(Unusual) Flared fitting advice

Davef68 · 26 Aug 2019

Hi all. Looking for a bit of advice. Had a leak from the T fitting that supplies the hot water to my wash hand basin and kitchen tap (kitchen is just below bathroom) It’s a 22m to 15/15 fitting, and the leak was on the 22m inlet. No bother thinks me, pop off the nut, fit new olive and jobs a good ‘un.

However, on taking the nut off I’m presented with a fitting that enthusiastic DIYer me hasn’t seen before. (See above) It looks like a brass washer sealed with jointing compound. The house is early/mid-70s with stainless steel piping (yuk).

As I see it, options are either new jointing compound and retighten the nut, or replace the whole Tee with a new one with proper olive compression fittings. My instinct says the latter.

All Thoughts welcome!

EDIT: Having managed to love the washer, I now realise this is a flare fitting, which means I can’t replace it without cutting the pipe (aaaargh).

So question now is how to repair

footprints · 26 Aug 2019

Looks like a reducing set.

https://www.toolstation.com/conex-s68-dzr-compression-internal-reducer/p31371

Yours may be imperial but a 15mm olive should still fit ½" though ¾" and 22mm are not directly interchangeable clean it up and use some jointing paste (naughty these days on mains water) or much better Fernox LSX sealer.

https://www.toolstation.com/fernox-ls-x-external-leak-sealer/p51999?searchstr=fernox LSX

Davef68 · 26 Aug 2019

footprints said:
Looks like a reducing set.

https://www.toolstation.com/conex-s68-dzr-compression-internal-reducer/p31371

Yours may be imperial but a 15mm olive should still fit ½" though ¾" and 22mm are not directly interchangeable clean it up and use some jointing paste (naughty these days on mains water) or much better Fernox LSX sealer.

https://www.toolstation.com/fernox-ls-x-external-leak-sealer/p51999?searchstr=fernox LSX

Thanks, will have a look, that might work to seal the leak.

The problem is the end of the steel pipe is flared, so you can’t get an olive over it ( it’s a 22mm inlet.) so my plan to replace the whole assembly isn’t going to work. And cutting SS pipe is not fun (bitter experience when replacing the downstairs WC pipework) . I’m presuming a flared joint was used as this is under the floorboards, but the fact the floorboards have been cut suggests this isn’t the first attempt repair.

I’ve cleaned the gunk off and reassembled the joint, but the weeping continues. Might be time to get a pro in if the Fernox doesn’t work. Meantime, a small tub catches the drips.

footprints · 26 Aug 2019

Yes stainless is a pain most plumbers have lost a least one pipe cutter to it! Could be worse there was normal steel pipe around then which was coated in a silver or copper plating that rusts through like anything as soon as you touch it it starts up somewhere else, try remaking with Fernox it's got me out of no end of sticky situations.

Razor900 · 26 Aug 2019

If that’s Truwell I’d start planning a complete repipe

ianmcd · 26 Aug 2019

As @Razor900 says if that is actually Truewell you will have to replace all of it, feel all around the pipe and if you can feel a seam running the length of the pipe it is indeed truewell

Davef68 · 26 Aug 2019

Interesting, the 15mm has a seam but the 22 mm is smooth

JimCrow · 26 Aug 2019

The pipe looks like s/steel it's a bit bright to be truwell, also that's an old PDM drifted fitting and the seam on truwell would split when flared out, as others said jointing paste round the outside of the cone on the fitting and a good tighten up first.

Madrab · 27 Aug 2019

Clean the inner contact face of the pipe and outer contact face of the fitting with a bit of fine sandpaper/green scouring pad first just to clean up the mating surfaces.

If you want to get the flared end off a SS pipe then use an angle grinder with an INOX disk and it'll zip through it in no time. Then just deburr the end before using a new compression fitting.

footprints · 27 Aug 2019

Madrab said:
Clean the inner contact face of the pipe and outer contact face of the fitting with a bit of fine sandpaper/green scouring pad first just to clean up the mating surfaces.

If you want to get the flared end off a SS pipe then use an angle grinder with an INOX disk and it'll zip through it in no time. Then just deburr the end before using a new compression fitting.

And do that compression up with a brass olive like you were King Kong! Stainless is not keen on crimping!

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(Unusual) Flared fitting advice

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