harryagain wrote
Andy Burns wrote
F Murtz wrote

Do British plumbers use silver solder (copper silver phosphor alloy)for
joining copper pipe in the uk

IANAP, but I'll answer anyway; for water, gas, and heating in domestic
installations it would be unheard of to use silver solder.

If using copper, a "real" plumber would be more likely to use end-feed
solder fittings, rather than "yorkshire" solder-ring fittings.

There has been a rise in plastic pipe with push fittings, for ease of use
by amateur plumbers and for speed of installation on lower-end new
builds. These have probably displaced use of compression fittings by
amateurs.

There are also copper push-fit fittings for use on copper pipe, I can't
see a real plumber using those except to avoid redecoration on existing
installations, an amateur could use them to avoid soldering if working on
an existing copper installation.

Leaving apart specialised installations (refrigeration, oxygen supplies
etc) What advantages does silver solder have for domestic use?

You loaded your question (are they stuck with the old fashioned
methods) so I'll load my answer - I suspect it's a job protection measure
pushed into legislature by industry bodies to keep Joe Bloggs from DIYing
his own plumbing ...

You are right in your last remark.

Nope. Yorkshire fittings are perfectly legal.

There is a whole wadge of legislation in Oz to prevent DIY in just about
everything.

Bull****. Just electrical wiring, plumbing and gas.

Lead based solders in the UK are not allowed for potable water but are
still widely used for central heating and could be used for hot water.

I think electronics also has to be lead free also now.

Probably lead based solder will disappear altogether in the near future.

Not a chance.

I think the replacement is mostly zinc.

You're wrong, as always.