Help with microbore connections!

[Frelon]

Hi all

I am in the process of replacing the boring sink and pedestal in my cloakroom with a free standing cabinet (with drawers underneath) and a basin on top of the work surface.

The house is 6 years old and all plumbing (apart from airing cupboard) appears to be 10mm microbore plastic. I have no experience with this stuff (only experience is with traditional 15mm and 22mm copper) and am unaware if the tubing used is actually pvc coated copper pipe.

The hot/cold feeds for the sink unit come down inside the cavity then pop out and connect to the flexis on my tap. This was not a problem with my old setup but with the new arrangement the plastic pipe protruding from the plasterboard is about 10cms too long in each case. I am able to push the pipe back into the cavity a little, but not enough to do the job!

This is a top view looking down as the hot/cold feeds come out of the plasterboard.

So the challenge is can the plastic/copper pipe be removed easily from the elbow (perhaps a tool may be necessary), the tubing then cut and the shortened plastic tubing be reinserted? Naturally I would ensure that no water would be flowing in this plumbing before doing anything!

Here is a closer look at the elbow and the connection with the 10mm pvc coated copper pipe! I am not totally convinced that this tubing has a copper core but on the basis that it is not very flexible I am making an assumption! No doubt the experts out there can assure me that I will not need to hire an expensive tool just make this connection!

Thanks folks, I appreciate any help offered.

 

[exedon2]

Thats 10 mm plastic tube if its stiff chances are its speedfit.
The chrome elbows are demountable having turned of water and drained down the grey collet on elbow will push in and fitting pull apart.
Shorten tube as needed hopefully pipe insert will reuse push back together.

 

[steadyon]

1. Isolate water.
2. Mark the pipe just above the white plastic ring with a Sharpie or similar.
3. Push the white plastic ring towards the chrome fitting. The pipe should then pull out.
4. There will (or at least should be) a pipe insert. This will be in the pipe, or may come out with the fitting. Whichever, remove it.
5. Cut the pipe very cleanly to the length required. It needs a clean, square edged cut. Best is a set of proper cutters, e.g. Screwfix 59590. If you end up using a hacksaw make sure you don't scratch the pipe, and clean the end up inside and out with a Stanley type knife.
6. Push the insert into the pipe. Make a mark the same distance from the end of the pipe / insert as the mark made in 2. above.
7. Push the pipe into the fitting, making sure that the mark ends up just above the white plastic ring.

The above applies to white plastic pipe. Its possible, but highly unlikely, that the pipe is plastic coated copper. If so it will be about 11 mm outside diameter. Pretty much the same process as above, but:
a. No insert required.
b. You will need to strip the plastic coating back for the depth of the fitting.
c. Same need for a clean square cut applies, but you'd need a pipe cutter like Screwfix 49428.

 

[Frelon]

1. Isolate water.
2. Mark the pipe just above the white plastic ring with a Sharpie or similar.
3. Push the white plastic ring towards the chrome fitting. The pipe should then pull out.
4. There will (or at least should be) a pipe insert. This will be in the pipe, or may come out with the fitting. Whichever, remove it.
5. Cut the pipe very cleanly to the length required. It needs a clean, square edged cut. Best is a set of proper cutters, e.g. Screwfix 59590. If you end up using a hacksaw make sure you don't scratch the pipe, and clean the end up inside and out with a Stanley type knife.
6. Push the insert into the pipe. Make a mark the same distance from the end of the pipe / insert as the mark made in 2. above.
7. Push the pipe into the fitting, making sure that the mark ends up just above the white plastic ring.

The above applies to white plastic pipe. Its possible, but highly unlikely, that the pipe is plastic coated copper. If so it will be about 11 mm outside diameter. Pretty much the same process as above, but:
a. No insert required.
b. You will need to strip the plastic coating back for the depth of the fitting.
c. Same need for a clean square cut applies, but you'd need a pipe cutter like Screwfix 49428.

Thanks steadyon, the pipe is exactly 10mm, so likely to be plastic only, makes for cleaner cutting!

 

[Frelon]

Thanks for the replies and detailed instructions. Am waiting for delivery of work surface before tackling the plumbing, but will report back here with the results. I get very frustrated with posters who are offered advice and who never visit the forum again to tell of the outcome.

Watch this space.......

 

[Frelon]

Thanks for the replies and detailed instructions. Am waiting for delivery of work surface before tackling the plumbing, but will report back here with the results. I get very frustrated with posters who are offered advice and who never visit the forum again to tell of the outcome.

Watch this space.******

Thanks for all the help fellas! With your reassurances I went ahead and tackled the job and, yes it was Speedfit - easy peasy! Shortened the tails and was able to finish the project. With this sort of unit there is limited space under the work surface for a traditional "U" bend (because of the drawer) so I used a McAlpine Wash Hand Basin Space Saver with Self-Closing Waste Valve - works perfectly!