Repair to 28mm Gravity Return Pipe All aspects of plumbing questions and answers, help, tips and information

[Jim A]

Hello All,

I'd appreciate any comments on the repair I made after stupidly putting a nail through the pipe:- I initially was going to cut out the damaged section, and replace it using a new section of pipe and two 28mm couplers. Finding that a 3m length of tube was going to cost the better part of £30, I bought a straight coupler, and cut out a lengthways section, to use a a patch - a bit like fixing a puncture on a bike. After tinning the pipe and the bit of coupler, I sweated the piece of coupler to the pipe. All looks good so far, with no signs of a leak, but would I have been better putting a new section of pipe in?.

[Stelf]

Hi Jim
You ask if you would have been better putting a new section of pipe in. Well, what you did as a repair may hold up perfectly well, but I don't really think I would recommend it to anyone. Why didn't you just cut straight through the pipe where you pierced it with the nail and reconnect using a 28mm compression coupling, or soldered coupling if you can get all the water out of the pipe? I have done something like this many times as nails through pipes are quite a common occurence.
Best wishes.

[htg engineer]

Yes or just one connector - cut the pipe across the hole made by the nail then fit connector - either compression or soldered.


htg

[Jim A]

Thanks for that, htg engineer. There's no room to fit a compression fitting - the 28mm flow pipe runs alongside, and is almost touching, and I'm a bit worried that if I cut the pipe at the damaged point, I won't be able to seperate the pipe enough to fit a soldered coupler.

[Stelf]

You can get slip couplings. If you just cut the pipe straight across, make sure you clean off the edges with a fine file or similiar you can then lift one end up slightly to push the slip coupling full length on to the pipe, drop the pipe back down and position the slip coupling so it is overlapping both pipe ends equally, then solder.
Best wishes.

[Jim A]

Thanks Stelf - the reason I didn't cut across the pipe where the hole was is because at that point it's sat in a notch cut in a joist. I suppose to make a better job of it, I would need to cut out the damaged section either side of the joist, and insert a new piece of pipe. I guess I'm looking for a bit of reassurance that the repair I've made will last.

[Stelf]

Hi Jim
On second thoughts I think your repair should be OK provided the section of pipe has been soldered completetly to the made up fitting. Copper soldered properly to copper is almost impossible to prize apart without a blow torch so I would just leave it. I reckon you will get away with it, you might even have invented a new fitting.
Best wishes.

[swidders]

Well, to state the obvious, it may or may not hold.

If it were me, I'd be tempted to go to either a scrap metal merchant who may have a small offcut for a couple of quid or ask any old plumber who may be knocking around who may have a bit in the backof his van.

You only need a few inches of the stuff. Then I'd get a straight connector and a slip ring and replace the section just to be sure.

If you did decide to invest in the full 3m length, then you would get a proportion of your outlay trading it into a scrap metal dealer, which would be better than nothing.

Better safe than sorry with these things.

[Steve the gas]

Tricky repair you made there, keep an eye on it.
I hope it lasts but I wouldn't hold my breath.

[Jim A]

Thanks Stelf - is a slip coupler the same thing as an end feed coupler?.

[htg engineer]

It not the recommended way or the most common way of repairing the leak. So can't really give re-assurance the repair will last.

But if it's lasted a few days, then you've obviously sealed it well so there's no reason why it should fail - it may last for a few weeks/months or the rest of the systems life.

htg

[Stelf]

Hi Jim
No , a slip coupling is slightly different in that it has no internal stops which means the coupling can be slid completely on to one pipe end then offered up to the other pipe end and slipped over to centralize. Then solder as per a conventional coupling. I note not many on here think your repair will last. Hmm, would be interesting to put it to the test, but that's your choice. Would I let it be if it was my pipe? That's also interesting but then I wouldn't have done it in the first place. I get the feeling that you will replace it but it isn't a big job so good luck whatever you decide.
Best wishes

[swidders]

Ref: stelf and the slip ring/coupling.

This is an end feed and is basically a straight connector which hasn't got the indentation half way down which prevents the pipe going beyond this point. Without this, you can slip the coupling completely onto the pipe so the pipe goes through it entirely, then you can put the other pipe in place without having to try and force a gap between the pipes, which is hard at the best of times, yet alone on 28mm. Then slip/slide the coupling back over the join ans sweat it in as usual.

For some reason, these couplings can be a lot dearer that you might think, especially since they take less machining to engineer. You could get an ordinary endfeed straight coupling and spend a pleasant 10-15 mins with a small round file rubbing off the central indentation internally - have done this a few times in the past when on jobs.

Good luck

[Jim A]

htg engineer, shelf, swidders & steve the gas..............Thanks to all of you for your helpful comments and advice. I'm going to cut out the damaged section, and insert a new piece of pipe using a couple of slip couplers. Thanks again!