Is pipe repair safe and reliable?

southcoastrgi

If you bought a new build house from the last 15 yrs everything would be done in plastic, the only time you would see copper is when it’s on show & even then the rads are normally all plastic pipes, soldering in lofts is highly frowned upon due to the fire risk

Doozergirl

Wow, this thread is getting boring.

Please tell that nagging voice to stop now.

bris

TuppenceHapenny wrote: »

Again, there's really no reason to take offence. My question was never about the use of plastic fittings per se. It was about the way a plastic fitting has been used for my particular repair. I understand the fittings are designed for joining two pipes together. In my case it has been used for replacing a sizeable section of pipe which has been removed. If the fitting may have been used in a way for which it is not designed, it is really not unreasonable to seek advice from others about that particular use of the fitting.

Hi, I wasn't taking offence to you perfectly viable question, apologies if it came across that way.


These fittings are perfectly safe and wont fail under pressure if fitted properly, if it was going to fail it would probably have failed long before now.


As for bumps, twists etc then any fitting can fail to physical damage but in the loft is a very, very low risk area for this to happen.

Mike_the_Boilerman

EachPenny wrote: »

Your calculation could be wrong. Pipework often has some 'slack' in it, so the two pipe ends might not be in the precise position they were in before the repair. If the 'slack' has allowed them to be closer in the new fitting then the insert depth could be the maximum possible in the fitting - or they could be barely in.

You wouldn't be able to tell without taking the joint apart, marking the pipes with the correct insert depth, and then remaking the joint. But doing all that would potentially leave you with a greater risk of failure than you currently have.

If you think the plumber was reasonably competent and there is no sign of the pipes being kinked or the sides of the water tanks being distorted then I would just hope for the best.

I agree very much with everything in this post.

One thing I would add though, is go back into the loft and try to move the pipe lengthways. This will give you a clue as to whether there really was some slack in it allowing the two cut ends to be moved closer together. If it moves freely you can be certain the plumber was able to get the additional length needed to assemble the joint correctly.

If on the other hand it is rigidly fixed, follow each end looking for a 90 degree bend on (at least) one end which will have allowed some slack. If you find both ends securely and rigidly fixed with no scope for movement, then I'd get the plumber back if I were you. Or at least contact him for an explanation and to ask for details of his public liability insurance!