plastic to copper pipe coupling

[david32]

I want to replace a sink and taps. I want to use flexis because the route is awkward. I have discovered that the hot feed is standard 15mm copper (which I am well used to playing with) but the cold feed is plastic. it looks a bit bigger than the 15mm copper and measuring it gives 55mm circumference which is about 17.5mm outer diameter. (The house was built early 70s if that gives any clues). A few local plumbing shops have failed to solve this. Can anyone tell me if I can get a coupler to couple the plastic to 50mm copper. If I can do so I can then do the whole job using standard flexis

 

[Agile]

This sounds like the brown or grey very early plastic, sometimes called Acorn.

It is deadly to work with as its now very brittle and very difficult to make any reliable connection onto.

Someone here may be able to suggest if any compression connectors are available anywhere or you may be able to come up with a 22mm plastic pipe which fits over teh outside so you can solvent weld onto it as a great bodge.

That will only be half acceptable if its an open vented system with a fairly low water pressure. The best solution would be to replace all of it in the house with copper!

Tony

 

[powell30]

philmac make universal connectors. Have changed quite a few stop taps onto this type of plastic. Agile is right, it is brittle and most of all you need the correct type of insert (colour coded, 3/8, 1/2 etc etc).

Try pipe center and take a small cut of piece to test the insert sizes.

 

[DP]

David, using an adjustable spanner, check pipe size again. 17.5mm is a very odd size. While plastic is available in 16 and 18mm size, you might find pipe is in fact 15mm. The fitting can be removed to replace it with a flexi if pipe is indeed 15mm.

Any Acorn I have encountered is quite flexible, but totally unsuitable for central heating systems.