Push in plumbing fittings.

[vacbag]

I have a 2010 Autoquest 115 and on my first trip out last year i had a water leak from a push in plumbing fitting under the oven.
I replaced the fitting and all was well until this year when i refilled the water system after the winter and then i had no less than 3 leaking fittings.
When i drained down last Autumn i was very carefull and even blew water out of the pipes so i know it was not frost damage.
I have now changed all the fittings for what seem better quality.
I wonder if anyone else has experienced the same problem.
Steve.

 

[Gooney]

I have a 2010 Autoquest 115 and on my first trip out last year i had a water leak from a push in plumbing fitting under the oven.
I replaced the fitting and all was well until this year when i refilled the water system after the winter and then i had no less than 3 leaking fittings.
When i drained down last Autumn i was very carefull and even blew water out of the pipes so i know it was not frost damage.
I have now changed all the fittings for what seem better quality.
I wonder if anyone else has experienced the same problem.
Steve.

I think you must have been just unlucky Steve, I have a 2010 Autoquest 120 and no problems with the plumbing, in fact very few problems at all which is remarkable for a new vehicle.:thumb:

 

[yorkshirepudding]

I have used these fittings in a domestic situation for many years and had no problems. They are however sensitive to being cut cleanly and square.

 

[bobandjanie]

Hi Steve :welcome: to Fun. :thumb:

Maybe you have a duff lot of fittings, never had that problem. But freezing would cause them to push off, but if it was drained down it should have been OK.:thumb:

Might be an idea to try over wintering in Spain, then you would not have to drain the system, and it should be OK.

Hope your sorted now. :thumb: Bob and Jane.

 

[wkdtroll]

We had a push fitting come off during the winter causing extensive flooding and £3000 of damage - rubbish!!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[buttons]

We had a push fitting come off during the winter causing extensive flooding and £3000 of damage - rubbish!!

Probably if the fitting hadn't have come off during the winter then you would have had a burst pipe, the same would apply to any frozen pipe. I would find it impossible to pull off a plastic fitting once locked in place.:thumb:

 

[sealski]

Sorry to hear your plight, but unfortunately, it does appear to be a problem with Elddis Vans.

We have just purchased a brand new Elddis Autoquest 145 (Marquis Spec) at the end of March and on the two trips, the push fit connections behind the oven have failed causing a small flood. On the first occasion Marquis just pushed the pipes back in. The second time the push fits were changed to Whale one's, because in their opinion the ones used by Elddis were sub-standard.

 

[Barclaybasher]

Probably if the fitting hadn't have come off during the winter then you would have had a burst pipe, the same would apply to any frozen pipe. I would find it impossible to pull off a plastic fitting once locked in place.:thumb:

I've used hundreds of these myself and the only time they failed was if they weren't fitted properly.

 

[TheBig1]

These fittings work perfectly when installed correctly, but unfortunately many production line staff dont know how.

In the instruction leaflet given out by some manufacturers, it makes the process clear for plastic pipes. First cut the pipe off square and remove any burs or plastic swarth. next slightly roughen the first 25mm of the pipe to allow a good grip. Insert the pipe into the fitting and it will hold automatically

Dont forget though that the fittings used in the motorhome industry are only low pressure capable by design. This allows the pipes to push fittings off when frozen preventing major damage. It is therefore best practice to inspect the pipework before refilling after a winter drain down

 

[lorger]

We have an elddis 130 and no problems with ours

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Gromett]

I have a self build. I have used the high quality John Guest push fittings and no problems at all. The only leaks I have is where the non John Guest parts connect to the push fit parts of the van. I have just spent £200 buying new taps and dump valves with push fit connections to stop all those pesky leaks.

High quality push fit fittings are brilliant in my view. I am sure there must be el cheapo manufacturers out there and maybe you got a bad batch from them in your van.

 

[Busterbulldog]

John Guest speedfit shouldnt give you any grief and are more than capable of withstanding freezing conditions.Ive run a plumbing and heating business over 20yrs.When i bought our bungalow i took down a conservatory,this was about 9 yrs ago,i capped of the hot and cold water pipes with speedfit,they are outside and exposed,i decided to leave them as a test to see how long they lasted,theyre exposed to sun ,snow ice whatever and are still there.What more can you ask? Only advice is cut with the proper tol...not a hacksaw and always use the inserts

 

[abforfun]

I have a 2010 Autoquest 115 and on my first trip out last year i had a water leak from a push in plumbing fitting under the oven.
I replaced the fitting and all was well until this year when i refilled the water system after the winter and then i had no less than 3 leaking fittings.
When i drained down last Autumn i was very carefull and even blew water out of the pipes so i know it was not frost damage.
I have now changed all the fittings for what seem better quality.
I wonder if anyone else has experienced the same problem.
Steve.

are you putting the inserts into the pipe

 

[Gromett]

John Guest speedfit shouldnt give you any grief and are more than capable of withstanding freezing conditions.Ive run a plumbing and heating business over 20yrs.When i bought our bungalow i took down a conservatory,this was about 9 yrs ago,i capped of the hot and cold water pipes with speedfit,they are outside and exposed,i decided to leave them as a test to see how long they lasted,theyre exposed to sun ,snow ice whatever and are still there.What more can you ask? Only advice is cut with the proper tol...not a hacksaw and always use the inserts

The cutting tool was expensive for what it is but boy has it come in useful....

Inserts? I didn't use any inserts. Do you have any info on these please?

 

[Barclaybasher]

The cutting tool was expensive for what it is but boy has it come in useful....

Inserts? I didn't use any inserts. Do you have any info on these please?

John Guest push fit need inserts only if you use plastic pipes, not on copper

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[TheBig1]

I wasnt aware that inserts are available for pipes under 15mm, as the wall thickness plus insert would restrict the flow. motorhomes generally have 12mm pipe and fittings from memory

 

[Gromett]

I wasnt aware that inserts are available for pipes under 15mm, as the wall thickness plus insert would restrict the flow. motorhomes generally have 12mm pipe and fittings from memory

Ah that explains it. I used 12mm pipes. They are seriously rigid so wouldn't need the inserts.