Hep2o Pushfit v copper

[HERTS P&D]

And never known a rodent chew a plastic pipe

I was called out where a rodent chewed through the plastic pipework leading to the washing machine in a flat above a Tesco store, Tesco's got flooded with then calling out the Fire Brigade to turn off the water as the flat owner was away for the weekend.

The owner had to keep the pipe to show the insurance company.

Andy

 

[durhamplumber]

I was called out where a rodent chewed through the plastic pipework leading to the washing machine in a flat above a Tesco store, Tesco's got flooded with then calling out the Fire Brigade to turn off the water as the flat owner was away for the weekend.

The owner had to keep the pipe to show the insurance company.

Andy

I have been to loads of plastic fitting failings,and copper soldered joints..Take your pick OP.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Another Internet rabbit hole to lose an hour in
EDIT Pipewise i've nothing against the pipe but i don't like inaccessible demountable couplings. Plus placcie fittings are quite expensive and fairly ugly.

 

[johnny2007]

I was converted to use hep2o when a plumber showed me that at 20 bar they don't leak.
I was well impressed, even more impressed to see an industrial compressor in his garage.
He didn't want to explain what he does with it...

 

[u587162]

I was converted to use hep2o when a plumber showed me that at 20 bar they don't leak.
I was well impressed, even more impressed to see an industrial compressor in his garage.
He didn't want to explain what he does with it...

Did you find out?

 

[johnny2007]

Did you find out?

No, never.
I've asked him many times and he always laughs it off.
His hobby is aquariums and he's built some impressive ones, I wonder if it's something to do with that.

 

[Bodd]

I'm a home owner and getting a house completely renovated (5+ bathrooms). The whole house having been gutted has new 22mm Hep20 pipe installed from the garage running to all areas of this large house with pushfit elbows, Ts etc.

People are telling me that copper is always better but then that can oxidise and give problems later. Is it true that after 10-15 years these plastic push fit fittings can leak and I'll have problems all over the home, even if they are fitted correctly at this stage?

You seem to have a large house... Do you have a secondary return on the hot water?

 

[Steady]

If plastic pipe was at serious risk of widespread rodent damage the market for it would
n't exist.Also washing machine hoses have been rubber/plastic coated for years.What do our copper lovers have to say about those?Since there is no realistic alternative what do they suggest?.And What about our soil pipes and waste pipes? should they still be in cast-iron In case of rodents?

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Think the trick is to keep the vermin outside, well worth a read on that Pestology link.

 

[flycop2000]

Maybe new CH systems should come with a free Cat

 

[Bankrupt]

Maybe I'm a just a Luddite but I just feel more comfortable with copper pipe and soldered or compression fitting joints rather than depending on rubber o-rings to keep the water in the pipe. I know it's a proven system pressure wise, it's the integrity of the o-ring seals long term I worry about. I think speedfit quote a service life of 25 years. Sounds like a long time but we do not own our houses, we are just the custodians of them for future generations !

 

[Bodgedbuild]

Maybe new CH systems should come with a free Cat

I have 6 cats (wife's choice not mine!), unfortunately it makes the problem worse. Cats seem keen to impress their keepers so bring mice and small rats back alive, as a gift. The little b*ggers are keen to escape once gifted to us and there have been many times when either the cats, or us, cannot find them once they have made their bid for freedom.
I'd vouch for making sure ANY holes or gaps in skirtings and floorboards are sealed as I have lost many a nights sleep listening to a mouse or rat trapped above my ceiling, gnawing on my woodwork or wires! I did observe they do seem to hate even a thin smear of silicone sealant, any gnawing has stopped with no marks on silicone at all?

 

[amfisted]

The water pressure in our previous house was positively thunderous. One day, whilst I was driving 200 miles down the M6 and M5 to pick up my daughter after she returned from a holiday with my brother's family, my wife called to tell me that a sudden deluge from the bathroom had wiped out our brand new boiler, which was directly underneath. She'd turned off the stopcock, bless her, so I did an about turn and went home as fast as the road traffic laws would allow. When I arrived it quickly became apparent that the shower pipework was the source of the deluge, and when I dug out the tiles and plywood boxing to get to the pipes I found plastic elbows reinforced by big blobs of silicon. One of the elbows had simply blown off.

Its absolutely possible that it was the making of the joints which was at fault and not the materials themselves ( especially given the liberal application of silicone) but the memory of the damage caused by the incident is strong enough to dissuade me from ever using plastic pipe fittings.