Plastic or copper pipes.......What do you recommend?

funky04

I am having a bathroom fitted soon and the plumber will be removing existing copper pipes and relaying plastic ones...............I am a bit dubious about this as I think they would leak easily........can anyone reassure me or should I get new copper pipes instead. Please let me know what you think, any suggestions welcome. thanks

cheekymole

Most of my house uses speedfit or like and I've never had a problem

Good luck

pboae

Plastic pipes are fine (except in the very first run from a boiler), but copper is really pricey at the moment. Ask him to leave you the old pipes and take them to a scrap merchant yourself.

UK007BullDog

My son (trainee plumber) says I am wrong but when we had new radiators fitted and the new bathroom done I insisted on copper pipes. He says plastic is OK. However my theory is that plastic over the years will deteriorate and might get brittle as that is the nature of plastic. I just need to look at plastic furniture and other plastic items and over the years they get brittle. So my theory is that over many years eventually one might end up with leaks. So I insisted on copper and welded joints. Plus the plastic caps and joints are a lot bigger so might show up more or need more space for a workaround.

Just call me a traditionalist... :rotfl:

alanobrien

Today i would go with plastic.....why ? No noise creaking etc that you usually get to some extent with copper.
That and its a lot easier to fit than a copper system.

weekendwarrior

Plastic pipe is fine and is much better than copper for a few reasons.

Plastic push fit joints are not so good and have been known to fail in the past.

I would ask the plumber to use plastic pipe, but with compression fittings rather than pushfit as compression fittings have stood the test of time

Canucklehead

Good afternoon: Copper is our preferred material for pipe and fittings... my OH, Corgi Guy has been in plumbing and heating since the 70s so is old school. Plastic would appeal more to DIYers and the 10 week course 'I'm a plumber now' brigade.;)
The many reasons why copper is best for us are listed in the link document....should also mention that rodents don't eat copper but will nibble on plastic! http://www.cda.org.uk/Megab2/build/pub-88-copper-tube-in-buildings.pdf

HTH

Canucklehead

Mr_Warren_2

Am not a member of the "real" plumber brigade but am a Mechanical Engineer (which Plumbers aren't). Plastic pipes have been developed for speed of use, assembly and flexibility. I have used them in my house (heating + hot/cold)and wish I had used them when I renewed the plumbing in our french property 14 years ago.
Rodents I agree but if you eliminate the rodent aspect, plastic pipes are perfectly ok for the job. Further up this topic someone mentions that "plastic does not age well"....I agree only when UV light is concerned. Leave a piece of plastic in the sun/moon light and UVs will damage it in the long run. To the best of my knowledge, central heating pipes are not installed outside houses and therefore not in direct contact with UV light. Go for plastic and do your bit for the environment.......(less energy used making a plastic pipe than a copper tube).

UK007BullDog

In London one is only 3 meters from a rat or other type rodent in distance. I read in the plumbing mag my son gets that Rodents are wreaking havoc, that is also one way of ensuring one stays in demand to fix things.

Most rats will be in the sewers but I prefer the copper pipe to deliver clean fresh water to my taps.

Once the oil shortage kicks in properly a lot of plastic stuff we take for granted will surely disappear!?!

EliteHeat

Virtually every newbuild will have been 1st fixed in plastic for all of the reasons already stated.

Personally I have never seen rodent damage to plastic pipes. Remember every house has plastic sheathed wiring in the exact same places that the water pipes run.

Hepworth offer a 50 year guarantee on their plastic pipe. Some inferior copper starts to develop pinholes after a little as 15 years.

Having said that, never, ever install it where you can see it in living areas - it looks terrible.

weekendwarrior

Canucklehead wrote: »

Good afternoon: Copper is our preferred material for pipe and fittings... my OH, Corgi Guy has been in plumbing and heating since the 70s so is old school. Plastic would appeal more to DIYers and the 10 week course 'I'm a plumber now' brigade.;)
The many reasons why copper is best for us are listed in the link document....should also mention that rodents don't eat copper but will nibble on plastic! http://www.cda.org.uk/Megab2/build/pub-88-copper-tube-in-buildings.pdf

HTH

Canucklehead

Of course copper is best if you are the "CopperDevelopmentAssociation"

If you look at speedfit they will tell you why speedfit is best and if you look at Hep20 they will tell you why that is also best.

Plastic is fine with compression fittings.

If you are worried about rodent damage then you better start worrying about the electrics as they would much rather munch through your electrical cables than plastic pipe.