First Fix Plumbing - can I do it myself?
Discussion
After receiving a couple of eye watering quotes for installing 6 rads, a combi boiler (supplied by me) and first fixing DHW to a kitchen and a bathroom, I'm starting to look into hanging the rads and putting in the pipework myself, and then have a plumber in to connect the final metre in copper to the external boiler and connect it up to the oil tank.
I've turned my hand to most trades, so not shy of DIY, but never have I done anything on the heating side of plumbing.
Anyway enough of the background, this is my proposed heating layout:
Am I along the right lines or am I miles out? Would you change anything?
One thing that I'm not sure about is if the vertical F&R pipes up into the loft bedroom needs to be in 22mm or can be reduced to 15mm at bathroom level?
Oh and barrier pipe: Polypipe/Hep2O/Speedfit - are they all pretty much the same?
More questions will be forthcoming about pressure testing/thermostats etc.
I've turned my hand to most trades, so not shy of DIY, but never have I done anything on the heating side of plumbing.
Anyway enough of the background, this is my proposed heating layout:
Am I along the right lines or am I miles out? Would you change anything?
One thing that I'm not sure about is if the vertical F&R pipes up into the loft bedroom needs to be in 22mm or can be reduced to 15mm at bathroom level?
Oh and barrier pipe: Polypipe/Hep2O/Speedfit - are they all pretty much the same?
More questions will be forthcoming about pressure testing/thermostats etc.
Looks fine.
You can test your work with one if these and a foot pump.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/rothenberger-dry-pressu...
You can test your work with one if these and a foot pump.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/rothenberger-dry-pressu...
A good guide when designing a C H system.—15 mm pipe work can feed approximately 7 KW of radiator output.Firstly calculate the heat requirements for each room,once you’ve established the radiator size and designed the pipe work runs use the above guide.22mm flow and return from boiler reducing to 15mm and then for ease of installation if using copper 10mm
Did my house last year, wanted fast heat up times as our house is rather cold so went with double panel double convectors all round, 22mm circuits up and down then spurred off in 15mm to rads.
All done in jg speedfit, not one leak with the speedfit, couple of drips on compression olives on the copper to rads one the system had been run up and down a few times. No Biggie though to nip up.
Screwfix trvs work well and at 7 quid for lockshield and valve you can't go wrong.
I think most people get lazy with speedfit and forget inserts,forget to tighten fittings etc.
All done in jg speedfit, not one leak with the speedfit, couple of drips on compression olives on the copper to rads one the system had been run up and down a few times. No Biggie though to nip up.
Screwfix trvs work well and at 7 quid for lockshield and valve you can't go wrong.
I think most people get lazy with speedfit and forget inserts,forget to tighten fittings etc.
Assuming you're doing copper tails to the rads, the chrome plated stuff is cheap enough and makes for a nice finishing touch. Make sure you file/sand the plating off the end though if you're going into a plastic fitting.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/wednesbury-chrome-pipe-...
https://www.screwfix.com/p/wednesbury-chrome-pipe-...
B17NNS said:
Assuming you're doing copper tails to the rads, the chrome plated stuff is cheap enough and makes for a nice finishing touch. Make sure you file/sand the plating off the end though if you're going into a plastic fitting.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/wednesbury-chrome-pipe-...
Personally if I were starting from scratch I'd use plastic to the rads and have the tails exit the wall through a 1 gang backbox behind the rad, then curve them down to a 90 deg elbow at the inlet & outlet to the rad. That way the tails aren't visible at all.https://www.screwfix.com/p/wednesbury-chrome-pipe-...
Unless you enjoy work stay away from the speedfit coil stuff (speedfit is fine just the coil is a nightmare I mean, straight legnths are easier), in 22mm it's a f
king nightmare!
Takes alot of force to get it to stay /go where you want. I'd rather spend abit more on extra connections than have to wrestle that st into pipe clamps under the house again!
king nightmare!Takes alot of force to get it to stay /go where you want. I'd rather spend abit more on extra connections than have to wrestle that s
t into pipe clamps under the house again!
shady lee said:
Unless you enjoy work stay away from the speedfit coil stuff (speedfit is fine just the coil is a nightmare I mean, straight legnths are easier), in 22mm it's a fking nightmare!
Takes alot of force to get it to stay /go where you want. I'd rather spend abit more on extra connections than have to wrestle that st into pipe clamps under the house again!
It's worth spending the extra on the layflat stuff to avoid thisking nightmare!Takes alot of force to get it to stay /go where you want. I'd rather spend abit more on extra connections than have to wrestle that s
t into pipe clamps under the house again!Finally started on this and so far so good. Told you that there would be questions, so...
I'm going to pressure test once complete. Going to pump it up to 10 bar for 2 min, then 2bar for 10 mins (and probably leave it over night).
Is it best to pressure test with the rads connected or should I cap off at the tails before the trv?
I'm going to pressure test once complete. Going to pump it up to 10 bar for 2 min, then 2bar for 10 mins (and probably leave it over night).
Is it best to pressure test with the rads connected or should I cap off at the tails before the trv?
If its not too late have a look at a hot water loop. If your running it yourself it no more than an extra pump , timer and one more length of pipe on the hot water side to every sink,bath and shower. Then instant hot water when you turn on the tap. We have an ensuite at the top of a 4 story Victorian house. Before fitting it would take 1.5 minutes for luke warm water at the tap and 3 before it was properly hot. Now its instant. Even if nothing else run the pipe and add the pump, timer later. We also have chrome plated but brass towel rads on the same system so heated every morning and evening.
I would recomend hep2o over the other plastics, feels more sturdy and you dont have to tighten fittings up like you do with JG.
Plastic 22mm for flow and return with 15mm branches to the radiators, i personally like to run the rad tails in copper before going to plastic under the floor. Looks a lot straighter and neater.
Be sure to use plenty of ptfe on the rad valves,
Plastic 22mm for flow and return with 15mm branches to the radiators, i personally like to run the rad tails in copper before going to plastic under the floor. Looks a lot straighter and neater.
Be sure to use plenty of ptfe on the rad valves,
mdw said:
If its not too late have a look at a hot water loop. If your running it yourself it no more than an extra pump , timer and one more length of pipe on the hot water side to every sink,bath and shower. Then instant hot water when you turn on the tap. We have an ensuite at the top of a 4 story Victorian house. Before fitting it would take 1.5 minutes for luke warm water at the tap and 3 before it was properly hot. Now its instant. Even if nothing else run the pipe and add the pump, timer later. We also have chrome plated but brass towel rads on the same system so heated every morning and evening.
Sorry for the stupid question - what does the timer do in this?Ricky146a said:
You do NOT want to pressurise to 10 bar!
An air rifle has a limit of 12psift.lb muzzle energyand requires a firearm certificate above this. 10 bar is 150 psi.
Compressed air is a lot more dangerous than pressurised water.
FTFY An air rifle has a limit of 12
Compressed air is a lot more dangerous than pressurised water.
The pressure in an air rifle is MUCH higher than that. My PCP rifle is ~190bar.
Get YouTube up and see some tyre blowouts for a good demonstration of gas pressure.
Agreed though, DO NOT put 10bar in there!!
Having heard a Flexi pipe go at around 10bar, I can confirm it can be very brown trouser inducing. Never actually looked at what the MWP of domestic plastic pipe is though.?
You are more than capable of doing it yourself, however it will be a learning curve, it will take a lot longer and you will probably look back and wish you did things differently after finishing it.
I had mine planned out but also had a friend of a friend coming in and check my plans and start me off, after seeing how long it took to do it the way I wanted I butbghe bullet and paid him lol
I had mine planned out but also had a friend of a friend coming in and check my plans and start me off, after seeing how long it took to do it the way I wanted I butbghe bullet and paid him lol
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