Rubber Cored Braided Flexible Connectors

[centralheatking]

The NHS has already de listed rubber cored flexible connectors I learn this morning that a local Metropolitan Borough Council in my area has followed suit. The issue is the rubber core becomes porous and is a breeding ground for nasty bugs esp. legionella ...plus their propensity to split and cause major leaks. Is anybody else aware of similar moves in their local area. We have stopped fitting them and use stainless steel flexis on all our units.
Centralheatking

 

[Gasmk1]

The NHS has already de listed rubber cored flexible connectors I learn this morning that a local Metropolitan Borough Council in my area has followed suit. The issue is the rubber core becomes porous and is a breeding ground for nasty bugs esp. legionella ...plus their propensity to split and cause major leaks. Is anybody else aware of similar moves in their local area. We have stopped fitting them and use stainless steel flexis on all our units.
Centralheatking

how do you know which ones to use

 

[centralheatking]

how do you know which ones to use

These stainless steel flexis are Wras approved and not banned by the NHS etc. The Wras stuff re rubber braided flexis is behind time but no doubt they will catch up. I have meetings with the Water compliance officers of three water utilities over the next month or so when this subject will be on each agenda from a totally different angle ..so I am not using PF to sell ....just providing info
Centralheatking

 

[Scott_D]

Have you got a link to the SS flexis?

 

[centralheatking]

Have you got a link to the SS flexis?

I just buy them from AZ Flowtech at Leigh near Manchester Chking about same price anyway

 

[turnpin]

Are these similar in principle to anacondas and have no rubber liners?....regards Turnpin

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Are these similar in principle to anacondas and have no rubber liners?..regards Turnpin

yes prob the same as the diy copper spring ones

eg

 

[SimonG]

I take it there is analytical data to back this up and not just scaremongering?

I dont read much or see stories of horrendous legionella outbreaks.

 

[centralheatking]

Are these similar in principle to anacondas and have no rubber liners?..regards Turnpin

Yes

I take it there is analytical data to back this up and not just scaremongering?

I dont read much or see stories of horrendous legionella outbreaks.

You don’t have to look far

 

[SimonG]

That says nothing. It's all may and could

 

[centralheatking]

That says nothing. It's all may and could

Ok all I know is they have been and are being de listed by the authorities there is nothing to stop joe the plumber fitting them just like joe does not have to use Wras approved products. In my side of the business all these things matter. The only legal criminal control is GSR. However to fitting unapproved items leaves the door wide open to civil litigation and could invalidate his insurance if indeed joe has any if things go wrong, there is little difference in the price anyway. Centralheatking

 

[SimonG]

The authorities are nanny states taking notice of people wanting to make a fast buck off of them.

I use flexis and use ones that are wras approved. If there was a real issue then they would be off the shelves

 

[Stigster]

The authorities are nanny states taking notice of people wanting to make a fast buck off of them.

I use flexis and use ones that are wras approved. If there was a real issue then they would be off the shelves

The thing is in commercial settings legionella can be a right pain and expensive to control. The bacteria hides in little gaps, cracks and porous materials. Organisations get disruption and spend money tackling it and then in systems with things like degraded flexis, blend valves and corroding systems, colonies of the bacteria are not removed properly and re-populate the water system. I think legionella is relatively harmless for healthy people to encounter too, just that when a place like a hospital has it present, it can lead to outbreak and very costly follow up action.

I can see why they'd want to get rid of rubber flexis in commercial operations or hospitals. I did some reading up on the rubber and the manufacturing of these hoses and was surprised to find they aren't extruded from a hot plastic soup, but rather made from granules that are pressed and heated together. When these hoses break down they break into their granules again. This must leave lots of hidden surface area to harbour microbes.

Finding a load of black rubbery grains inside the tapping on an expansion vessel make me start researching it. I like the idea of flexible stainless steel flexis I have to say.
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I take it there is analytical data to back this up and not just scaremongering?

I dont read much or see stories of horrendous legionella outbreaks.

That could be because of prevention efforts. It's like when people said the Millennium Bug was a damp squib. It was because of preventative efforts. I worked in the IT industry leading up to the year 2000 and it was a real problem. It was overstated and sensationalised by the tabloid media but it was a real problem.

 

[centralheatking]

At the end of the day I will no longer supply EPDM cored flexis and will use stainless steel flexible pipes. I sold 10,000 units last year of the relevant unit and constantly try to improve my products. Anybody else can plough their own furrow, my post is for info which is a big part of PF
Centralheatking

 

[SimonG]

Beating your own path 👍