Solderless Copper jointing

[Dan]

This looks too good to be true ?

[ianoz]

With the price of copper , A lot of the plumbers here have gone to PVC pipe ..I think they use crimped fittings .

[Danno]

Yeah theres a thread about the reliability of that stuff in this section, cant see how plastic will take 80 Degree heat or more and still be good after 20 years though ?

[JD450A]

Alkathine lasts around 30 trouble free years if properly Laid, and the places it will start leaking are bends or parts that have been kinked. (Duh)

Plastic pipe indoors seems OK, But I think I'd want copper jointed with solder if it was my own...

[Muz]

Alkathine lasts around 30 trouble free years if properly Laid, and the places it will start leaking are bends or parts that have been kinked. (Duh)

Plastic pipe indoors seems OK, But I think I'd want copper jointed with solder if it was my own...

Me too .. but I take Ians point that the copper is getting really expensive now

[B4D2USA]

PVC will last, but it needs to be properly supported, particularly the hot water lines. I'm not sure what pressures you have over there, but typical domestic water pressures are 30 to 50 PSI (50 being quite high). In the skyscrapers, booster pumps will raise the pressures anywhere from 125 to 200 PSI to make it to the top. Naturally, PVC is not used in these applications. I'm with everyone else, I'd prefer the copper/solder to any other new gizmo. As they say, if it was easy, we'd all be doing it.

[bethany22]

I agree that PVC last longer than copper pipes. You do not need to solder a PVC just use a Teflon tape to seal off leaks.

[Muz]

I agree that PVC last longer than copper pipes. You do not need to solder a PVC just use a Teflon tape to seal off leaks.

I doubt it ... how longs copper been around for compared to plastics ?

[Wee Jim]

I doubt it ... how longs copper been around for compared to plastics ?

A plumber once said he preferred the copper pipes as mice have been know to chew the new style plastic stuff but they don't chew the copper!

[245dlc]

Copper is still heavily used here, PVC and ABS are usually only used for sewer pipes.

[jackpreacher]

I doubt it ... how longs copper been around for compared to plastics ?

Copper replaced steel and Lead pipes so perhaps plastic will eventually take over entirely once it has a proven track record. I think oxygen barrier pipe like white John Guest is excellent up to a maximum of 80C or so but if an uncontrolled Wood burner/boiler can easily surpass 100C (T-Shirt wearer) copper/stainless is the only serious choice IMHO.
On the other end of the spectrum i have only ever had burst copper pipes due to freezing. During the last cold snap, -8C, we had a 20m length of 15mm JG pipe, connected to the mains, outside, exposed entirely. Complete accident - had forgotten about it. Anyway, it wasn't a problem.

[245dlc]

Cold snap my arse it was -40 degrees celsius in Northern Manitoba the other day and we've had a fair bit of -20 C in the south here. If your pipes are bursting in the house first of all turn on the furnace lol and you can get styrofoam insulation that's split down the middle so you wrap it around your pipes and if it's in the ground just bury them deeper like we do.

[jackpreacher]

Cold snap my arse it was -40 degrees celsius in Northern Manitoba the other day and we've had a fair bit of -20 C in the south

Yeah, we do get off lightly with extreme weather in the UK, except for rain