Pushfit under screed, mostly a rant

NibblyPig

Having my house completed renovated, new plumbing in the bathroom.

The plumber has used pushfit pipe in a trench around the edge of the bathroom, using pushfit connectors, one at the toilet, one in the corner of the room, one under the sink, and one under the shower.

All of these will be directly buried into concrete.

I've read all over the internet that this is a bad idea etc.

I met with the plumber and the project manager and explained all of this, saying why didn't they just run pipe with no connectors under the ground, and have the pipe come up and then use connectors, and that I've read horror stories about burying connectors.

The plumber said he's done it this way for years and it's absolutely fine, and we argued about it for a while but ultimately it would cause a lot of problems and cost money to redo it how I wanted it. I am not a plumber and obviously I've just read this from the internet, which I'm sure is like googling your symptoms and claiming to know more than the doctor...

In the end I relented.

The floor will be tiled over and the shower will be over part of it. The fate is sealed. Mostly I just wanted to rant, but if anyone has any thoughts on this I'd be curious.

Basically if problems occur in the future what I should look out for and how much it might cost to rectify.

Eldi_Dos

You are the customer, pay the extra money and have it done your way if that will give you peace of mind.

stuart45

JG do a conduit pipe for use when pipes are in a screed. 

FreeBear

NibblyPig said: The plumber has used pushfit pipe in a trench around the edge of the bathroom, using pushfit connectors, one at the toilet, one in the corner of the room, one under the sink, and one under the shower.

The plumber said he's done it this way for years and it's absolutely fine,

During the 80s & early 90s, there was a large quantity of low grade copper pipe being used. Copper should last 70 years or more,  yet this low grade stuff was failing after just 20 years. Of course, the plumbers at the time were saying "it is fine and it will last", but they are not around to repair the stuff today....

JG Speedfit now guarantee their fittings for 50 years (subject to conditions), so you shouldn't have any problems in your lifetime. Should you have any concerns, the answer would be to place a suitably sized back box around each fitting and cover the hole with a decorative faceplate. A bigger problem is going to be any bare copper pipe buried in the screed - Cement attacks copper and pinhole leaks will appear (it might take 20 years to happen). So either plastic pipe is used, or copper is sheathed in a protective coating.

stuart45

NibblyPig, if you give the technical support at JG a call, I'm sure that they will explain that any pipes in the screed need a conduit, so they are removable, and that any fittings need a box as per FreeBear's post.
Some plumbers will take a shortcut, as the odds are they will get away with it.

Section62

stuart45 said:

NibblyPig, if you give the technical support at JG a call, I'm sure that they will explain that any pipes in the screed need a conduit, so they are removable, and that any fittings need a box as per FreeBear's post.
Some plumbers will take a shortcut, as the odds are they will get away with it.

IIRC it is now a Building Regs requirement that water pipes buried in solid floors can be withdrawn (and replaced) and fittings should be accessible... so the next question is whether there is any building regs oversight of this project, and why the PM is arguing the case for the plumber rather than the client.

chris_n

From the Speedfit website.

3. Can Speedfit pipe be buried in the floor screed?

Building regulations state that pipe laid in floor screed must be removable, with the exception of pipes used in underfloor heating projects.  

This exception is important to bear in mind as due to the UK Government’s Build Back Greener strategy, underfloor heating systems are likely to become more common. This is because they are compatible with ground and air source pumps, which are top contenders to replace gas boilers as they are more environmentally friendly. 

To find out more about underfloor heating systems with JG Speedfit technology click here. 

In all other projects, pipes laid in the floor screed must be removable, therefore we supply a conduit that can be clipped to the concrete base. The Speedfit pipe can then run through the conduit and be screeded over. 

If the pipe needs to be replaced, it can be disconnected at each end and pulled out. The installation of fittings under screed should be avoided, but where it is deemed necessary, they must be installed in boxes with removable lids so that they can be serviced. 

Eldi_Dos

chris_n said:

From the Speedfit website.

3. Can Speedfit pipe be buried in the floor screed?

 

If the pipe needs to be replaced, it can be disconnected at each end and pulled out. 

I cannot see how that can be practical in a domestic setting.

chris_n

Eldi_Dos said:

chris_n said:

From the Speedfit website.

3. Can Speedfit pipe be buried in the floor screed?

 

If the pipe needs to be replaced, it can be disconnected at each end and pulled out. 

I cannot see how that can be practical in a domestic setting.

If the fittings are boxed and accessible for maintenance as specified then you can easily pull a plastic pipe around a suitable radius curved conduit sleeve.