15mm copper pipe or not??

Mpower · Post by **Mpower** » Mon Jul 07, 2014 1:04 am

Had a new combi boiler installed all went well except a slight leak from a compression joint in downstairs toilet,so I gave the joint a tiny nip with the adjustable spanner but after a few days it still leaked.

So today I thought I'd investigate further by removing the leaky compression joint first by turning the water at the stopcock under the kitchen sink but that wouldn't budge so ended up turning water off at the stopcock at the front of the house.

Ok that went well so proceeded to replace the leaky joint in the loo but being a smart arse I'd thought I better install a service valve also before the cistern,cut copper pipe,removed failed compression joint and started to fit service valve.
Tried as I may the service valve nut or olive won't go on the copper pipe, it seems the pipe is not 15mm but some strange size I've never encountered before.

Been trawling the net and also the pages of my copy of screwfix without any ideas,so what am I dealing with here that (house was built in 1965) old copper pipes?

Lee

pcdee · Post by **pcdee** » Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:00 am

Could be lead pipe. ....I had a similar problem at my old house but mine was built in 1955.

Mpower · Post by **Mpower** » Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:59 am

It's definitely copper,the outer diameter is roughly 16mm strange…French maybe as they're 14 and 16mm over there compared to ours 15 & 22mm?

Horizon · Post by **Horizon** » Mon Jul 07, 2014 2:25 pm

If your house was built in 1965 it will have 1/2" copper not 15 mm, you can get conversion fittings, bit mainly in Yorkshie ( soldered fittings ) 1965 is pre metric time, classed as imperial , inches not mm's

storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Mon Jul 07, 2014 9:41 pm

...and metric pipe is the OD (15mm) whereas imperial is the nominal ID (0.5inch)...so what you have is an imperial 0.5 inch pipe with OD 15.875mm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_tubing

Mpower · Post by **Mpower** » Mon Jul 07, 2014 9:54 pm

Great response guys keep it coming need to 150% sure before I go fixing the problem!

Mpower · Post by **Mpower** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:45 am

Weird the pipes are all either 15mm or 22mm in the house?

storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 8:12 pm

[quote="Mpower"]
Weird the pipes are all either 15mm or 22mm in the house?
[/quote]

How do you know?

...you've already found a pipe that is not, there were copper pipes before metric beacme the norm.

Mpower · Post by **Mpower** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 8:24 am

[quote="storminmike"]
[quote="Mpower"]
Weird the pipes are all either 15mm or 22mm in the house?
[/quote]

How do you know?

...you've already found a pipe that is not, there were copper pipes before metric beacme the norm.
[/quote]

Well just had a new combi boiler fitted in loft and all the connections made were either 15/22mm with no problems and kitchen and bathrooms were also refreshed with "new" 2 years again no issues regards to pipe sizes.

It seems the supply to the ultility has a different pipe diameter that's puzzling me ATM!

Been to various plumbers merchants with a piece of copper tubing on the assumption that a 1/2 inch to 15mm adapter will fit but none did?

MrCam · Post by **MrCam** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 10:33 am

Maybe the utility was the old kitchen, it certainly sounds like u have an old imperial pipe there so need an adapter to 15mm

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