Seals in compression fit and push fit wastes

[Deleted member 174758]

Whst sort of life would you expect out of plastic waste pipe seals at the joints? Our bathroom was DIYed in by a previous owner and has what is best described as a labyrinthine waste pipe arrangement with (I think) insufficient fall meaning that once or twice a year it needs to be unblocked. Yesterday I spent a fair amount of time tracking down a leak which turned out to be a loose push fit elbow conveniently hidden beneath the floor. I replaced it with a new compression fit item I had as a short term fix and found that the rubber seal in it had perished. In view of the fact that I can see at least 6 more push fit elbows or tees beneath the floor I am now concerned about whether this was a one off or not

BTW resiting and replacing the bathroom is on my to do list, but it was going to be next year, not this

 

[nitro23456]

I've never understood push fit wastes. Solvent is cheaper, better and not really any harder.

Nothing pushfit should be under the floor

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I've never understood push fit wastes. Solvent is cheaper, better and not really any harder.

Nothing pushfit should be under the floor

I agree, but I didn't put this in - I reckon that he must have been Brian the Bodger (Bob's less able cousin). He certainly used enough expanding foam to hold pipes in place. Over the weekend I had a leak into the living room, so to get at it I've had to remove the WC and open the floor up to find the plumbing and it's an absolute dog's dinner with push fit, compression fit and roughly cut ends all over the place. In point of fact since lunchtime I've ended up replacing two biggish sections with solvent weld as a short term fix, but I can't get to to another part of it without taking a wall and built-in cabinets out, which isn't on unless it (a) leaks again or unless (b) I get round to replacing the bathroom. Tomorrow I'm off to pick-up a replacement bath waste because the arriss stripped the thread on this one and then bodged the repair with what looks like a gallon of silicone. Sometimes.....

 

[Madrab]

I've come across waste compression that's been in the floor for 30+years

Pushfit is primarily a DIY option. The troubel with pushfit is the minute it is disturbed then it will leak and never seal again properly, it is typically disturbed during cleaning or work is being perfomed on the waste and that's usually in an in-accessible place.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Pushfit is primarily a DIY option. The troubel with pushfit is the minute it is disturbed then it will leak and never seal again properly, it is typically disturbed during cleaning or work is being perfomed on the waste and that's usually in an in-accessible place.

You have that dead right. And that's exactly what I was doing (cleaning a blockage with caustic soda, not mechanically). I've plumbed my own wastes on kitchens using solvent weld for more than 30 years with nary an issue (that I know of), so for me this was a first. Maybe I've just been lucky? The guy who used to own this house before us DIYed a lot of stuff like this, but you don't know how bad things are until you get an issue like this. Oh, well...