Pushfit

[opps]

Am confused. Press fit is different from the Pushfit ? The Pushfit connectors being used are hep20

The former is copper based and uses copper fittings (with O-rings) that are crimped.

I am not a plumber and have never used them. I have used push fit though (hep20 and JS speedfit).

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Press-fit are effectively metal pushfit! They squeeze on using a tool, but are still dependent upon a rubber o-ring, exactly as plastic pushfit is.

If synthetic rubber o-rings didn't work reliably then the entire modern world would pretty much stop.

 

[Edguy]

Hopefully the hep20 ones will outlive me without any issues.

 

[old duffer]

I am not disagreeing in principle, but I have had friends that have previously had rats (mice?) chew through the plastic pipes.

by that definition every plastic pipe in your home is a risk and needs replaced so waste pipe now needs to be 100mm cast iron, 40mm and 32mm now needs to be steel (can't find any copper that size) ...etc etc. If its plastic they prefer, then all cables are at risk and need protecting inside some kind of metal sheath or have to rip out and replace with armoured cable....had no idea that the average home is likely to be destroyed by rodents...thanks for the heads-up

 

[justigator]

Press-fit are effectively metal pushfit! They squeeze on using a tool, but are still dependent upon a rubber o-ring, exactly as plastic pushfit is.

If synthetic rubber o-rings didn't work reliably then the entire modern world would pretty much stop.

And I believe the pressfit tools are well over £1,000 each.

 

[Edguy]

So just to wrap up can I b fairly confident that the hep20 connectors will b pretty reliable ?

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Pretty sure a mouse or rat can't even get its jaws around a 15mm pipe. It would be like a human eating a beach ball.

 

[Echo the husky]

I've seen plastic water pipes leaking from squirrels chewing through them.

 

[opps]

Pretty sure a mouse or rat can't even get its jaws around a 15mm pipe. It would be like a human eating a beach ball.

They don't clamp their jaws around them, they nibble them. Rats have to gnaw things otherwise their front teeth grow too long.

I have seen people on this forum say that rats can gnaw through copper, although very rarely.

 

[opps]

by that definition every plastic pipe in your home is a risk and needs replaced so waste pipe now needs to be 100mm cast iron, 40mm and 32mm now needs to be steel (can't find any copper that size) ...etc etc. If its plastic they prefer, then all cables are at risk and need protecting inside some kind of metal sheath or have to rip out and replace with armoured cable....had no idea that the average home is likely to be destroyed by rodents...thanks for the heads-up

Erm, have you never heard of rats/rodents chewing through the insulation on electrical cables?

One friend that had field mice chew through the water pipes above her flat in a converted commercial builder was told by the insurance company's forensic plumber that given the proximity to the nearby fields, most of the pipes should have been copper. Granted, the same field mice could have chewed through the electrical cables.

I am simply relaying what I have been told previously.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Don't know. But you shouldn't accept their presence as an acceptable risk anyway, as all the cables will be chewed through, the place will stink and be filthy.

Bit of a feeble argument against using perfectly standard products.

We live in the middle of a field. You keep them out, you don't just accept that they own the place and snuggle up in bed with them.

Most domestic rats come from sewer pipes anyway.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

I too have viewed pushfit connectors as witchcraft. Of the 2 mentioned (Hep2O and JG Speedfit) I prefer using the Speedfit- you can always tell when the tube is fully home in the fitting. I've used both types- no leaks WHEN FITTED PROPERLY WITH THE CORRECT INSERTS (You must not mix insert and pipe brands- so use Speedfit inserts with Speedfit tube).
Downside with Speedfit fittings is they are bulky and relatively expensive. You should decide at design time whether to use pushfit/plastic or pushfit/copper or solder/copper- an all plastic system works best with a manifold arrangement (so lots of pipe but no hidden connectors).

 

[opps]

Don't know. But you shouldn't accept their presence as an acceptable risk anyway, as all the cables will be chewed through, the place will stink and be filthy.

Bit of a feeble argument against using perfectly standard products.

We live in the middle of a field. You keep them out, you don't just accept that they own the place and snuggle up in bed with them.

Most domestic rats come from sewer pipes anyway.

I am not saying don't use plastic pipes, I often use them. Just ensure that you use them "sensibly".

Not sure about the claim that most rats in domestic residences are sewer rats. A council pest control guy once told me that evidence of sewer rats is easy to spot. Unlike mice, a rat will tend to run along skirting boards (rather than across the room), and will leave a black line on the skirting boards.

EDIT------ I meant to say that a sewer rat will leave black marks, and not all rats.

 

[robinbanks]

a rat will .. leave a black line on the skirting boards.

And mice leave a white one

 

[opps]

And mice leave a white one

View attachment 329303

Yeah, but when was the last time that you saw a mouse with pockets?