Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical? (

[365drills]

Your sponsor needs you... OK so I am back on a job tommorow to drill a hole in a bath for a fitting.

There is already a fitting in the way and the client wants me to remove the exisitng fitting. Drill the hole wider from 35mm to 50mm and then fit a new Hansgrouhe fitting to the corner of the bath.

The only issue is the water feeds are in grey plastic pipe and "live"

In theory could I simply cut through them, bung a valve on then isolate the flow.

I was thinking of keeping the valve open then shoving it on the pipe - and then closing the valve.

http://www.*********.com/bath_castiron/bath42.jpg

Then I can open up the holes from 35mm to 50mm for the client

 

[gasmanrob]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

That's fine until you find out you have 2.5 bar pressure pushing 18 liters a minute. Any reason the water cannot be isolated temporarily? Could be an expensive repair if it goes wrong. Plus if it's plastic you'll need an extra few seconds to fit the insert into the pipe. But you are correc in opening the valve till it is secured on the pipe

 

[365drills]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

Yes I am planning on locating the shut off values to isolate we looked for them on Monday and couldnt find.... So its a case of either pipe freeze or be quick with a bucket.

 

[Millsy 82]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

It always surprises me exactly how much water comes out when you snatch a joint. I only do it when I have no other option (or in the last case a pump valve failed to open again and it was 4.30pm the house was horrendous with no carpets so I snatched it) If you can freeze it then do it.

 

[Ray Stafford]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

Fit an Aladdin valve.

Or compress the pipe and then snatch it, but don't forget that liner...

 

[Chris F]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

I did a snatch the other day on a bath tap valve in a care home, last job and I was knackered, got a bucket went for the snatch, the pressure was that high it blew the valve out of my hand and I had to fight to get the other one in, it blew the rubber off the ceramic disc and had no other valve to hand so I screwed it in and the pressure was that high it was filling the bath quicker than it would empty.i ended up turning the building off.
It was a bad day.

 

[plumben]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

I only do a snatch as a last resort, if its on CH I drop the pressure,
if its on the main I open as Manny taps as possible to reduce pressure,
you can some times kink the pipe and that will stop the water but that's a last last resort

 

[Scott_D]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

Can youturn the water off on the external stop tap?

 

[kris]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

9 times outa 10 youl find the stopcock in some crazy places, like scott said cant you turn it off in the street with a toby key, or like ray said you can squash the pipe with a set of clamps , or can you use a freeze kit to cut in isolators,

 

[Ermintrude]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

Funniest one I did was at rush hour in morning on central concourse of eldon square !

 

[lame plumber]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

personally Id use a plumber that has an idea of what he is about, snatching pipework live is great if your in a trench working on a watermain, but why on earth would you want to test your £2million insurance cover when theres always one way or another to cut off a water supply in someone elses property. Then if I i needed to cut a hole in a bath, id call 365 drills as I would be happy for them to risk their insurance on a custards expensive bath

 

[365drills]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

Pipe freezing kit I think!

 

[Ermintrude]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

Pipe freezing kit I think!

Was gonna buy some drills from u but cutting a hole in a bath with pipe freezing kit - ingenious!

 

[365drills]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

So some positive news and here is the update on what happened.

1) When I arrived on site I located the stopcock which was down in a basement. So I isolated the cold feed into the house.
2) I left the downstairs cold water tap open.
3) Bad news I could not find the HOT water isolator. So I took a chance about the water pressure and sliced the hot water pipe. Managed to cap it before scalding my fingers with hot water!!

HERE IS A BREAKDOWN OF HOW THE PROJECT WENT

1) Client wants all fittings taken off his bath and replaced. However the feeds are still live to the bath.
http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/hazellr/*********/Drilling%20holes%20baths%20%20porsadrill%20tile%20drill/1.jpg

2) He wants it replaced with hansgrohe equipment. Existing holes only 35mm and he needs them opened out to accomodate 50mm fittings. (see red arrow)

http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/hazellr/*********/Drilling%20holes%20baths%20%20porsadrill%20tile%20drill/2.jpg

3) At the moment we have three pipes. A hot. A cold. And the final mixed feed.

http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/hazellr/*********/Drilling%20holes%20baths%20%20porsadrill%20tile%20drill/3.jpg

4) They are fixed into the monoblock tap with access via this false panel.

http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/hazellr/*********/Drilling%20holes%20baths%20%20porsadrill%20tile%20drill/4.jpg

5) I know the cold water is now low pressure so I slice it first and capped it off. The hot water is next and it too is fairly low pressure. So done quickly.

http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/hazellr/*********/Drilling%20holes%20baths%20%20porsadrill%20tile%20drill/6.jpg

6) Because I AM REALLY NICE to plumbers :smile5: I decide to fit valves not caps. It will give the installer of the fittings an easy life. (Actually in reality it was for my own needs... I wanted the water to flow through the valve and not spray me which is what would have happened if I capped it !!) PS: Yes I did remember the inserts...

http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/hazellr/*********/Drilling%20holes%20baths%20%20porsadrill%20tile%20drill/5.jpg

7) Then onto the actual job of drilling.

http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/hazellr/*********/Drilling%20holes%20baths%20%20porsadrill%20tile%20drill/7.jpg


8)PORSADRILL 50mm guide plate and 50mm diamond core drill
http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/hazellr/*********/Drilling%20holes%20baths%20%20porsadrill%20tile%20drill/8.jpg

9) Porsadrill diamond core grinding away the enamel
http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/hazellr/*********/Drilling%20holes%20baths%20%20porsadrill%20tile%20drill/9.jpg

 

[365drills]

Re: Cut a live plastic pipe filled with water then quickly jam a valve on. Practical?

10) Finished hole in bath. Yes I tested to make sure the fittings went in OK. Clean up
http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/hazellr/*********/Drilling%20holes%20baths%20%20porsadrill%20tile%20drill/10.jpg

So the bath is cleaned up and polished. And we have a happy customer. The pipe freezing spray sits in the box for another day.