Push-fit plumbing. I’m not happy with what the kitchen fitter did, and want him to change it.

AyJaydee

Hello, I hope that someone here can give some knowledgeable and experienced clarity to my dilemma.

My wife and I decided to have a complete house makeover instead of moving. New kitchen and bathroom, various problems fixed, redecorated throughout and new carpets.

The kitchen/bathroom fitters finished just over a week ago and as expected, there have been various snags which are gradually being addressed.

However, this morning I realised that the cold water feed for the washing machine connects to the mains inlet pipe just above the stopcock by a type of fitting that I have never seen before. On a visit to my local DIY store, I found this type of fitting; it’s called ‘Speedfit’ and its a plastic push-fit jointing system. When I mentioned this to my kitchen designer in the store, he seemed alarmed at this and suggested that I look on Youtube at horror stories of this type of connection bursting apart.

So far, all I can find on the internet about it, is how fabulous this system is.

When the kitchen fitter rang me about attending to one of the snags, I brought up this subject.

I told him that I do not trust this jointing system and that I want it replaced with copper and soldered joints. His response was to defend it, saying that it is widely accepted and fitted in all modern builds. He also said that he has used it in several places in my property. I never specified ‘copper only’ and that he would have to charge me for changing it.

I am due to meet him on Wednesday and shall point out that I have never heard of this system before and so it’s reasonable to presume that copper/soldered connections would be used. Besides, he never asked me about this!

When testing the washing machine, I saw that as it switched its water feed on and off, a shock went down the hosepipe back to the connection and, to my horror, made it judder.

Am I right to be alarmed at this type of connection​? Is the fitter right to ask for payment to change it?

Does anyone have any insight here? Any suggestions please? Thank you

SaverRate

You didn't specify so yes he can charge.

The pipework should be clipped back to something though e.g. a wall. this should reduce/prevent the water hammer (the pipe judder). If it has been clipped back, some washing machines are more prone to water hammer and you can buy hammer arrestors. 

Yes push fit is used in many new builds, its also used throughout my bathroom (it was installed before I brought the house). The house is circa 1970s. I don't particularly like push fit but if installed correctly you shouldn't have any issues. 

If I get the bathroom redone I will be asking for it to be changed to copper but if you don't specify you cannot expect someone to replace it all for free. 

Section62

AyJaydee said:

I am due to meet him on Wednesday and shall point out that I have never heard of this system before and so it’s reasonable to presume that copper/soldered connections would be used. Besides, he never asked me about this!

With any building project there will typically be lots of things the average client will never have heard of.  That doesn't mean the builder can't use them.

If you wanted the plumbing done a specific way then the time to ask for that would have been at the quotation stage, so the builder can add the (likely) considerable cost of using traditional copper pipework and fittings.

Am I right to be alarmed at this type of connection​?

No. Speedfit has WRAS approval.  If it has been installed in accordance with manufacturer's instructions then there is nothing to fear.

Is the fitter right to ask for payment to change it?

Yes.

pmartin86

What exactly is your problem?

"So far, all I can find on the internet about it, is how fabulous this system is."

yet

"I do not trust this jointing system"

Why do you not trust it if the evidence you ahve found suggests is good?

I've been using speedfit for about 20 years, alongside copper/Chromed Copper where asthetics suit, and ive literaly never had an issue. The key with both systems is the quality of install, if their installed right, then they will last forever and a day, if their installed crap, their gonna leak no matter what the are, be it speedfit, copper or platinum coated, magic imbued pipes.

ThisIsWeird

As said above, there is nothing at all 'wrong' or second-rate about plastic push-fits, other than cosmetic. They carry at least as many advantages over copper as dis'.

But, they are more prone to movement due to pressure 'shock', so if they visibly move, then they should be clipped down further.

It does seem as tho' your cold mains water pressure is pretty high, as such a visible shock would usually only show on a longer pipe run. Any idea what your mains pressure is? If excessively high - say ~4bar and above - it can cause all sorts of issues such as shock or 'hammer' as you've noticed, noisy taps and valves, increased wear on ceramic discs, and stuff like that. Not usually a major problem, but generally not ideal.

FreeBear

ThisIsWeird said: As said above, there is nothing at all 'wrong' or second-rate about plastic push-fits, other than cosmetic. They carry at least as many advantages over copper as dis'.

As long as the joints are assembled correctly, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with Speedfit - The do have the advantage that they can be disassembled & reused, which can be useful when doing temporary plumbing. Also handy in spots where you can't get a blowtorch in or is unsafe to have a naked flame.

Downside is they are piggin ugly to look at and are bulky. Hidden behind a kitchen cabinet, this isn't usually an issue, but I wouldn't want to see them on display.

onomatopoeia99

When I replumbed my kitchen and re-routed the central heating I used a mixture of traditional soldered and push-fit as suited the situation.  In the decade since, none have failed, and that's with an amateur installing it all, not a trade that does it day in, day out.  The DIY sheds wouldn't sell the stuff if it didn't work.

ThisIsWeird

And they have the huge, largely-DIY, advantage of being rotatable and with some movement and give. That's often a big biggie.

TELLIT01

My concern about push-fit is potential failure of the gasket forming the seal between the components.  I don't have any idea what the life expectancy of that item is, but would expect a well made solder joint to be a permanent seal.  Not so sure about that with push-fit.

GDB2222

TELLIT01 said:

My concern about push-fit is potential failure of the gasket forming the seal between the components.  I don't have any idea what the life expectancy of that item is, but would expect a well made solder joint to be a permanent seal.  Not so sure about that with push-fit.

We had a weep on a soldered joint in our bathroom. The entire GCH system needed to be drained down to fix it. 

kev1744

most of the plumbing in my house is speedfit, no issues in last decade.
the fact that your kitchen designer has expressed concern and not the plumber is interesting. i would rather listen to the advice of a skilled plumber about plumbing issues than a kitchen designer.