Renovating or upgrading a bathroom suite often provides installers with numerous practical challenges. Lee Halstead, Technical Sales Engineer at RWC, explains some of the benefits of push-fit solutions.
While the installation or upgrade of a bathroom suite can be an exciting, yet disruptive, time for homeowners, most installers would agree the process is not always as straightforward as many might expect.
One of the main factors is obviously time pressure, especially in smaller homes with fewer alternative bathrooms and toilets. Most homeowners remain in their houses – so keeping disruption to a minimum is vital. Alongside these swift turnarounds, all new bathroom fittings need to align with the aesthetics of any new and existing design. They also need to be safe and reliable – as well as be small and flexible enough to fit in tight and uneven spaces.
Easily available to every installer, the plastic push-fit fitting is a small game-changing innovation that was invented for high-end compressed air applications in the 1970s. RWC’s John Guest push-fit solutions are now used across the world, having revolutionised multiple industries, including plumbing and heating.
Today, the JG Speedfit name, associated with the plastic push-fit concept and part of the RWC family of brands, has been at the centre of the plumbing and heating industry’s rapid transformation over the last few decades, as installations have generally become more efficient, reliable, and secure.
And, on top of the wide variety of plastic push-fit fittings, tap connectors, service and check valves from JG Speedfit, the RWC family of brands also features SharkBite – the brass push-fit solutions plumbers across the world have grown to trust and rely on.
Here are four main reasons that illustrate why push-fit fittings are useful in helping installers during bathroom projects.
Easier installation
Push-fit solutions are quick and easy to install. The principle of the push-fit fitting is simple. As the name suggests, installers push the fitting onto a pipe, which locks it into place. And with most connectors of this kind, the collet is just pushed towards the fitting to then remove the pipe if needed.
In comparison to traditional installation methods such as press-fit, compression and soldering, push-fit technology can cut installation time by up to 40%, as it doesn’t require any specialist tools, equipment or heavy duty safety gear (for when installations involve open flames and fumes).
Junior installers also have the ability to install push-fit which gives more experienced installers the ability to focus on other aspects of the job that require more knowledge – this subsequently helps offset some of the challenges associated with the current skills gap within the construction industry.
This all ensures less risk of disruption during the project and eventual lower labour costs for homeowners on their final bill – without any compromise on installation quality, reliability and safety.
In addition, ease of installation also translates into ease of maintenance, meaning future repairs or adjustments are more trouble-free and much more cost-efficient due to the demountable features of the push-fit concept.
Aesthetic flexibility
With RWC’s JG Speedfit (plastic) and SharkBite (metal) push-fit solutions available in different sizes and materials, they can be fitted hidden from sight or blended into open-plan designs: for instance, to create a more industrial look or adding extra interior design elements when fitted in a loft space. And RWC’s brass SharkBite push-fit solutions are well suited to provide for the latter.
The major benefit of this wide range of aesthetic options is that it gives installers much more flexibility to satisfy even the most elaborate needs of bathroom customers.
As well as matching seamlessly into different designs and layouts, push-fit solutions can facilitate tidier and more compact pipework, freeing up building space. Equally, the ease of reconfiguring pipework means it can accommodate new pipes, valves, and fittings to meet changing requirements.
Small spaces
Push-fit solutions are compact and require less space when installed than other fittings. Whatever the size and dimensions of the bathroom suite involved, these solutions can fit almost any space – which can be extremely beneficial in very tight rooms, corners and complicated layouts.
This is particularly relevant for retrofit projects in cramped spaces that installers may find difficult to either access or work within.
Enhanced long-term safety
Installers often find themselves working on old legacy systems, with the challenges of not complying with current regulations and potentially even being dangerous. Many of these were actually state-of-the-art systems when first installed but are now completely obsolete and need replacing.
Push-fit solutions are a safe and long-term reliable solution. Constructed from plastic or brass, push-fit parts are also corrosion resistant which helps ensure a longer service life. Most importantly, they are almost entirely leak proof, reducing the risk of costly water damage, which would mean higher energy and repair costs for the homeowners.
Leaks waste valuable water and corrode and destroy plumbing systems, causing damage to property and personal belongings, often leading to equipment failure and the need for replacement. Push-fit fittings can help solve this problem quickly and easily, saving unnecessary waste and expense. For example, JG Speedfit’s precision engineered multi-seal technology is designed to ensure reliable, leak-free connections.
Push-fit solutions also simplify pipework and enable other water saving devices to be easily added onto the system – for example, double check and shut-off valves. These help prevent water contamination and can isolate water supplies so that localised repairs can be undertaken without having to drain off an entire system.
For example, JG Speedfit fittings have been extensively researched and rigorously tested and are manufactured to the very highest standards and specifications. Though easy to remove when necessary, the likelihood is that they won’t need replacing during the lifespan of a building. In fact, many JG Speedfit fittings come with long guarantees, in most cases up to 50 years.
