I've had a couple of quotes for a replacement central heating / hot water system and interestingly it seems like some people prefer copper piping and others plastic.

To my laymans mind, copper should = durable + last longer but I guess plastic should keep the heat in better.

What do I need to know about the pros / cons of each? Do you have any preference?

a mix of both is what we use , we run plastic under the floors because it's much quicker .

a mix of both is what we use , we run plastic under the floors because it's much quicker .

We only use copper in our developments, plastic in my experience was not very good.

plastic is great ... mice love it . :)

most of the new comers use plastic...

ask any plumber if they have plastic in there house i bet non of them have :) i certainly dont.

Copper is better; Bigger bore and better flow. Plastic can make jobs easier, and get you out of trouble. It also lets you get to places where only a Gynacologist could get before.

In my opinion, copper & traditional joints, plastic as a last resort.

Chris.

PS. Like John, there's no plastic in my house.

Underfloor plastic has far less joints,also it is much quieter as it has fewer expansion creaks ,noise,but never run it direct to the boiler, a lot of manufactures state that copper must be used for connection to the appliance. visually plastic when hot goes out of shape and looks like a d i y job You can tell the standard of the fix if pipes are not clipped correctly i use plastic underfloor ,not where you can see it

Since we had a new central heating system put in (with a mix of plastic and copper) the most noticable difference has been how quiet it is, no more creeking when the central heating comes on, I much prefer it as it is now.

if a notch is cut correctly and air felt is used on each joint .. as it should be !!

It wont creak.

but yes plastic is quieter.,.and faster.. and to be honest i have never had a problem with it .. never had a fitting go or pipe rub through..... but i just dont trust a rubber O ring and stainless grab ring against a soldered copper fitting.

call me old fashioned. :)

if a notch is cut correctly and air felt is used on each joint .. as it should be !!

It wont creak.

but yes plastic is quieter.,.and faster.. and to be honest i have never had a problem with it .. never had a fitting go or pipe rub through..... but i just dont trust a rubber O ring and stainless grab ring against a soldered copper fitting.

call me old fashioned. :)
OK, your old fashioned:hihi:

i asked for that .. :)

yep, i think there was a queue but i was at the front :-)

if a notch is cut correctly and air felt is used on each joint .. as it should be !!

It wont creak.

but yes plastic is quieter.,.and faster.. and to be honest i have never had a problem with it .. never had a fitting go or pipe rub through..... but i just dont trust a rubber O ring and stainless grab ring against a soldered copper fitting.

call me old fashioned. :)

"Old fashioned???" I've only just weighed in my last lead stick !!
just call me old ! :hihi:

One thing that always amuses me though is, all this piping and clipping and soldering and nuts and olives and iso's etc etc. Then someone comes along to stick washing machine or dishwasher in with a length of rubber hose, two three quarter crappy fittings with rubber washers......... hand tight....mains pressure... no leaks... Robert's yer father's brother. Makes yer feel quite humble.:|

As a DIYer I use plastic pipes and fittings, because:

1) I learnt all my swear words from my Dad doing plumbing with soldered joints when I was a youngster, and I don't want to share those words with my neighbours :o

2) plastic is great ... mice love it . :) If mice are going to eat anything under my floorboards, I'd rather them eat pipes than wires :cool:

3) Given my track record I'd be likely to burn the house down while trying to solder joints... :hihi:

4) For me, they're a lot easier...

Interesting comments folks - cheers for that.
I'm afraid I'm one of those old-before-my-time-traditionalists, so will probably opt for copper.

I have used plastic for one or two DIY jobs and it certainly is a lot easier.As regards durability ect. my static caravan has all the plumbing in plastic and is now 10 yrs old,installed when manufacturers first started using plastic,and has never been a problem.I can understand plumbers saying it's crap because a monkey can install it blindfold thus taking a lot of work off them.

I have used plastic for one or two DIY jobs and it certainly is a lot easier.As regards durability ect. my static caravan has all the plumbing in plastic and is now 10 yrs old,installed when manufacturers first started using plastic,and has never been a problem.I can understand plumbers saying it's crap because a monkey can install it blindfold thus taking a lot of work off them.

not really... they are both as easy but copper takes longer so the cost of an install is more. if an engineer uses plastic obviously the overall price is cheaper ie: cheaper materials and quicker install time.

the answer is in the question..... which do you prefer copper or plastic.

the answer is i prefer copper, nothing to do with the profit side of it.

sorry to disappoint .. not all plumbers are after your last pound of flesh . :)

i had some copper piping replaced as it was too noisy under sanded floorboards.

the plastic piping is quieter but you can still hear it when the heating initially kicks in.

i'm a bit disappointed really but perhaps this is a noise you can never completely eradicate if you don't have carpet to muffle it.

I've had a couple of quotes for a replacement central heating / hot water system and interestingly it seems like some people prefer copper piping and others plastic.

To my laymans mind, copper should = durable + last longer but I guess plastic should keep the heat in better.

What do I need to know about the pros / cons of each? Do you have any preference?

I think copper piping is better, plastic handling is slow - and you might find yourself with poor flow of hot water (Like that episode Kramer got mad :hihi: )

id say copper every time

i thought this was going to be an amusing youtube video. Disappointed, i was.

i had some copper piping replaced as it was too noisy under sanded floorboards.

the plastic piping is quieter but you can still hear it when the heating initially kicks in.

i'm a bit disappointed really but perhaps this is a noise you can never completely eradicate if you don't have carpet to muffle it.

try lagging it . or air felt between joists.
the noise can only be air in the system maybe the pipework is like a rollacoaster under there. :)

I use both, all depends on the job and access. I have no preference. If it's installed right should be no problems.

On the job I am on now I found a leak on an old copper joint due to the joint not being wiped clean of flux, bad practice but it shows copper is not infallible.

On the plastic front I only use John Guest Speedfit.

John, I hope aren't going to rip out all my plastic on that new boiler fit. :D

gulp..... only if its within 18 inch of the heating outlet. :)

gulp..... only if its within 18 inch of the heating outlet. :)

:D Should be ok then. :help: :D