1970's solvent weld cold water pipes

[hayesey]

my house was built in the '70s and unfortunately all the cold water pipes throughout are solvent weld plastic stuff (dark green colour pipe and fittings, pipe looks 1/2"). In order to make fitting a sink a lot easier, I want to cut the solvent pipe and use an adaptor to convert to good old copper. Are such things available at most plumbers merchants?

I know the ideal situation would be to rip all the plastic crap out and run copper all over but I don't currently have the time, money or inclination to rip my house to pieces to do this. I noticed that whoever installed the kitchen sink has simply cut the solvent pipe, shoved it over some 15mm copper and tightened a couple of jubilee clips over the plastic pipe! Surely not the right way to do it? Amazingly this doesn't leak.

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

I've never seen anything remotely like that before outside of a chemical works. Are there any identifying marks on the pipe? Ask neighbours and local plumbers if they are familiar with it.

I use THIS FIRM for all oddball stuff like that.

Hopefully one of the older plumbers on here can be of more assistance.

 

[PlanetThanet]

Hi

I think this is the stuff. http://www.durapipe.co.uk/index.asp
Give them a call.
I remember using this on site waaaaay back, very brittle

Thanet.

 

[Trundles Tricks]

I don't know about dark green but we have problems with a dark grey plastic pipe on our area.

It's just about impossible to get fittings for and I can only get it from Bridgend pipeline and drainage centre (Wolsey) and only then if one particular guy is working there as he is the only one who seems to know how to order the fittings.


The pipe size is actually 3/8ths and 3/4 for the larger stuff, I have got a little stock of 3/4 solvent sockets with a female threaded end in which a 1/2" copper to iron adaptor can be fitted into to get onto copper pipe.

For the smaller 3/8ths sizes plastic pipe there is a solvent bush which can be solvent welded into the above fittings in order to get to copper.



Sorry if the above is a little hard to follow or understand but this particular problem has driven me mad in the past and I have only come across it in the council houses that we work in.

 

[twgas]

think i encountered some a while back, had to go 20 odd miles for 2 fittings and tube of glue then once glued up has to be left god knows how long before putting it under pressure

 

[Trundles Tricks]

Thats the stuff.....it has to be left 24 hrs before using at full pressure or can be used shortly after glueing on a vastly reduced pressure.



I had to travel much the same milage to track down fittings to use and we now have the ordering codes on our office wall after it took me several hours finding the bits in the pipecentre catalogue with the help of the only guy in the firm who actually remembers anything about this particular pipe.




I assume the stuff was used during the copper shortage and it's an absolute pain for us when we copme across it!

 

[cozzmic]

Poly yorc is the plastic and if its 1/2" then you can fit 22mm compression fittings with the 3/4" convesion ring on it tighten up then continue off in 15 or 22 mm copper or modern plastic water pipe

 

[saintmark]

im sure that it is either ABS or PVCU pipe and come in different grades (for pressure), i use it now on industrial pipework very common, can get it at bss and most plumbing suppliers, it does take 24 hours to dry.

 

[JonnyStead]

The pipe size is actually 3/8ths and 3/4 for the larger stuff, I have got a little stock of 3/4 solvent sockets with a female threaded end in which a 1/2" copper to iron adaptor can be fitted into to get onto copper pipe.

Hi there - I'm doing work on an ex-council house right now in Bristol and have this stuff coming in from the main - I dont suppose you still have any of the fittings above that you mentioned left? I really need to get from this to copper so I can get back into the land of sense! - thank you