10mm microbore 90-deg bend exiting wall

[smallsteve1]

As part of an ensuite refurb, I need to move the pipework to a towel rail - currently 10 mm plastic. This will mean channelling the wall again and obviously I don’t want to go to deep on this.
Don’t like the idea of putting a plastic fitting in the channelled slot and so my initial thoughts were to go with microbore and put in a 90° elbow, But then I saw a video of microbore bent through 90° using a bender and it was tighter than I was expecting; or at least that’s how it seemed in the video!
So my question is, is it feasible to do away with the soldered joint and just rely on the pipe bent in a bender? Clearly it is not going to be as tight as a soldered joint, but will I get away with it or is there some reason I should avoid this approach? I don’t currently have the pipe to test this on, hence the question.
TIA

 

[Deleted member 267285]

I’d go with a bend: nice, neat and no joint.

 

[smallsteve1]

I’d go with a bend, nice neat and no joint.

Thanks Chris. I assume then that the sweep on the joint won’t be problematic in anyway, e.g. having to go much deeper into the wall? I know that you can go 30 mm into 100 mm block, but me being me I’d rather not go that deep if at all possible, especially as the wall has already been channelled previously.

 

[Deleted member 267285]

I assume then that the sweep on the joint won’t be problematic in anyway, e.g. having to go much deeper into the wall?

I’m not sure what you mean by this. Do you mean the bend of the pipe?

 

[smallsteve1]

I’m not sure what you mean by this. Do you mean the bend of the pipe?

Yes and the fact that it won’t be as tight as a solid joint.

 

[Deleted member 267285]

Yes and the fact that it won’t be as tight as a solid joint.

It’s hard to visualise what you’re asking, as I don’t know how the existing is routed. I think it’ll be fine though. No it won’t be as tight as a manufactured soldered elbow joint, but it’s one less joint to worry about.

 

[DP]

As part of an ensuite refurb, I need to move the pipework to a towel rail - currently 10 mm plastic. This will mean channelling the wall again and obviously I don’t want to go to deep on this.
Don’t like the idea of putting a plastic fitting in the channelled slot and so my initial thoughts were to go with microbore and put in a 90° elbow, But then I saw a video of microbore bent through 90° using a bender and it was tighter than I was expecting; or at least that’s how it seemed in the video!
So my question is, is it feasible to do away with the soldered joint and just rely on the pipe bent in a bender? Clearly it is not going to be as tight as a soldered joint, but will I get away with it or is there some reason I should avoid this approach? I don’t currently have the pipe to test this on, hence the question.
TIA

Done that many times.
Mini bender is perfect for this

 

[smallsteve1]

Done that many times.
Mini bender is perfect for this

Excellent, thanks.

 

[smallsteve1]

Done that many times.
Mini bender is perfect for this

A couple of other quick questions if I may:

Is it easier to go into the rad valve with 10mm and use a 3-piece adaptor, or would it be better to solder a 15/10 reducer to do away with the reducer in the valve? Not used the latter before and so not sure how good they are? There will be a speedfit connecter about a metre along from the valve and so I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to solder a fitting onto the pipe at all, or whether that is far enough away that it shouldn’t be a problem?
Things are a bit complicated because I don’t exactly know how far the radiator is going to be from the finished wall and so I basically need to connect everything up, as much as possible, and then screw the floor down. Thereafter when the radiator is fitted, then I will know exactly how much pipe I need to trim off / leave behind. It is then that I would need to solder a fitting, if that is the way to go.
TIA

 

[DP]

Is it easier to go into the rad valve with 10mm and use a 3-piece adaptor, or would it be better to solder a 15/10 reducer

I always do this. Have been to radiators where the pipe has squashed and starts to weep

 

[smallsteve1]

I always do this. Have been to radiators where the pipe has squashed and starts to weep

Sorry, which option?

 

[DP]

Sorry, which option?

The microbore pipe is quite soft. Olive at times will crimp the pipe and pipe deforms so much that the olive no longer forms a seal
In fact, where copper pipe is soft, internal sleeve is required to strengthen the pipe wall same as required with plastic plumbing ( 15mm copper pipe coils)
Therefore I like to solder a 15mm x 10 or 8mm solder ring fitting onto end of the pipe for a positive connection to the radiator

 

[smallsteve1]

The microbore pipe is quite soft. Olive at times will crimp the pipe and pipe deforms so much that the olive no longer forms a seal
In fact, where copper pipe is soft, internal sleeve is required to strengthen the pipe wall same as required with plastic plumbing ( 15mm copper pipe coils)
Therefore I like to solder a 15mm x 10 or 8mm solder ring fitting onto end of the pipe for a positive connection to the radiator

Ah OK thanks. I did look into those inserts for 10 mm copper pipe, but just about everywhere stated they were only required for oil lines. Do you actually use them on copper central heating pipes?

 

[DP]

Ah OK thanks. I did look into those inserts for 10 mm copper pipe, but just about everywhere stated they were only required for oil lines. Do you actually use them on copper central heating pipes?

No insert normally needed for compression fittings but as said olive can at times fail so I almost always go to 15mm yorkshire adapter