plumbing - can I bring supplies from the UK?

[Julie & Steve]

[quote]Is there an existing septic tank or do you have mains drains? Admittance valve is fine but there is also supposed to be a secondary vent for a septic tank (after the tank). Most PVC fittings and pip...[/quote]

Thanks to Charles who wrote ..."is there an existing septic tank or do you have mains drains?"

Main drain comes in, or rather goes out, to the street. At the moment it's just an open ended pipe half way up the the chimney breast. We are now quite 'au fait' with the street's  bathroom habits as we hear every flush go whooshing by.

"....You may need a plumbers merchant to source the Durgo valve."

A what valve? I assume this is another name for the admittance valve? - "Avez vous un Durgo Valve sil vous plait?"  

Steve

[Ex Forum Admin]

Several posts in this thread have been edited, advertising your own goods and services is NOT allowed on this forum.

[chocccie]

LesFlambards - since when did you decide what this forum is for and how it should be used?  And what gives you the right to tell people where they should or should not renovate.

This forum is for exchanging information and experience - if you're not able to do that pleasantly, then perhaps you should refrain from posting replies.   Sometimes it's best to keep one's opinions to oneself, or one risks becoming an irritant.

 

[LesFlamands]

[quote]LesFlambards - since when did you decide what this forum is for and how it should be used? And what gives you the right to tell people where they should or should not renovate. This forum is for exc...[/quote]

I assume you are talking to me. I am quite entitled to my opinion and to express my views here. You may find my views irritating but I am equally irritated endless tribes of Brits. trying to plumb up there house using parts from B&Q. As has been pointed out by a number of posters on this thread French and UK plumbing systems are completely different and, in my opinion, the French system is vastly superior.

If you are going to renovate a property here please take the time to find how it should be done and where to source the materials locally.  

[Mysfloss]

durgo valve= aerateur à membrane there are other names ,but off the top of my head etc, have a look on www.fransbonhomme.fr .Or www.nichol.fr 

[Gyn_Paul]

At the risk of setting Charles off again, the only thing I would recommend you bring from a UK builders merchant is a rubber 100 connector: a neoprene rubber sleeve with jubilee clips on either end. It is sufficiently flexible to allow you to connect between the 100mm plastic waste and the existing earthenware pipe (or even the shattered stump of) I have searched for one of these here for years and never found one yet.

Invaluable!

good luck

paul

[Steven Nixon<P>Many thanks<P><P>Steven Nixon<P><P> <P>]

Well said chocccie, there are many things I admire about the Fench, one of them is how polite they normally are.

I am not such a fan of their DIY plumbing systems. If it's so fantastic why is it a constant source of questions on the DIY Forums, and why do people bring UK plastic pipework with them to France for renovation? It is only useful if you are confident to install it.

Surely the best way to carry out your plumbing in your house, is to use something you are familiar with and enable you to get the job done quickly rather than only using the 'local materials in the local way'. If the rest of the world applied that approach to French cheese, wine and cars where would that leave Les Flumands?

As I am not allowed to advertise a company that will supply you with UK plastic plumbing and connectors for joining it to French pipework in this forum, may I say that the classified section of French Property News makes a great read.

Bye

 

 

 

[Mysfloss]

Thats all very well, until you come to sell the house and the next person,who isn't English, is stuck with a non compatable system.I wonder if this is considered a" vice cachee"and the cost to repair and replace is recouverable through the courts

[La Guerriere]

Moi meme, I always now always use the French stuff for two very good reasons:

a) Half way through a job, there always seems to be SOMETHING you need, and it is easier to get it from your local GSB than catch the ferry back for one compression fitting.

b) I love the way the French copper pipe sizes just stack neatly inside each other. You don't need to buy in-line joints at all ! Just make your own sleeves.

Jim (50 et Oxfordshire)

 

 

[LesFlamands]

Steven Nixon and others have missed my point entirely. the French plumbing systems ( central heating and sanitary) are completely different from the UK. Some of the materials used to install these systems are necessary to allow them to work correctly.

The two posts above give very good reasons for sticking with the French materials.

One house I worked on recently had been renovated by Brits. over several years. The new English owners contacted me to make some changes and improvements. The 6 KW immersion heater could not be used with anything else turned on so the tariff had to be increased. This lead to moving the point of entry of the supply so the meter could be relocated to the barn instead of the kitchen wall. This would need a certificate of Consuel. Of course, the whole house had been wired in Twin and earth and used single pole circuit breakers so the whole place had to be rewired. One thing leads to another and the whole job became very involved incuding changing the hot water cylinder and central heating boiler. Then, to cap it all, when the house was empty last winter with the CH on tickover the cold water storage tank burst and a lot of the 15mm pipe (thinner walled than the French copper) and joints ( soldered) burst in the attic.