MPDE Inserts

[DIYhandy]

I was looking at a crew replacing water mains the other day. I noticed they never put the pipe inserts into the 25mm MDPE blue pipe. I asked them why they were leaving them off. They said they are not needed as the pipe is so stiff.

If there is a problem under the ground the problem will not be noticed. If there is a leak on your side of the meter the customers pays for the leakage.

Has anyone ever had a problem with 25mm MDPE pipe because of omitted pipe inserts? Are they right, that inserts are not needed?

I noticed they were laying 25mm MDPE at around 300 to 400mm deep across gardens. Is that too shallow?

 

[ChrisR]

I noticed they were laying 25mm MDPE at around 300 to 400mm deep across gardens. Is that too shallow?

It should be minimum 750!

I don't know about all connectors, the ones I've used have needed inserts.

 

[studips]

yeah, 750 - funny, i was replacing one the other day & the incoming was a mere 400 below street level.......... oh, and the electric coming across my trench was at 450, while the gas further up was at 100mm

as for pipe stiffeners, they are rigid and mdpe isn't, i have always used them as i don't want any pipes popping off as that would clearly be bad. buried deep i suppose the pipe will always remain cool, so it isn't so risky, or perhaps these boys don't care? at 10p a pop it's not even worth discussing.

 

[DIYhandy]

Wouldn't the fitting keep the pipe round? It will always be cool as you wrote. The 25mm coupling was about a foot from the new water cock box, which is rigid in the ground and the pipe the other side of the fitting was about 20 metres long and buried in earth. The chances of the pipe moving laterally, out of the fitting is slim I would assume.

I did a Google and this came up and also a thread about this on this forum as well. This link says that an insert is optional on some pipe. I am not sure if I fully understand what they are about.

http://www.tycowaterworks.com/pdf/G...EBCO Gunmetal Service Fittings Data Sheet.pdf