press or other?

[CXR100]

got a few domestic jobs on now to do after work , not being on site until 5:30pm and leaving 10pm ish I don't get much done in an evening , one is a holiday apartment that needs the ch re piping and the hot + cold , new bathroom ect , its not a big job , but then you only have 4ish hours there every evening its not going to move on as fast as I would like it to , the walls are being battened out, and I need to clip pipes onto the brick behind with nail ins . I only ever use copper , but most other guys around here are plastic more and more , so im thinking why not join them , I suppose id be quicker aswell . but I don't trust push fit, has anybody tried the press fittings? im seriously thinking of going down that route, but the cost is putting me right off, does anybody buy them and use them ? how much for example is a 15mm elbow? are they less bulky than push fit? would I be better off using tectite push fit? can I crimp a plastic pipe one end of an elbow and copper the other to come up to rads ? I know if I start I copper ill be there for weeks , and summer approaching and a licensed fishing boat sitting in the shed ...... ive got better things to do after work than soldering !!!!

 

[tamz]

Unless you do big stuff or have little to no stock and want to spend a lot of money on tooling or want ot be in the "in" crowd, stick with endfeeds or use plastic. Press has no real advantages on domestic stuff no matter what they spout on facebook.
I was once in the ranks of "i'm a real plumber i don't use plastic" but because of the amount of numpties running around in our game now who price on a wage i have to cut costs somewhere.
Plastic isn't any cheaper than copper to buy when you take in the cost of fittings but it is a lot quicker to fit.
Don't put joints behind walls where possible and pressure test (wet) everything to 16 bar before it is covered.

 

[hammers4spanner]

Im the same can't see any benefits of press fit in someones home.Why spend out a grand on the tools as a domestic plumber?Would rather spend that on the summer holiday with the family.The only real big bonus of press fit is that its clean no black hands .

Big downside is that working with it in confined spaces or if you bodge your crimp then its cut it out job.
Just use tectite if you want the copper route quick and easy.

 

[tolly]

Have a look at buteline plastic.

 

[stani]

It's too thin, it will never take the pressure, someone will put a nail through it, I will never use it, it's a passing fad.
Not plastic.
Copper pipe when it was introduced to replace lead,

If it's in the wall no one sees it, if it visible nothing beats copper, but plastic makes life easy.
Or we could go back to "proper plumbing" and start hauling bloody heavy rolls of 10lb lead around, preparing parrafin blow lamps etc.

 

[townfanjon]

I nearly went "press" before Christmas, good points and bad , they do occasionaly leak dont think they dont, I have used press and yes its quick and clean , but in general plumbing with no available space the fittings are too big , and getting the machine in is impossible. If you just install boilers " press " is the way IMO.
Long live my superfire torch , I wont be investing and I am out !!!!

 

[ShaunCorbs]

It's too thin, it will never take the pressure, someone will put a nail through it, I will never use it, it's a passing fad.
Not plastic.
Copper pipe when it was introduced to replace lead,

If it's in the wall no one sees it, if it visible nothing beats copper, but plastic makes life easy.
Or we could go back to "proper plumbing" and start hauling bloody heavy rolls of 10lb lead around, preparing parrafin blow lamps etc.

steel and stocks and dies for the win

 

[Best]

It's too thin, it will never take the pressure, someone will put a nail through it, I will never use it, it's a passing fad.
Not plastic.
Copper pipe when it was introduced to replace lead,

If it's in the wall no one sees it, if it visible nothing beats copper, but plastic makes life easy.
Or we could go back to "proper plumbing" and start hauling bloody heavy rolls of 10lb lead around, preparing parrafin blow lamps etc.

But the change from lead to copper was an improvement overall.
Going from copper to plastic on some work is second best. I rarely heard of fittings coming of pipes and flooding buildings, until plastic push fit appeared

 

[ShaunCorbs]

But the change from lead to copper was an improvement overall.
Going from copper to plastic on some work is second best. I rarely heard of fittings coming of pipes and flooding buildings, until plastic push fit appeared

unless there wernt soldered and just the flux holding them

 

[stani]

But the change from lead to copper was an improvement overall.
Going from copper to plastic on some work is second best. I rarely heard of fittings coming of pipes and flooding buildings, until plastic push fit appeared

A lot of these were because the fittings hadn't been installed correctly, I.e. Not pushed in twice. Fortunately we now have the option of either copper or plastic, Both have their place in the 21st century. And Mlcp and steel.......

 

[ShaunCorbs]

A lot of these were because the fittings hadn't been installed correctly, I.e. Not pushed in twice. Fortunately we now have the option of either copper or plastic, Both have their place in the 21st century.

what about mlcp or steel

 

[Best]

A lot of these were because the fittings hadn't been installed correctly, I.e. Not pushed in twice. Fortunately we now have the option of either copper or plastic, Both have their place in the 21st century. And Mlcp and steel.......

I know undoubtedly most push fit fittings coming off was because they weren't pushed full on, but there still has been the grippers not grabbing the pipe and also faulty fittings.
Then there's other more long term risks, like heat and uv rays and rodents.
Admittedly most of my jobs the people are not opting for less labour plastic plumbing, so I just stay with copper. Copper is so cheap anyhow. I had to purchase some Hepworth pipe and fittings to add to a job where much of it was plastic and it cost a lot more than copper.

 

[stani]

Sorry Best, I still use copper for perhaps 90% of my jobs, it's just sometimes plastic makes an awkward job just that little easier. Copper looks the part, I would only ever use plastic where it's not on show, I do however like plastic under floors where I don't have to lie on my back for ages trying to solder lengths of copper together. 1 long length and nail in clips, a Godsend when you get old.

 

[Best]

No offence taken Stani. I know exactly what you mean. Although I would add that using straight lengths of copper below floors can mean few supports/clips needed - so no need to get at entire area to clip, unlike plastic pipe. So what I mean is plastic installing has good and bad points, just like copper.
I never like the use of the word "awkward" to excuse doing jobs an easier way though. :grin:
If I thought that way I would use flexis everywhere.

 

[plumben]

For me its copper or nothing although i will use JG Speed fit if i have no other option or have to due to cost or run

 

[Killy Bing]

interesting

we have more or less replaced endeed/yorkies with copper press for the majority of the work we do

pushfit with mlcp mostly on new installs

press comes into its own on the larger sizes, even at the smaller domestic sizes we found the extra cost is covered by the time saved, letting us finish bigger jobs faster or smaller jobs with much less hastle.

where you cant get the gun in use tectite pushfit but thats usually a last resort, once you're into the swing of using it its rare you box yourself into a corner.

my observation is we have increased job turnover quite abit due to the move both comercial and domestic with time saved due to not having to deal with water in pipes, removing gas meters ect.

every method has its application!