Chasing central heating pipes – yes or no?

I’m currently in the middle of getting confused with the options for replacing the 1970’s warm air heating system in our house. I think we’ve narrowed it down to wanting a traditional vented system which seems like a big achievement.

Anyway, the various plumbers who’ve quoted for the job seem to be split 50/50 whether chasing the pipes for the rads is ok or not. A few have told us to do the chasing ourselves to save us money and them hassle, others have said they would walk away from the job if we specified chased pipes as they cause so many problems. I would prefer the pipes to be chased, at least in the living room, as it is quite large and a long run of pipe would look rubbish. The ground floor is brick and block cavity walls with a concrete floor, first floor is timber framed so less of a problem.

Any advice gratefully accepted.

Can they go behind the skirting?

A leaking chased pipe is a nightmare also pipes expand and contract a lot and lastly you paid for the heat the pipe is just another radiator.

Maybe, although I’d ideally want them in a channel so we can use normal skirting. For reasons I’m not altogether clear on, there will be runs of pipe coming down from the ceiling which I’m more worried about.

Cna they not be chased in but pressure tested before filling in and if possible a small inspection plate (say the size of a socket) over any joints that would be chased in? Full belt and braces solution?

Chasing is only a problem if you subsequently bury them (eg in concrete). If the sit in a chased groove with a wooden floor on top of the concrete covering them up, access will be much easier.

I lived in a house with external pipes for the rads & it looked like a half arsed job. The installer had attempted to “hide” the pipes but still looked utterly shit. I’d do whatever you can to hide them.

It’s your house … do what you want.

Might just mean taking longer to find a plumber who will do it.

There’s no real reason apart from time and money why it can’t or shouldn’t be done.

Who ever said plumbers were lazy……

You got slab floors ? I just drilled holes withte hilti gun and ran them in the crawl space as pipes oot look shite- unless he is going to artisnally bend each curve and do ornate solder joints……. And you live in a converted ware house 😉

One of the plumbers said chased pipe would crack the plaster as they heated and cooled and also that any plaster which comes into contact with them would cause corrosion. I would have thought that both of these problems could be avoided by putting the pipes in some sort of sleeve but he was adamant.

The sleeving is to protect the pipes from chemical corrosion (assuming they are copper) causing pin hole leaks, and that’s only when buried in cement I think. A channel behind skirting might be the best way, rather than chasing and plastering over.

Assuming copper, sleeve the pipes, should be no issue then.

If plastic pipes, sleeve them anyway but don’t they just get buried as they are, in slabs, to do UFH?

Tape the pipes then cover in in hairfelt laggibg. They’ll be protected then and the hairfelt will allow the pipes to move without cracking the plaster

Silly question but no one has asked it. Why not stick with warm air? You won’t lose any wall space to rads or have to worry about piping. I’ve lived in two properties with it and think it’s great.

Don’t use copper – no need to anymore with the newer twinwall poly stuff.
No need for bends either except at the rads themselves

One of the plumbers said chased pipe would crack the plaster

There was a water pipe(cold supply) in the wall in our old flat. You could see the condensate on the plaster – and it did crack.
Can’t the pipes go under your floor boards and up to the rads?