DIY plumbing / central heating anyone?

[addjunkie]

Well, yeah. This is new territory for me. I don't have any plumbing experience or specific tools. I don't know best practice, I can only go off what I see. Everything here looks like it's bent, so I can only assume bending new pipe is the way forward. I didn't even know a bending spring existed for copper pipe, so forgive me for my lack of knowledge. I want to make a good job of it, so I can only act on it when someone pipes up and tells me what I need to do.


Ok thanks, that makes sense. There are a few knocks and bangs from the floor at times when the heating is on, I've always wondered what causes that.

I can't see what you've linked, screwfix website seems to be down.

What about pex? I've seen a few people on youtube use that. Elbows and pipe simply clip on and you're away.

Pex is great till mr mouse takes a fancy to it!

You need 3 elbows as it needs to bend up to the radiator. Make sure the copper is shiny clean and flux before soldering.

Be very careful, putting the floor down….nothing more irritating than putting a screw through a pipe, dont ask me how I know!

 

[hooblah]

No mice in this house!

Soldering i'm absolutely fine with. And years of being careless has taught me how to be careful :P

Anyway, these youtube plumbers... they all seem to put some sort of paste around olives before tightening. An olive shouldn't require any sort of sealant. What's up with that?

 

[addjunkie]

No mice in this house!

Soldering i'm absolutely fine with. And years of being careless has taught me how to be careful :P

Anyway, these youtube plumbers... they all seem to put some sort of paste around olives before tightening. An olive shouldn't require any sort of sealant. What's up with that?

I to use a silicone type paste. Forget whats its called. Just belt and braces I guess.

 

[Mark 5]

Well, yeah. This is new territory for me. I don't have any plumbing experience or specific tools. I don't know best practice, I can only go off what I see. Everything here looks like it's bent, so I can only assume bending new pipe is the way forward. I didn't even know a bending spring existed for copper pipe, so forgive me for my lack of knowledge. I want to make a good job of it, so I can only act on it when someone pipes up and tells me what I need to do.


Ok thanks, that makes sense. There are a few knocks and bangs from the floor at times when the heating is on, I've always wondered what causes that.

I can't see what you've linked, screwfix website seems to be down.

What about pex? I've seen a few people on youtube use that. Elbows and pipe simply clip on and you're away.

Ok, I think you are doing fine, your doing the alterations, looks ok.

Others speaking of spring work, they are not the easiest thing to use, they are ok but not the easiest for a beginner but you start somewhere.

Never ever-ever-ever use pex, standard compression or push fit fittings under floorboards or where you can't get to them, I have seen property owners weep because of it.

Solder ring or end feed under floors unless you have designed Pex layout/pipework to avoid joints under floors, Pex pipe is a great alternative to copper,has been for a long while but I'm old school-still prefer copper pipework and fittings and a nice dob of solder..

At a guess and I think another member mentioned it and I bet we are not far wrong, at least from one of your photos the CH pipe work is not clipped, most households get away with it, never gives them an issue, not even aware of the fact.

But on occasion and probably what has happened with yours, CH pipework heats up and knocks the bottom of board/s but it does settle until pipework heats up again. Another reason, pipework is not clipped, runs tight under boards or joist notches, pipework can oscillate due to water flow and stopping suddenly in pipes and causes knocks.

But this is more prevalent where main pressure is going through pipe work, crikey can it cause knocking, and referred to as pipe hammer.

Pipe Hammer can be resolved--most times by reducing flow through the main stopcock a turn or two and can become apparent after new WMs have been installed, the installer hasn't bothered to count amount of turns and then turns the stopcock full on, in times past many a call out I have attended because of it.

My link you can't view the Scfrewfix product number is 61598, it's a short length of flexible copper pipe and might get you out of trouble.

 

[angellonewolf]

I to use a silicone type paste. Forget whats its called. Just belt and braces I guess.

I've got in to the habit of it never used to use it what I call boss white (not for drinking stuff) but plenty of pottable stuff About now

Plumber I use for certain jobs (old bloke) pressured water tanks etc his dad youed to do it so he does and it's just a precaution of not having a leak

 

[voipio]

Looked at a new build house years ago that was going through first fix, and the central heating pipework in the walls was sandwiched in some sort of hessian, to stop the pipes from making "ticking" during expansion and contraction.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

The new builds I've seen have all been plastic pipes...I prefer copper but can't beat plastic for an upstairs job running thro joists.

I've never had a push fit fail...just got to be meticulous. I've seen them fail....usually where a pipe has been cut short and someone has tried to stretch things...or the insert is missing...or the pipe has been cut with a blunt butter knife!

 

[dobbslc]

Or you disassemble it to do something then drop the O ring without noticing

 

[Mark 5]

The new builds I've seen have all been plastic pipes...I prefer copper but can't beat plastic for an upstairs job running thro joists.

I've never had a push fit fail...just got to be meticulous. I've seen them fail....usually where a pipe has been cut short and someone has tried to stretch things...or the insert is missing...or the pipe has been cut with a blunt butter knife!

It's rarely the push fitting its self that fails, they can do but rare, its invariably how the pipe has been cut, stretched or inserted and it never fails when the installer is there but some years down the line for the householder.

One day, who knows, the water industry will come up with a simple plastic weld system for pex/plastic pipe.

 

[bricol]

Not in DIY territory, but just been looking at press fit fittings and tube - tool is around £1200. Turns a £4000 stainless BSP cooling system into around £2000 including the tool.

Same issue of cutting and deburring to avoid seal damage though.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

its invariably how the pipe has been cut, stretched or inserted

Incorrect use is a common issue...the problem is these push fits appear to be easy to use which results in people "having a go" without taking the time to understand how they work.

 

[addjunkie]

Not in DIY territory, but just been looking at press fit fittings and tube - tool is around £1200. Turns a £4000 stainless BSP cooling system into around £2000 including the tool.

Same issue of cutting and deburring to avoid seal damage though.

Ive used those on low pressure pipework repairs to avoid welding….Quick flange I think it was called. Preparation was key.