Plastic for Central heating?

[BruceRee]

Hi Guys,

I am starting the Installation of my central heating radiator system this weekend and still undecided about using plastic with push fits or copper piping, need to go and purchase the supplies this weekend. Now I pretty much decided to go ahead and use plastic pipe with the plastic push fit connections. But I just had a thought about the life span of the plastic pipe and especially the plastic push fits and the orings. I don’t want to have to replace pipe and connections 5 years down the line.
Anyone have some experience good or bad with plastic pipe and fittings to help me make a sound decision I will not regret a few months down the line!

Cheers

 

[ColJack]

no ideas.. but make sure you put the inserts into the ends of the pipe at all connections..

 

[Agile]

Most professionals prefer copper.

Most plastic systems should last at least 10 years now.

Many DIYers prefer plastic because they dont have to learn how to solder pipes.

We go to quite a few failures of plastic systems but mostly due to joints being assembled wrongly.

Tony

 

[mickyg]

Plastic is fine if properly installed, which 95% of the time its not. For heating you must use barrier pipe for starters. Use a proper cutter to make clean cuts and use the inserts. If you use something like JG Speedfit, then I'd also recommend using the retaining clips, to stop the fittings from demounting themselves!
If you install it as it should, it will last many years.

 

[bathstyle]

As a youngish Plumber I agree, copper is King, too may people use plastic and I avoid it if I can.

Mice is a huge problem in certain areas, I have known of a few failures, one was an installation error in the loft, went right through the house £50k damage, another with Mice, less damage but went from top to bottom of house. It puts you off using it, Copper is tried and tested and we know it lasts

 

[BruceRee]

Once again thanx for the help guys...
Okay so if plastic is not installed properly it could end up being a nightmare. Well the main reason I am going for plastic instead of cooper is because it is easier to tackle as I have heard that if you do not have allot of soldering (sweating) experience you are going to have allot of leaks! Reason number two plastic works out allot cheaper than cooper. If I was more confident in my soldering I would definitely opt for cooper as I know it is proven and lasts a very long time! Decisions .... Decisions....

 

[mointainwalker]

It think it's generally accepted that you put the plastic pipe in the normal ridged-flexible conduit as rodents really do like to gnaw on the pipe to keep their teeth short but the conduit is too tough/too big for them.

Secondly I believe - but not 100% certain - that the pipe used is the same PEX-pipe as used for underfloor-heating where a 30 - 50 year guarantee is normal and I have not read of any claims at all. The comment about "a life of at least ten years " really is damning with faint praise and unrealisticy negative.

You do need to know how much space you have in walls/under floors because the bending radius of PEX is quite large ( 4 or 5 times pipe dia. ?) and if you can't meet that you may need to use elbows which increase cost and number of joins.

Lastly, everything I have ever read about plastic-plumbing advises not to use push-fit fittings because of (more) frequent failures. The recommendation is to use compression fittings.

Think about it logically. Using the flexibility of the pipe which is a huge advantage and allows connection without intermediate joins, the only possible leaks will be at the connection at the rads and also at whatever type of junction/manifold you have. All these places ought to be reasonably acessible afterwards even if you have a leak ( and you can look at them all after turning-on system ) whereas your soldered-joints willl be in walls/ under floors etc and this is most unwise if you are concerned about your soldering ability.
Yes, copper is a proven system and most pros will use it by preference. I guess this is partly familiarity but also because they are smart enough to see that being able to do this differentiates them from the DIYer and so if they can "sell" copper as THE right thing to use it increases the liklihood of them getting the business.

Before anyone starts hammering me, I don't see anything wrong with that approach as it is a legitimate selling technique

 

[g20]

plastic might seem cheaper to buy, but the fittings are alot more expensive than copper fittings. If you are going to use plastic i would use hep20 not speedfit

 

[bengasman]

I have used polyplumb for years, and not had a single problem with it. 25 year warrantee if memory serves.

 

[Nige F]

As a youngish Plumber I agree, copper is King, too may people use plastic and I avoid it if I can.

Copper is tried and tested and we know it lasts

Until the Chinese strip the market of it . It`ll be just like the 70`s again. (Without the 3 day week) and we had no plastic to use then as a substitute

 

[namsag]

Copper prices are all over the place just now anything from £30 a bundle 15mm from plumfix to £45 quid from plumbcentre 22mm being around £85.
Do it properly do it in copper

 

[kevplumb]

As a youngish Plumber I agree, copper is King, too may people use plastic and I avoid it if I can.

Copper is tried and tested and we know it lasts

Until the Chinese strip the market of it . It`ll be just like the 70`s again. (Without the 3 day week) and we had no plastic to use then as a substitute

arrgh not that crappy stainless type stuff

 

[holty]

or the solvent weld plastic pipe that had a faze.

 

[bathstyle]

As a youngish Plumber I agree, copper is King, too may people use plastic and I avoid it if I can.

Copper is tried and tested and we know it lasts

Until the Chinese strip the market of it . It`ll be just like the 70`s again. (Without the 3 day week) and we had no plastic to use then as a substitute

Ahhh, the 70's, a great Decade