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Plastic 3/4” service entrance on a brass adapter

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GW
GW Member Posts: 5,065

this one weirded me out-

DPW killed the line at the curb. I didn’t want to touch this plastic to brass adapter. I’ve never seen this- they normally have a small “pinch screw” and a compression style fitting

so I cut the copper and spun the old valve off. But it was tight! Putting muscle and leverage on it meant a slight twisting affect on the plastic. It wasn’t stable

I Spun the new valve on and the assembly didn’t pop off, hopefully it stays. Filling a basement with water seems like a bad day

This was a small adder job, we installed a new heat pump system.

anyone seen this style of fitting?

IMG_8660.jpeg IMG_8682.jpeg
Gary Wilson
Wilson Services, Inc
Northampton, MA
gary@wilsonph.com

Comments

  • Mad Dog_2
    Mad Dog_2 Member Posts: 8,267

    Flare union...used all the in NYC & Long Island services, BUT I've never seen it used on ANY type of plastic piping or tubing...Mad Dog

  • Mad Dog_2
    Mad Dog_2 Member Posts: 8,267

    If you're nervous, rod it together to the system.piping. mad Dog

  • GW
    GW Member Posts: 5,065

    so I’m not nuts? That’s a little sketchy? 😀

    Gary Wilson
    Wilson Services, Inc
    Northampton, MA
    gary@wilsonph.com
    Mad Dog_2
  • pedmec
    pedmec Member Posts: 1,231

    See them all over the place in Boston area. Not on plastic but on copper only. Why is that service in plastic?

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 25,347

    It sure looks like a flare fitting.

    You can flare some PE tube. Often that service water piping is the thicker wall 160 psi version in a CTS (copper tube size) OD.

    The yellow PE gas piping takes a flare fitting also.

    Screenshot 2025-06-21 at 9.11.53 AM.png
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    GW
  • GW
    GW Member Posts: 5,065

    Plastic is semi common, but the connection is odd. The guy that originally installed this "may" know something I don't

    Gary Wilson
    Wilson Services, Inc
    Northampton, MA
    gary@wilsonph.com
  • GW
    GW Member Posts: 5,065

    @hot_rod That makes me feel less queasy.

    Gary Wilson
    Wilson Services, Inc
    Northampton, MA
    gary@wilsonph.com
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 25,347

    Hard to tell from the pic, it could be the Ford Grip Joint fitting. The nut looks similar to a flare nut. It has a bronze gripper ring inside. That would be more common than a plastic flare, which requires the flare tool shown above.,

    For plastic I prefer the fitting with the extra "gripper" collar on the outside, bottom of the pages.

    My home has a black PE plastic water line with a regular copper crimp ring!

    Screenshot 2025-06-21 at 11.14.19 AM.png Screenshot 2025-06-21 at 11.11.59 AM.png
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    GW
  • GW
    GW Member Posts: 5,065
    edited June 21

    HotRod now i can sleep😊

    Yes, my house too, the crimp ring

    Gary Wilson
    Wilson Services, Inc
    Northampton, MA
    gary@wilsonph.com
    CLamb
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 13,500

    Looks like the bigger issue is someone sliding something across the floor and not paying attention shearing the pe right off flush with the floor. You could shear copper off too but it would be a lot more difficult.

    GW
  • GW
    GW Member Posts: 5,065

    yes, the 'shear' would be a little easier to get out of jail it seems. The 'pop' is what rattles me.

    Gary Wilson
    Wilson Services, Inc
    Northampton, MA
    gary@wilsonph.com
    mattmia2
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 13,500

    a fusion welded socket fitting is probably the only thing that would be as strong as the pipe. a long brass barb fitting that has to be installed with heat is unlikely to fail catastrophically but may seep.

    GW
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,851

    I've seen the water company here use poly with a flare joint that was made for copper. The guy used a torch and a normal hammer flare tool and slowly flared the plastic.

    I couldn't believe it but he did it and it worked.

    I took it as another one of those "you're not supposed to but it works". You could tell it wasn't his first time doing it either, looked like he's done it hundreds or thousands of times.

    Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.

    GW
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 13,500

    you have to heat pe to use barb fittings, not sure that flaring it that way would be much different other than overtightening could shear the flare off.

    GW
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 18,240

    This is the same tool @hot_rod posted. Says for 160psi water service tubing.

    GW
  • GW
    GW Member Posts: 5,065

    if it wasn’t for this nice HP job, I would not have touched the valve. I told the guy a 100 bucks, maybe that’s why I got the sweet heat pump job- no one else wanted to touch it.

    Another natural Gas to full Electric

    IMG_8672.jpeg IMG_8648.jpeg
    Gary Wilson
    Wilson Services, Inc
    Northampton, MA
    gary@wilsonph.com
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 18,240

    Nice Job! Is Bosch on R-454B or R-32?

    GW
  • ratio
    ratio Member Posts: 4,066

    You must get a lot of snow.

    GW
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,851

    It also helps keep it out of the weeds, grass blowing and dogs peeing.

    Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.

    GWGGross
  • GW
    GW Member Posts: 5,065
    Gary Wilson
    Wilson Services, Inc
    Northampton, MA
    gary@wilsonph.com
  • GW
    GW Member Posts: 5,065

    yes it’s tall, I think it’s 15.75”

    MassSave has some rules on height- yet their rules have changed twice in the last several years

    this was custom made- we have about 30 of these stands out there

    the Next batch will be a few inches shorter

    Gary Wilson
    Wilson Services, Inc
    Northampton, MA
    gary@wilsonph.com
  • 109A_5
    109A_5 Member Posts: 2,483

    This has me curious. Is it now blocked (DIRECTLY BELOW) ? Obsolete, or actually not directly below ? Is putting placards like this on residential dwellings common in some areas ?

    image.png
    National - U.S. Gas Boiler 45+ Years Old
    Steam 300 SQ. FT. - EDR 347
    One Pipe System
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 18,240
    edited June 22

    MA requires a sign over the vent pipe. A Child was killed on Cape Cod some years ago when the vent pipe was blocked by snow….this is the result.

    We (in MA) are also required to put labels on the air intake and flue outlet on condensing furnaces and boilers, The pipe has to me marked with labels along its entire length.

    Apparently some HO or Plumber cut into a flue or intake and thought it was a sewer drain or vent.

    MA is way over regulated, no common sense

  • GW
    GW Member Posts: 5,065

    yes we yanked the gas furnace but not the sign. There is a gas power vent wh still there though

    Gary Wilson
    Wilson Services, Inc
    Northampton, MA
    gary@wilsonph.com
  • CTETeach
    CTETeach Member Posts: 19

    We call them Ranger fittings the connect plastic to another type of pipe

    GW