Flexible 22mm Copper Pipe use with Combi Boiler

dangermouse46";p="987853 said:
If you can't carry out simple pipe soldering then it doesn't bode well for a safe and sucessful installation....law says you need to be competent and you clearly aren't.

You'll get little help on this forum....diy boiler installs are discouraged.
Sadly my not unreasonable question is being riddiculed, I am sorry I joined the forum to ask for any advice.
I have worked on my 2 home central heating systems over many years in the past, successfully fitted many radiators, serviced my old boilers, I make a perfect soldered joint - as good as any tradesman.
I will find out from other sources if copper flexi pipe is suitable, if not then I will use std copper.



Well done.....fit gas fitting were an Olympic sport then my money would be on you for gold in London 2012.

Wow you serviced a boiler. Give the man a medal! I take it you own a manometer, a flue gas analyser, leak detector fluid. Know your burner pressures and know how to carry out a tightness test??
 
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Oh shame on you all........give him a break.....after all with him servicing his own appliances he will be dead soon........ :LOL:
 
OMG some of you guys have your heads so far upo your own backsides its unreal.

Why the heck are you here on a DIY forum in the first place?
 
Matty did you not realise that this is like a little private members club. The combustion chamber must be a barrel of laughs to :rolleyes:
 
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Mattylad,

Are you serious?? The OP showed no competance and knowledge what so ever.......then when this is pointed out to him gets upset and tells us all he is perfectly capable of doing his own gas work........you are right in one thing....this is a DIY site. NOT a forum where RGI's offer advice to non competant individuals who intend to at the least break the law and at worst endanger their own and other peoples lives......so if it sounds tough it is.

Maybe you should be more worried that it's the OP who has his head up his backside.
 
NO, the op asked a simple question. he did not indicate in any way his level of competence or knowledge.

The RGI's then "assumed" absolutely no competence and started to give insulting comments towards him rather than simply advise that he ought not to do it & to say simply that he ought not to use a flexible hose.

This is what is continually happening here by you guys, someone asks a simple question and you all start insulting them rather than discuss it professionally and teach them what can happen, why & how best to avoid it.

And no matter how high a pedestal you want to put yourselves you are not gods, your damn plumbers with a bit more knowledge. As dangerous a substance as gas is, there are other trades that have similar high knowledge requirerments, rules & regs to follow where other people are able to work quite safely & competently without being insulted so.

The more you insult people for asking questions, and make assumptions about them, the more that will just not bother asking & do what the heck they want to do without finding out the facts.

you are right in one thing....this is a DIY site. NOT a forum where RGI's offer advice to non competant individuals

Yes, this is not a DIY site,its a site where people come & get insulted wholesale.
 
What is bad is the guy has not said its flexible hoses and people have assumed this on had a go.
He is actually on about using flexible COPPER pipe which has been out for at least twenty years whether it is any good for this use is another question , it does not look very proffesional but seen it used loads of times with no leaks.
 
NO, the op asked a simple question. he did not indicate in any way his level of competence or knowledge.

This was in the OP's original post.......
Presumably plastic and flexible braided types are no good.
followed with .......
I have worked on my 2 home central heating systems over many years in the past, successfully fitted many radiators, serviced my old boilers

From this it is obvious he doesn't know what the regs are. I agree taking the mick wasn't the best tack by some but the OP's follow on showed he is a DIY'er who was carrying out ilegal gas work. It isn't a right, however polite you ask to do what you like regardless of the law.......this is shown time and again by posters who think a little bit of knowledge means they can save a few bob and do it themselves. And whilst i accept RGI's are not the be all and end all of plumbing knowledge they do know gas safety. This OP doesn't. Who do you want flying your plane when you take the family away.....a qualified pilot.....or someone who thinks 3 flying lessons means he can take charge of the plane
 
er... where does he say he is even touching the gas pipes?

he said
the flow & return on the new replacement combi are on different sides
not "I want to mess with the gas pipe".

As you know too well, the flow & return are the water pipes.

He has not said in his first post that he is not qualified or competent, merely that he is changing his boiler. and from his first post he was being ridiculed & insulted.

Its happening way too often by you guys who ought to know better.

He will now likely go away & use flexible pipe & fit his new boiler completely just because you have all pi$$ed him off.

You guys have an opportunity to correct peoples knowledge & to simply ask if they are competent then if they are not advise them that they ought not be doing it &that you will not help them.

NOT INSULT THEM!

Stop trying to drag up further posts to quantify what's done.

By the way, which regulation is it that prevents the home owner from doing anything to the water pipes that affect a combi boiler? (a direct link to the article in the act would be nice) because i'm havining difficulty in finding it.

Cheers.
 
Oh dear....you have not read his posts correctly and you are not in possesion of the full facts/knowledge of boiler installations.

Firstly, as per manufacturers instructions plastic/flexible piping is not allowed, depending on boiler 600-1000mm from boiler. OP believed this was the case......but wasn't sure. Therefore, he really wasn't competant. BUT my issue was with his follow up statement saying he serviced his own boilers. Read the gas act, unless competant he was breaking the law. I don't make the rules. You don't need to break the gas line to break the gas regs.......

I didn't justify the ridiculing he got.....until he mentioned doing his own servicing....after that he was fair game........why is it that posters constantly try to delve into area's they know little about and cut up rough when slapped down......Mattyboy, apart from the joshing he got you got no beef on this one.....reread his posts
 
"NOT INSULT THEM!"
Well said Mattylad. The OP sounds as if he is a competent practical engineer so, his breadth of knowledge, common sense, and willingness to ask for advice, should far exceed the simple requirements of modern day plumbing.
 
I would not use the type of flexible copper pipe fittings you have mentioned because they are not rigid and could fracture for several reasons. Also the type i think you are talking about would cause turbulance in the flow of water.

To the RGI's, i am lost with what they class as competent ? I have c&g's 1,2 and 3, water regs, unvented certificate and acs but i am still incompetent because i am not corgi registered.

You jumped on this guy from the word go and he only mentioned the flow and return pipes ! Quite rightly it is against the regs to work on gas if he is not CORGI REGISTERED !! But he did not mention that he serviced his own boiler until later in the thread.
 
Hey guys, you wanna be sarcastic & insulting, go ahead.

Obviously we are not going to stop you.

Never going to give you a job on my installation either :D
 
To the RGI's, i am lost with what they class as competent ? I have c&g's 1,2 and 3, water regs, unvented certificate and acs but i am still incompetent because i am not corgi registered.

Surely you covered this during your training??!!.....you are competant.....to work on your own house, or to work as an operative for a corgi registered business. But the law states to work for others on their gas appliances/pipework you need to be competant and be a member of a class of persons reconized by the secretary of state.....ie CORGI. So where are we not defining competance then? Of course we can argue over competancy but that is also defined......you need to have passed your ACS exams. We all know this OP hasn't from his lack of understanding of the subject matter........If all the posters who have knocked the RGI's for their posts on here you will find they post and help almost all the DIY'ers....fact. We just don't help the ones who carry out illegal work....
 
er... where does he say he is even touching the gas pipes?

he said
the flow & return on the new replacement combi are on different sides
not "I want to mess with the gas pipe".

As you know too well, the flow & return are the water pipes.

He has not said in his first post that he is not qualified or competent, merely that he is changing his boiler. and from his first post he was being ridiculed & insulted.

Its happening way too often by you guys who ought to know better.

He will now likely go away & use flexible pipe & fit his new boiler completely just because you have all p**sed him off.

You guys have an opportunity to correct peoples knowledge & to simply ask if they are competent then if they are not advise them that they ought not be doing it &that you will not help them.

NOT INSULT THEM!

Stop trying to drag up further posts to quantify what's done.

By the way, which regulation is it that prevents the home owner from doing anything to the water pipes that affect a combi boiler? (a direct link to the article in the act would be nice) because i'm havining difficulty in finding it.

Cheers.

Thanks to those who took the trouble to read my wording and provide some supporting comment.
Servicing - I have never tampered with the gas side of my boiler. I was broadly referring to cleaning, tracing & replacing the odd sensor, water diverter valve etc.. not gas work.
I never mentioned using garden hoses or plastic any type of flexible pipe that was not solid copper.
I only asked if it was ok to use a short length of 22mm flexible copper for the final connection of the flow or return to the boiler. I thought this was a reasonable enough question, but unfortunately too many people were over keen to deliberately take this way out of context and make wild assumptions about my ability. I think only one reply has given me any advice on why copper flexipipe would not be suitable, eg- its more fragile and could create turbulence in the water flow, well thanks to the person who provided this info.
I am an industrial chemist, I do not take risks by attempting anything outside my abilities and I know when to ask for advice.
Many thanks to those who helped.
 

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