Plastic pipe for central heating is this right (no copper)

[chuggypig]

Hi,

Just got in from work after having my new central heating started today to find rolls of plastic pipe and various fittings awaiting fitting the pipe is (HEP20 barrier pipe 15mm) and (HEP20 barrier pipe 10mm white). I just assumed all the pipe would be copper is this stuff any good or is it just cheap crap. I assume the 15mm is the main pipe and the 10mm is what goes to the radiators.

Thanks

 

[petit_pablo]

Its cheaper and easier to run long lengths through a house. Barrier is correct for CH

 

[chuggypig]

Is it any good though!! i'm not really bothered if it's cheaper as long as it's good

 

[petit_pablo]

It will be fine as long as its installed correctly. iirc it has a 25year guaranty on pipe and fittings if installed to the instructions

 

[chuggypig]

Thanks!!


Where can i find instructions on fitting just so i can check it's being installed correctly

 

[Tipper]

Google Hep2O

 

[namsag]

Should have been mentioned what was being used at time of quote and job being measured etc.

 

[twgas]

Do you not trust your installer?
If not, why employ him?

 

[bengasman]

Do you not trust your installer?
If not, why employ him?

Good point.

Plastic, if fitted correctly, is fine for ch, I use it all the time.

 

[muggles]

Would be nice to see 22mm coming off the boiler into a centrally-located manifold and 10mm running off that though IMHO if they must use 10mm.

Oh and there should be no plastic within 1m of the boiler. Other than that, correctly installed it's great stuff, apart from anything else there should be far fewer joints and therefore much less chance of leakage. If it's run from a manifold above the floor, normally hidden in a stud wall with an access, or an airing cupboard, it's actually possible to have no joints in the floor at all as the 10mm is connected at the manifold and run in one continuous length to the radiator.

 

[chuggypig]

Do you not trust your installer?
If not, why employ him?

I did trust him when he quoted for the job he was nice as pie it was all we can do this we can do that yeah that'll be easy no probs i'm great run this behind the skirting there.

But then the problems

Night before he was about to start i get a phone call saying "your boiler fell off the wagon and it's dinted i wont be able to start till a day later" ***LIE*** boiler came yeaterday and has been sat in my house as he fitted the RADS yesterday so why did that hold him up a day when he had no intention of fitting it on the first day. must think i'm stooopid


Then he tried to tell me that the 600x600 double convector radiator (giving 3980BTU) he was installing would be sufficeint for my living room that is 5 meters wide X 5 meters long X 3meters high it was going to look ridiculous!!! now unless all the BTU calculators on the net are incorrect then i can assume he was wrong and after a lenghthy discussion he agreed to put a larger radiator on at my cost which was fine (he was not happy though).

Then i see the plastic pipe when i got home from work and as i was what's this crap!! assuming it was going to be copper it was NOT mentioned in the quote what would be getting used.

So to answer the question "why did i employ him" it was because he appeared to be a competent central heating installer at time of quote and as i'm NOT a central heating installer myself i have to take him at his word and unfortunatley now he's turned out to be a bit of an ARSE!!! (at least he's gas safe details checked out) but as i have to go to work and can't shadow his every move in my house i have to trust he will complete the rest of the job to a good standard or rip all the floors up to check, either that or kick him off the job half way through and get someone else in to finish and probably end up in court.

 

[kevplumb]

i hope the gas is in copper

 

[chuggypig]

Yes gas is going to be in copper

 

[Goldspoon]

I see three "problems" here that lead you to say he is an a*se:

1. He is using plastic
2. He told a lie.
3. He undersized a rad.

1. Using plastic is pretty standard nowadays and is very good if fitted properly. I always state on a quote that it is plastic (and copper is an option at a higher price). However, it does not make him an a*se that he did not mention this imho. You could also have done a little research on "what to watch out for" and then requested copper should you have wished. Personally I have no issue with plastic. But I like 22mm coupled with 15mmm.

2. Not good practice at all but it happens (minor a*se?)

3. Hmmm. That is not good. Either he doesn't know how to size a rad (worrying) or he is trying to save money by selling you short (very worrying). Again, should have been in a quote and you could have spotted his "error" before taking him on.

 

[chuggypig]

I see three "problems" here that lead you to say he is an a*se:

1. He is using plastic
2. He told a lie.
3. He undersized a rad.

1. Using plastic is pretty standard nowadays and is very good if fitted properly. I always state on a quote that it is plastic (and copper is an option at a higher price). However, it does not make him an a*se that he did not mention this imho. You could also have done a little research on "what to watch out for" and then requested copper should you have wished. Personally I have no issue with plastic. But I like 22mm coupled with 15mmm.

2. Not good practice at all but it happens (minor a*se?)

3. Hmmm. That is not good. Either he doesn't know how to size a rad (worrying) or he is trying to save money by selling you short (very worrying). Again, should have been in a quote and you could have spotted his "error" before taking him on.

1) Why should it be down to me to do research surley he should have told me what equipment his quote was including espescially an inferior product to copper. Still an ARSE!!

2) Not good practice!!! he's now a day late on my installation 12 hrs notice is not sufficient if he's going to be late and as a result was supposed to be finished today but he is only just starting the down stairs and we go away tomorrow for a week so this makes him a major ARSE!!!! no hot water or heating before we go or when we come back (and don't even suggest we leave him a key)

3) Again why should it be down to me to check his calculations. I didn't check the engineers calc for the RSJ that was fitted in my house nor the electricians work when the rewired the house or the double glazing. Unfortunatley none of the 8 people who quoted for the heating would give me a list of the exact equpitment they'd priced even though we asked, this was in case i went somewhere else with the list, So there was no way to check the rad size until they turned up and i ****ed my pants laughing at the raditors he was going to install. For this he is a MAJOR MEGA SUPER ARSE. and i will be getting his installation fully checked by an independent regulator before any payment is released.

Shame i didn't have the time to install the rads and pipe my self and got the boiler and gas done by someone else. A least it would have been done right and done neat with correct radiators.