipe rounder. IME you can leave them out but you have to be extra careful making the joints. They cost pence anyway.
IMHO The only time to use a Cu pushfit Cu pipe is when the pipe is wet and can't be relaibly gotten dry to solder. In which case the Cu pushfit is neater than the compression fitting that you would otherwise have to use.
I also had one fail where I dropped a length of wood accidently onto a pushfit connector - which of course was at the bottom of a full hot water cylinder - and for some reason it gave way and soaked everywhere. Never managed to repeat this but I wonder if a short sharp shock in a particular direction can overcome the grab mechanism.
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