Compression copper fittings, safe to plaster over?

monkeyboy72

Hi

I am currently building a shower cubicle and need to run a length of copper pipe upto electric shower unit, I want to chase the pipework into the wall rather than have it running up the wall over the tiles but need to create some bends and rather than soldering (which im not to confident with) was going to use compression fittings (2 in total, top and bottom).

What I would like to know is whether it is safe to then plaster over compression fittings in case of future leaking?, any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

beefster

I wouldn't. Its rare for then to leak but they might. Nothing worse than havint to rip the shower out tiles etc.
Soldering is dead easy, if you are not confident I am sure a mate will lend a hand.

Further.... I am not 100% sure but the plaster may be corrosive and I think........ when you bury copper pipes in concrete they should be protected by wrapping in Denzo tape or alike. A friend of mine came home to puddles in his lounge when the pipe sprung a leak under the floor. When we dug it up the copper was corroded and full of pin holes. We think the cement had eaten into the copper? The house was still under guarentee so he got a plumber in who encased the new pipework in another plastic pipe!

booty40uk

HI monkeyboy
Just a thought, could you not run it in plastic pipe with plastic fittings?
Andy

lapat

hep20 little bit more expensive but worth it and there is no problem in copper sinking into the walls,compression fitings are as much likeley to leak as soldeded

FirstClassMale

If you run a length of hep pipe you will also be able to chase out the wall in a straight line with no need to allow for where the fittings would have stuck out.

Of course I dont know whether its a plaster wall or a solid one.If you were chasing a solid wall then the less fiddly bits the better.

tomstickland

Soldering is easy providing you use wire wool and flux the joints properly. Great fun too.

weekendwarrior

Hi, It is not advisable to have any kind of joint plastered into a wall for the reasons mentioned in the above posts.

Plastic would be the pipe of choice here as copper pipe needs covering with protective tape as the chemicals in it will attack copper pipe, also if it is plastic pipe then you do not need to mess about with supplementary equipotential bonding the pipe!

So if possible use plastic pipe, you should get away with one pushfit connector in the shower and one at the bottom, make sure you fit an isolating valve or it can invalidate your guarantee.

This site has used plastic pipe- http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/INSTALLING_ELECTRIC_SHOWER.htm

There is also a good section on how to join pipes, which includes soldering-
http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/plumbing_JOINING_PIPES.htm

Good luck