Plumbing Metrication - Simple Irish Solution.

[TheSignalEngineer]

When metrication was imposed on us, all sorts of things changed by annoying small amounts. One was plumbing fittings where the old half inch piping was replaced by 15mm.

 

I was recently helping my son with some work at his house in Ireland. They seem to have hit on a nice simple solution over there. KeAll of the fittings were the same size as before marked 14.7mm instead of half inch. Metrication at low cost?

[skipepsi]

I would have thought half inch would have been closer to 12.7 mm?

[Guest]

Half inch was the inside bore of the pipe , then there's the pipe wall thickness to take it to 14.7mm

[Worsdell forever]

A sheet of plywood is still 8' x 4', it's just labelled 2440mm x 1220mm...they have got thinner though, what was 3/8" (about 10mm) in now 9mm and 1/2" is 12mm.

[melmerby]

A sheet of plywood is still 8' x 4', it's just labelled 2440mm x 1220mm...they have got thinner though, what was 3/8" (about 10mm) in now 9mm

Some is down to 8mm! (How to make more profit and fool the mugs customers)

 

This seems to be from China rather than Malaysia as it used to be.

 

Keith

[melmerby]

When metrication was imposed on us, all sorts of things changed by annoying small amounts. One was plumbing fittings where the old half inch piping was replaced by 15mm.

 

I was recently helping my son with some work at his house in Ireland. They seem to have hit on a nice simple solution over there. KeAll of the fittings were the same size as before marked 14.7mm instead of half inch. Metrication at low cost?

In the UK I thought that all that changed was the olive in compression fittings - somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

The pipe wall thickness was reduced and the new size was 15mm outside diameter.

You used to be able to still get 1/2" olives if you wanted to join 15mm to 1/2" pipe.

 

Keith

[chris p bacon]

In the UK I thought that all that changed was the olive in compression fittings - somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

The pipe wall thickness was reduced and the new size was 15mm outside diameter.

You used to be able to still get 1/2" olives if you wanted to join 15mm to 1/2" pipe.

 

Keith

 

You may have done, now you can get either a solder or compression fitting to join the 2 together.

Although depending on the area it is not that common to find imperial pipework , where we are in Bedfordshire a common compaint is "pinholes" in the tube where it is eaten away meaning that lots of pipework over 30 years old has been replaced.

 

Timber is still sold in imperial measurements for length 1.8m (6') 2.1m (7') 2.4m (8') etc although with structural grading and regularising what was 6"x2" rough sawn for example is not 150mmx50mm it is 145 X 45.

[Debs.]

In the UK I thought that all that changed was the olive in compression fittings - somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

The pipe wall thickness was reduced and the new size was 15mm outside diameter.

You used to be able to still get 1/2" olives if you wanted to join 15mm to 1/2" pipe.

 

Keith

 

Anyone remember the stainless-steel pipe and fittings produced during the copper crisis in the 60`s?.....they seemed neither metric or imperial compatible, and were an absolute pig to work with!

[jcm@gwr]

The difference between 1/2" and 15mm is almost non-existant, AFAIA there is no need for an olive change.

Also the push-fit fittings are not a problem on either. The problem does occur between 3/4" and 22mm pipes

[ again the measurements are int. & ext.] and you do need, and can get, a special olive and special fittings

in both push-fit and end-feed [solder joints]. The next size up is 1" ~ 28mm [see above] and I don't think that

it's a problem with these, [it's late and I'm tired!]

Cheers, Jeff

[jcm@gwr]

P.S. we still use BSP [british Standard Pipe] threads though!, and sometimes BSPF [Fine] depending

on the application.

Jeff

[BR60103]

When Canada metricated, there was supposed to be a 2-step process. First, we would use the same containers and sizes but they would be described in metric (454 g of butter). This was called soft metrication. Then the container sizes would be changed to round metric measurements (1 kg of butter). This was called hard metrication.

Right now, some things are available in round metric sizes but others come in sizes that have no relation to anything.

 

My wonder is how lumber is sized as our old 2x4 was only 1 3/4 x 3 1/2 (or so). (WW2 economy)

[Dagworth]

My wonder is how lumber is sized as our old 2x4 was only 1 3/4 x 3 1/2 (or so). (WW2 economy)

Planed timber is sold in the size it was cut before it was planed.

 

Andi

[lakeview770]

I cant remember if it was decimalization or metrification but one of my first visits to the uk many years ago I heard a DJ on a morning radio show talking about an old lady had written in complaining and wished they had waited until the old people had died before changing failing to realize that there would then be another generation of old people

[PhilJ W]

Plywood has been in metric thickness's for many years. My grandfather (born 1894) was a cabinet maker. Amongst his tools was a routing plane that his father had given him when he began his apprenticeship in 1908 that came with a set of metric blades for cutting grooves for plywood, and that plane was not new. The machinery for mass producing plywood was first made about 1890 and much of it was produced in Scandinavia where the metric system was the norm but the biggest customer was the UK which resulted in the thickness being measured in metric and the sheet sizes in imperial.

[spamcan61]

When Canada metricated, there was supposed to be a 2-step process. First, we would use the same containers and sizes but they would be described in metric (454 g of butter). This was called soft metrication. Then the container sizes would be changed to round metric measurements (1 kg of butter). This was called hard metrication.

Right now, some things are available in round metric sizes but others come in sizes that have no relation to anything.

 

My wonder is how lumber is sized as our old 2x4 was only 1 3/4 x 3 1/2 (or so). (WW2 economy)

 

The UK has been in the 'soft metrication' state for many years now; I think alcohol in pubs is about the only good that can be sold legally in imperial measures, everything else has to be sold by metric quantity, irrespective of actual measures, e.g. timber as already pointed out. Milk seems to be a complete mixture these days with both 'hard' metric (e.g. 500ml) and 'soft' metric quantities available.

[SHMD]

Some of my, very old plumbing, looks like 15mm compression but i cant get the 'new' 15mm Nut and Olive onto the pipe.

 

It's not just old paint and some rubbing down thats required but something like 0.75mm needs to be taken off.

In the end I took a piece off and turned it down to 15.0mm on my lathe!

(It's amazing how thick the walls are on the old pipe compared to the modern stuff - more than twice as thick I would say.)

 

This 1 hour job then took all day with the misses constantly, (and helpfully), asking when can she have the water back.

 

Kev.

 

(Now I have a drip on the other side of the ancient compression 'T' peice and I don't know what to do about it. It's sort of glued into the 'T' piece.)

[jcm@gwr]

The 'glue' is probably just some plumbers paste [linseed based possibly] that has dried out.

IMHO the easiest thing to do is use a blowtorch and heat it before trying to undo the joint,

[after draining the water of course], once undone, clean off the gunge and [if there is no

damageto pipe or olive] smear some LSX [leak sealing slicone] around the fitting and re-

tighten. This works 95-99% of the time and is a long term fix as well.

Good luck. Jeff

[SHMD]

Cheers for that.

I've already bought a soldering mat as, (as is usual), it's in a really tight place surrounded by wood.

 

Never heard of LSX. Is it available in the UK?

 

Kev.

[Debs.]

.......looks like 15mm compression but i cant get the 'new' 15mm Nut and Olive onto the pipe.

........something like 0.75mm needs to be taken off.

 

That`s what I found was the case with the 1960`s stainless pipe and fittings; way-too big for insertion into any brass olives or fittings.....a mating with them, only possible after hours with the 'emery'; and then only to find the copper/brass olives were too soft to make a seal on the fully-hard S/S pipe; nightmare!

[Pannier Tank]

 

Never heard of LSX. Is it available in the UK?

 

Kev.

Certainly is, many Plumbers Merchants, B&Q etc

[Bernard Lamb]

 

Anyone remember the stainless-steel pipe and fittings produced during the copper crisis in the 60`s?.....they seemed neither metric or imperial compatible, and were an absolute pig to work with!

 

Oh yes.

I "inherited" a load from "a large company involved in the photographic business".

When a pipe froze it did not burst on thawing. It just ejected the joint like a bullet from a gun.

There was a dent in the garage door for ever after.

It was eventually all replaced when it was time for a new boiler.

Bernard

[melmerby]

 

The UK has been in the 'soft metrication' state for many years now; I think alcohol in pubs is about the only good that can be sold legally in imperial measures,

Only the draught beer. Wine and spirits are in metric measurements, as is most bottled beer - 275*/330/500ml are the most common sizes. You can't even serve continental draught beer in metric (AFAIK). *275ml is pretty close to 1/2 pint though (1 pint = 568ml)

 

There is a Frankfurt German Christmas market in Birmingham and all beer (even in German glasses) is imperial.

 

Keith

[spamcan61]

Only the draught beer.

Keith

 

I couldn't remember if spirits were still sold in fractions of a Gill, or ml, long time since I bought any in a pub! Come to think of it a 'standard' glass of wine is 275ml IIRC. So just the draught beer then..........mmmmmmmmmmmmm............beer.

[Paul Cram]

I remember going to a wood merchants and asking for a six foot length of timber. "Its all in metres now" says the guy. "Ok Ill have 2 metres then. How much is that?" "45 pence a foot" says he.