Aladdin EasyFit Isolator Valve and Tools Pack - Starter Kit

I fitted one of these to a 15mm copper central heating pipe running vertically: it was straightforward. I wanted to isolate the system 'downstream' without a full drain down. I had good access to the pipe. Having read the reviews and product description and viewed a video of an installation I concluded that care was needed. I cleaned the pipe of old paint thoroughly for a blemish free surface. I followed the instructions - which were clear and thorough - to the letter. My cordless drill was not powerful enough but a ratchet and socket were fine if slower. I decided not to use an older non-cordless drill that has no torque control because I wasn't sure I could control the vigour of the cutting. No leaks. The valve works perfectly. A clever, well designed and well engineered product.

Just a quick note to say, this product is WELL MADE, great piece of engineering. That aside, make damn sure you need the 15mm, mine originally didnt fit and I assumed i had the wrong size, but that was some build up on the pipe, and this piece is precision, so didn't allow for that. Next point, it isn't too hard to install, but note this - if you have the hard copper version, the drill may cut out - i was using for a mid leak situation, so cordless was a must - and a decent Ryobi 18v drill struggled a lot, maybe if you have a dewalt or makita, you'll be fine - if it is a tougher pipe - using a spanner or monkey wrench is an option, but it takes MANY turns, and the amateur may smash his or her hands into the wall a few times! Once the unit is attached, the spindle will appear to long, use the plastic white piece to push it in, this is missing from the instructions, but v important. In a push, this unit will save money on an emergency call out for sure, but depending on your pipe strength and position, it may not be as easy as the youtube vids, but it is doable by a novice.

Fitted this on a short length of exposed mains water pipe where there was no chance of fitting a 'normal' valve. Important to read and understand the instructions before fitting, but do that and it's very straightforward. I had to use a small ratchet and socket because there was no room to wield an electric drill, which was physically quite hard but with a longer ratchet handle, would have been easier. When fitted, does it's job perfectly and absolutely no leaks or weeping. It's not cheap but it's a nice bit of engineering and certainly way cheaper than calling a plumber in.

Firstly Iam a complaint trades person, interesting that this product is very well thought out and seems very well made. But I noticed that the red line socket tool wasn’t spinning true in my chuck ( and please be aware you will require a lager chuck around 12mm opening) the vibration from the uneven installation tool must have caused the rounded nut problem. Now there is a huge problem as the pipe leaks and I can’t go any further with this job. Catastrophic failure.

Absolutely easy to install, unless like me I had to install it in an awkward place. follow the instructions and it works perfectly, but be aware that the force required to cut the pipe is substantial and has to go through both sides of the pipe so in effect it happens trice.

I bought this valve to isolate part of my cold water system without turning off the main stop cock. Before buying I watched several videos on YouTube which convinced me it would be an easy job. Problem number one is when you clamp the two halves of the valve to the pipe there is no indication of how tight you need to do up the four cap head bolts. There is some vague instruction about not doing them up too tight in case you shear the heads off but how tight is that??? I used a short ratchet rather than the cordless drill shown in all the videos and believe me tightening them down with the fear of shearing the heads is not a pleasant experience. Now came the major problem. I have an 18 volt drill of a pretty good make but it wouldn't even touch tightening the central cutting piece. I ended up using a 1/2 inch ratchet and all my strength to turn the cutter down into the body of the valve to the Red line and my hand still aches now. Having lined up the Red dots and removed the plastic spacer from the shaft I then tried to fit the plastic cover only to find the central shaft would not push in far enough to allow this. Another turn on the core even though it had gone to the Red line just about allowed me to fit the cover using the supplied screwdriver bit to tighten the screws and destroy their heads so they will not be easy to undo. I have given a three for easy to use as after the second tightening of the core it did actually turn off the water but due to the massive amount of force (supported by a wrench) needed to install it I will not be surprised if it leaks somewhere don the line. Would I buy another one is a resounding "NO" I wish I had paid a plumber to do it the old fashioned way.

Looked a great product and watching the video, very easy to fit and drill. The drilling of the 15mm pipe drew smoke from my dewalt drill so had to stop and start, in the end had to use a spanner instead. Not a true description of the fitting.

Just what I ordered and fixed the problem