How sensitive are CPVC fittings to twisting

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pinetree

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I know this must be a stupid question, but how sensitive are CPVC fittings to twisting motions? Today I disconnected my washer hoses. I tried to be as careful as possible, but I still twisted the shutoff valve slightly. Actually, the valve itself did not twist, the movement was in the CPVC pipe itself. I think it twisted in one of the 90 degree fittings. It was not a large twist, probably less than 1/4 turn.

What I am worried about is the seal in the fittings being compromised. I opened the access panel to check, and there was no water leakage, but I'm still a little worried.

This is a brand new pipe system.

Am I being overly sensitive? Are these fittings designed to handle a little bit of motion with no ill effect?
 
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Gary Swart

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I will admits I am no fan of CPVC, but think about this. It is plastic and it is not intended to be twisted. I think you are flirting with disaster. I would be concerned that you may have seriously weaken the pipe that twisted.
 

Terry

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It depends on how long the pipe was that you were twisting.
I doubt the fitting moved on the pipe.
More likely, the pipe in the wall twisted and returned back to the previous state.
 

99k

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It depends on how long the pipe was that you were twisting.
I doubt the fitting moved on the pipe.
More likely, the pipe in the wall twisted and returned back to the previous state.

I agree ... don't worry about it. CPVC undergoes tremendous stress do to thrmal expansion as it is ... on long runs the stuff is bending all over the place. Another name for glueing is "solvent weld" where the molecules from each part merge together. If you weakened it, it probably would have failed immediately.
 

hj

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Cpvc

If the pipe twisted an stayed twisted, then you must have broken the joint. But then, if you had it should have blown apart almost immediately, so what you say/think happened must not have been the real thing.
 

pinetree

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I feel better, thanks to you all. I was kind of expecting the washer connectors to be stiff as rebar, and when they moved, I thought "oh no". I realize now it did not move a full 1/4 turn, now that I think about how much a 1/4 turn actually is. It behaved as Terry suggested, it moved and returned to the original position.

Anyway, the washer installer guy installed my new machine, and he was much rougher on things than i was, and after several washes, there are no drips or leaks at all. It sounds like that if my manhandling were to cause anything to fail, I would really know it.:D

It's surprising how little water washing machines need these days to get laundry clean.
 
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