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Basic Plumbing is not difficult, although it can be awkward as you are often on your knees or led on your back under a sink etc.

My aim is to make this section and hopefully the job at hand as easy as possible for the person doing it!

There are many regulations regarding plumbing and especially the need for electrical bonding in bathrooms, if you check under the bathroom sink there should be a green and yellow "bonding" wire, this is connected to any metal object in the bathroom which could become live if a electrical fault occurred. The radiator, pipes to the Basin and Bath and the bath itself (if metal) all need electrical bonding, this wire ultimately leads back to the main earthing connector at the consumer unit.

Plastic pushfit pipe and fittings means that there is no continuity in the pipe work of the house as plastic does not conduct electricity, the water in the pipes conduct electricity but not enough. Therefore if plastic pipe is used it is not necessary to electrically bond all the pipe work and fittings, saving considerable time! Bonding is often difficult and awkward. Pushfit fittings are a little more expensive but you don't need to purchase any earth clamps and earthing wire, so it is a swings and roundabout situation really.

   

THE FUTURE ?

For all DIY plumbing I recommend pushfit fittings and plastic pipe, here is my reasoning behind my recommendation-

Plastic pipe can be purchased in coils of 100 metres, which means less joints.

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plastic pipe is flexible meaning that you often do not need to mess about with elbows as in most cases the pipe can simply be bent.

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Plastic pipe is easily cut with the appropriate cutter.

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Joists no longer need notching out as they did for copper pipe as plastic pipe can be fed through holes drilled in the joist, just like cable has been for years.

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Plastic pipe does not suffer from corrosion problems like copper pipe as it is corrosion resistant. Take a look at copper pipe that has been subject to condensation and you will see that it has gone green.

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Pushfit joints can be re-used and do not require any special tools, simply cut the pipe insert the pipe insert and push the joint onto the pipe- simple!

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Plastic pipe can be used with regular compression fittings, a soft olive (copper) must be used as opposed to a harder brass olive. This makes fitting radiators etc. very easy.

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Plastic pipe will expand when frozen then return to it's regular size once it has thawed, copper pipe expands when frozen but has a tendency to split!

pushfit pipe

Straight plastic pipe

 

push fit pipe

Coiled, flexible plastic pipe

 

insert

Pipe insert

 

 

 

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