Replacing copper with hep2o

Status
Not open for further replies.
H

hubbabubba

Hi,

I have a house where all the heating cirbuit was plumbed above ground on both floors. I was going to rip it all out and place it under the floorboards along with all new wiring etc...

I wanted to have the flow and return distributed on both floors with 22mm with tee's to each radiator at 15mm. I dont think notching holes in the joists would be a good idea for 22mm so am thing of running 22mm hep2o through the joists in the middle (where required), and then using standard 22mm-15mm T - compression joins to copper 15mm for the rads. The hep2o would use metal pipe inserts.

Could anyone tell me if I am being totally silly, and if there are any better options.

Thank you in advance.
 
you can notch for 22mm.

sounds good to me... inserts, and compression.... use ptfe around the olives for a good seal
 
oh and not too close to boiler in plastic me old pal - think 600mm is the requirement but i like to do it at least a metre away...
 
as others said notching out for 22mm is standard.

i put a new heating system in the other week in 22mm flow and return in plastic with hep fittings and drops down to 15mm copper.

i would have preffered to do the whole job in copper but copper is so expensive at the moment.
 
I was only considering plastic to avoid having to notch out for the 22mm pipe. I read on a diy forum that drilling through the middle of the joist will not weaken the joist like notching would as the top of the joist is under tension. If you guys are saying that notching is not a problem for 22mm then I will do all copper with sweeping bend and all solder. Also is it wise to put felt below and above the pipes to stop them running agaist the wood and causing noise?
 
hubbabubba said:
I was only considering plastic to avoid having to notch out for the 22mm pipe. I read on a diy forum that drilling through the middle of the joist will not weaken the joist like notching would as the top of the joist is under tension. If you guys are saying that notching is not a problem for 22mm then I will do all copper with sweeping bend and all solder. Also is it wise to put felt below and above the pipes to stop them running agaist the wood and causing noise?
Click to expand...

depends on the joist, check building regs i think your allowed to notch 1/8 of the thickness. your allowed to drill more, maybe 1/4, id have to check unless anyone else knows off the top of their heads
 
Thank you all, I will check the joists size and gap between them and decide what to use based on that. If I can get away with notches according to the building reg's then it is copper all the way. Otherwise hep2o. Is hep2o the best one or is there a newer technology that is superior?
 
"Hep2o" will be fine for what you want, quick and easy to install and cheap when compared with copper. Just make sure its clipped correctly [think its every 0.7m with 22mm plastic and 0.6m for 15mm on a horizontal run] and that you cut it correctly so that the inserts sit flush. TBH, there's not really any real reason to use copper under floors. When pipework is on show it's obviously more aesthetically pleasing to the eye using copper, but with copper tails dropped down from radiators and "hep2o" from then on is what I'd personally do! Fuzzy is correct in the notching depths, but be careful where you notch, your only allowed to do it in the first quarter i.e. measure the span of the room and divide by four, this gives you the maximum away from the wall your allowed to notch. and then times the span again by 0.07 to get the minimum away from the wall, and then you can notch anywhere within them measurements at a depth of 1/8 max.

Jb


EDIT: Just saw the post by plouasne lol
 
Last edited by a moderator:
hubbabubba said:
Thank you all, I will check the joists size and gap between them and decide what to use based on that. If I can get away with notches according to the building reg's then it is copper all the way. Otherwise hep2o. Is hep2o the best one or is there a newer technology that is superior?
Click to expand...

I would use a PEX type plastic with proper serrated inserts and a compression collar if I had to go the plastic route, anything that is a push fit has the possibility to become unfixed, I have heard of a case of push fit's becoming unjointed simply because when the pipe expanded the release collar pushed up against a joist which released the grab ring, also there have been a few bad reports of some joints splitting after a few months in this forum

Push fit fittings and pipe, should be pushed over the highest cliff and forgotten about, but that's my personal opinion
 
And don't forget mice love to chew through hep and speedfit, I have yet to be called to job where vermin have damaged copper.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Featured Content

Back
Top