Water pipes - metal to metal or ?

[regedit]

Oldish condo - replacing bath with shower screen/box - want to move mixer tap 50cm higher up the wall. The existing piping looks like it is rigid metal pipes. I've no experience of using the rigid metal piping, only used the orange flexible piping (with screw connectors) for hot water and the blue pvc stuff. Do I need to extend the piping with the same rigid metal type or is there a way to connect it to the more flexible/modern orange stuff (or something else ?). Clearly I don't want to rip out all the old pipework, just want to extend the existing pipework from the tap.

Thanks. 

[eyecatcher]

Piping up in steel pipe is not for a diy beginner. Its all been tapped and died on site so a whole new tool kit involved.

 

There are of course plastic to metal connectors which are common for every tap or bum gun connection so you could use one of those IF firstly you are able to get back to your last threaded connection in the wall and secondly (the unlikely one) that the tapped thread is the same as the plastic connector.

 

Chances are itll be your sods law disappointment where you have a metric connector and the old steel is imperial size.

Good luck with that one.

I am also interested to know the answer as we have similar pipes at the business and often dreaded that i would need to do some maintenance.

[regedit]

Thanks...that was my fear... An alternative might be to build forward, ie. remove the tap and connect new piping (non-steel) to the point the existing pipe connects to the tap, then immediately turn 90 degrees up to the new tap location, then box these new pipes in. Might be a bit ugly but at least the taps will be at the right height.

[johng]

The blue PVC threaded connections worked ok with the metal pipework in my place
had to use quite a lot of PTFE tape to get a good watertight seal...you may also find the metal pipework extremely corroded as its only galvanised steel not copper or stainless
so might be worth replacing with plastic where ever possible.

[nisakiman]

I'm not sure how it works in Thailand, but here in Greece, which is all metric, for some reason beyond me all threaded plumbing fittings are imperial, and if you want, for instance, to go from ½" galvanised steel to 15mm copper, you can buy (at any plumbing outlet, hardware store etc) a brass fitting which has the ½" thread one end and a solder fit for 15mm copper the other. Same applies for plastic pipe, whatever size plastic you're fitting (There are a few different sizes here).

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the same system applies in LOS.

Edited January 26, 2017 by nisakiman