# Qualpex vs Copper piping?



## TH1 (1 May 2007)

I moved the hotpress in my house 2 years ago... the guy who did it did a totally botch job and now it needs to be re-done as it is unsafe. I have received a number of quotes for this but also a lot of confusing advice.

He used qualpex everywhere in the hotpress and around the cylinder instead of copper. One plumber said it should all be copper another that qualpex was better insulated than copper and would be better in a hotpress.

Should it be qualpex or copper? Does it matter? Are there any specific building regulations around which should be used and where?

I really don't want to throw good money after bad!


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## Carpenter (1 May 2007)

You can check out the specific requirements with regard to the use of Qualpex with boilers and hot water storage vessels on their website.  To sum it up I would say all pipework connected to a boiler of hot storage vessel should be in copper, at least up to 1m from the connection point with the cylinder/ boiler; thereafter Qualpex is fine.  Copper has got extremely expensive which is why you'll find that it is used less often in domestic builds, but in a situation where appearance and neatness is also important it is very hard to beat copper, which is and always will be the premier material for plumbing.


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## galwaytt (1 May 2007)

Carpenter, you're nearly right - you should use copper for 1m from the boiler.   It's not necessary for there to be copper anywhere else, including the cylinder connection (which is usually a 1/2 mile away anyway.... )

Personally, I don't like copper.  It's expensive, restrictive in terms of lengths available, and requires way too many fittings (one every 6m), and isn't suited to pressure systems due to pressure wave issues and their effect on the connections.

I personally prefer Hep2O (know amongst plumbers as 'acorn'), but would put Qualpex 2nd and copper...........in the bin. 

What exactly is 'botch' that makes it unsafe ?


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## TH1 (1 May 2007)

Thanks for the response folks.

He put a valve on the expansion pipe... that was the biggest 'crime', Not sure if all the Qualpex piping is correctly connected plus the heating no longer works as it once did... numerous building regulations were ignored apparently.


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## Carpenter (2 May 2007)

galwaytt said:


> Carpenter, you're nearly right - you should use copper for 1m from the boiler. It's not necessary for there to be copper anywhere else, including the cylinder connection (which is usually a 1/2 mile away anyway.... )
> 
> Personally, I don't like copper. It's expensive, restrictive in terms of lengths available, and requires way too many fittings (one every 6m), and isn't suited to pressure systems due to pressure wave issues and their effect on the connections.
> 
> I personally prefer Hep2O (know amongst plumbers as 'acorn'), but would put Qualpex 2nd and copper...........in the bin.


 
I'd still prefer to see copper connections on a storage cylinder, it does store hot water (60 deg. Celsius or more) after all and it does look better and neater than plastic.  Plastic is great for long runs, fishing through confined spaces, joist etc but when plumbing in fittings (sanitary ware etc) it's copper for me.  Plastic is best for central heating pipework, granted, where continuous lengths are best.


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## galwaytt (2 May 2007)

Carpenter - that quite doesn't make sense..........the water in the cylinder is the same as that leaving the cylinder, so there's no need to differentiate between one and the other, and the temp is way, way below the performance of the piping.  

As for the pipe I use - http://www.hep2o.co.uk/ - it's rated up to 90 deg continuous, and 100 deg overtemp, and has min design life of 50 years.   This imho, is in excess of the performance of copper piping.

Aesthetically, copper can look better, and Qualpex sometimes doesn't look great, I'll agree.  But that's why I use the Hep2O too, it has much less memory, and will stay straight.   I've got a good pic at home of an install in an ensuite which I'll try and post up, tomorrow.

There's also another advantage - lime doesn't stick to Hep2O, whereas copper.......well, you know that already......


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## Setanta12 (27 Oct 2012)

Resurrecting an old thread .... ...

Can 'speedfit' piping replace copper piping within 1 metre of the Hot Water Cylinder ?


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## Leo (30 Oct 2012)

From the IAB [broken link removed]:



> Qual-PEX pipe should not be connected directly to a
> boiler or similar heat source. It is important to ensure
> that such a connection is made with a minimum of
> one metre length of copper pipe. Qual-PEX pipe can
> be joined to this.


 
See also QPL's technical brochure.
Leo


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## bstop (30 Oct 2012)

A hot water cylinder is a storage vessel. It may have an electric immersion but this is protected by two thermostats. There is no regulation preventing pex pipe directly connecting to a hot water cylinder.


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## Setanta12 (30 Oct 2012)

How about Speedfit ?


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## therosey (4 Nov 2012)

my hot press is all copper the plumber said its has to be to stop everything from airlocking


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