Ice - Compression Fitting blown off

[tomberryuk]

Quick question, I bought a new house in October, and just before Christmas, the compression fitting NRV on my outside tap supply blew off and leaked all over the place.

When the plumber came round to fix it, he took off the valve, pulled the olive off the pipe, put in a new one and tightened the joint.

Now this may be my lack of knowledge coming through, but if the fitting had been installed correctly, wouldn't the olive have crimped into the pipe? This would mean he wouldn't have been able to just pull it off and put a new one on.

Basically, I am wondering if the valve was fitted properly in the first place, or if it is my fault for forgetting to isolate and drain the pipework.

 

[45yearsagasman]

The ice creates enormous pressure,easily enough to move an olive off the pipe.Drain down in future cold weather,and make sure of your insulation

 

[spraggo]

Basically, I am wondering if the valve was fitted properly in the first place, or if it is my fault for forgetting to isolate and drain the pipework.

The norm for fitting compression fittings is to tighten the nut by hand and then tighten a further quarter of a turn with a spanner. This is sufficient to make the joint water tight under normal conditions. However in your case the water in the pipe was freezing which caused the water to expand and had no where to go and thus the force created forced the olive off of the pipe. Just think, if the compression joint had been overtightened or crimped on as you say, then the pipe would have burst and probably flooded your house.

 

[tomberryuk]

The ice creates enormous pressure,easily enough to move an olive off the pipe.Drain down in future cold weather,and make sure of your insulation

The ice itself did not remove the olive, (whether it had moved I dont know), the plumber pulled it off.

But if it isnt normally 'crimped' into the pipe then I guess that it has been fitted properly.

 

[kirkgas]

it should not have been turned on in sub zero temp, an outside tap should be turned off inside and drained, you were lucky it blew off outside and didnt split the pipe through the wall and flood the place

 

[electronicsuk]

The ice creates enormous pressure,easily enough to move an olive off the pipe.Drain down in future cold weather,and make sure of your insulation

The ice itself did not remove the olive, (whether it had moved I dont know), the plumber pulled it off.

But if it isnt normally 'crimped' into the pipe then I guess that it has been fitted properly.

Are you sure it came off in one piece without any splits?

 

[expertgasman]

Basically, I am wondering if the valve was fitted properly in the first place, or if it is my fault for forgetting to isolate and drain the pipework.

I'm afraid that without doubt it's your fault. Is there an isolation valve internally?