Is anyone familiar with these pipe fittings please?

Vintage_Potter

Vintage_Potter

Joined
Jun 30, 2022
Posts
68
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Location
Odd Rode, UK
Funster No
89,598
MH
Adria Matrix 670 SL
Exp
Newbie 2022 (previously towed a sleurhut [NL])
Good afternoon (evening) funsters. First time away in our motorhome (2019 Adria Matrix) today since November. Arrived on site, blue sky, bright sun, full of the joys of something like Spring. Electric hooked up, fresh water filled to 25%, Truma 4e heating switched on and working, hot water taps opened to fill boiler, mug of tea brewed. I then notice water slowly spreading across the floor from the underneath cupboard where the boiler lives. On investigation I eventually find that the water is escaping from a joint the like of which I'm unfamiliar with. There are several in the attached picture, some marked with a type of loose red washer, some with a grey washer, I'm guessing red for hot and grey for cold? The one that leaked is the one at the top of the picture. I've pushed the blue collar tightly back towards the body of the blue fitting (required pliers, I couldn't get it to go back by hand) and refilled and tested the system and I appear to have fixed the problem.

Sorry for the extremely wordy preamble but the reason for boring you all with this tale is that as these types of fittings are new to me (Google suggests they are pneumatic fittings) and I don't know how they actually work I have no confidence that my "fix" will hold. Can anyone enlighten me and give me some idea of how they work please?
20230207_164954.jpg
 
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It would appear from a few recent threads that Adria vans are prone to problems with these couplings. They are called push-fit couplings. To remove you first need to remove the 'C' shaped clip (if fitted). Then push the pipe into the fitting while at the same time push in the collar. While holding the collar depressed pull back on the pipe. I would suggest you replace with John Gest couplings which are more reliable and readily available at numerous outlets.
Geoff

I obviously type too slowly :LOL:
 
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The fittings are just a push fit, to release, from memory the grey collar is removed and the white ring is pushed in, they do have a tendency to come apart easily though, maybe one of your pipes froze with water still in it, forcing the fitting from the pipe.

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Stealaway said:
Like this ?

Quick Fit Fittings for sale | eBay

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Very similar to fittings in the second listing, which as far as I can tell are sold as fittings for diving gear I.e. compressed air/gas type application. But in my van there are several of them on the hot water system. Confusing (for me).
 
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Simply a push fit fitting
Push the pipe in, it passes the jaws and an O ring then a bit more and it comes to a stop.....that's it.
To release it helps to push the pipe and push the ring in together.
Hold the ring in and easy the pipe out.
 
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It's a common problem on Adria's, they are a standard push fit pipe connectors of dubious quality it is best to replace them with JG (John Guest) fittings they are available from all plumbers merchants, Screwfx, B&Q etc.
Leaks are often caused by the pipe being under tension, check there is a bit of slack in the pipework.
If you pull the grey collar out you can release the joint pushing in the white ring, check the pipe isn't scored then push back in firmly it may cure it until you can get some new fittings.
 
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They look very similar to domestic John Guest Speedfit. The key is that the pipe end must be a square cut with no burring so use their own pipe cutter. Push the pipe into the fitting (on domestic white pipes there are lines and arrows to help) the pull back the loose collar and fit the grey circlip.
To disassemble take the circlip out and push the white collar into the fitting and pull out the pipe.
That's the way to do speedfit anyway but not seen these blue fittings

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donkey said:
It would appear from a few recent threads that Adria vans are prone to problems with these couplings. They are called push-fit couplings. To remove you first need to remove the 'C' shaped clip (if fitted). Then push the pipe into the fitting while at the same time push in the collar. While holding the collar depressed pull back on the pipe. I would suggest you replace with John Gest couplings which are more reliable and readily available at numerous outlets.
Geoff

I obviously type too slowly :LOL:
Click to expand...
Thank you Geoff. I'm familiar with push fit couplings but never come acrosd this type before. On these there is no "C" shaped clip just a broad loose (ish) collar but I think that replacing them is definitely something that I will do when I get home from this trip. Access isn't great so I'll have to remove some fixtures and the exhaust from the boiler to do the job.
 
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Lenny HB said:
It's a common problem on Adria's, they are a standard push fit pipe connectors of dubious quality it is best to replace them with JG (John Guest) fittings they are available from all plumbers merchants, Screwfx, B&Q etc.
Leaks are often caused by the pipe being under tension, check there is a bit of slack in the pipework.
If you pull the grey collar out you can release the joint pushing in the white ring, check the pipe isn't scored then push back in firmly it may cure it until you can get some new fittings.
Click to expand...


We used to have a problem using them on water supplies in dental equipment.
I remember our compressed air wholesalers stating that most compressed air fitting are not recommended for use with water.
You would have thought Adria would have been told this by their supplier.
 
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ChrisSue said:
They look very similar to domestic John Guest Speedfit. The key is that the pipe end must be a square cut with no burring so use their own pipe cutter. Push the pipe into the fitting (on domestic white pipes there are lines and arrows to help) the pull back the loose collar and fit the grey circlip.
To disassemble take the circlip out and push the white collar into the fitting and pull out the pipe.
That's the way to do speedfit anyway but not seen these blue fittings
Click to expand...
Thanks Chris (or Sue). I think that I may well have succeeded in getting the pipe back on in my cack-handed way and I'll pray to the motorhome gods that it stays secure and tight for the rest of this trip then look at replacing the lot.
 
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repairer said:
The fittings are just a push fit, to release, from memory the grey collar is removed and the white ring is pushed in, they do have a tendency to come apart easily though, maybe one of your pipes froze with water still in it, forcing the fitting from the pipe.
Click to expand...
Yes I seem to have refitted the pipe ok now. I'd assumed it was push fit but couldn't get the blue collar to go back so pushed it back tight with the pliers. I had drained the van down completely in November then brought it home from storage last Friday to clean it and test everything before today's trip. Everything was fine on Friday but although I drained down again afterwards I must have left a small amount of water in this time. Nothing appears to be damaged thankfully, just that one pipe pushed out and a near-future project inked in the replace these fittings with something I can have more confidence in. Thanks for your help 👍

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Two on Tour said:
The black one is a John Guest push fitting and the blue look like the Whale variety.

This appears to be a common fault with Adria's
Click to expand...
Yes I'm very much getting the impression that they're a common problem. Thanks 👍
 
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Give the pipe a wipe with detergent before insertion, makes it easier to get well past the o'ring.
 
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Your only problem might be, getting 12mm fittings. They only appear to be used in the caravan/motorhome industry.
(if the converters used 15mm, life would be a lot easier.)
 
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L' Hobo said:
Your only problem might be, getting 12mm fittings. They only appear to be used in the caravan/motorhome industry.
(if the converters used 15mm, life would be a lot easier.)
Click to expand...

No problem at all, eBay is awash with them. (y)

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Stealaway said:
I remember our compressed air wholesalers stating that most compressed air fitting are not recommended for use with water.
You would have thought Adria would have been told this by their supplier
Click to expand...
They are not actually compressed air fittings they are Reich Uniquick water pipe fittings. So much for German quality😊
 
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I can personally vouch for the issue, particularly with Adria's. Only this last weekend I had another (yes another) leaking joint adjacent to the boiler. I was going to drain the system down due to the cold weather forcast for this comming week and accidently caught a pipe, and must have delodged a joint. I was able to gain a few inches on the particular pipe which allowed me to cut off 3cm and reinsert into a new elbow which I acquired from John Guest when I had a similar problem a few weeks ago.

I could not believe the state of the pipework and fittings (see images), surely a manufacture the size of Adria could work with a supplier that could manufacture a manifold to save on all the issues caused by so many joins and elbows.

A Pipework.jpg B Pipework.JPG IMG_9851 (002).jpg
 
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DerryW said:
I can personally vouch for the issue, particularly with Adria's. Only this last weekend I had another (yes another) leaking joint adjacent to the boiler. I was going to drain the system down due to the cold weather forcast for this comming week and accidently caught a pipe, and must have delodged a joint. I was able to gain a few inches on the particular pipe which allowed me to cut off 3cm and reinsert into a new elbow which I acquired from John Guest when I had a similar problem a few weeks ago.

I could not believe the state of the pipework and fittings (see images), surely a manufacture the size of Adria could work with a supplier that could manufacture a manifold to save on all the issues caused by so many joins and elbows.

View attachment 714265 View attachment 714266 View attachment 714267
Click to expand...
"surely a manufacture the size of Adria could work with a supplier that could manufacture a manifold to save on all the issues caused by so many joins and elbows."

You'd think so wouldn't you Derry? This is the first thing that's disappointed me about my Adria but if I hadn't failed to drain it down properly last Friday (we've had a couple of very frosty mornings since) it may never have happened.
 
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Vintage_Potter said:
"surely a manufacture the size of Adria could work with a supplier that could manufacture a manifold to save on all the issues caused by so many joins and elbows."

You'd think so wouldn't you Derry? This is the first thing that's disappointed me about my Adria but if I hadn't failed to drain it down properly last Friday (we've had a couple of very frosty mornings since) it may never have happened.
Click to expand...

I still agree with DerryW his pipework is terrible (my DIY work is better) I'm happy I decided to buy a Murvi instead of the Adria.
 
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Adria and water pipes leaking in the same sentence - unbelievable!
There was a water leak in our adria built van at handover.
Just look how many threads on here on the same subject.
 
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