Jointing compound on pushfit?

[DIYPaul]

Hi, I'm a novice when it comes to plumbing. I've used compression fittings in the past, and have applied jointing compound.

With push-fit copper fittings, do you still need to use jointing compound?

 

[wheeto]

No no no! The instructions will tell you to make sure you have a smooth cut (not a hacksaw) and ensure that any burrs are removed before pushing the tube a set distance into the coupling. Some let you use silicone lube to make it easier to push the tube in and reduce the risk of damaging the 'O' ring.

Follow the mfr's instructions to the letter!

 

[so-solar]

no jointing compound required, i some times use spray lube, especially when i am using 28mm

 

[PuraTherm]

No offence mate but you should walk away from the tools.

 

[dontknowitall]

Questions are so easy when you know the answer ...

 

[obseen16]

No offence mate but you should walk away from the tools.

your wife will thank you for it.

 

[Avatar]

hell no!!!!!

my god . . .

 

[tackleburger]

You only need it on thread to thread joints.

 

[plumbster3456]

put solvent cement all over the o ring rap it in densil tape then apply tar all over it

 

[royston]

Or maybe heat it up and see if you could run some solder round it, just in case !

 

[PlumbBobBob]

not too much heat though don't want to melt rubber o-ring.

 

[Dannypipe]

You horrible swines!! All it required was a simple 'no'.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

obviously got too much time on our hands!!

 

[so-solar]

It may seem a simple question to some but how do you learn in life? I was always told during my 7 year apprenticeship 'IF YOU DONT KNOW THEN ASK' can you imagine how i would of felt if i got the response that you lot have given this new member to the forum, What makes you lot so special that you should make fun of a simple straight YES OR NO question? and to be totally honest, i have seen a couple of your previous answers to some more technical questions and you are not all SUPER PLUMBERS! it is a form of bullying, and bullys are weak! be warned, i will be scanning your every response in the future and as you slip up i will rip the living p@@s and see how you like it!

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

i agree this is not on to take the urine yes or no would have sufficed we all ask for advice on occasions,to the op take no notice of some of the comments on here,and hope this does not put you off asking questions in the forums

 

[PuraTherm]

Not sure which trades you were brought up in but I do remember my appreticeship (even after many hours of therapy) and I received alot worse than this. But you are right. There are no stupid questions. Only ones that make you say "WHAT THE .....?". Besides, these type of people keep us in business.

 

[so-solar]

I was bought up in the plumbing and heating industry, and yes i did receive alot worse than this, not to say i agreed with it 1 bit! I have 6 lads on for me at the minute and 2 young lads at college 1 day a week. If i was to hear any one of them bullying my young lads, i would personally pack there kit up and f''k them straight down the road, it is not on and unfair! The same principal applies here!

 

[carpstu]

fella if your not sure just ask yes the ans is no if your not sure most diy shops have self help leaflets and some have people you can speek to and ask if your not to sure what your buying

 

[kevin h]

okay big heads you have just had a compresion fitting blow out on you causing a lot of dammage to a property,you go down the insurance route but you put paste on the olive before tighening it,after connex have done their bit are you covered?

 

[PuraTherm]

Never had a brass to brass compression fitting, with paste, blow apart. I've had plenty of the push fits come apart though. That's why I avoid them at all costs.

 

[oldplumber]

commpression fittings are designed such that they do not require jointing compound on them if they are assembled correctly. You dont see hydraulic systems and cooling systems on big marine engines covered in jointing compound in order to get a decent seal and I dont really understand why plumbers insist on using it all the time. It does have a place of course where you are using mild steel joints with hemp and jointing paste, which is what it was designed for originally.

 

[kevin h]

a guy i do a lot of work for gets a facial tick when you mention push fit he used it on some boosted down service a few years ago on a posh job in hampsted,operating pressure was 3 bar so he tested to 7 bar to be safe! wilo came to commision the booster set on a friday afternoon,monday morning saw about £70,ooo damage to the property,a push fit had blown off! he sent the fitting off to hep to be tested and after several weeks they said it was ok so he asked for it back they said they had destroid it after about a year of legal his insurance paid out.moral of story-it might be quick but is it realy cost effective! i dont use it!only for temps on building site.

 

[Avatar]

Well you should use JG only then - good god, us plumbers are as bad as DIYers who dont read the packet instructions on push fittings in B & Q!

I never use boss white or that kind of thing, my compression fittings dont leak either . . .

If you come accross a dodgy one, a wee bit of LSX usually does the trick!

 

[DIYPaul]

Don't worry guys, I won't be quitting my day job just yet. Look out for more daft questions in the near future...

(And thanks to those of you who gave a straightforward answer).

 

[Avatar]

HA we are plumbers - striaght forward answerers we aren't!

Generally!

 

[WHPES]

Most packs of push fits contain instruction sheets and every sheet I have seen so far mentions not using jointing compounds, and also there are detailed fitting instructions on the manufacturers websites which I am sure say the same.

Whilst we should encourage new people to ask, it is reasonable to expect them to do a little bit of research before posting.

When making joints with plastic pipe in compression fittings it is recommended to use a few turns of PTFE round the olive to ensure a good seal.

 

[TGor]

No No No ... white lead and string wrapping then paint it with gloss paint .. white is best! Seriously jointing compound can eat away at some plastics.

 

[stevetheplumber]

most plastics will be attacked by the oil in jointing compunds

 

[fuzzy]

Hi, I'm a novice when it comes to plumbing. I've used compression fittings in the past, and have applied jointing compound.

With push-fit copper fittings, do you still need to use jointing compound?

never ever heard of that

 

[dontknowitall]

Never had a brass to brass compression fitting, with paste, blow apart. I've had plenty of the push fits come apart though. That's why I avoid them at all costs.

I did a pressure test on a few pipes today (brass 22mm elbows plumbed by someone else) and one blew off at around 2.5 bar. Also had an isolation valve blow off last week (again not my installation) under mains pressure.

Last year I had a HEP2O blow off.

Just can't be too careful. Waiting to experience a soldered joint take off now.

 

[Dannypipe]

I've never had a Hep joint blow off. It's quite a worry really as I hear it happens, but I genuinely trust them 100%. I seriously would trust a Hep joint over a compression joint.

When you go to burst pipes, it's always a compression joint that fails. I wonder if Hep fails with freezing as easily?

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

a compression joint with the correct insert(bearing in mind IF i use plastic its the grey poly pipe with aluminium inserts) can not come apart and i have never had one fail i would never trust push fit fittings

 

[dontknowitall]

I had a Speedfit joint to replace last year that had frozen then burst and was beyond repair.

 

[carpstu]

if he didnt know / wasnt sure what he was doing theirs nothing wrong to read the packets on the fittings in b n q or anywhere else for that matter enerybodys got to learn some time

 

[shorticus]

metal everytime but I'm oldschool as I've said before