New fitting onto older pipes

[bridgedino]

Hi There, My first post and looking for some advice please.

I am re jigging my bathroom and have taken the hot and cold supply back to the original pipe work with the intention of building the new pipe work from this point. Both the hot and cold supply come up to the bathroom from the kitchen below and appear in the bathroom floor from a corner of the room. Although they both appear to be 22mm pipes they are matt silver in colour so I am unsure if they are copper, stainless steel or chrome plated copper and wether I can build onto them with regular compression fittings?

I doubt that they are chrome plated copper pipes as they appear to be reasonably old ( house is 80yrs old ex council house) If indeed they are stainless steel then I would think I would have to use green olives for the first compression conection , thereafter normal modern fittings.

Any advice appreciated

Thanks

 

[dontknowitall]

Are they lead pipes?

If so, I'd re-plumb in copper as lead ain't good for you, as far as I know ...

 

[bridgedino]

Not lead ,no. i have come accross lead pipes before so i am certain they are not

 

[dontknowitall]

Then I think you can use standard compression fittings but you'll probably need imperial sized olives.

I'd wait for someone else to confirm this before you go shopping!!

 

[darren-]

could you post a picture?

 

[bridgedino]

Will do, Thanks. Dont fancy leaving the wife with no running water while i swan around looking for the right part. Wont be the first time I have opened up pandoras box only to find I dont have the part i need...usualy on a sunday night at 8pm

 

[bridgedino]

The pipes in question are the two curved bottom ones

 

[darren-]

You should be good with normal 22mm compression fittings. I would cut the rings off the existing fittings instead of cutting through the pipe below the tee aswell incase you cut too low and don't leave a full slip.

 

[bridgedino]

Thanks, will get hold of a couple of imperial olives aswell, just in case

 

[GasmanxxxR1]

Looks like stainless steel to me. before you go cutting it just try new compression fittings on the nut and olive already on the pipe, just to see what kind of seal you get

 

[WaterTight]

That's chrome isn't it? Odd to see it used where it wouldn't be seen and in 22mm - but looks like chrome to me.

 

[WaterTight]

Alright maybe it's steel then...

Just doesn't look like it to me.

 

[BLOD]

I reckon it's steel - lots of houses were plumbed in steel 80 years or so ago due to the copper shortage of the time.

 

[kay-jay]

green olives? make sure you take the stones out - they are bad for your teeth

 

[dontknowitall]

I thought green olives were for beginners?

 

[royston]

Yeah steel that is.

 

[dontknowitall]

I've not done steel so I'll get meself some green olives ...!!!

:troll:

 

[stevetheplumber]

im with the gas man try to reuse the nuts and olives that are there id say its definately stainless

 

[kay-jay]

yep try to reuse....if it weeps a bit try some jointing paste and a wrap of ptfe around the olive