Testing manifold circuits

[Gone West]

I don't have a potable water supply in the house yet because the Council Tax Inspectors keep coming around. I wanted to test the connections on some taps and a toilet I had fitted, so I rigged up a hose from the bungalow to the manifolds. Surprisingly it worked. Nice when something does for a change!

 

[Onoff]

Nice one.

 

They're keen coming out your way!

 

They could easily meet with an "accident" on those narrow lanes..... 

 

EDIT: Tbh their own house is probably a draughty shithole and they want a warm up in nice surroundings!

Edited April 4, 2017 by Onoff

[Dudda]

How did you get the coloured blue and red rings on the 90 degree bends or what system are you using? Looks very good.

[Onoff]

1 minute ago, Dudda said:

How did you get the coloured blue and red rings on the 90 degree bends or what system are you using? Looks very good.

 

The whole place is that tidy believe me!

[Gone West]

1 hour ago, Dudda said:

How did you get the coloured blue and red rings on the 90 degree bends or what system are you using? Looks very good.

It's Speedfit and the coloured clips are the collett clips which can only be fitted when the elbow or other fitting is tightened. I like it because it's a visual check that the fitting has been correctly installed.

[Gone West]

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

Nice one.

 

They're keen coming out your way!

 

They could easily meet with an "accident" on those narrow lanes..... 

 

EDIT: Tbh their own house is probably a draughty shithole and they want a warm up in nice surroundings!

They often 'nose' in next door. I've seen them peering in the windows. Around here, a few years, ago they stopped employing CT Inspectors due to financial reasons but they have started again so I guess they've found some more money.

[MikeSharp01]

5 hours ago, Onoff said:

The whole place is that tidy believe me!

+1 to that, saw it a few weeks back!

[Nickfromwales]

5 hours ago, PeterStarck said:

I don't have a potable water supply in the house yet because the Council Tax Inspectors keep coming around. I wanted to test the connections on some taps and a toilet I had fitted, so I rigged up a hose from the bungalow to the manifolds. Surprisingly it worked. Nice when something does for a change!

 

Jesus peter, that would be acceptable on the living room wall ! . 

I'm not a JG fan by any distance, but you've made them look good here mate . Cracking job. 

[TerryE]

IMO, you show take the hose into  a pressure test set up (thanks Nick et al), very much as per my post, with an isolation valve between it and the hose.  This silly up-leg is there for a reason.  It is effectively a tiny expansion vessel so when you pump air into the system to pressurise it, then it ends up in the expansion arm and not in your pipework.  You still use the hose to fill the system, then isolate it and then pump it up to 7 bar or whatever you want for your soak test.  The bleed nipples are also very necessary so that you can drop the pressure back down in a controlled manner and vent the water into a bowl.

 

The Momument test only goes up to 4 bar and I ended up bending the needle when I went up to 7, so in the end I just used it as an expensive Schrader valve adapter and used a separate 0-10 bar meter.  IIRC, @jack suggested butchering an inner tube and CT1'ing it internally in a 22mm end-cap which would have saved £5 or so.

[Onoff]

So what happens now you leave it all pressured as a "soak" test?

 

Is there a gauge somewhere so you can see if it drops?

 

EDIT: Just read Terry's post asking the same thing!

Edited April 5, 2017 by Onoff

[Gone West]

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

So what happens now you leave it all pressured as a "soak" test?

 

Is there a gauge somewhere so you can see if it drops?

 

EDIT: Just read Terry's post asking the same thing!

It was nothing complicated. I wanted to fit a corner toilet but I needed to test the connection under the cistern which is hidden when the toilet is fitted. So I just connected it up to test that. Amazingly it worked first time so I thought I would test the kitchen tap and the wetroom basin tap as well.

[TerryE]

3 hours ago, Onoff said:

Is there a gauge somewhere so you can see if it drops?  EDIT: Just read Terry's post asking the same thing!

 

Clive that's what the little pressure gauge is for. If you go onto the updated version in a later post you will see that I've added the second pressure guage. Just pump it to 7 bar or whatever. Isolate it, and come back later to see if the pressure it the same. If it isn't then you have a leak and you'll need to find where the litre of so of water has come out. ?

 

I had one small weap on a BSP thread, and one on a compression fitting onto my UFH fill / expansion vessel that I hadn't tightened enough.

[Barney12]

3 hours ago, PeterStarck said:

It was nothing complicated. I wanted to fit a corner toilet but I needed to test the connection under the cistern which is hidden when the toilet is fitted. So I just connected it up to test that. Amazingly it worked first time so I thought I would test the kitchen tap and the wetroom basin tap as well.

 

Sorry to go "off piste" but what's that wall finish? Looks very sharp. 

 

P.S. Consider entering your manifolds into the Turner Prize. Its one up on the 'Unmade bed'  

[Gone West]

5 hours ago, Barney12 said:

 

Sorry to go "off piste" but what's that wall finish? Looks very sharp. 

 

Thanks, it's Venetian Plaster. I had it done in all the bathrooms instead of tiles. It's very smooth and has interesting patterns in it which are created by the plasterer with the trowel. I've had a lot of favourable comments.

[Onoff]

8 minutes ago, PeterStarck said:

Thanks, it's Venetian Plaster. I had it done in all the bathrooms instead of tiles. It's very smooth and has interesting patterns in it which are created by the plasterer with the trowel. I've had a lot of favourable comments.

 

Yep, you just want to touch and wonder at it! See it and you'll want it.

 

I've touched Peter's...

[Barney12]

It does look great. How does it fair in terms of resilience to dirt and cleaning though? My other half isn't happy if she hasn't wiped a surface with a damp cloth at least three times a day!  

[Gone West]

1 minute ago, Onoff said:

I've touched Peter's...

 

You said you wouldn't tell!!

[TerryE]

8 hours ago, PeterStarck said:

It was nothing complicated. I wanted to fit a corner toilet but I needed to test the connection under the cistern which is hidden when the toilet is fitted. So I just connected it up to test that. Amazingly it worked first time so I thought I would test the kitchen tap and the wetroom basin tap as well.

<Photo of ensuite>

 

Bloody heated towel rails -- you trying to get me into trouble with the boss?

[Gone West]

1 minute ago, Barney12 said:

It does look great. How does it fair in terms of resilience to dirt and cleaning though? My other half isn't happy if she hasn't wiped a surface with a damp cloth at least three times a day!  

It hasn't been used in anger yet. We've wiped it down several times when clearing up working dirt. We're relying on reviews of other installations.

[Gone West]

2 minutes ago, TerryE said:

 

Bloody heated towel rails -- you trying to get me into trouble with the boss?

Sorry, okay I won't say we've got them in all the bathrooms then.

[Nickfromwales]

1 hour ago, PeterStarck said:

It hasn't been used in anger yet. We've wiped it down several times when clearing up working dirt. We're relying on reviews of other installations.

Did it / does it get sealed?

[Gone West]

26 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Did it / does it get sealed?

Yes it has been sealed. They used different waxes but I can't remember exactly what they were. They also used a buffing machine similar to what is used on cars. Apparently it should be rewaxed every four years.

[Nickfromwales]

Did they do any prep of the surface prior to the application?

 

[Onoff]

Tbh I thought Peter's Venetian plaster was MARBLE. 

 

[Dudda]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

Tbh I thought Peter's Venetian plaster was MARBLE. 

 

Venetian plaster usually contains marble dust to give it the color and strength so you're not far wrong. Loads of it is used in that house which recently won home of the year. Was looking to use it in my house too or possibly the cheaper micro cement.