Copper pipes and concrete

stenning

Hi

I have some copper radiator pipes in the kitchen and want to concrete them in (they are currently just in wooden channels), can anyone recommend anything to protect them?

Thanks

andipandi_2

self amalgamating tape should do it

http://www.screwfix.com/search.do;jsessionid=3NIBNICTWH5SICSTHZOCFGA?_dyncharset=UTF-8&fh_search=self+amalgamating+tape&x=0&y=0

ben500

stenning wrote: »

Hi

I have some copper radiator pipes in the kitchen and want to concrete them in (they are currently just in wooden channels), can anyone recommend anything to protect them?

Thanks

You should be able to get something suitable from your local b&q or suchlike, there is a type of conduit you can buy this will enable you to access the pipework in the event of a future leak and save you a good deal of money in the future.

andipandi_2

ben500 wrote: »

You should be able to get something suitable from your local b&q or suchlike, there is a type of conduit you can buy this will enable you to access the pipework in the event of a future leak and save you a good deal of money in the future.

some sort of tray system you mean ben?

ben500

andipandi wrote: »

some sort of tray system you mean ben?

Yes that's right to enable access rather than ripping up the whole floor. Most people when installing underfloor pipework (especially into concrete) don't stop to realise that it is prone to leaks and if this isn't taken into account it is very very costly to have to dig out a whole pipe because you destroy so much of the surrounding area as well and to patch repair would cause it's own problems later.

Poppycat

If you can get access to the pipework via conduit I would go for that option even if its more expensive. In my last house the pipes were lagged with some sort of waxed tape in my memory serves me right. It has been fine for 13+ years but I would much rather have some conduit for easy access to the pipes or for that matter to be able to put cable down at a later stage

greyteam1959

Dont ever concrete copper pipes in.....you are just aking for trouble.
As the OP say you will have a right mess to sort out if you get a leak.
Thats why these pipes are in channels already.

Avoriaz

mervyn11 wrote: »

Dont ever concrete copper pipes in.....you are just aking for trouble....

Absolutely. I think the lime content or maybe something else corrodes the copper.

Our stupid builder buried a copper pipe in concrete under the kitchen floor when we built an extension in 1993.

After about 10 years it started leaking. Of course, by the time we noticed, the whole floor was saturated and it took weeks to dry. The underneath of the vinyl flooring was covered in mould and ruined. We had to hire industrial fans and de humidifiers and run them for weeks.

Fortunately our insurance covered all the costs, which were over £1,000. The new flooring was £700 and the equipment hire about £400.

We didn’t dig the floor up as the pipe fed an outside garden tap. We ran a new supply. Digging the floor up might have doubled the bill.

Browntoa

i've got the feeling new building regs say that you should not do it any more

ben500

Avoriaz wrote: »

Absolutely. I think the lime content or maybe something else corrodes the copper.

Our stupid builder buried a copper pipe in concrete under the kitchen floor when we built an extension in 1993.

After about 10 years it started leaking. Of course, by the time we noticed, the whole floor was saturated and it took weeks to dry. The underneath of the vinyl flooring was covered in mould and ruined. We had to hire industrial fans and de humidifiers and run them for weeks.

Fortunately our insurance covered all the costs, which were over £1,000. The new flooring was £700 and the equipment hire about £400. :rolleyes:

At that price you (your insurers) got off lightly, the costs can exceed £5k frequently, kitchen units often have to removed and either refitted or replaced, in some cases alternative accomodation arranged not to mention the disruption to your everyday life such as time off work to accomodate building, no matter how good the professionals are there will always be some mess left for you to clean up or even result in you carrying out work you would otherwise done at a more convenient time such as change in heating system or relocation of appliances, it can turn into an absolute nightmare.

Canucklehead

Good afternoon: Almost everything you ever wanted to know about copper pipe is available from the CDA site http://www.cda.org.uk/homepage.htm
Info related specifically to your query is available here
http://www.cda.org.uk/Megab2/build/pub124/sec2.htm#4.2.2%20Copper%20Pipework%20In%20Solid%20Floors

HTH

Canucklehead