badly scuffed UFH pipe - repair or leave?

[Tom]

Heard back from the plumber and he would prefer to use a press-fit coupler rather than the standard compression. I said I was happy to go with whatever he recommended but any reason not to use a press-fit here? He said more reliable...

[Iceverge]

2 hours 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

 

Nobody listens to instructions, nobody reads drawings. They're forbidden from thinking. 

 

Not because they're not capable but because there's a cultural rift between those allowed to do the thinking and those allowed to do the doing. It's totally archaic. 

 

 

If I was to do the house again I'd lock the site with one key and keep it that way unless I was there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Iceverge]

44 minutes ago, Tom said:

Heard back from the plumber and he would prefer to use a press-fit coupler rather than the standard compression. I said I was happy to go with whatever he recommended but any reason not to use a press-fit here? He said more reliable...

 

Yup press fit are very good. 

 

 

 

This type of compression fitting with the built in inserts are very robust too. 

 

 

I wouldn't use these ones which rely on olives. 

 

 

Would it be worth digging up the other pipes anyway and seating them lower in the screed anyway.  I'd be worried with so little coverage they would fray and wear over time. 

 

 

[joe90]

2 minutes ago, Iceverge said:

Nobody listens to instructions, nobody reads drawings. They're forbidden from thinking. 

Well some do (mine did) however if you assume they won’t you can mitigate as much as possible. “You can’t cure stupid”

[Kelvin]

Yes the damage inflicted on our home during the build has been soul destroying at times. Most recently the plasterer slid open the sliding door and the handle hit the opposite post damaging the wood. Just a shrug of the shoulders when I pointed it out to him. My other half is a bit more sanguine than me so it bothers her less than it bothers me. 

[Tom]

So a skilled tradesman turned up in site yesterday to expose the damaged ufh pipe ready for the plumber - and promptly put a hole through another pipe.

You honestly couldn't make it up

[Moonshine]

19 minutes ago, Tom said:

So a skilled tradesman turned up in site yesterday to expose the damaged ufh pipe ready for the plumber - and promptly put a hole through another pipe.

You honestly couldn't make it up

 

why are the bunched together?

[Tom]

Because I had 24 pipes coming through a doorway and going up a corridor

[Nickfromwales]

6 minutes ago, Tom said:

Because I had 24 pipes coming through a doorway and going up a corridor

Do you have a picture of that area of pipework? Tbf, without one nobody would have expected that pipe to be there / for them to be congregated so densely. I take pics of everything before laying, saved my arse a few times. 

[Nickfromwales]

You’ll also need to dig out about 1m of trough to facilitate this repair, as the pipe needs to be apart by around 15-18mm to allow the union to be formed, then it needs to be pulled together by that 15-18mm to allow the inserts to seat into each side of the coupler. 

 

The compression ones are fine, and I don’t see how press-fit would be feasible as the tool head is very cumbersome and you’ve zero room to wiggle this all in (more so now, with the addition of casualty #2). 

[Pocster]

On 22/02/2024 at 18:35, 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.

Replace . Is op planning to tile this floor ? I.e no chance of ‘easily’ fixing later if a leak …

[Pocster]

1 hour ago, Tom said:

So a skilled tradesman turned up in site yesterday to expose the damaged ufh pipe ready for the plumber - and promptly put a hole through another pipe.

You honestly couldn't make it up

Ffs . These are the ‘professionals’ yes . (expletive deleted) me … 😵‍💫

[jack]

37 minutes ago, Pocster said:

Replace . Is op planning to tile this floor ? I.e no chance of ‘easily’ fixing later if a leak …

 

Worse, a wooden floor is going over the top.

[Tom]

1 minute ago, jack said:

 

Worse, a wooden floor is going over the top.

Alright alright, come on I need some positives here!

Edited March 5, 2024 by Tom

[Tom]

@Joe90 do you want to tell me how good your builder was again? 😄 I think that would finish me off...

[Tom]

48 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Do you have a picture of that area of pipework? Tbf, without one nobody would have expected that pipe to be there / for them to be congregated so densely. I take pics of everything before laying, saved my arse a few times. 

 

The plumbers were meant to be repairing this, and they were the ones who actually connected the loops to the mannifold and commissioned it all before screeding, so they should have been well aware of all the pipes. Just seems like this information didn't filter down to the genius with the lump hammer

[Canski]

6 minutes ago, Tom said:

Alright alright, come on I need some positives here!

 

You only need to call the plumber back once ?

[jack]

1 hour ago, Tom said:

So a skilled tradesman turned up in site yesterday to expose the damaged ufh pipe ready for the plumber - and promptly put a hole through another pipe.

You honestly couldn't make it up

 

Man, I feel for you. We had an UFH pipe nicked (honest mistake) in a much more accessible place and even that caused a lot angst.

[Andehh]

I am sorry OP, this (expletive deleted)ing game can be a shitter can't it!!!

[Kelvin]

Ffs. Frustrating. 

[Tom]

Fixed end of last week, seems to be holding pressure fine

[Tom]

In other news, I asked the plumber to put some inhibitor in when he filled the system again, as it seems he didn't bother first time around. Currently just hooked up to an electric boiler but soon will be an ASHP - is this the right stuff to use in this situation?

Edited March 10, 2024 by Tom

[Andehh]

Can't comment on inhibitor but pleased to hear pipes have been solved.

 

Average house has dozens and dozens and dozens of pipe joints without issue, put this behind you now and crack on!