copper or plastic

[Richard C]

That's a load of old coblers; I'd never have plastic in my house & I won't use it in bath/shower room renovations I do; he''s probably made a tidy wedge out of the scrap as well.

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

That's a load of old coblers; I'd never have plastic in my house & I won't use it in bath/shower room renovations I do; he''s probably made a tidy wedge out of the scrap as well.

Nothing wrong with plastic used correctly, move with the times ffs

 

[Richard C]

Nothing wrong with plastic used correctly, move with the times ffs

No thanks FFS

 

[corgiman]

That's a load of old coblers; I'd never have plastic in my house & I won't use it in bath/shower room renovations I do.

why?

 

[Richard C]

The “old cobblers” bit was specifically in reply to the OP’s question for conformation that “a new boiler requires new plastic pipes” which it most certainly doesn’t, he’s been mugged.

Regards plastic pipe, I'm not in the same game as many of you guys & had no intention of setting myself up I do understand the technology & it’s certainly much easier & cheaper to install but I have serious doubts about the technology in the long term & I really don’t fancy relying on a rubber “O” ring & a dubious self locking system holding out for the next 30 years or so on any job I do; but that’s just conscience as I’m unlikely to be here when it fails .

My opinion maybe considered "old fashioned" but I don't see the point of "some" getting personal about it; only time will tell & there are many others who would agree with me. I'm actually a bit of a technology freak but in this case I don’t fancy it & won’t use it unless it’s already there.

 

[Nordio]

If someone asked you to install underfloor heating , what would you use? Copper?

I'd put my money on the plastic pipe being more durable than the copper.

The pacific ocean is adrift with plastic and it will be there for the next thousand years. Birds eat it, fish eat it and humans eat it and then shat it or throw it back down the drain to to the ocean in a never ending cycle.

 

[Whitespirit66]

Yes, I refuse to move with the times as well.

My customers only get the best. Its the only one thats been proved reliable for a hundred years or more.

Yes, they get lead, whether they like it or not. Some people don't know what's good for them.

FFS!

 

[Johnmelad502]

Thanks for your comments. The heating engineer says that the old copper tubes would not work with the new boiler so he had to replace them with plastic. However, that replacement was optional and we decided to go for it to make sure that everything would work perfectly. Is it true that the new boiler requires new plastic tubes?

NO

 

[Richard C]

If someone asked you to install underfloor heating , what would you use?
Copper?

Yes, soft copper. In the case of u/floor heating (although I really don't know how we got here) the whole point is to transfer the heat in the water in the pipes into the floor, isn't it? The thermal conductivity of copper is far higher than plastic!

& there is really no need for the rolling eyes!

 

[Richard C]

Jheeze that's all I was saying; perhaps the plumbing & CH "engineers” venom will now be directed at you.

I know that some of you guys can get a bit "bored" but I wasn't trying to start a bloody war; what's wrong with some of you, are on testosterone overload .

I think I’ll go confer with BAS, I may get more sense out of him.

 

[transam]

We use a mixture of both , plastic doe's however look diy , get's chewed by rodent's , if a leak occur's it is generally a flood , has no value for recycling , is linked to the oil industry in it's manufacture , cannot be used for certain application.s , require's no particular skill to install ect , doubt wether alot of it will stand the test of time ??? but than again it has it's use's !!

Those who do not use it good for them I say !!!

 

[CortinaV8]

Plastic wouldn't look half as bad if the fittings were not the same size as your average tin of coke.

 

[Nordio]

Yes, soft copper

Just curious but where would you find 100m rolls of soft copper? Or would you use 25m rolls and add joints?
And then the screed issue. If a customer was laying a corrosive sand/cement screed what would you propose?

Unipipe mlcp would be a far superior solution to copper anyday!

 

[transam]

Plastic wouldn't look half as bad if the fittings were not the same size as your average tin of coke.

Good point cortina V8 , the fitting's are pretty dire !!! nice peice of polished copper in that engine bay I say

 

[Tibbot]

Plastic may be good, bad, ugly or indifferent, but the main reason I use copper is to avoid the embarrassment of having customers watching an installation they could do themselves. There's still knowledge required for plastic, but metal pipework skills are central to the trade of plumbing. It might be coincidence but I don't know any who are good at copper pipework switch to plastic.