does anyone still use copper in a 1st fix downstairs gorund floor

[mark_mc]

Im doing a 1st fix today and was doing in copper with soldered joints the norm would usually use pipe and pipe and manifolds but this was better copper as it was a reovation track floors etc so didnt what to make the tracks massive using pipe in pipe as the house robbed when no one lived in it and the copper was stole.

everyone from the sparks the joiners where over asking copper??$$?? what I havent seen an install in copper in ages. maybe because it was in belfast everyone must use hep, one even said usually any plumber i know uses hep joints under the concrete floor I was like WHAT>>>

so my question is; many copper 1st fixs these days with you guys.

 

[Guest123]

Yeah I thought about that too. By definition the average plumber won't come on this forum. There wouldn't be enough room! So you get a mix of learners and those who live and breathe it. Those who occupy the vast middle ground of just doing it for a job without caring much about the rights and wrongs probably wouldn't dream of spending their evenings talking about work online.

Plumbing is mainly a solitary occupation and it's good to come on here and share experiences with others.

 

[WaterTight]

Do you not have a love slave? As I believe the PC term has it.

 

[tamz]

Maybe it was just a regional thing then. My only personal experience is working on installs for a year with a guy who always did first fix in plastic. But that's a not very informative sample size of 1.

If you worked on installs with me for a year you wouldn't see more than 20 ft of plastic. I do my job to the best of my ability and want the minimum of comebacks. Comebacks cost ME money so i don't use plastics as plastics DO fail. They cannot be trusted 100% unlike a soldered fitting on copper.
The cost of plastic pipe and fittings is expensive (they cost pennies to make) because the manu's allow for the probably well in the millions ££ they have to allow for damage claims every year. Anyone who has done site work will know the routine. Your ordinary Joe plumber is not the ones making the claims against the manu.

 

[Guest123]

Do you not have a love slave? As I believe the PC term has it.

Sacked for being an ignorant little ersehole. I'm a bloody nightmare to work for anyway as I have to always have things done my way. Wife learned that the hard way.

 

[SimonJohns]

System3, she doesn't like flexi's either. Only rigid?

 

[Guest123]

System3, she doesn't like flexi's either. Only rigid?

If this wasn't the main forum, I'd certainly divulge her thoughts on rigidity.

 

[SimonJohns]

System. If it's anything like my mrs. It involves being 6ft under and stiff.

 

[Guest123]

LOL. I feel a ban coming on for smut talk ......

 

[tamz]

Sacked for being an ignorant little ersehole. I'm a bloody nightmare to work for anyway as I have to always have things done my way. Wife learned that the hard way.

A bit like me then. I must be the worst person in the world to work with. If i'm on my own i even moan at myself :lol:

System3, she doesn't like flexi's either. Only rigid?

She takes it as she finds it. If she needs to work at it then all the better for me @lol:

 

[AWheating]

on new build work i use both copper and plastic. Some situations require plastic as alot of modern joist systems are designed with plastic in mind and it can be harder to install copper to a good standard. All surface pipework must be copper and most of my private work is copper only.

one problem with plastic is it makes diyers think they are plumbers because "anyone can install plastic" is what alot of people think. It does take knowledge and skill to install plastic to a high standard, but yes it can be installed badly by idiots also.

 

[WaterTight]

Tamz/System - you should do a couple of vids like tom's tips specifically for installing copper in the trickiest situations. That'd be great.

 

[Guest123]

Tamz/System - you should do a couple of vids like tom's tips specifically for installing copper in the trickiest situations. That'd be great.

Maybe just do that, along with a pipe freezing vid for the Rofrost.

 

[keltoyboy]

Plastic is very popular here in Ireland....mostly as the shoddy workmanship of plumbers/builders in the 70's/80's gave copper a bad name when it only lasted a few yrs after being buried in concrete with no protection...:-(.
I'm a believer in soldered copper but i'm softening to plastic also as during a very severe winter of 2010 most of the call out i got was to copper with brass fittings that had failed....and plastic with a push and twist next to them were perfectly intact....wtf???
most of the plastic used here is qualpex with inserts and brass fittings and from what i can see has proved very successful with the last 15 yrs or so!