Speedfit pipes with Compression fittings

onceagain

Hi
I have really bad issue with my recent plumbing job I did myself.
I put 2 new connections from existing pipes in kitchen (hot and cold) and I was advised to use plastic pipes (which are already in use in toilet the same house). here is the detail of issues:
1. I used speed fit 15mm pipes. I started with 15mm equal Tee to make new connection in each place. then connected all subsequent connections with pushfit fittings.
2. after 1 day the hot water pipes dismentled itself on 2 elbows.
3. I went to plumbcentre for advice. I was advised to use compression fittings instead, which i used.
4. the pipes popped out from the compression fittings ( i used copper olives, with plastic inserts and Fernox LSX from screwfix)
5. I have redone the compression fittings again but this time reinforcing it with PTFE tape on threads.
What should I do now? should I put pipe clips near the elbows? becoz that's the only thing missing now and seems to be the reason for pipes to pop out.
it's turned out to be more expensive if I had got it done from a plumber in the first place.
please help me out here. I am too tired to do things again and again.

Myser

Are you able to upload a photo of the pipework and a join you have made?

Was the plastic pipe cut straight and clean?

mart.vader

I see you used pipe inserts Did you make sure the pipe was pushed all the way into the fitting ?

Here are some views on Speedfit, some for, some against.

http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=269607

Yes, as Myser says, a clean straight cut is imprortant

heretohelp

When you used the pushfit fittings did you tighten them up after you fitted them? The ends of the fittings have screw ends that you tighten by hand after the pipe is pushed in.

onceagain

Hi
1. I did hand tight the screws of speed fit fittings.
2. The pipe was cut clean ( but not very expert) and I did put inserts with LSX to seal it before pushing in.
3. I did push if fully and secured it before fitting it
4. picture of my final re-do with copper olives, inserts, Fernox LSX & PTFE on threads.
(sorry no picture allowed, newbie)

DTDfanBoy

If the pipes are popping out of compression fittings they haven't been tightened or they are the wrong size, PFTE should never be used on the threads, if water is reaching the thread the olive isn't doing it's job.

Were the initial pushfits fitting JG or something else ? and were the pipes fully inserted the pulled back slightly to ensure a seal ?

keystone

To answer a number of posts on this thread:

You should never ever mix speedfit fittings with Hep2O pipe or with polyplumb pipe etc etc. You should only ever use plastic fittings and plastic pipe from same manufacturer.

If speedfit fittings popped off speedfit pipe then the joints were not made properly.

Speedfit fittings don't need "tightening up" by hand after you've put them in place. Thats why they are called pushfit.

Pipe inserts don't need LSX on them.

Compression fittings don't need LSX or PTFE on the thread. Its the olive that does the work.

Did you do the compression fitting nuts up with a spanner or just hand tight? Hand tight ain't good enough. The olive needs to "bite" into the pipe. Even if the ends of the cuts pipe are not completely neat and square you can still get a good fit in either a compression fitting or using that same manufacturers plastic fitting.

Pop your pic onto an image hosting site. Get teh forum code for it. Pop the code in a post on here but either leave out the http bit or insert spaces before and after every . or replace the . with the word dot.

Cheers

Edit: DTD largey already said this but as I'd posted it I'll leave it.

onceagain

Hi
thanks everyone for your replying.

keystone wrote: »

Did you do the compression fitting nuts up with a spanner or just hand tight? Hand tight ain't good enough. The olive needs to "bite" into the pipe. Even if the ends of the cuts pipe are not completely neat and square you can still get a good fit in either a compression fitting or using that same manufacturers plastic fitting.

I did them with spanner but didn't too tight as I was advised by plumbcentre ''not to do it as it's a risk of getting 'over tight ''. don't know what the risk was.
what I did was tightening with spanner and then 3/4 of the turn on top of that.
I am not sure if I am being awkward but the lower end of each pipe is not secured by clips. is that causing them pop open? Picture attached (plz remove spaces in the url)
http:// postimg. org/ image/ kownqj78h /

keystone

Sorry - can't get linky to work. The risk of overtightening the olive on a copper pipe is that the olive gets crushed so no seal is made between pipe and olive and it leaks.

I suggest you may have been too gentle with it and it ain't tight enough. But it must be square in the fitting. If its in at an angle then there is no way you'll get a seal. I'll have another go at seeing the image.

Cheers

southcoastrgi

you have either not pushed the pipe in far enough
you didn't use inserts in the SF fittings
YOU USED LSX which makes the pipe slipperly

southcoastrgi