Hep2o with speed fit fittings in emergency

[rhysjc]

Hi all,

Just returned from the in laws for Christmas Day to a leak in our downstairs bathroom. Looks like the flexi is leaking on the bath tap. We are going away tomorrow and all the shops are shut anyway. Everything under there is hep2o pipe and fittings. All I have in the shed is some jg speed fit inserts and stop ends. We’ll be turning the mains off when we leave tomorrow anyway, but will the speed fit stop end work with hep2o pipe so we can shower before we leave? Do I need to use an insert?

 

[Stuckinarut]

The speed fit stop end should interchange, and yes needs an insert but a Hep one - reclaim the one from cutting the feed to the bath tap. Where is the leak from, is it repairable?

 

[rhysjc]

@Stuckinarut i don’t have the tool to remove the old hep2o fitting so i need to just cut the pipe, no way to reuse the existing insert.

Need to have a proper look but looks to be where the pipe connects to the flexi for the tap

 

[nickjb]

While it needs an insert for a proper job it should work fine without one for a temporary fix especially if the pipe is straight and unstressed

 

[Stuckinarut]

While it needs an insert for a proper job it should work fine without one for a temporary fix especially if the pipe is straight and unstressed

I wouldn't risk it if it was gravity fed, let alone if it was mains pressure.

 

[Stuckinarut]

@Stuckinarut i don’t have the tool to remove the old hep2o fitting so i need to just cut the pipe, no way to reuse the existing insert.

Need to have a proper look but looks to be where the pipe connects to the flexi for the tap

Ok, do you have a speed fit insert? If so, you might get lucky using that for a temporary fix.

 

[rhysjc]

Ok, do you have a speed fit insert? If so, you might get lucky using that for a temporary fix.

Yep, got tonnes of the things! Only really need this to hold for a few hours today then the mains will go off again till we’re back from our trip. Never thought I’d be glad to get a leak on Christmas Day but we’re away for over 3 weeks so could have done some serious damage…

 

[StephenStephen]

Can you drain down below the temp fix before you go?

 

[rhysjc]

@StephenStephen this is a hot water feed not central heating

 

[StephenStephen]

@StephenStephen this is a hot water feed not central heating

My entirely amateur suggestion would be that after you've turned off the stopcock, you drain down the hot water feed to below the level of the temp fix, in case it leaks.

Someone else who actually knows what they're talking about might have something to say about potential problems caused by doing this...

 

[rhysjc]

My entirely amateur suggestion would be that after you've turned off the stopcock, you drain down the hot water feed to below the level of the temp fix, in case it leaks.

Someone else who actually knows what they're talking about might have something to say about potential problems caused by doing this...

Best I can do is run the taps to remove any pressure from hot and cold feeds once the mains is off. This is under a downstairs bath so I’ll not be able to drain below the level of the fix, but if it was to leak there would be a negligible amount of water to come out

 

[Madrab]

but will the speed fit stop end work with hep2o pipe so we can shower before we leave? Do I need to use an insert?

Yes and yes

 

[rhysjc]

Thanks all, please to report Christmas and our holiday are saved.

Should anyone end up back here, I will share what I did but will stress it is clearly not as per manufacturers recommendations and is a VERY temporary measure.

The speedfit inserts I have are the ones with the double O ring. It was totally impossible to get the insert past the ring on the body of the insert, and so I had to cut that off with a Stanley blade. That plus some washing up liquid meant I was able to get the insert in with a lot of brute force. Good enough for a few hours this afternoon

 

[Madrab]

It's absolutely fine IMO - no need to worry about it - it will last OK, wouldn't be the first time I've mixed fittings without issue.

All JG standard inserts are really are just superseals with the seals removed, so nothing wrong with cutting them off either. Exactly what I would do in a bind.

All pipe has to have the same OD as that's an absolute standard, so all fittings should be interchangeable. The ID's are different so the inserts can be a pain. JG will fit into HEP but they're really tight and need a tap in. HEP inserts are loose in JG pipe so tend to pull out when the fitting's removed. The other generic ones I don't have a clue about as never been used.

Of course any kind of warranty wouldn't be valid, if that's important

 

[rhysjc]

Thanks @Madrab. Has put my mind at rest but will certainly be turning the mains off when we leave later on. If the bath we never use can spontaneously leak, who knows what else can!