Advice on pipe repair in loft

jar

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Hi
We recently had a burst pipe in the loft - on the mains feed into the water tank. Copper piping. Damaged bedroom and living room ceilings and some flooring.
We got a plumber out to repair the damaged pipe and he has put a plastic push-fit connector in place to join a new piece of piping to the existing pipework.
Assuming this has been fitted correctly (I have no reason so far to think otherwise) can we leave this as a permanent fix or should we be looking at replacing this ? Although I'm not sure what with ? Is this more/less/same vulnerable to temperature changes than other joints in the loft pipework ?
I am now completely paranoid about further leaks/bursts, especially up in the loft where it's possibly going to cause most damage.
Thanks
 
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Plastic push fit on copper is quite OK I am old school and would use copper to replace it, but with push fit anyone can call themselves a plumber these days.;)
As long as the push fit has been fitted correctly and you have no reason to doubt it, it is a permanent repair.
 
Hi
We recently had a burst pipe in the loft - on the mains feed into the water tank. Copper piping. Damaged bedroom and living room ceilings and some flooring.
We got a plumber out to repair the damaged pipe and he has put a plastic push-fit connector in place to join a new piece of piping to the existing pipework.
Assuming this has been fitted correctly (I have no reason so far to think otherwise) can we leave this as a permanent fix or should we be looking at replacing this ? Although I'm not sure what with ? Is this more/less/same vulnerable to temperature changes than other joints in the loft pipework ?
I am now completely paranoid about further leaks/bursts, especially up in the loft where it's possibly going to cause most damage.
Thanks
Plastic push fit on copper is quite OK I am old school and would use copper to replace it, but with push fit anyone can call themselves a plumber these days.;)
As long as the push fit has been fitted correctly and you have no reason to doubt it, it is a permanent repair.

Agreed, FP.

OP: A lot of big companies will not allow hot works in lofts any more. Personally, if not able to solder, I would use compression - but, like FP, I am old school. More importantly, have you had the pipes properly lagged to prevent a reccurence?
 
My only concern with a plastic fitting on copper is, should the pipework freeze again, the plastic will split very easily, whereas copper may stretch slightly. Either way, the pipework should be properly lagged to prevent it freezing in future. If lagging alone isn't going to suffice, I would look at additional prevention measures to prevent a reoccurrence.
 
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Hi
Thanks for all the replies.
Hugh - what additional prevention measures are possible, apart from lagging ?
I'm now looking at spill trays but, from other posts on the forums here, people think these are a waste of time. Just think it might help with a minor leak, if not a complete pipe failure.
As I said, now completely paranoid about this happening again. Whether it's freezing or simply a failed joint somewhere.
Thanks
 
Hi
Don't know if it's too late for more responses on this topic but a further quick question.
Is it safe to turn off the water at the main stop valve but leave the heating on ?
Obviously there will be water in the main water tank. But if any new leaks occur is there any danger with the heating being on if the leak is bad enough to drain the water tank ?
I see some advice is to turn off the water and also drain the tank which I suppose is another option.
Just trying to think of different choices and which might be best.
Thanks
 
Are you leaving the place empty/unattended during the cold weather? Draining down is sensible if premises will be empty for several days or more, be a pain to keep refilling if it's every other day.

Depending on heating system, it should be fine to leave on low, if there is heat in the place then things shouldn't freeze up. Really need to look at doing one or the other, either drain down or leave heating on.
 
jar, good evening.

It is never too late to ask, here at least?

If you are contemplating leaving the property for a holiday / Short break / whatever reason in winter months then if it were me I would ask my Insurer what is there advise? The insurers may state in their Policy Booklet [that at times is out of date / does not contain all the small print] what the Insurer requires if you vacate during winter.

Most Insurers I work for ask that the cold water system is drained, the stop cock tuned off and the heating system left running on as a minimum the "Frost Setting"

As an aside if you vacate the property for more than 30 Days, that is a different matter as far as the Insurers are concerned.

Ken
 
Hi
Thanks for the replies. This is mainly if we go away on holiday etc. Would only be for short periods - never over 30 days. I know there's the unoccupancy clauses etc in the policy.

The insurance policy says either turn off the water and drain it OR leave the heating on low. As I am now worried that something happens again in future, I was wondering if it was safe to turn off the water (but not drain) and also leave the heating on. I'm thinking that, if a burst happens, at least with the mains off it won't be at full mains pressure and continue to flow for days. Obviously a full water tank would still be a lot of damage but once it's empty then that's it.
But what would happen if I turn the mains off, leave the heating on and a leak or burst happens ?
Is there any danger of something even worse happening if the system drains of water when the heating is still on ? Or does it really depend on the boiler etc and what safety measures are part of the system ?

Yes, I know I'm going completely overboard with paranoia but that's just me. Even more so after this happened :)
Thanks
 
My loft, complete with tanks, is very heavily lagged.
In desperate temperatures I leave the loft hatch slightly ajar just to get some residual heat in there.
John :)
 
As said, the first action should be to lag the pipework and tanks. Consider trace heating vulnerable pipework if you live in a cold area. Adding a frost-stat and timer to the wiring will reduce its running cost to pennies per year.

Secondly, if you close the mains stopcock and open the kitchen cold tap (drinking water) you should find that the water stops after a few seconds, that's your mains supply depressurised and to all intents drained - leave the kitchen cold tap on whilst you're away. The loft tank will still be full, but if effectively insulated it'll take several weeks of sub-zero temperatures for it to get even close to freezing (Hollywood films may ignore this point).

I'm also old school, and prefer copper, but would concede that plastic pipe with plastic fittings are more frost tolerant than copper in many cases.

MM
 
Sorry, realised main part of the last post hadn't really been answered. i.e. is it safe to leave the heating on but turn off the water at the mains ?
Not sure how much water is likely to be lost from the water tank by the heating being on and if there is any danger if the water level drops with the heating being on ?
Thanks
 

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