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Plastic or copper? which is best?

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Discuss Plastic or copper? which is best? in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at Plumbers Forums

hate barrier pipe {jg/hep/polypipe etc etc} with an absolute passion! , the only pushfit system that i like is pegler yorkshire's tectite, its a MLCP pipe so it can be bent by hand and stays in that position and doesnt expand anywhere near as much in length as plastic does , comes in 15/22 and uses double sealed liners with stainless 316 fittings..
 
Buteline offer a 25 year warranty on the plastic pipework. It has no O-rings and is press fitted.
Their rep said they will be upping this to 50 years soon.

Gerberit offer a 1 year guarantee on their Mapress copper press fittings.

How long a guarantee do you offer on your hand soldered copper pipes?

If you want to offer a manufacturers backed warranty on your installation, like you do with boilers, the answer seems simple.

Install plastic

[lights fuse and retreats to a safe distance]
 
Jerry said:
Buteline offer a 25 year warranty on the plastic pipework. It has no O-rings and is press fitted.
Their rep said they will be upping this to 50 years soon.

Gerberit offer a 1 year guarantee on their Mapress copper press fittings.

How long a guarantee do you offer on your hand soldered copper pipes?

If you want to offer a manufacturers backed warranty on your installation, like you do with boilers, the answer seems simple.

Install plastic

[lights fuse and retreats to a safe distance]
Click to expand...

25 years geberit offer
 
I’m DIY of 40 yrs experience. I recently did a re plumb job for daughter. By pass leaking underfloor pipe (2 litres a minute). The job took far more time than myself and brother-in-law estimated. Like 6 times as long. Very awkward access, under bedroom floors and in tiny loft etc. Waving a blow torch in restricted space not easy or quick. Had it been easy to get at we could have done it in a fraction of the time. Plastic would have made it much easier ... long pipe runs, gentle curves over rafters.

My costing for MATERIALS, Screwfix prices. Copper and plastic pipe .. not much in it. Copper and plastic joints ... copper wins Easily. Fitting. Plastic is so quick, less joints. Now I prefer copper but I had to use one plastic bend in an inaccessible place on copper pipe. Amazingly easy. See photo at bottom.

My experience of copper is that is sometimes doesn’t last as long as you anticipate. I had two pin hole leaks in 30 years in copper cold water feed to trad boiler, cast iron boiler , not combi, feed was from expansion tank in loft and flow down pipe must have been virtually non existent ... just water expansion. But might have been bad pipe?

So I would say a proper job with longest life would be copper. fittings look better. I suspect quotes for a plastic system would be cheaper as there must be less labour. In new house builds what do they use? In top end house builds what would be specified, reguardless of cost?

At the end is photo op plastic fitting I added in inaccessible place to join 2 copper pipes. I had to cut away wood to give space to fit it. I haven’t forgot to insert the other pipe! Oh yes. Some plumbers don’t clean flux off copper ... and it corrodes. I believe British Gas had problems with corroding copper pipes and did a lot of research on what fluxes not to use.

Then was a plumber friend who had copper oil line, passing thru wall, corroded through in weeks. He had no idea why.

So Copper can give a Proper job, more expensive, can be longer lasting, rodent proof. Visually less intrusive and you can see some beautiful curves from skilled pipe benders. Polishes up nicely ... I once worked as a loo attendant after leaving school, and during Uni hols. Polished the copper urinal pipes every day.

Plastic job, likely to cost less as less labour intensive and less skill needed.

83E20BE5-CC96-4453-9951-A2206E04CD73.jpeg
 
Last edited:
The biggest problem with plastic fittings is that they are affected when exposed to UV light and should be covered and protected from sunlight. They shouldn't be used externally for outside taps for example. Many times I've also seen older plastic fittings having turned brown and become brittle, which I assume is due to exposure to hot water and UV light. In saying that I'd rather use a plastic pushfit fitting on plastic pipe than a compression fitting. The one and only blow off I've had with plastic pipe was a compression fitting parting company with it.
 
malx42 said:
I’m DIY of 40 yrs experience. I recently did a re plumb job for daughter. By pass leaking underfloor pipe (2 litres a minute). The job took far more time than myself and brother-in-law estimated. Like 6 times as long. Very awkward access, under bedroom floors and in tiny loft etc. Waving a blow torch in restricted space not easy or quick. Had it been easy to get at we could have done it in a fraction of the time. Plastic would have made it much easier . long pipe runs, gentle curves over rafters.

My costing for MATERIALS, Screwfix prices. Copper and plastic pipe .. not much in it. Copper and plastic joints . copper wins Easily. Fitting. Plastic is so quick, less joints. Now I prefer copper but I had to use one plastic bend in an inaccessible place on copper pipe. Amazingly easy. See photo at bottom.

My experience of copper is that is sometimes doesn’t last as long as you anticipate. I had two pin hole leaks in 30 years in copper cold water feed to trad boiler, cast iron boiler , not combi, feed was from expansion tank in loft and flow down pipe must have been virtually non existent . just water expansion. But might have been bad pipe?

So I would say a proper job with longest life would be copper. fittings look better. I suspect quotes for a plastic system would be cheaper as there must be less labour. In new house builds what do they use? In top end house builds what would be specified, reguardless of cost?

At the end is photo op plastic fitting I added in inaccessible place to join 2 copper pipes. I had to cut away wood to give space to fit it. I haven’t forgot to insert the other pipe! Oh yes. Some plumbers don’t clean flux off copper . and it corrodes. I believe British Gas had problems with corroding copper pipes and did a lot of research on what fluxes not to use.

Then was a plumber friend who had copper oil line, passing thru wall, corroded through in weeks. He had no idea why.

So Copper can give a Proper job, more expensive, can be longer lasting, rodent proof. Visually less intrusive and you can see some beautiful curves from skilled pipe benders. Polishes up nicely . I once worked as a loo attendant after leaving school, and during Uni hols. Polished the copper urinal pipes every day.

Plastic job, likely to cost less as less labour intensive and less skill needed.

View attachment 36873
Click to expand...
Those 2 pipes with soldered elbows (not saying you installed them) should not have been done that way. No need to solder in awkward places if you can bend the pipe and either fit from above or below. Can be joined with connector further out from eaves if needed.
 
Best said:
Those 2 pipes with soldered elbows (not saying you installed them) should not have been done that way. No need to solder in awkward places if you can bend the pipe and either fit from above or below. Can be joined with connector further out from eaves if needed.
Click to expand...
Yes ... those were old pipes I was by passing. The old pipes were threaded through holes in RSJ. And were totally inaccessible. The installation of pipes can only have been done before the building was completed .... nightmare to find the routes. I had to use a plastic coupler as there was no space downstairs to get a reasonable length of pipe bent pipe through. And no space in corner. .the new downstairs pipe had to run up in a 5 cm gap between kitchen cabinet and wall.
 
Maybe a bit of a bump... but a very interesting read about peoples opinions on MLCP. As suppliers of MLCP I can personally say that there is an increase of plumbers now using MLCP due to the flexability of the pipe, the ease of installation and also the warranty that is offered by suppliers.

@ShaunCorbs I think I recognise them fittings;)
 
Very good manufacturer is tweetop (only because I got a very good price)

I think the increase is down to people finding out plastic isn’t that good / reliable (pushfit)

And they want to use copper but with the new types of joists you can’t notch so you have to thread the pipes through

And easy bending and it stays where you bent it
 
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