A warning for everyone [ well maybe not everyone]

[johnnyplumb]

After fitting sink taps this morning, i got a phone call in the afternoon from the customer, 'my showers not working, it was alright before you where here'. Years ago i would have probably phoned her back and said ,it's nothing to do with me darling, i was'nt near your shower. Nowadays though, i've got a different attitude, i'am right into all this customer service stuff. This has happened to me before, so i new the likely cause and she was probably gonna blame me anyway. Well if you have'nt already guessed the fault, here it is, a blown prd valve, caused by turning the shower on at full pelt while it's full of air. luckily it was a bog standard triton shower and i usually keep a few prd valves from old showers in the van, a pain in the @rse to have to go back though. So to all the newbies out there & maybe some novices as well, maybe we should all be re-commisioning those electric showers after doing any job where you have to shut off & drain down the mains.

 

[Guest123]

For this very reason, I now prefer to freeze the supply pipes I'm working on and leave the water live to the rest of the house. Saves any inconvenience to the customer too by having to switch the water off to their whole house, plus they can't blame you for anything that has supposedly happened to their appliances!
My CO2 kit freezes a 22mm pipe in about 3 minutes and it's ultra reliable. A drain down can take 30 minutes and if gravity fed, have airlocks after refilling. No brainer.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

system3 can you post a link to this kit ,please

is electric one better or co as you mention ?

 

[Guest123]

system3 can you post a link to this kit ,please

is electric one better or co as you mention ?

I like the CO2 kit as I can take it anywhere, even into properties that have no electricity. I use the Rothenberger Rofrost kit and it freezes up to 65mm and comes in a big red case with multiple sizes of freezer heads. It uses liquid CO2 cylinders about the size of a fire extinguisher and is not to be confused with the spray can kits. It can also freeze 2 pipes at the same time.

http://www.tradecounterdirect.com/plumbing-tools/pipe-freezing/rofrost-co2-pipe-freeze-set_type.html

 

[Whn1]

You have me interested now, what purposes have you used it for? I never used a freeze kit before, how long does it stay frozen! how do you unfreeze, or is it just a waiting game. How much is the cO and refills?

 

[royston]

As above , but im now thinking of the users it could have. Does it freeze mains water then ?

 

[johnnyplumb]

For this very reason, I now prefer to freeze the supply pipes I'm working on and leave the water live to the rest of the house. Saves any inconvenience to the customer too by having to switch the water off to their whole house, plus they can't blame you for anything that has supposedly happened to their appliances!
My CO2 kit freezes a 22mm pipe in about 3 minutes and it's ultra reliable. A drain down can take 30 minutes and if gravity fed, have airlocks after refilling. No brainer.

freezer kits have got there uses and they might save inconveniences to the customer but you've got to weigh up the time the water is likely to be off and the cost of the gas etc, remember you need more gas the longer the water is off, might be quicker & cheaper just to check the shower before you go. imo

 

[Guest123]

You have me interested now, what purposes have you used it for? I never used a freeze kit before, how long does it stay frozen! how do you unfreeze, or is it just a waiting game. How much is the cO and refills?

If you keep the gas on very slightly, it will freeze indefinately. It thaws naturally and at room temp, about 5 minutes. I run a rag round the ice plug and it seems to make the pipe defrost quicker.
I use it to freeze any pipe I'm working on and fit iso valves, rads are brilliant, water mains and basically any pipe you need to slice open as you can fit a ballofix and not even have to turn off the water to the rest of the building.The down side, is there is a rental for the cylinder if you use BOC but this is nothing if you use it very often as it more than pays for itself. Fleabay sell liquid CO2 cylinders with no rental. A refill costs about 20 quid and lasts ages.
Someone was selling one in the For Sale/Wanted thread on the forum a wee while back.

 

[Resolute]

Ahh, should always check all services run properly after draining down!

Has similar problems before though - left an air lock on a shower in an ensuite in a loft conversion once as I hadn't checked it before I left the property. Luckily the customer was OK and I went round the following morning to sort it.

 

[tamz]

Nowadays though, i've got a different attitude, i'am right into all this customer service stuff.

:lol: that one made me laugh. It must be an age thing or maybe the times we now live in:lol:

My CO2 kit freezes a 22mm pipe in about 3 minutes and it's ultra reliable.

Could have done with a freeze kit today when swapping a combi. The numpty had tiled in his stopcock behind some lovely travertine tiles. Just had to cut it live and slap a valve on at the boiler. No mess i hope :lol:

 

[johnnyplumb]

:lol: that one made me laugh. It must be an age thing or maybe the times we now live in:lol:



Could have done with a freeze kit today when swapping a combi. The numpty had tiled in his stopcock behind some lovely travertine tiles. Just had to cut it live and slap a valve on at the boiler. No mess i hope :lol:

aye, it must be an age thing, i'm doing all the right things nowadays, got myself a dedicated customer service division. lol

 

[WaterTight]

Cheers for the heads-up, never had or heard of that issue before. So the key is to turn the electric showers of the house on very slowly after turning mains back on? To be honest I have, up to now, not checked the taps/showers of the house after turning mains back. I just tell them they'll get a splutter out of them when the turn them back on and go on my way. Perhaps I've just been lucky up to now.

 

[Whn1]

I have issues with airlocks etc nearly once a week, usually pretty easy to sort but occasionally you get the ones that take a few hours. This sounds like a bit of kit that may be up my street!


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I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?xynqfo

 

[Pipes Plumbing]

The Rofrost CO2 kits are brilliant, mine gets used pretty often and is a godsend when needed....
Need to buy a new hose at the minute though as someone (one of a builders numbnut labourers) dragged a concrete lintel across one a few weeks ago and put a pretty hefty graze in one. I dont fancy having it burst and spew out a full cylider of liquid CO2 into the room... can only freeze one pipe at a time at the moment but still better than nowt!

It would look like an 80's rock video though with all the dry ice!!!

 

[johnnyplumb]

Cheers for the heads-up, never had or heard of that issue before. So the key is to turn the electric showers of the house on very slowly after turning mains back on? To be honest I have, up to now, not checked the taps/showers of the house after turning mains back. I just tell them they'll get a splutter out of them when the turn them back on and go on my way. Perhaps I've just been lucky up to now.

what you need to do is re-commision the shower, do what you would do if you had just installed it. remove the shower headset, turn the flow control down to a low pressure setting, turn on and slowly increase the flow control. this way you can remove the air without blowing the prd valve.

 

[Whn1]

Where did you guys get yours?

 

[Guest123]

Google for the best price, the Rofrost is readily available and even Fleabay sell them.

 

[Whn1]

£304 is the best I got..

 

[Guest123]

£304 is the best I got..

That's a good price, considering the electric ones cost a grand. You need to source a supplier of liquid CO2 bottles.

Once kitted out you can advertise Cryo pipe installation work or Pipe Freezing for short!

 

[lambchop]

Great advive and fortunately never had this problem befofe.

Freezing a pipe, will it weaken it, have you ever had to do it close to an end feed/compression joint, any negatives in anybodys experience. Never used this piece of kit before but there is room in my van but not on my credit card

 

[ecowarm]

Negative for freezing with CO2

Working on the Isle of White on the National water meter trials in 1988 / 89

Freezing water mains outside with CO2 ................. you attract every mosquito, midge and Gnat within 10 miles

every exposed part of my anatomy was covered in bites

Good pay though

 

[Dannypipe]

I've got an electric greezer that will do up to 54mm. That's enough for me. Freezes 15mm in under ten minutes. Don't need to worry about getting my clinders regassed, though eventually the seals on the electric freezers apparently go and then you need to get them replaced, and get the machine re-gassed. Had mine for a while and not had an issue.

 

[ecowarm]

An electric Geezer LOL

 

[tamz]

Need to get the wife one :smile:

 

[ecowarm]

240v ??

 

[ecowarm]

That will do up to 54mm??

 

[tamz]

240v ??

110v. I want to keep her :smile:

 

[ecowarm]

Transformer buzzing will keep you awake

 

[tamz]

Right enough! .......Extension in the window.....sorted

 

[ecowarm]

Like it Tamz, Thinking all the time

 

[Dannypipe]

110V and will do 54mm. They make one in 240 too I think.

 

[ecowarm]

Tamz misses is over the moon