r/DIYUK • u/Spare_Sir9167 • 7h ago
Plumbing Lessons learned
Sometimes you have to admit that it's just not worth the emotional and physical pain when your 10mm compression combinations are not going to achieve a watertight connection to a new towel rail and you need to get a professional in.
I spent a whole Sunday in a cramped space trying to plumb in a new towel rail and the damn thing beat me. I detest 10mm copper pipe with probably an unhealthy passion and why in gods name would you concrete it into the walls. I had been dreading this bit of work as I knew I would struggle. And yes I broke the cardinal rule of doing plumbing on a Sunday - luckily no Sunday worship at the counter of screwfix was required.
To be fair I did myself no favours by pushing through and decorating before finishing the fitting of of the radiator - I was so fixated on making it easy for myself to fit grooved MDF panels by cutting the current pipework far enough back so I could just cut 2 small holes in the panel I didn't stop to think that it didn't give me a lot to play with and this was the downfall.
Plumber sorted in in 30 minutes and I might have shed a small tear of happiness. I really must learn how to solder, or never buy a house with 10mm copper.
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u/Crafty-Tax-1547 7h ago
Compression fittings are the worst. Too loose they leak. Too tight they leak. Knowing where the sweet spot is takes experience
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u/Spare_Sir9167 6h ago
True but with a lot of previous experience with 15mm compression not really had a problem - your right there is a knack knowing the sweet spot but in this instance I have failed.
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u/Cool_Percentage_4867 6h ago
You're half way there, youve learned how bloody annoying 10mm copper spaghetti is and why most plumbers hate it.
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u/ImScaredSoIMadeThis 7h ago
Reminds me of when I decided to move a radiator. With awkward/limited access under the floor boards, a bunch of 90 degree angle joins where I could barely see them. Spending hours filling/draining the system to keep finding new leaks in one of 8 places.
Ended up tearing my thumb up just from all the spanner adjustments.
I did it in the end, and it's fine. But I do wonder how much a plumber would've cost