Push fit fitting pressure test
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- čas přidán 11. 10. 2015
- Push fit fittings are now very common, yet some people do distrust them. This video shows how a pushfit fitting was pressure tested on a piece of copper pipe to almost 50 bar (724 psi) before it failed. So for all the people that do not trust push fit fittings you can be certain that they can hold considerably more pressure than you would ever get in a domestic plumbing situation.
- Jak na to + styl
very glad you did this test because I used these fitting to re-plumb my friends header tank and also my bathroom... I knew they must be good because they have been around a while but it's always reassuring to know the ultimate breaking strain
+Adam B Absolutely. They perform much better than I expected them to do for a bit of plastic!Thanks for the comment ;-)
Spot on mate
Push fit connections are good enough for anyone's house.
Having used them for many projects I can highly recommend them.
One of my biggest worries was will it leak!
Every time I have used push fit connections they have never failed unless you don't push it home properly.
+gerry bhoy Thanks, I'm a lot more comfortable using them now after doing this test!Thanks for the comment ;-)
Very fair and honest test. Great video.
Take care and be safe.
Thanks for sharing
Roy
+Roy Wrenn You are welcome Roy, Thanks for the comment ;-)
The problem us plumbers have with push fitting is the longevity of them. There is never really an issue with these and how much pressure it can hold its more to do with when its left in place and over many years the fitting degrading due to the rubber seal. Unlike a fixed soldered joint where you can have piece of mind, then again saying that I still use these on occasions. Great test as usual! Thanks. 😀
+Zed Man I must admit that I recently had a problem with a toilet fill valve, where the plastic threads went soft on the end. This caused the washer to fail and the nut to leak, which was very annoying after just three years. Every time I fit a water fill valve from now on I'm getting one with brass threads!Thanks for the comment ;-)
Got to say you are right there Plastic degrades a LOT faster than copper.
@@Billyg215 Well that really depends on the system, without proper precautions regarding galvanic corrosion metal fittings can be gone in months were you never have to deal with that with plastic.
@@malloot9224 Had loads of hep fittings failing (grey older version) on an estate near me recently on 22mm heating pipes the metal rings seem to be failing
These are great. The problem with copper tubing isn’t the joints, it’s the flux destroying the pipe slowly creating pin holes. No flux means the tubing is preserved longer right?
Very impressive , I am about to use two of these in a place only accessible with push fittings so the test gives me the confidence to carry on.
Sometimes they are the only fitting you can get on the pipe in difficult locations.
Best of luck with it ;-)
I found out how good they are when I went to cold pressure test a boiler and forgot the filling loop was open. One of the lads told me the boiler was leaking and after 'dissing him', I remembered about the test! The boiler had reached it's maximum pressure and the relief valve had opened (correction needed if a 'correct' term is known!). We went and checked every joint on the heating system and it was fine, hence, I swear by them now as I know what they can take (and more so now) Some great tips you keep showing, so thanks for them as you are never to old to learn new tricks.. :)
"relief valve opened" sounds fine to me, or relief valve discharged.
That reminds me of one particular relief valve at work, it is only a small one weighing a couple of kilos. It was sent to be calibrated one year and I refitted it and after de-isolating the steam line there was a drip from the end of it, so I thought some crap was stuck under the seat so I pulled the manual relief lever and the whole room was full of gushing steam within a fraction of a second. When I told a couple of the other engineers on site, they laughed because all of them had done exactly the same as me at some point!
Thanks for the comment
I was sat waiting and cringing for the screen to go on my tablet, a good test.
Thanks for the comment ;-)
Great videos. And well done for not adding background music. It's unusual these days to find a video without drumming in the background.
Thanks for the comment 👍
here here, 'groovy' music ruins many tutorials, also science lectures and discovery channel documentaries...some are unbearable. Good information is all we want, not some idiot adding a sound track...
I’d have never guessed that high! awesome!
Thanks to Big Clive for linking this!
Yes, I did not expect it to hold that much pressure!
Thanks to Big Clive also ;-)
Thank you you have restored my faith in these fittings 💯👍👍
👍
Great video. Definitely instilling more confidence in the plastic push fit fittings.
Thanks for the comment ;-)
Great test but I think people's concern with push fit is the lifespan of the rubber seal rather than the pressure they can take. As always great videos, thank you for uploading.
+Chris Campos Yes, A big problem with them is that they are often used incorrectly. I have seen them used on Chrome pipe before and also used on plastic pipe without the pipe insert, which would surely lead to a flood eventually! I'm not sure how long the sealing ring would last in these fittings, but you would imagine that it would wear due the expansion and contraction of the pipe.Thanks for the comment ;-)
as a plumber who uses push fit on installations im always wary of them. this has eased my mind. thanks. im shocked it took so much. military submarines cant take that much!!
I was surprised at how much pressure it held.
Thanks for the comment
As someone who's never used push fit I found this video fascinating. I'm a convert! Thanks.
Thanks for the comment
Just put my mind at rest re plumbing my narrow boat,excellent video thanks so much.
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment 👍
Cheers I was worried about my house as it's about 20bar pressure here being near the dam. I still am putting a reducer on to protect my appliances. But glad to see these live up the their name. Good video
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment
20 bar!
Wow. That's amazing. I was beginning to wonder if the copper pipe would fail.
Big Clive sent me.
Yes, it took a fair bit of pressure!
I'm off to thanks Clive ;-)
Thanks for the comment 👍
@@ultimatehandyman he sent me too (2 years later)
I was really impressed, I'm currently installing new pipe run for our washing machine and an additional sink and was debating with the lads at work whether to use these new fangled plastic push fit joints and decided not to and buy the copper compression ones.
Should have watched this 1st.
+Chris L
I was surprised how well they performed!
Thanks for the comment ;-)
One problem with push fit is oxygen ingress through the fittings which can lead to central heating systems sludging up if there is not enough inhibitors added. I prefer end feed capillary and copper pipe, but plastic plumbing systems have a place in the industry. Another great video!
+Simon Naylor
Thanks Simon, I was not aware of that!
Thanks for the comment ;-)
Great work my friend. Must say though, I nearly sh_t myself when that top blew off. Keep up the great work.
Spud.
+blackmore56 When I was pressurising the pipe I knew it was going to blow off as the fitting slid further up the pipe, which relieved some of the pressure. It didn't half go with a pop though ;-)Thanks for the comment
Thanks for this video i am impressed what pressure they can handle .... copper piping and joints your days are numbered
You are welcome.
I think copper pipe and fittings will be around for a long time as they are still the pipe materials of choice for most plumbers.
Thanks for the comment
I like your videos - clear and helpful. Good job mate.
Thanks, I'm glad you like them ;-)
I have to cap two pipes off tomorrow. I'm glad I saw this video. Thanks!
You are welcome.
Thanks for the comment
Bit of a first time disaster for me, but all good now. I had to remove a sink, and cap off the pipes that were left. I cut the pipes to make them parallel with the wall, but with it being a "T" section, there wasn't enough pipe left to put the cap on for a full fit. When I turned the water back on, it gushed everywhere. To make matters worse I had to turn the water off on the whole wing, so all the showers, toilets, sinks and baths had no water including the kitchen, AND I had a care assistant stood behind me putting pressure on me and another carer doing the funny "I need a pee" dance! I shut the water back off, and cut a small section out of the wall, revealing a longer length of pipe. I quickly cut it and put the end cap on that. It worked a treat thank my lucky stars! You'd think that would have put me off, but I had another sink to do and the capping off worked perfect. So thank you again for this video *Note to self - Watch the whole video properly!* lol!
Such a tense video.
Thanks for the comment
Yes it was. lf it was a pneumatic test, l would have been out of the room at 10 bar...
Cheers for that, always been a doubter of plastic push fits, but this video has al-aid my fears. I will be using them in future when plumbing hard to reach installations ie between walls and baths etc.
+jason laverty You are welcome. Sometimes push fit is just so easy, especially like you point out in difficult to reach situations.Thanks for the comment
as a plumber I've been loving these videos
+Mike Zeke Thanks Mike, I will be making a few more of these when I get chance ;-)
Obvs in between polishing your bentley
I was surprised how much pressure it took before failing!
Recently had to replace a heater i installed 12 or so years ago, a lot of the internal parts in the Hep20 fittings had become soft and could be crushed between your fingers, i'm just not convinced plastic has the life span we expect from pipework, especially if its under floors or in walls where it could do a lot of damage if it leaked, the repair costs would be well above what was saved on original install over a copper system.
+heavydiesel That's interesting to know. I have seen some plastics go brittle over time but I always thought it was because the UV light attacking it. In the last house I renovated I used just two lengths of plastic John Guest pipe as it was in an area where the copper pipe used to get condensation on it a lot. Hopefully it will outlast me!Thanks for the comment ;-)
hi, great video ,whats make of that push fit haven't seen them before
thanks
Came here from Big Clive. Impressive demonstration!
Give my regards to Big Clive ;-)
Thanks for the comment
After 12 years in my domestic house, I had to replace a plastic fitting. After conducting my research with 3 plumber supply stores. 2 stores had stopped stocking the plastic fitting and only supplied the old school brass and copper types because of negative feedback
1 store owner advised me to lift the attic floor boards (bungalow house with pipe running over head for the radiators) I was lucky to find 3 more plastic fitting out of 16 ready to slip off!! These plastic fittings expand a little tiny bit over time when the hot water passes through, they are supposed to tighten up again as they cool down. After 12years they no longer tighten up by themself and caused a ceiling leak
I have now replaced the plastic fittings to brass fittings and I expect get around 30+ years of piece of mind out of them.
Where they used with copper or plastic pipe?
got to say a always find your video very interesting and educational.i personal only ever use push fittings on area were a can gain easy access to it .personal a think its cause am one of the people that don't trust them .but a personal a well a loads of skill has went of of plumbing jew to the fact of push fit fittings and plastic pipe .a remember spending many hours at college making pass over and offset and other types. was very surprised how much pressure that fitting mange to take . a defo agree with your previous comment copper and solder fittings are better
Have to agree with you Roy Wrenn and many others. Twas a fair and honest test BUT.... It's clear that "Taking care" is something missing from this otherwise great video.
I would never recommend holding anything in your hand while pressure testing nor would I have anything tested to "POP" leaving to chance that it will not cause injury or death (If you think that sounds extreme; you'd never dream of pointed the end towards your head while testing! Would you?)
I don't mean any of my comments to be critical other than to say that health and safety should ALWAYS be priority No.1. Maybe then many of the cowboy builders who do all quality tradesmen or even handymen a discredit.
The product test was better than brilliant and would serve to give anyone a great confidence towards using these push fittings.
Thank you for sharing.
I do pressure testing regularly and pressure test to much higher pressures than in this video.
I don't think most people are aware that if something fails the pressure is immediately lost and so the likelihood of any harm is miniscule. Obviously the push fit fitting on the end of this pipe is going to pop off at some point at speed, but it's hardly going to damage anything unless you point it at someone's eye without safety glasses on.
Pressure testing rigs do not have the volume of water behind them to do any real damage. When we pressure test piping on site or vessels if something does go wrong you normally just get a slight leak of water until the pressure goes to zero. The largest vessel I have pressure tested held 200 tonnes of water, so pressure testing a push fit fitting on some 15mm pipe is really not a risky test for me.
Thanks for the concern though ;-)
My house is 20 years old and never had a leak and it's mostly the older grey push fit pipe with the brass collars and I'm only now replacing a kitchen tap with the JG push fit collars.
John Guest make great products ;-)
Thanks for the comment
Great test ....don't forget to wear your safety glasses . ...thanks for sharing .
+Momo Chouiheb
Absolutely!
Thanks for the comment ;-)
Thank you for a valuable contribution.
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment
Great video! Again. Thanks! 👍🏼👌🏼
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment
i've always been curious about the pressure these fitting could handle and this is a good clear test, i have to say i would trust these over metal compression fits any time. the amount of times i've had metal fittings leak is no-bodys business. never had a plastic pushfit leak tho.!
+kristiaand Do you normally use copper or brass olives with the compression fittings?Thanks for the comment
Great video as always. Thanks. 🍀🇮🇪👍
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment 👍
Excellent video and now gives me some numbers to use in a rebuttal to a copper only man
I’m glad you found the video useful
Thanks for the comment 👍
i was in at Lucas CAV Sudbury in 1982 they had a bosch thermal machine the mains gas was pumped by a compressor to the thermal machine they did the pipework themselves and pressure tested 15 mm copper soldered pipe to 900 PSI
Blimey 😱
Thanks for the comment 👍
When you were pumping that pressure it reminded me of the movie : Das boot, the suspense :p
+Hendrik Hallo Ha Ha, thanks for the comment ;-)
New, push fits are fine.
But the rubber O rings hat seal them will always fail over time.
Slight movement from expansion and contraction, pressure fluctuations, water hammer, etc etc cause the O rings to fail given enough time.
Any side deflection in particular, compressed the o ring on one side.
I never use them in walls.
But do use the push to MI thread adaptors with a cistern cock under sinks and basins, when replacing old soldered in tapware, with copper pipe coming in through the wall.
Thanks for the comment
GREAT VIDEO i can finally start using them now lol
+Mohammed Ali (ResourceUK)
LOL, thanks for the comment
What people praising pushfit/plastic always look past is 15years down the line when its time to make changes and work on the stuff its purely a short term gain that's why so many people in the renovation game love it and also anyone an use it
Awesome video thanks so much. really helps total amateurs like me
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment 👍
Could you do a pressure test on a push fit fitting using the push fit plastic pipe? Just to see which gives up first, the pipe or the fitting. Great videos 👍
I tried that once; I did the exact same test using plastic pipes with no pipe inserts. The reasoning behind the video, was to show how important pipe inserts are in plastic pipe. I went right up to 50 Bar and the stop end would not blow off from the pipe. I wanted to make that video, as the plumbers at my sister’s house have done all the plumbing in plastic pipe and have not used a single pipe insert!
Obviously when I do any plumbing jobs there, I always put pipe inserts in 👍
great video
Thanks!
The simple pressure resist the fitting, but how it looks, as assayed with contstantly variable temperature. How it works in the heating tubes over the years, how does the rubber seal?
These fittings are normally reliable, although the sealing O ring may perish over time. We use similar joints on site for pneumatic systems and many of the joints are 25 years + in age and are still sealing fine, although you do get the odd one that leaks.
Thank you
You are welcome.
It took 17 years for my main push connect compression coupling to fail, the sealing O ring went bad and that's all.. The plastic compression couplings was big bulky things back then, I took it in to get it replaced and the hardware store helper didn't know what it was lol..
Great video. Would you be able to do a comparison test with Hep20, speed fit etc? It would be very interesting so see how each stands out
I don't think there would be a lot of difference to be honest, as I would imagine they would all be able to cope with the pressure from my test rig. A lot of people have personal preferences with push fit, I prefer Speedfit, but some people only use Hep2O. I'm not sure if that is due to the cost though.
Thanks for the comment 👍
@@ultimatehandyman Amazing, thanks for the quick reply! That’s true i personally use Hep20. But they all work the same as you said. 👍 good videos by the way !
Can you please make a video explaining how to expand a faucet hole [granitt/porcelain]?
+Nissim Trabelsy It's not something I intend doing in future, sorry.If you get the correct diamond core bit you should be able to enlarge it using a similar technique to this-czcams.com/video/jurSZR1Se6A/video.html
Hi mate, great video! A plumber has installed this on the outbound copper pipe of a mixer shower that was running when turned off. (he removed the shower head and capped it off) this will be like this for about a week whilst he is on other jobs and will then return and fit the shower, is there any danger of the pipe bursting or pressure building up elsewhere? cold water tank and hot water thing in airing cupboard.
It should be fine. I also use these as a temporary cap when doing such jobs ;-)
sir , where can i buy this product , can you please share the link incase this is sold online
Nice demo chez , there are a few comments on how long this plastic pipe / fittings will last , most manufacturers give a 25 year guarantee , whether it will last longer nobody knows yet as its not been around for that amount of time , i use it quite a lot and have no worry s about it as long as it's a good brand like Hep or PP...... Cheers : )
+yensabi Thanks, I'm of the opinion that if I was working on a house which I was going to sell on I would use plastic, but if I intended to keep it I would use copper and solder ring or compression fittings.Thanks for the comment ;-)
that is wholly impressive. 725 PSI? amazing!
Absolutely.
Thanks for the comment
Good test
Thanks for the comment 👍
Great video, I am old school and prefer soldered copper fitting, I will use compression if soldering is not possible. Can you do a test on a John Guest fitting as they are very common. Lastly it looked like the blank end thread let go rather than the grip ring.
+Mark Davies Thanks Mark, I'll try out some popular brands soon such as Speedfit and Hep20.I'm not sure of the brand of this fitting as it was one I picked up from the plumbers merchants, but it seemed to go back together again after the end had blown off!Thanks for the comment ;-)
+Ultimate Handyman I used the speedfit... I thought that was in the clip... would love to see that tested
+Adam B I'll try some out in the next few weeks ;-)
It's all up to the durability of the stainless steel compression ring and the o ring. I never use these. I do use the shark bite brass ones, but never in a ceiling or wall.
THANKS FOR PUTTING "psi" on there as well! I didn't have to look it up! Good video.
+Steven King
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment ;-)
Great video mate, am surprised the pipe didn't give way either, is that just standard 1mm thick plumbing pipe your using there? Thanks john.
Yes, it's just standard 15mm copper pipe 👍
Thank you for this experience
Please I have a question, in the factory what is the usual test for this piece
Thanks.
I'm not sure how they test them in the factory.
Thanks for the comment 👍
Pressure testing is a dangerous activity. You are correct about water being less dangerous than air. You never use air unless totally unavoidable. In the video you would have had air in the end of the compression fitting, this should have been vented out. You also need to provide more safety restrictions when doing the pressure test with water you was holding a lethal weapon in your hand whilst pumping up the pressure. Just a few tips from Pressure Vessel Engineering.
Thanks for the comment 👍
Reminded me of my days as a waiter, delivering a bottle of champagne to newly-weds in their room. Suffice to say, the bloody thing exploded and the cork went around the small room like something out of a pinball machine; we all ducked for cover! The champagne then decided to follow the cork and so i rushed to get it into the glass...too fast. This then bubbled-over and was druipping off all four corners of the table. The couple thought it was hilarious, but then again they hadn’t yet seen how much that bottle had cost!
Thinking back, i reckon one of my colleagues had shaken that accursed bottle! To be topical, reckon it was 20-bar and being s man’s man, i wasn’t a wuss wearing safety glasses! ;-)
Maybe you’ve already done this in another video but I’d bet a JG Speedfit 15mm end stop would easily take 50 bar
The one you tested it looks to me like the plastic interval thread failed. As you will know, with JG end caps it’s one moulded bit of plastic (apart from the release bit of plastic)
Interesting vid 👍
I wonder if you would have access to copper press fittings and tool to preasure test it. Couldn't find a good video in the tube
I only know one person that uses press fit. I might see if we can test them one day ;-)
Thanks for the comment
Great work
I request to provide sizes of push fit pdf
Would you recommend JG speedfit to do a bathroom and the kitchen ? Or would you rather use pre soldier copper pipes and fittings ? First time DIY er
Thank you
Yes, it will be fine.
I made a video about push fit here- czcams.com/video/Z83vlwUyZIw/video.html
Thanks for the comment
Would like to see you do the test with the brass push fit fittings from Sharkbite and the like rather than brass with copper and PEX and see how they perform as i imagine they would get higher than 40-50 bar. Interesting video none the less that to me debunks the people in forums saying they leak or will come off. I would say people are not following the manufacturer instructions to prevent the O-Rings from getting damaged from not deburring and/or not putting the pipe in the full depth.
I'm afraid my pressure test rig only goes up to 50 BAR.
Thanks for the comment
Well it be interesting to see if the brass fittings would get up to the full 50 bar or not since the plastic one failed just before 50 bar but I guess it is really irrelevant in a domestic application. I wonder how a copper cap would compare and if it could go much higher if you had a machine that could push it further.
Considering that 50 bar is equivalent to being down 500 meters (1631 feet) below sea level this is pretty impressive as a recreational scuba diver can only go down about 40 meters (130 feet) and professional scuba diver can go about 60 meters (200 feet) before they feel their insides crush LOL.
I definitely feel more confident putting these into my house if they are installed correctly (making sure you debur the ends to prevent o-ring damage and slipping it onto the joint to the manufacturer specs using marking lines if necessary). I'm sure the brass fitting would outperform the plastic ones that you demo'd at nearly 50 bar. Also considering the insurance companies and build code doesn't have an issue with them being installed in walls, etc ... but I guess nothing beats a clamp on or solder joint.
I'm sure brass fittings would be far superior to plastic ones.
For underground water in the UK we use MDPE pipe and you can use compression fittings or push fit fittings on it providing you use a pipe insert, but there is a firm that makes brass push fit fittings (Melimatic) and they can be pushed straight onto the pipe without a pipe insert.
Good luck with the Scuba diving (rather you than me)
Thanks for the comments
was a plastic part that failed, not the seal and not the teeth. If the same test was done with a straight connector in situ it would take even more pressure. I am one of those people who look at push fittings and think how could that possibly work? For me there are no questions that need answering anymore. It's no wonder you see them everywhere in hidden locations.
i was afraid of the copper popping and cutting his hand! Ive seen holes blow in copper lines the size of whole shelled peanuts!
thanks for the video. Thats good to know.
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment
Ur videos 📹 r always brilliant... but I STILL don't trust them 🤣 gotta be compression 🔧
Great video top man 🧰👍🏾
Thanks 😊
Push-fit fittings have saved my life, so many times, especially when the bath connector started leaking-
czcams.com/video/eqECFK42PKQ/video.html
Thanks for the comment 👍
@@ultimatehandyman yeah I’ve watched that video that’s why I got our stores 🏬 manager to order loads of 1/2 & 3/4 tap connectors 😄 ~ being honest they r well handy in those situations 😁 please keep up the fantastic work mate 👍🏾 your work is highly respected.
Thank you 😃
I may need to change things where I live. My bathroom is tilting owing to heavy rains in the moutains. Question: what kind of temps can these fittings take please? I'm using a wood fire with what's called a water jacket. Basically the fuel heats the water surrounding the fire, water is the pumped to tanks and radiators. I'm concerned the pressure on pipes bending through shifting masonary will split them. Any help please? Thank you.
It depends what make you get, the John Guest Speedfit fittings can be used on hot water up to 114 degrees C intermittently for short periods of time- www.johnguest.com/speedfit/common-plumbing-and-heating-questions-answered/
Thanks for the comment ;-)
@@ultimatehandyman Thank you. I'm not certain this will work for me then given the fuel I'm using, fluctuating heat levels. Many thanks again.
The early versions of these fittings had the stainless fingers inside the 'o' ring and hence in water. The dissimilar metals set up electrolytic corrosion and the hot water failed first after 18 months and the cold after 2 years in a system where plastic fittings had been joined to copper. The metal was rotted away where the two metals touched. These new ones have overcome this problem by moving the 'O' ring inboard. However if they were to be used in a wet external environment such as a farm yard this could happen with the use of copper pipe at one side. It should not be a problem with plastic to plastic. 'O' rings will rot in a few days if left in WD40 so careful with lubricants and oils. I would expect ''O' ring failures after 20 years. Pressure testing would be interesting in a simulated air pressure ring as is used in many workshops. 15mm copper is often used. The fittings are clearly up to it. Many thanks for the work.
Thanks for the detailed comment ;-)
Makes me think of the Challenger... =/
great . glad I found you on utube..
any floor tiling video's )
+TheBrightjay Thanks ;-)czcams.com/video/b08WaCNgvsI/video.html
50 bar is a staggering amount and vastly way and above anything you'd get on domestic water. Really interesting to see.
+Choppington Otter Absolutely, I was quite amazed at the pressure it held.Thanks for the comment
Great video, but few legacy folks still use copper systems which requires a plumber call out just for simple things, the modern technology allows plumbers to spend less time onsite and get the job done without heat (soldering) etc, and still ensure the same charge to the customer, it really helps save time (which is money) to keep customers happy and I am sure they are happy to pay same fees to plumbers. Copper should be almost eradicated from household plumbing and replaced with modern flexi plastic systems.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both systems.
Thanks for the comment 👍
How long should it take to test a system after a complete repiping of a property? I have a 3 bedroom property. Is it something that should be tested over a number of days?
Normally it would be pressurised and then watched for a couple of hours, if the pressure does not drop over that period it's likely to be watertight.
Great video. Do you have one for poly pipe too?
Thanks, No I have not tested poly pipe, but it should easily stand high pressure.
Thanks for the comment 👍
I'm goings to DIY my wet room and I'm planning on using plastic pipes because I'm not a plumber. I'm going to be hiding the pipes behind the walls and will have no access to them when finished. I'd appreciate any tips or thoughts before I go ahead with this?
I've never done a wet room, plastic pipe is great and has many advantages over copper pipe, especially as you can bend it without any specialist equipment. I made a video a few weeks back on how to use it- czcams.com/video/Z83vlwUyZIw/video.html
As long as you cut it correctly and use the correct inserts it will be fine.
Ultimate Handyman Thanks I guess I'll just have to give it a go👍🏼
What is the brand name of the end cap you used please? I can’t find any on the internet with a screw top! Thanks in advance! Great Demo!
I'm not sure, sorry. I think I picked it up from B&Q, if that helps!
Thanks for the comment 👍
@@ultimatehandyman Flomaster?
@@thebaldconvict It could be
Can you use this kit to also test pipes for air tightness instead of water?
No, you should only pressure test using water, as it is not compressible by much (about 10%). If there is a catastrophic failure of what you are testing, nobody will get hurt with water, but because air is compressible, it can be very dangerous.
Thanks for the comment 👍
Can you do a solder vs press fit video using a water pressure pump please?
I'm afraid I do not have a press fit tool
FYI a Hosereel jet on a fire engine runs at between 30 and 35 bar. So this is easily good enough for any house.
Thanks for the comment
BigClive sent me over here!
I must think him 👍
Thanks for the comment
Hey do you have a video like this made with the shark bite brand.
No, sorry.
I have not seen that brand for sale much in the UK but will get some if I see any ;-)
Impressive, but what is the service life of these? All plastics absorb water over time and become brittle with age from water and heat.
+brandywell44 I'm not sure how long these fittings will last, although plenty of people use these on new installs!I have had problems in the past with plastic water inlet valves- where the threaded plastic has softened and then caused a leak. Once this happens you have to replace the whole unit, which is very annoying!Thanks for the comment ;-)
Great Vid. Out of curiosity what is typical domestic water supply pressure?
There is no "typical water pressure" in the UK, It can vary greatly depending on where you live. At my house the pressure is considered to be high, at about 8 BAR (116PSI)
Thanks for the comment
My city water pressure (Whitby, Ontario, Canada) is also considered very high (8 BAR, 115PSI), the city considers 72PSI (5 BAR) to 102PSI (7 bar) to be "high". I was denied a warranty claim on a faucet set because of the high pressure. The city gave me a free device to put on our water meter to limit the pressure to 58PSI (4 BAR) but I didn't like it. With the device installed the pressure from our shower heads went way down and took much longer to shower (but probably used much less water in the long run), so we removed it to go back to 115PSI. Standing under the shower head feels like you're standing in front of a fire hydrant fully open :)
According to my local (Germany) Water Company the expected water pressure is between 3 and 6 bar depending on your height relative to the water level inside the tanks. In my case i only get 3 bars during nighttime if the levels start to rise, during the day im at around 2,8-2,5, which is pretty low compared to the rest of Germany.
I'm thinking of installing a pressure reducing valve here, as the main stop tap to the house is only open about 1/8 of a turn. If I open it more than that, we get really bad water hammer. In the past couple of years we have also had a few sealing washers fail- meaning damaged ceilings etc. A pressure reducing valve is supposed to reduce the pressure, but not the flow! I'm not sure how effective they are yet!
Thanks for the comment 👍
@@ultimatehandyman Let us know how it goes!! We also used to get really bad water hammer and when I posted about it on a forum there were lots of suggestions that said to install a small expansion tank upside down with a check valve on the incoming side on any cold line in our house! So we found a good spot under our tankless water heater and it worked FLAWLESS! ZERO water hammer even if you SLAM the taps closed from full flow!! oi64.tinypic.com/1zpk7l5.jpg
As other folks have mentioned how will these plastic fittings with a rubber seal age ????
I know a lot of boilers all now have very similar variants on the same thing buried away inside them but most new boilers are not likely to last 20 or 30 years so there life span is not going to be an issue. I don't personally think these fittings are going to last 50 plus years as correctly fitting compression and end feed joints we do, will be interesting to see, guess time will tell. Nice video though thanks for putting it out there mate.
I think you are correct, if I was installing pipe in my own house I would use copper pipe and solder fittings or compression.
Thanks for the comment
@@ultimatehandyman our house has a cold water feed from a plastic 'alcathene' pipe thats over 45 years since it was fitted and so far (fingers and other bits crossed) still intact.... stopcock really needs changing, so things might get interesting...
most main pipework is copper, but a few bits of speedfit fittings and pipe in the porch extension, they're about 15 years old now... still good, although some fittings are earlier type than others, without the 'twist lock', and have discoloured....
Question please...
how do you adjust the pressure fitting to the actual pipe? Do they come in various diameters? Do you have to do something on the copper pipe in order for the pressure fitting to fit well?
Thank-you.
+pakpukik They come in various sizes. In the UK the two commonest sizes are 15mm and 22mm, so you just buy the correct push fit fitting for the pipe you are using. When you cut the pipe it is critical that there are no burrs on the pipe as they could damage the sealing O rings in the fitting. I normally use a de-burring tool before using a push fit fitting.Thanks for the comment ;-)
+Ultimate Handyman Very well thanks.
What tool would you uae for deburring the metal? Something like Noga tools?
+pakpukik I use a specific pipe deburring tool, like in this video- czcams.com/video/bajPbO9AwfE/video.html
When do you need 10 bar in a system
I have done loads of plumbing in my home and never used 'push-fit'. I always insist on using solder joints.
Solder fittings are my favourite, but many people like push fit.
Thanks for the comment 👍
If it's easily accessible I use plastics and if it's buried under floors or in Walls always copper with end feed fittings.
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fitted push fit once, never again used in outside toilet and snapped in the winter. for me would rather use compression or solder, but there's a new design on the market Xpress :)
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I dont know how you would do it, but the thing that needs testing isn't the Pressure (We all Agree they are more than Capable of standing Normal Water Pressure +) but the Longevity of the Internal Seals, How Do They stand up to The Progress of Time ?
I've never known one to leak- yet!
Thanks for the comment 👍
So a submarine would have to dive to 1633ft to reach that failure point, thats impressive 👍
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What is the average uk domestic plumbing pressure? Interesting vid.
Not sure, but in this house it’s about 8 Bar. I need to fit a reducer at some point to get it down to about 3 Bar 👍
Hi can you use push fitting on central heating?👍
Yes, no problem at all.
Thanks for the comment 👍
Can you leave it at a constant 40 over a few weeks and see what happens?
No, normally when you pressure test a pipe/fitting you only do it for a specified amount of time. For steam pipes on site it is only about 30 minutes. If you leave the pressure in the system for longer than that, it will probably cause damage to the testing rig etc.
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50 bars is great but that was push fitting on a copper tubing would it be same on poly pipe??
I think it would pop off the end of the pipe, as the stainless steel grip rings in the fitting will only be gripping the plastic.
Thanks for the comment 👍
More likely the PEX/PB wall would rupture before the fitting blew off, around 20-25bar depending on temp in my experience.
How much of the push fitting is off the end of the pipe
It has to be inserted as far as it will go, but slowly moved to the end of the pipe with the pressure.
Blimey that was tense. Very reassuring though, has given me the confidence to use on a future project. Great video as always. Thanks.
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment 👍