Tom Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 So inspite of making people abundantly aware of this exposed UFH pipe in my screed they have still managed to go over it with the floor grinder. The outer PEX layer has been taken away in a few places and the inner alu layer scratched. No holes fortunately and the system is still pressurised. There is a few mm of latex screed going down next, then an engineered wood floor. Should I leave alone or get it cut out and replaced? I'm worried that cutting it out will cause more issues and then there are two compression fittings to leak in future. Thoughts? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceverge Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 Ah that's disappointing. The trials of self building eh. I would bite bullet and pull it up. There's some quite deep scratches in the pipe, they may be ok now but I wouldn't trust the aluminium not to degrade over time and leak. Is it a single room? Can you lift the whole loop. Can you isolate the loop and do without? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conor Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 I feel your anguish. After nicking a pipe with a grinder while making room for a shower tray, I decided to leave it. It was pressurised, pipe didn't swell or leak. Though if it ever did leak I'd just isolate and forget about it... Only a small WC that has a towel rad anyway. However... That's significant damage. The aluminium layer is there as a gas barrier and will degrade now it's exposed. Aluminium and cement do not like eachother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted February 22 Author Share Posted February 22 Thanks both. The floor people have accepted liability (how generous!) although not actually apologised. They are paying for the plumber to dig out that section of pipe and replace. However I will now be left with two compression fittings buried under the floor. Honestly, the level of incompetence displayed by some people is astounding and is a never ending source of wonder and amazement to me. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huckleberrys Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 One question you need to ask is why is it so close to the top of the floor anyway? Someone messed up in the first place by looks of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonshine Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 3 hours ago, Tom said: However I will now be left with two compression fittings buried under the floor. you could seal the whole outside of the fitting in something before filling with concrete, as your plumber what he would do to make it bomb proof (without questioning his ability with compression fittings) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 Definitely pull it out or more to the point get them to sort it out and re pressurize the system 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andehh Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 We've had compression fittings last fine. Reality is, you'd detect with a damp meter through the carpet if an issue was suspected. Carpet lift and refit no issue, fix, refit. ... Few £100 and days work should worse case happen. Worse shit happens. Average house probably has several dozen pipe joints all over the place! Get them rejointed, pressurise over a weekend to ensure pressure is fine... Forget and move on!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Post and beam Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 5 hours ago, Tom said: The floor people have accepted liability Then the entire loop has to be replaced, no brainer. You will never stop worrying about this if its not. Have you got their admission in writing? If so insist that you cannot have a joint in a UFH pipe. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted February 22 Author Share Posted February 22 2 hours ago, Huckleberrys said: One question you need to ask is why is it so close to the top of the floor anyway? Someone messed up in the first place by looks of it. That'll be me! Almost 2km of pipe laid and that was the only bit that popped to the top. Should have been seen and sorted by the people who poured the anhydrite screed though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted February 22 Author Share Posted February 22 59 minutes ago, Post and beam said: Then the entire loop has to be replaced, no brainer. You will never stop worrying about this if its not. Have you got their admission in writing? If so insist that you cannot have a joint in a UFH pipe. Not possible without major work, there is about 100m in total and would be a complete nightmare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted February 22 Author Share Posted February 22 2 hours ago, Moonshine said: you could seal the whole outside of the fitting in something before filling with concrete, as your plumber what he would do to make it bomb proof (without questioning his ability with compression fittings) Is there some sort of resin that could be poured around the fittings, a bit like the stuff used in the connections used by power companies to join uncerground cables? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonshine Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 Just now, Tom said: Is there some sort of resin that could be poured around the fittings, a bit like the stuff used in the connections used by power companies to join uncerground cables? That is what I was thinking, you can get waterproof gel IP68 that electrician use in outside sockets. But I don't think that may be the best solution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonshine Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 6 minutes ago, Tom said: That'll be me! Almost 2km of pipe laid and that was the only bit that popped to the top. Should have been seen and sorted by the people who poured the anhydrite screed though. 300m2 house underfloor heating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted February 22 Author Share Posted February 22 1 hour ago, Moonshine said: 300m2 house underfloor heating? Yep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonshine Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 8 hours ago, Tom said: Yep Big place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andehh Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 Like I said, if you truly were worrying about it a moisture meter poked through the carpet would confirm if you have a leak there, that and obviously a registered pressure drop on system. If a joint was to fail eventually, it's only a days worth of DIY to fix it all and relay a screed there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 If it were me I would push the company to renew the whole loop if only for peace of mind. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceverge Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 I would cut the three sections back to virgin pipe. It might need to be done with hand tools and slowly. Tooth brushes for the last few bits. I wouldn't let the floor grinding knuckle draggers near it. You'll probably need to do it yourself and charge them for it. Put in 6 joiners and 3 new sections of pipe. Those multilayer fittings with the built in inserts are pretty bombproof. Then pressure test the pipes. Then wrap all the exposed pipe in cling film to protect the joints from the screed and make it easier to repair if needed in future Repour the concrete and forget about it. Charge the grinding company for your time and put it down to experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonshine Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 37 minutes ago, Iceverge said: Then wrap all the exposed pipe in cling film to protect the joints from the screed and make it easier to repair if needed in future nice idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 48 minutes ago, Iceverge said: I wouldn't let the floor grinding knuckle draggers near it. In fairness is it their fault? They could not see the pipe within the screed and only when it comes to the surface (too late) will they have known 🤷♂️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 3 hours ago, Andehh said: Like I said, if you truly were worrying about it a moisture meter poked through the carpet would confirm if you have a leak there, that and obviously a registered pressure drop on system. Unfortunately it won't be that easy: 23 hours ago, Tom said: There is a few mm of latex screed going down next, then an engineered wood floor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 1 minute ago, joe90 said: In fairness is it their fault? They could not see the pipe within the screed and only when it comes to the surface (too late) will they have known 🤷♂️ It might depend on what "making people abundantly aware" involved, but I think it could well be their fault: 23 hours ago, Tom said: So inspite of making people abundantly aware of this exposed UFH pipe in my screed they have still managed to go over it with the floor grinder. That said, if I learned anything during our build, it's that virtually no-one ever listened to anything we said. In my experience, unless you were stood there looking over their shoulders, most trades just did things however they fancied, irrespective of what was agreed beforehand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 3 minutes ago, jack said: So inspite of making people abundantly aware of this exposed UFH pipe in my screed they have still managed to go over it with the floor grinder. Sorry I missed that, my bad. 3 minutes ago, jack said: That said, if I learned anything during our build, it's that virtually no-one ever listened to anything we said. In my experience, unless you were stood there looking over their shoulders, most trades just did things however they fancied, irrespective of what was agreed beforehand. This makes me even more impressed with the gang I had on my site and feel very lucky to have had them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted February 23 Author Share Posted February 23 2 hours ago, Iceverge said: I would cut the three sections back to virgin pipe. Only one pipe is damaged - the other two white marks are where I painted around the pipe in white emulsion to highlight it. That and marking where the pipe was on a floor plan and telling them to not to effing go near it I thought would have been sufficient, clearly not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now