using hep in upstairs 1st fix

[mark_mc]

what is everyone think of using hep in a understairs 1st fix in a house.
thinking of using hep in a house but only in understairs and drilling thru joist.

what are your experience etc.

thanks

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

it will work fine and be very quick,is hep the hepworth grey version? i would use aluminium inserts and compression fittings

 

[gaspastemania]

barretts ,wimpeys,persimmon all use hep on their first fixes ,its quick easy and to be honest good earner

 

[mark_mc]

was going to use the new white hep and the white fittings
do you think uisng the hep pipe with the hep fitting ok or would you reccomend comp fittings

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

compression for me with the ali inserts it will not come apart

 

[mark_mc]

im going to use the hep fittings and liners.
dont think using the compression joints is worth the hassle as use the fittings designed for the pipe and that new white pipe is new and improved and easier to put it the slips/

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

as long as they are put together correctly you should be fine,i have seen a lot of the early stuff come apart but it should be ok now

 

[gaspastemania]

Not a fan of the new white stuff tho

 

[mark_mc]

im not a fan either its massive, lucky it only going in thru the joists upstairs and everything else good old copper just wanted to save a few quid on the quote so see what hep was like.
at the end of the day if in 20 years time or maybe less nothing to cut a hole in ceiling and fix.

 

[gassafe]

I like the Hep stuff, fittings are good too. I havent used the new white fittings yet with there fancy inserts, didnt see anything wrong with the old stuff!

 

[stevetheplumber]

the new inserts have a serated edge which sits against a similar edge inside the fitting so when you twist it you can feel the serations bumping over each other this confirms a full insertion
and as we all know a full insertion is a very satisfying thing

 

[Nat]

Have first fixed loads of flats in the new hep gear. As far as I can tell its fine. As already mentioned you can twist the pipe to see if its fully inserted but in my experience it doesn't always work as sometimes the insert spins too so you can't feel the bumps. Fullproof way is to mark the pipe with a pen before pushing it in so you can tell if its all the way in. Use spray lube on 22 to make it a bit easier and pressure test the whole lot when you're done. Pump up to 18 bar.

 

[erj]

I used it a lot to first fix no problems, on drilling the joisests I use a angel drill to get the holes straite so the pipe goes through easy.

 

[mark_mc]

yea using an angle drill 2. with a good forstner only down side this house as a few steels in it so have to drill thru them to will sleeve the hep thru the steel just incase. dont know about testing to 16 bar a bit high i think a good test for me is around 4bar and that will do.

thanks all for your helpful info

 

[gaspastemania]

16 bar lol ,!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mark_mc]

18 bar.
I would be pumping for a week

 

[Nat]

Pretty sure 18 bar is what hap themselves recommend in their literature. Depending on size of your carcass and how much 22you have doesn't take much longer than 5 minutes. Would definitely test more than 4 as I have had fittings with the teeth not properly engaged cling on until 10 bar then pop off! That reminds me. If you use the tool to remove a fitting and then re-use that fitting make sure you pull on the pipe to engage the teeth.

 

[gaspastemania]

Pretty sure 18 bar is what hap themselves recommend in their literature. Depending on size of your carcass and how much 22you have doesn't take much longer than 5 minutes. Would definitely test more than 4 as I have had fittings with the teeth not properly engaged cling on until 10 bar then pop off! That reminds me. If you use the tool to remove a fitting and then re-use that fitting make sure you pull on the pipe to engage the teeth.

is this a joke?
wouldnt want to be in the building your testing , probably kill someone if a fitting blew off !!!

 

[ratrace]

JG is 10 bar and that took me far longer then 5 mins. I must be a weakling.

 

[Nat]

is this a joke?
wouldnt want to be in the building your testing , probably kill someone if a fitting blew off !!!

No joke, mate. Industry standard.

See on Hep's website for yourself:

Hep2O - The Professional Flexible Push-fit Plumbing System from Wavin - Frequently Asked Questions - push-fit plumbing, flexible plumbing, Hep2O, Hep20, push fit plumbing, domestic plumbing, demountable plumbing, plastic pipes and fittings, plastic p

About a third of the way down.

I wouldn't tell someone to do something dangerous for a joke.

 

[cletus]

osma gold used to be 18 bar hydraulic test-9 bar for 1/2 hr ,then up to 18 bar ,then back down to 9bar again.always held a treat if correctly fitted.

 

[gaspastemania]

Is the system prv'd??
Ive seen guys pump upto 15 bar and fittings blow off , absolutely no need its a reccomend but if you was on site pumping upto 18 bar and something went pear shaped you would be a large piece of poo ,fitted miles of the stuff over the years along with many other plumber never ever had a problem with fittings on a test uptp 10 bar max . General rule 1.5 x

have come across plumbers whom have tried to pump silly pressures in and blown off compression fittings and the pressure relaese has bent the copper pipes.

 

[cletus]

always test to manufacturers recommendations-if it goes ---- up further down the line and its found not to be correctly tested,they wont accept liability for any damage caused due to the failure of one of their fittings.always back it up with a witnessed and signed test sheet by the client.

 

[Nat]

always test to manufacturers recommendations-if it goes ---- up further down the line and its found not to be correctly tested,they wont accept liability for any damage caused due to the failure of one of their fittings.always back it up with a witnessed and signed test sheet by the client.

True say, bruv.

 

[gaspastemania]

always test to manufacturers recommendations-if it goes ---- up further down the line and its found not to be correctly tested,they wont accept liability for any damage caused due to the failure of one of their fittings.always back it up with a witnessed and signed test sheet by the client.

You will generally find hep/osma/jg wont accept liability anyway,
had a osma gold collar explode once on a block of flats they where teflon shouldered even tho tested to spec and had been installed for about 9 months .
End of the day if you have a prv on the main there is no reason to test to that level of pressure as if you have a fault in pressure its prv related.