Dry test kit for water pipes
 

B&Q have a Monument brand or make 'Dry test kit' (£34.98). There are
no visible instructions, but appears to be a 4bar pressure gauge, with
a push fit(?) connection to 15mm tube(?) in the base plus a schrader
valve in the side.

Has anyone used one? If so, a quick how-to-use run through would be
appreciated + whether it does a good job + value for money.

Immediate queries on inspection were (1) what is the exact connection
type in the base? (2) how do you pump up the pressure - is a tyre pump
sufficient or do you need a 'proper' pump? (3) If a leak did show up,
how easy is it to pin point the failed joint?

If it is OK, then are any alternatives worth a look?

TIA

Dry test kit for water pipes
 

On Mon, 31 Jul 2006 14:23:35 -0700, ironer wrote:

B&Q have a Monument brand or make 'Dry test kit' (£34.98). There are
no visible instructions, but appears to be a 4bar pressure gauge, with
a push fit(?) connection to 15mm tube(?) in the base plus a schrader
valve in the side.

Has anyone used one? If so, a quick how-to-use run through would be
appreciated + whether it does a good job + value for money.

Immediate queries on inspection were (1) what is the exact connection
type in the base? (2) how do you pump up the pressure - is a tyre pump
sufficient or do you need a 'proper' pump? (3) If a leak did show up,
how easy is it to pin point the failed joint?

If it is OK, then are any alternatives worth a look?

DIY!!

Pressure gauge from BES about £5, requires 1/4" BSPFemale-to-something
adapter, plus various speedfit bits & bobs to connect to pipework and
something to pump it up. I use a garden spray pump (which I've adapted to
15mm for putting inhibitor in CH systems but makes an OK air pump too)
but a car tyre valve and car tyre inflator (stirrup pump or electric with
suitable power supply) would enable you to test to higher pressures.

Dry test kit for water pipes
 

In article . com,
"ironer" writes:
B&Q have a Monument brand or make 'Dry test kit' (£34.98). There are

I bought one for much less than this. Can't recall where from,
possibly screwfix, but it was some years ago.

no visible instructions, but appears to be a 4bar pressure gauge, with
a push fit(?) connection to 15mm tube(?) in the base plus a schrader
valve in the side.
Has anyone used one? If so, a quick how-to-use run through would be

Yes -- I pressure tested each section of my heating system
before letting water anywhere near it.

appreciated + whether it does a good job + value for money.

Excellent.

Immediate queries on inspection were (1) what is the exact connection
type in the base?

There are different types. Mine is pushfit.

(2) how do you pump up the pressure - is a tyre pump
sufficient or do you need a 'proper' pump?

I used a plunger (detonator) type bicycle pump.
It takes a lot of effort to pump up a couple of large
radiators to 2 bar though. For pipework alone, it's no
problem. Beware that you are storing large amounts of
energy in the system, and if some part is going to fail,
it could to so explosively. (I was temped to release a
pushfit endcap from such a system -- it bounced off
every wall, ceiling, and floor in the room at least
twice before slowing down enough to be visible, and I
was temporarily deafened by the noise. You wouldn't
want this to happen to a brass pipe fitting which you
hadn't tightened up enough;-)

(3) If a leak did show up,
how easy is it to pin point the failed joint?

Buy a can of gas leak detector spray, such as LD90.
Spray this on the joints, and it will grow a large clump
of cuckoo spit at any leak. The air, being much less
viscous than water, will leak out much faster than
water would. So you can be sure that if it's air-tight,
it will certainly be water-tight.

--
Andrew Gabriel

Dry test kit for water pipes
 

ironer wrote:
B&Q have a Monument brand or make 'Dry test kit' (£34.98). There are
no visible instructions, but appears to be a 4bar pressure gauge, with
a push fit(?) connection to 15mm tube(?) in the base plus a schrader
valve in the side.

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=A335539&ts=84963&id=10179
presumably?

Has anyone used one? If so, a quick how-to-use run through would be
appreciated + whether it does a good job + value for money.

I've never tried pumping up a system with air for testing, having been
put off a bit by the risk of explosive failure due to the enormous
amount of stored energy (in fact, as described by Andrew Gabriel earlier!)

My choice is
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=A335539&ts=85150&id=82412
coupled with a pushfit adaptor; total cost about 13 quid - does the same
job as the first one except there's no Schraeder valve for introducing
air, so it's a wet-only test.

David

Dry test kit for water pipes
 

"ironer" wrote in message
ups.com...
B&Q have a Monument brand or make 'Dry test kit' (£34.98). There are
no visible instructions, but appears to be a 4bar pressure gauge, with
a push fit(?) connection to 15mm tube(?) in the base plus a schrader
valve in the side.

Has anyone used one? If so, a quick how-to-use run through would be
appreciated + whether it does a good job + value for money.

Immediate queries on inspection were (1) what is the exact connection
type in the base? (2) how do you pump up the pressure - is a tyre pump
sufficient or do you need a 'proper' pump? (3) If a leak did show up,
how easy is it to pin point the failed joint?

If it is OK, then are any alternatives worth a look?

TIA


I bought and used one on a couple of pipes - glad I did despite the cost. It
just pushes onto a 15mm pipe and pump it with a car foot pump or similar.
You don't need much pressure. Leave it for a while and see if the pressure
is drifting downwards. If you have much of a leak you will not be able to
pressurise it much anyway.

Dry test kit for water pipes
 

hzatph wrote:
"ironer" wrote in message
ups.com...
B&Q have a Monument brand or make 'Dry test kit' (£34.98). There are
no visible instructions, but appears to be a 4bar pressure gauge, with
a push fit(?) connection to 15mm tube(?) in the base plus a schrader
valve in the side.

Has anyone used one? If so, a quick how-to-use run through would be
appreciated + whether it does a good job + value for money.

Immediate queries on inspection were (1) what is the exact connection
type in the base? (2) how do you pump up the pressure - is a tyre pump
sufficient or do you need a 'proper' pump? (3) If a leak did show up,
how easy is it to pin point the failed joint?

If it is OK, then are any alternatives worth a look?

TIA


I bought and used one on a couple of pipes - glad I did despite the cost. It
just pushes onto a 15mm pipe and pump it with a car foot pump or similar.
You don't need much pressure. Leave it for a while and see if the pressure
is drifting downwards. If you have much of a leak you will not be able to
pressurise it much anyway.


I am not sure how efficient it would be. Some years ago I installed a
central heating boiler in a different location to the original one. I
filled with water, ran the pump and found no leaks. I then heated the
water. Oh dear me, I had forgotten to solder (I know, I know) one of the
joints, by the time it had heated enough to melt the flux it was a steam
bath, luckily only in the utility room!