Would this tap be ok?

[dlockers]

PTFE on the thread is useless, the olive creates the seal.

This is a bit like the "use PVA as a sealer" debate, lol.

 

[dlockers]

I'd say 99% of ones I come across have been over tightened and the olive has crushed the pipe. You can carefully cut the olive out with a hacksaw and replace to use a new fitting but TBH it isnt worth it, compression fittings are crap. I'd just use a speed fit valve now.

Speedfit no good if the pipe is not perfectly round, surely?

 

[psd99]

I'd say 99% of ones I come across have been over tightened and the olive has crushed the pipe. You can carefully cut the olive out with a hacksaw and replace to use a new fitting but TBH it isnt worth it, compression fittings are crap. I'd just use a speed fit valve now.

yer i think that might be the case and fearing that right now.

- so whats the solution then cut the pipe off? I dont have a pipe cutter but have a hacksaw. it'll be difficult needs a steady hand id imagine.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

I'd say 99% of ones I come across have been over tightened and the olive has crushed the pipe. You can carefully cut the olive out with a hacksaw and replace to use a new fitting but TBH it isnt worth it, compression fittings are crap. I'd just use a speed fit valve now.

Normally i think by ape armed plumbers or people reusing old olives
Once pipe is damaged its always going to need a lot more effort

And I agree speedfit are generally much easier to use. But they are not perfect, they do not cope at all well with the angle being slightly off

 

[200sols]

Speedfit no good if the pipe is not perfectly round, surely?

Yeah, cut out and replace. Which leads to my next pet hate... plumbers leaving no space for adjustments in the future. Another benefit of plastic, easily demountable.

 

[psd99]

Did you use new olives when you disconnected?, always do with compression fittings they are supposed to be use once.
They are really cheap and a handy thing to have in your spares kit.
If you can find copper ones, they are softer and easier to get a good seal on for diyers since they pinch easier and you can give them a couple of turns and slowly tighten them up after, brass are in the same but I find I get nervous as the effort is higher your worried to damage a pipe

so thats an old olive in there and i never needed to replace that side of the valve olive YET so its been there for about 3/4 years

its just a dislogdged that side when trying to fit the old tap. Olives wise I have like none left I was searching all over the place. I just ordered some brass ones earlier also damn oh well.

 

[psd99]

Normally i think by ape armed plumbers or people reusing old olives
Once pipe is damaged its always going to need a lot more effort

And I agree speedfit are generally much easier to use. But they are not perfect, they do not cope at all well with the angle being slightly off

speedfit easier to work with but just look rubbish and non symmetrical because the hot water has the compression fittings on it. but if I get really desperate then it'll be the one!

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

p

so thats an old olive in there and i never needed to replace that side of the valve olive YET so its been there for about 3/4 years

its just a dislogdged that side when trying to fit the old tap. Olives wise I have like none left I was searching all over the place. I just ordered some brass ones earlier also damn oh well.

probably what I said then the effort you have had to put to try to tighten up the new setup has dislodged the old one, a small turn may fix it, depends how tight it had to be in the first place.

 

[dlockers]

yer i think that might be the case and fearing that right now.

- so whats the solution then cut the pipe off? I dont have a pipe cutter but have a hacksaw. it'll be difficult needs a steady hand id imagine.

Do not use a hacksaw on the pipe.

 

[200sols]

so whats the solution then cut the pipe off? I dont have a pipe cutter but have a hacksaw. it'll be difficult needs a steady hand id imagine.

Cut half way through the olive on an angle with a hacksaw then use a flathead screwdriver in the cut to snap and remove the olive. You can then use a pipe cutter near the end as you don't have much to play with, then fit new compression valve. Cheapo pipe cutter is only a couple of £. Steady hand, 5 minute job.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

speedfit easier to work with but just look rubbish and non symmetrical because the hot water has the compression fittings on it. but if I get really desperate then it'll be the one!

You can get some better looking ones but mega £ compared to non speedfit equivalent

They do have one advantage, speed if an issue. Oddly week before last we sprung a leak, went downstairs and found water dripping through ceiling, quickly narrowed it down to bath. Isolated the water and stopped it.
It was a speedfit, been installed since house new about 15 years ago. I checked pipe, 15mm PTFE, ordered a stop end from screwfix and rushed off to get it.
When i got home, disconnected the old one I could see pipe wasnt cut straight. Also disconnecting was a pain, the hot and cold water crossed behind the bath and I suspect now the plumber put them in wrong, had to cut them off and install some extension pipes to fix this issue, which were at an angle and putting pressure on the pipes. Why fail after 15 years? No idea seems very strange, but oddly that morning we had very low water pressure and it was a main being fixed nearby.
I cant see how but wonder if there was some kind of surge that was just enough to dislodge the seal of the fitting after all this time.

Stop end was fine, we are oddly just about to start a new bathroom and I was planning to head off and buy some stop ends for 15mm to cap the pipes whilst working. Ive got 22mm in my spares box, but not 15mm.

The dodgy pipe I will fix when old bath is out, but stopend is fine for now as its not being pushed at an angle its got a good enough seal.

 

[dlockers]

You can get some better looking ones but mega £ compared to non speedfit equivalent

They do have one advantage, speed if an issue. Oddly week before last we sprung a leak, went downstairs and found water dripping through ceiling, quickly narrowed it down to bath. Isolated the water and stopped it.
It was a speedfit, been installed since house new about 15 years ago. I checked pipe, 15mm PTFE, ordered a stop end from screwfix and rushed off to get it.
When i got home, disconnected the old one I could see pipe wasnt cut straight. Also disconnecting was a pain, the hot and cold water crossed behind the bath and I suspect now the plumber put them in wrong, had to cut them off and install some extension pipes to fix this issue, which were at an angle and putting pressure on the pipes. Why fail after 15 years? No idea seems very strange, but oddly that morning we had very low water pressure and it was a main being fixed nearby.
I cant see how but wonder if there was some kind of surge that was just enough to dislodge the seal of the fitting after all this time.

Stop end was fine, we are oddly just about to start a new bathroom and I was planning to head off and buy some stop ends for 15mm to cap the pipes whilst working. Ive got 22mm in my spares box, but not 15mm.

The dodgy pipe I will fix when old bath is out, but stopend is fine for now as its not being pushed at an angle its got a good enough seal.

The old JG Speedfit stuff was only guaranteed for 15 years. I think the plastic stuff is really vulnerable to "bad installation" more so than copper just because it is more "attemptable" for DIY'ers. Scratches on the plastic pipe, not cut straight etc, will all contribute to premature failure.

JG now offer 30 years but the Hep2o stuff is 50 years IIRC. All based on the mythical perfect install tho, so good luck claiming.

 

[psd99]

yes that sounds like you got a good run out of it for 15 years. Good job you were at home otherwise imagine being out all day could have been a nightmare!

 

[psd99]

I had a radiator burst on me once... water started seeping through the ceiling, rushed upstairs quickly isolated the water supply to the rad. It was an old one and past its lifetime.
the electrics for 3/4 days kept turning off but eventually was ok. I think it all dried up.

 

[200sols]

It is so easy to cut there really is no excuse for poor installation but you will hear horror stories with all types of pipe. My neighbour just had a new extension and a solder join had failed on the central heating just after it was switched on, the floor was down and it was a nightmare to fix. Complete bodge, as with most trades you need to get somebody competent.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

I don’t mind plastic, it’s very easy to deal with and make modifications.

The main downsides are the connectors which are big and ugly and you can’t detect it in a wall like you can a metal pipe.

 

[psd99]

the metal fittings just look much more professional.

 

[200sols]

I agree for when it is on display I switch to copper, but in a cupboard? No chance.

 

[Bug One]

I use a tiny bit of jointing compound on the olive and a bit of grease on the threads. Not had a leak yet on compression fittings. Plus makes it really easy to remove, refit. Never cut with a hacksaw unless it's going in the bin. A pipe cutter is dirt cheat and infinately better -although I don't see any reason to cut in this case.

1/2 screws with PTFE tape though are an abosolute minefield.

 

[psd99]

thanks all. good job that leak isn't too bad but when I get time I will take a look with a pipe cutter like this https://www.screwfix.com/c/tools/pi...m_sp=managedredirect-_-handtools-_-pipecutter

how many mm will actually come off of the pipe?