philmac water fittings

vanderbadger

I find these a godsend normally when dealing with water pipes around the farm but have noticed during the frost in the last 2 winters thats their T fittngs seem to be weak, at least 4 T piece fittings all inside a shed have gone over the last 2 winters, they seem to develope a pin hole right at the 90 degree angle under the T, it seems like ice accumalates there but they always seem to go inthe same spot, anyone else notice this or did I just get a bad batch, I saw similar Irish fittings at the ploughing called gripmax but our local coop stock the philmac ones

5live

Cant sat i noticed that with the philmac fittings but i am in the process of changing over to the new fittings as they free better in the frost due to no restriction in the bore i found out this year

rliston

Its happened with a few in the sheds here as well, I originally put it down to old fittings but 2 were only put in during the summer

Muckit

Yes I've found this in one of the tees I used overground outside.

I much prefer them to the copper fittings.

It does seem now though that they are susceptable to frost damage when exposed:rolleyes: Ah well...

Bitten & Hisses

One of mine (a 1/2" tee) has just developed a pinhole. Like Vanderbadger, it developed the pinhole right at the tee-piece. This is a fitting which was installed in 2007 and is the first one which has failed.

vanderbadger

ya they are fierce handy but bloody expensive, its a bit crap about T going though

Joey the lips

The agent in ireland for Philmac fittings is based in cork. For the life of me i cannot think of his company name(Prob philmac) but his brother runs company in sync with him called EPH Controls. The sales lad for philmac i think his name is barry.

I would ring eph and get the barrys number and talk to him about this problem. He takes pride in his job so he would be interested.

I was a distributor for philmac which is why i am letting you know..

Thanks

cjpm

Joey the lips wrote: »

The agent in ireland for Philmac fittings is based in cork. For the life of me i cannot think of his company name

South Coast Sales.



I've installed a load of these over the years. Both over and under the ground. I hope to god they don't start leaking now!! I'd be very pissed off, they are an expensive fitting.

dar31

have been using these for a long time now, and find them very good. only had one elbow that developed a pin hole leak. at time i had problems with some of the taps, but generally if i sent back the leaking tap they would replace it for a new one.
if people are having trouble with they id contact south coast sales, esp if it is more than a once off incident, they are a very professional outfit.

snowman707

if you have fittings that get frost damaged or similar, no need to throw away, a pea size amount of EP-200 Epoxy putty will repair it

thetiredfarmer

I agree that the "T" fittings are definitly not up to the job during winter,but has anyone noticed the Taps/gate valves are really below par when they have been used on a regular basis.They start by leaking at the screw that holds on the twist handle and then basically refuse to stop the flow of water no matter which way they are twisted.At €17-€20 each they should be a whole better.

milkprofit

South coast sales 021 4346143 agents for philmac
great co
new philmac good but expensive
Have not had problems in 10 years but never had frost like this

kboc

i used these, very handy. easiest fittings i've used

http://www.plasson.co.uk

vanderbadger

kboc wrote: »

i used these, very handy. easiest fittings i've used

http://www.plasson.co.uk

just bought one of these the other day, havent fitted it yet though, 26 euro for a 1\2" regular guage tap fitting..crazy money

kboc

vanderbadger wrote: »

just bought one of these the other day, havent fitted it yet though, 26 euro for a 1\2" regular guage tap fitting..crazy money

still Rip Off Ireland so. Bought these in the North, far cheaper than that. I bought some of those taps aswell, £13 i think. T joints, 90's etc £2 or £3.

vanderbadger

kboc wrote: »

still Rip Off Ireland so. Bought these in the North, far cheaper than that. I bought some of those taps aswell, £13 i think. T joints, 90's etc £2 or £3.

ya its annoying alright, no recession when it comes to buying stuff like that! still i cant face messing with those copper fittings, nothing worse than putting in a new copper fitting, tightening everything up, turn back and the water and drip drip :rolleyes:

BeeDI

Copper fittings on half inch heavy gauge hydrodare seldom if ever leak unless you are particularly mechanically challenged. Now the half normal guage ****e should never be let in the gate of any farm. Copper fittings on it are a disaster.

barryoc1

I had the same problem with 2 tees in a shed leaking after the frost thawed. And about a week between one and then the other. And they were the Philmac ones.

milkprofit

Wher did you buy them Have they an e mail adress

vanderbadger

lads just to update this, i mailed philmac at the time, they passed the mail onto the rep from cork mentioned earlier who contacted me, he is to put a more local rep onot me in the new year so will let ye know if anything comes of it, lost a few more tees in the last freeeze also

milkprofit

can you send e mail adress or no where bought cheaper

vanderbadger

just to update, rep was passing the other evening so met him, showed me the new type philmac fittings without inserts and gave me a few to replace the old leaking ones. nice to get a response so happy out

Muckit

vanderbadger wrote: »

just to update, rep was passing the other evening so met him, showed me the new type philmac fittings without inserts and gave me a few to replace the old leaking ones. nice to get a response so happy out

No inserts...hmmm.... sounds much simpler.

I've a good few old ones, but would be interested to see new ones

aidanki

kboc wrote: »

still Rip Off Ireland so. Bought these in the North, far cheaper than that. I bought some of those taps aswell, £13 i think. T joints, 90's etc £2 or £3.

how do you get them apart if they are simply push in?

can you reuse them like you can the other philimac plastic ones

aidanki

this is an ideal purchase to be made online, small and light so no excessive shipping cost and size shouldn't be an issue as all pipes are the same size

anyone got any links?

X1R

http://www.philmac.com.au/Product/Product/ProductRange.aspx?r=44

These fittings are a god send.
They changed them because at every fitting on the old system the pipe size was being reduced and effecting the flow rate.
They have just raised their prices to as a result of the price of oil, but they are still the best fitting out there.
STAY AWAY FROM GRIPMAX !!!!!!!
JC

AtillaTheHun

any opinions on weather the new type philmac's will be leaky?
seems like you'd want to be very accurate about cutting the pipe straight and the lay of the pipe would want to be true to intended fittings angle.

I'am probably too suspicious.
I liked the reliablity of the old types
but i do like the fact that you don't have to turn the water off to do a repair with the new types.:)

vanderbadger

the thing with the new fittings apparently is that you have to squeeze them up whereas the old ones you could get away with tightening by hand

keep going

also they dont like old pipe any little scratch and they will leak great for flow rates though

dar31

keep going wrote: »

also they dont like old pipe any little scratch and they will leak great for flow rates though

ya pipes really do need to be clean, takes a little getting used to, but they are handier in the end.

red inserts for the old ones are getting harder to get, some places have them hid behind the counter. make sure you have enough for what fittings you have in stock.

bob charles

using the new fittings for the last few years up to 50mm pipe and up to 3 bar and not having issues as yet

cjpm

bob charles wrote: »

using the new fittings for the last few years up to 50mm pipe and up to 3 bar and not having issues as yet

Using them as well have a 3/4 fitting at 4 bar and no problem. However have to tighten them with a wrench, hand tight is no good. I don't like the way they compress the pipe though.

glenofthetown

God send my a**.
Have you tried putting them on an old line where the pipe is weathered?
They dont seal.

X1R wrote: »

http://www.philmac.com.au/Product/Product/ProductRange.aspx?r=44

These fittings are a god send.
They changed them because at every fitting on the old system the pipe size was being reduced and effecting the flow rate.
They have just raised their prices to as a result of the price of oil, but they are still the best fitting out there.
STAY AWAY FROM GRIPMAX !!!!!!!
JC

glenofthetown

www.gripmax.ie list of all stockists.
50% cheaper than leading brand, it has the insert system we used without problems for years (guranteed seal). WHY DID Philmac CHANGE? Take a look online and see what UK farmers and OZ farmers pay for fittings. We are being taken for a ride. I thought we had enough of it!!! speak up to your COOP managers. Let them know we wont stand for it!!!


Designed for LDPE Hydrodare. Philmac push fit is designed for MDPE which has a much harder pipe material and less likely to notch/scratch.

vanderbadger wrote: »

I find these a godsend normally when dealing with water pipes around the farm but have noticed during the frost in the last 2 winters thats their T fittngs seem to be weak, at least 4 T piece fittings all inside a shed have gone over the last 2 winters, they seem to develope a pin hole right at the 90 degree angle under the T, it seems like ice accumalates there but they always seem to go inthe same spot, anyone else notice this or did I just get a bad batch, I saw similar Irish fittings at the ploughing called gripmax but our local coop stock the philmac ones

reilig

glenofthetown wrote: »

www.gripmax.ie list of all stockists.
50% cheaper than leading brand, it has the insert system we used without problems for years (guranteed seal). WHY DID Philmac CHANGE? Take a look online and see what UK farmers and OZ farmers pay for fittings. We are being taken for a ride. I thought we had enough of it!!! speak up to your COOP managers. Let them know we wont stand for it!!!


Designed for LDPE Hydrodare. Philmac push fit is designed for MDPE which has a much harder pipe material and less likely to notch/scratch.

Have to agree with XR1, stay away from the gripmax. Have some of them on the farm, but the majority have already been replaced. They get very brittle over time and can crack and leak. After last year's cold snap where everything froze, the gripmax fittings were the first to give way.

Muckit

3/4" philmac tap. Field type water trough with standard ball cock.

Is there a quick and handy way that I can connect these up temporaily so I don't have to fill with a bucket!?

Thanks

vanderbadger

Muckit wrote: »

3/4" philmac tap. Field type water trough with standard ball cock.

Is there a quick and handy way that I can connect these up temporaily so I don't have to fill with a bucket!?

Thanks

why do you need the tap, why not remove tap, if pipe is 3/4 get philmac reducer and connect to your 1/2" ballcock

Muckit

vanderbadger wrote: »

why do you need the tap, why not remove tap, if pipe is 3/4 get philmac reducer and connect to your 1/2" ballcock

I want the tap.:p

This is just a temp thing as I've divided up a slatted pen.

If you unscrew the hydrodare from the tap, this will not screw directly onto a 3/4" straight fitting so I can use a reducer on other side like you said. Likewise if you screw off the tip of tap, you can't screw on a fitting.

Frustrating :mad: You'd think philmac would have designed their fittings for such bol**x acting!

vanderbadger

Muckit wrote: »

I want the tap.:p

This is just a temp thing as I've divided up a slatted pen.

If you unscrew the hydrodare from the tap, this will not screw directly onto a 3/4" straight fitting so I can use a reducer on other side like you said. Likewise if you screw off the tip of tap, you can't screw on a fitting.

Frustrating :mad: You'd think philmac would have designed their fittings for such bol**x acting!

ok can you move back the pipe from the tap itself , cut the pipe and stick on a philmac T piece, run a new short run of pipe to your trough leaving the tap intact, you may need a reducer on the T if you need 1/2 " for trough

Muckit

vanderbadger wrote: »

ok can you move back the pipe from the tap itself , cut the pipe and stick on a philmac T piece, run a new short run of pipe to your trough leaving the tap intact, you may need a reducer on the T if you need 1/2 " for trough

Yes I get ya.... and what do I do after I've finished with trough? :rolleyes: Can you get a blanking cap for the T off?

vanderbadger

Muckit wrote: »

Yes I get ya.... and what do I do after I've finished with trough? :rolleyes: Can you get a blanking cap for the T off?

you can, is it the cost of the T piece thats worrying you :rolleyes:

sheafield

Muckit,
Your 3/4" tap has a 1" bsp thread on its end. Screw off the nut and tail and ask
In your local store for a 1" female Philmac straight( in plumbing speak a 1" 312). Also get a 1" by 1/2" recucing insert. Pop the reducer into the fitting and screw fitting onto the tap. If garden hose you'll prob need to ask for a red liner to stiffen the wall of the hose to allow fitting to seal. If standard pipe it'll seal up and you can connect it to your trough as normal. Pm me if still in trouble!!

Muckit

vanderbadger wrote: »

you can, is it the cost of the T piece thats worrying you :rolleyes:

No not really. I always have an old mineral bucket full of fittings It was just frustrating the other eveing that with even with all I had, I couldn't do what would seem appear to be a simple job!

vanderbadger

Muckit wrote: »

No not really. I always have an old mineral bucket full of fittings It was just frustrating the other eveing that with even with all I had, I couldn't do what would seem appear to be a simple job!

have used the stoppers before, they are handy little yokes

Muckit

sheafield wrote: »

Muckit,
Your 3/4" tap has a 1" bsp thread on its end. Screw off the nut and tail and ask
In your local store for a 1" female Philmac straight( in plumbing speak a 1" 312). Also get a 1" by 1/2" recucing insert. Pop the reducer into the fitting and screw fitting onto the tap. If garden hose you'll prob need to ask for a red liner to stiffen the wall of the hose to allow fitting to seal. If standard pipe it'll seal up and you can connect it to your trough as normal. Pm me if still in trouble!!

Thanks sheafield



Am I understanding you correctly. If I screw off the black collar, it'I screw onto a 1" fitting? Or are you taking about plumbing off the other brass threaded bit?

Muckit

vanderbadger wrote: »

have used the stoppers before, they are handy little yokes

Thanks Vander. I'I have to add a few stoppers to my bucket of tricks!

sheafield

Muckit,
Thought you wanted to leave actual tap on the wall. The black tap thats screwed into the brass bracket in the above picture? I'm suggesting removing the silver part at the end of the tap, this way you can turn
On and off the connection to the trough when u need to.?!
The thread under the black nut in that picture will only take Philmac threads!

Muckit

sheafield wrote: »

Muckit,
Thought you wanted to leave actual tap on the wall. The black tap thats screwed into the brass bracket in the above picture? I'm suggesting removing the silver part at the end of the tap, this way you can turn
On and off the connection to the trough when u need to.?!
The thread under the black nut in that picture will only take Philmac threads!

This the tap. I had got a cheap 'hozelock type' tip and screwed it on in place of the silver one, but it wouldn't take the pressure, so I managed to get the proper one (€5.95 as opposed to €2 for other sh*t one). Using garden hose and have another 1/2" hozelock fitting using the white insert to attach to ballcock.

What were you suggesting to attach? Was it a brass fitting or a philmac fitting? Can you google and get a pic for me?

grange mac

Lads, puttin in a new 3/4 water pipe to replace the 1/2 pipe, will Need alot of joiners, tees etc...rang the place in cork yest and said go to coop...wont sell to public...coop are charging €10 for a 3/4 to 1/2 reducer. €1.50 for replacment heavy guage inserts...anyone know where they can be got reasonable, or anyone have a number for that philmac rep?? and not the LADY IN THE OFFICE!!

Oh yeah, any of ye know it it is possible to buy fast fill ball valves and not the whole trough..

cjpm

grange mac wrote: »

Lads, puttin in a new 3/4 water pipe to replace the 1/2 pipe, will Need alot of joiners, tees etc...rang the place in cork yest and said go to coop...wont sell to public...coop are charging €10 for a 3/4 to 1/2 reducer. €1.50 for replacment heavy guage inserts...anyone know where they can be got reasonable, or anyone have a number for that philmac rep?? and not the LADY IN THE OFFICE!!

Oh yeah, any of ye know it it is possible to buy fast fill ball valves and not the whole trough..

Dairygold carry the fast fill valves.

South Coast Sales will sell to you if you call to the trade counter. They are located 2 mins away from the Sarsfield Road roundabout in Cork.

I wouldn't bother ringing, had the same experiance as you.

P.S. If you are putting in the pipe for dairy cows i'd suggest 1" instead of 3/4".

grange mac

CJPM thanks for that,

I think I know where they are. Do you know if there is a big difference in price as have about 1000m piping to do so alot of tee's reducers tapos and joiners required, for my expensive Angus and Charlaois bullocks.