Plastic gas pipe to boiler!

There's not enough pressure in a gas pipe to blow the joints apart even if the solder's melted. It could come apart if the house fell down, etc of course.
There's still lead gas pipe in many houses, by the gas and electric meters. 327°.
Lead isn't flammable, tbh I don't know if/how much the plastic pipe is - I suppose it is. I might try a bit.
I don't think the autoignition temperature is helpful, it won't burn in a pipe with no air. Then you need to heat a volume of gas in air - a ciggy won't light it.

If we'd only just discovered gas reserves, I wonder if we'd be thinking it would be ok at all to pipe the stuff into houses.
I think I'd ban it. Burn it to make leccy, capture the carbon at site (bloody hard though).
 
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Plastic pipe doesn't corrode.
Regarding natural gas being switched to hydrogen gas on network.
I thought hydrogen gas is corrosive, so all the network has to be switched to plastic pipe?
New gas boilers have a switch inside ready for the swap if it ever comes
 
Harry Bloomfield said:
I was of course discussing the melting point of the soldered joints in copper around 350 - 380C. The copper will not melt until around 1000C - plastic becomes soft and weak, around 100 to 200C.
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averge temp of house fire far exceeds the melting point of solder and the autoignition temp of methene. So how does your logic of "low temperature" work? Are you quare?
 
old duffer said:
averge temp of house fire far exceeds the melting point of solder and the autoignition temp of methene. So how does your logic of "low temperature" work? Are you quare?
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Plastic pipe has a much lower melting point, along its entire length, whereas the copper has a low melting point only at it exposed soldered joints. The risk in a fire, is therefore much less.

Plastic gas pipe is fine in low risk from heat of a fire area, such as the ground, but inside buildings the risk of fire is greatly increased.

You are not allowed to use plastic pipe indoors for gas, why do you suppose that might be?

No I am not quare, are you?
 
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old duffer said:
i've seen the use of plastic pipes everywhere now. such disregard for safety.
There is a street near my home where they are replacing the old gas pipe network into old properties and they are using plastic instead of iron...and this is the gas network installer....shocking
I also pass a stretch where they are replacing the water main (iron) and again they are using plastic.
How can this be allowed...and by the so called experts... !
shocking
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Old Duffers wouldn’t understand the benefits of plastic v Iron.
Durability has to encompass thermal expansion and movement. Cast iron was never very good at this.
Plastic is fairly corrosion proof and is happy to move a little if necessary.
I know which I would trust at minus 20C
 
jeff the gasman said:
Old Duffers wouldn’t understand the benefits of plastic v Iron.
Durability has to encompass thermal expansion and movement. Cast iron was never very good at this.
Plastic is fairly corrosion proof and is happy to move a little if necessary.
I know which I would trust at minus 20C
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Correct.
Plastic pipe is much better than anything else for many services in many many situations than anything else.

Likewise, boiler tails are better in metal for obvious reasons.

Nothing is perfect.
 
BlueLoo said:
Correct.
Plastic pipe is much better than anything else for many services in many many situations than anything else.

Likewise, boiler tails are better in metal for obvious reasons.

Nothing is perfect.
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There are rules for boiler tails to prevent rupture on excess pressure/temperature.
If followed, good as any material. Especially in a fire.
 
Justin Passing said:
There's not enough pressure in a gas pipe to blow the joints apart even if the solder's melted. It could come apart if the house fell down, etc of course.
There's still lead gas pipe in many houses, by the gas and electric meters. 327°.
Lead isn't flammable, tbh I don't know if/how much the plastic pipe is - I suppose it is. I might try a bit.
I don't think the autoignition temperature is helpful, it won't burn in a pipe with no air. Then you need to heat a volume of gas in air - a ciggy won't light it.

If we'd only just discovered gas reserves, I wonder if we'd be thinking it would be ok at all to pipe the stuff into houses.
I think I'd ban it. Burn it to make leccy, capture the carbon at site (bloody hard though).
Click to expand...
You don’t know much about gas do you mate? Have you tried the woodwork section of the site?
Do you know about melting points?
They’re not an issue until you have something out of control such as a fire. The temperatures achieved in a fire will melt copper. Around 1200 c iirc. Safety is foremost in every gas installers mind when fitting anything. Unless he’s a dipstick!
 
jeff the gasman said:
You don’t know much about gas do you mate? Have you tried the woodwork section of the site?
Do you know about melting points?
They’re not an issue until you have something out of control such as a fire. The temperatures achieved in a fire will melt copper. Around 1200 c iirc. Safety is foremost in every gas installers mind when fitting anything. Unless he’s a dipstick!
Click to expand...
Yes, I know a fair bit, though I've forgotten some. ACOPS was a while ago.
You though - have you thought about sticking to the gardening section of the site??
I see you haven't contradicted anything in what you quoted. Because there's nothing wrong.
Melting points? Melting point of leaded of unleaded and unleaded solders I can tell you, but the point is they're much that same as lead which I gave you. Copper I remember since forever is 1084° C.
1200?? That would be just about melting cast iron. What??? Find puddles of the stuff in house fires do you?
You're on at ME about melting points?
The problem recognised with plastic pipe for gas was particularly due to electrical faults causing local heat and sparks, often close to other services. Not so much about houses burning down and that rupturing the pipe. A ciggy won't ingnite gas but a spark at over 709° will.

Gas men are no more safety conscious that any other manual worker with a couple of weeks "training", except to cover their backsides.
Stop digging, mate unless you're up your allotment - and that'll keep you out of people's houses, possibly a good thing.
 
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jeff the gasman said:
Old Duffers wouldn’t understand the benefits of plastic v Iron.
Durability has to encompass thermal expansion and movement. Cast iron was never very good at this.
Plastic is fairly corrosion proof and is happy to move a little if necessary.
I know which I would trust at minus 20C
Click to expand...
whilst i was being facetious I had to laugh at your "thermal expansion theory". Is molecular physics a thing with plumbers now? LOL
 
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