Price difference Plastic v. Copper CH.

[hdp160]

Hi not withstanding the pros and cons of a plastic verses copper piped central heating system what are your estimates fot the average percentage price difference. Copper + 5% +10% .... 100% ...+500% what do you think (based on 2016 copper prices and speed of installation )..
Thanks in anticipation

 

[motorbiking]

a lot of plumbers put a premium on copper now as they no longer want to use it or don't have the skills. my builder said 50% premium because of the time.

 

[Agile]

To feed a pipe diagonally across a 6 m square room with suspended floor would take about 10 min if a few boards are up.

In copper perhaps an hour or two.

I hate plastic but see the benefits of installation time and having no joints under a floor.

 

[Roger928]

There's no perfect solution.
I used 22mm and 15mm MLC and manifolds in a loft conversion recently. Which allowed the pipe to be threaded through studding (to radiators, basin, WC, shower, primary f&r, secondary return, cold and hot feed etc) and exit the studding with NO buried joints.
With MLC you can form a tighter radius than plastic and still have the benefits of threading it through joists, studding, tight corners etc.

 

[gas112]

Money seemingly saved on labour will be taken up in cost of fittings . Two hours agile jesus h christ i would expect my granny could do it in half that time

 

[vulcancontinental]

To feed a pipe diagonally across a 6 m square room with suspended floor would take about 10 min if a few boards are up.

In copper perhaps an hour or two.

I hate plastic but see the benefits of installation time and having no joints under a floor.

Tch!

 

[SandyLyon]

Money seemingly saved on labour will be taken up in cost of fittings .

Yes, the fittings will cost more than 'end feed" or "solder ring" probably on a par with compression.

But a well thought out design should result in less fittings being used = less joints, you will always need a "Tee" when needing to branch off a run, but using coils of pipe should significantly reduce the number of couplings and elbows you need.

The plastic pipe will be cheaper per metre than copper, can be cut to any length (less wastage), installed cost should be considerably less due to speed of installation.

Other considerations:-

No Hot Works
No consumables (gas, solder, flux, heat mats etc)
Up to 50 year warranty on some plastic systems.
Plastic has no scrap value, so if working on site or empty property less chance of metal theft issues.

 

[Agile]

[QUOTE="gas112, post: 3719498, member: 129291" ] Two hours agile jesus h christ i would expect my granny could do it in half that time[/QUOTE]

You guys should learn to read properly before replying.

I said "perhaps an hour or two".

 

[vulcancontinental]

Lifting floorboards and uncoiling plastic to lay in notches or thread through holes while fighting the coil behind you catching on rolled back carpet, beds, wardrobes etc is not my idea of fun. Against the joist lift the board notch lay straight pipe in. Against the joist lift three short one span then maybe one in the middle to overcome a brace or joint and thread a length through.

 

[Agile]

Much as I hate plastic, I keep the roll in it's plastic bag and pull it out bit by bit as needed to feed into the void.

Saves it expanding all over the room!

 

[DP]

Much as I hate plastic, I keep the roll in it's plastic bag and pull it out bit by bit as needed to feed into the void.

Saves it expanding all over the room!

Very bright. And the pipe comes out as a spiral

 

[SandyLyon]

Very bright. And the pipe comes out as a spiral

Try using Polybutylene pipe rather than PEX, totally different characteristics.

 

[DP]

Try using Polybutylene pipe rather than PEX, totally different characteristics.

Sandy, I know that, but does Tony know that PEX will be pain if he deploys his method. He will of course now reply saying his comment was relevant to poly pipe

 

[SandyLyon]

You're spot on with PEX, I can't understand anyone using it in coils, we only use PB (Hep2o).

We worked for one developer who wanted us to use Speedfit (before they brought out their PB offering) so we increased our price to compensate for having to use straight lengths of 22mm rather than coils hence more fittings.

 

[hdp160]

Thanks everyone.... an interesting topic...... I eventually went with .. good old ...COPPER