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#4558
Been at a job where one radiator had stopped working.
15mm Hep pipe below floor is blocked with magnetite.
Seems strange that the system is mainly copper pipes and yet this plastic pipe is blocked nearly solid.
Some rads are done in 8mm copper, others in 15mm copper and very little in plastic.
I can't clear the blockage using a stiff wire.
I know the I.D. is smaller on plastic compared with copper, but does plastic pipe block easier for other reasons?
Going to be replacing pipe tomorrow, so will check if the original is barrier pipe
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#4559
Just finished replacing the blocked plastic 15mm flow pipe to the radiator.
The original is not barrier pipe!! :roll:
Entire length of pipe full bore was clogged in black gunge.
Going to be problems now with system as some of same plastic pipes are below hardwood floors and up to some rads.
Think a builders 'plumber' did the work years ago.
By SimonG
#4560
Certainly does.

Customer wanted new dining room radiator. 2000 x 600 dc.
Stripped out the old one.
Banged in the new one.
Opened the valves and filled the rad.
Wouldn't get warm.
Cust told me then that was one of the reasons they had wanted a new one.
Nothing out of the return.
Floor boards up.
Grey plastic pipe laid on the earth.
Took plastic pipe cutters and sliced straight through it.
Blocked solid.
Repiped in copper.
Sorted.
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#4561
SimonG wrote:
February 14th, 2018, 6:41 pm
Certainly does.

Customer wanted new dining room radiator. 2000 x 600 dc.
Stripped out the old one.
Banged in the new one.
Opened the valves and filled the rad.
Wouldn't get warm.
Cust told me then that was one of the reasons they had wanted a new one.
Nothing out of the return.
Floor boards up.
Grey plastic pipe laid on the earth.
Took plastic pipe cutters and sliced straight through it.
Blocked solid.
Repiped in copper.
Sorted.
Do you know why on your job the plastic pipe was blocked?
Was it also the non barrier plastic pipe?
The more I see plastic plumbing, the more I dislike it.
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#4563
SimonG wrote:
February 14th, 2018, 8:53 pm
Low point of the system and not barrier.
Previous occupier had a leak and ripped out the copper and replaced with a 3m length of plastic poop. Might as well have used hosepipe.
Sounds similar to the job I was at.
It was ground floor, one of the last rads and teed off the 22mm copper f&r with 15mm plastic and these are dipped down below wooden floors, basically thrown in.
I have no experience with non barrier pipe problems and only knew it causes air ingress to heating systems, but never have come across it before incorrectly installed on a heating system, or it blocking.
I always thought that barrier pipe was the only choice, so to do any job, whether heating or cold & hot supplies, rather than risk mistakenly using non barrier on heating.
This job I fixed is clearly diy type plumber working for a builder bodge.

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