How the Rehau system works
Rehau is a German manufacturer that plumbers associate with cross-linked polyethylene pipe, PE-Xa. It’s joined with a sliding compression sleeve. The pipe end is widened with an expander, the fitting goes in, and a press pushes a metal sleeve over the top. The pipe shrinks back onto the fitting, and the joint holds without a rubber O-ring.
These joints can be buried in screed or plastered into a wall, as long as the pipe runs in a conduit or insulation sleeve. The same technique is used in underfloor heating, which the brand is also known for.
The whole method depends on the tools. The expander and press must match this system and this diameter. A sleeve from another system may slide on, but it won’t give the same grip. So it’s worth asking in the bid whether the plumber has the proper tools for this system.
What it costs and how to book: plumber in Warsaw.
Where the joint can let you down
- Pipe expanded too little or at an angle. The fitting sits loose and starts to weep over time.
- A sleeve not pushed all the way home. By eye you can barely tell; under pressure you can.
- Pipe bent tighter than the maker allows and left like that in the chase. The bore narrows at the bend.
- Unprotected pipe in the screed. Concrete and floor movement take their toll.
- No pressure test before closing up. Then the leak gets found via a stain on the neighbour’s ceiling.
Repair or replace? A single leaking joint is cut out and remade; PE-X pipe itself rarely ages. But if the pipework was rushed and leaks in several places, it’s better to relay the whole run.
Before work starts
- Check the valve for your flat works, and if the riser has to be shut, arrange it with the building management.
- Photograph the pipes, valves and leak spots.
- Decide where the new water points go before anyone starts chasing walls.
Before any work the water goes off and the system is depressurised.
Ordering through the app
- Describe the scope: which pipes, how many points, whether the walls are open. Add photos so a plumber can judge the job before coming out.
- Bids come from tradespeople who take this work in Warsaw, each with his own price and date.
- Choose one on price, ratings and reviews. After that you both see phone numbers and the address. You pay directly and he issues the invoice.
Pipes, fittings and sleeves are charged as materials on top of the labour, and so is rubble removal. Whoever made the joints answers for them and will redo any that leak. The old riser and the rest of the original pipework are not on him.
Order in the app
Describe the job, add photos and the address. Tradespeople send their own prices and dates, and you pick one of the offers.
Open the app
