Mixing Station Plumbing Help

[VJV]

Hi,

I am going to finally plumb my Saltwater Mixing station and would definitely appreciate some tips as this is my first attempt at plumbing anything and the wife would likely not appreciate to have 110 gallons of water in the floor of the laundry room .

I have two "Norwesco" type 55 gallons graduated cylinder shaped deposits (which were expensive as hell!!!). My main question (fr now) is if a bulkhead will make a tight enough seal in the rounded part of the barrel... I have seen a number of people doing it (including with Brute trashcans) so I guess it should work, but would like to be sure before I ruin (I mean drill) these expensive deposits.

Also, any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards

 

[Gtinnel]

I'm not familiar with those containers but the only reason bulkheads work well on brute cans is because the plastic is thin enough that it gets forced flat under the bulkhead. If your container is a more rigid plastic I believe a uniseal is probably a better option, although I've never personally used them because I have brute cans.

 

[VJV]

Thanks! I do not believe these should be more rigid than a Brute ao hopefully this should work. Also read somewhere about using a heat gun to soften (not melt, just make it easier to shape) the area where the bulkhead will attach before tightening it. As a concept this does make some sense to me. Any drawbacks I may be missing?

 

[RobB'z Reef]

Thanks! I do not believe these should be more rigid than a Brute ao hopefully this should work. Also read somewhere about using a heat gun to soften (not melt, just make it easier to shape) the area where the bulkhead will attach before tightening it. As a concept this does make some sense to me. Any drawbacks I may be missing?

the durometer of a norwesco bulk tanks is far greater than that of a brute trash can easily. I highly suggest you don't compromise the integrity of it by taking a heat gun to it. If you have a rounded variety and want to plumb into the side do so either above the normal water line, barring that you want to use a uniseal type bulkhead. A normal threaded ABS bulkhead is not the solution for a rounded surface.

 

[Wagtribe]

Trust the bulk head fitting. It should come with neoprene washer to seal opening. I didn’t heat anything but tightened to fitting snug, then watched as I began filling the container with water. If I saw water drip I tightened the fitting until it was dry fit. Follow the manufactures instructions.

 

[VJV]

Trust the bulk head fitting. It should come with neoprene washer to seal opening. I didn’t heat anything but tightened to fitting snug, then watched as I began filling the container with water. If I saw water drip I tightened the fitting until it was dry fit. Follow the manufactures instructions.

Thanks! I guess I will also try this. In the end if I ruin the tanks I may have to bite the bullet and buy a couple more, which is still less expensive than the iwakis I was looking for as these cost 800$ plus.

 

[Zayne]

BRS sells uniseals that a work well for curved surfaces. I used a couple of these on my containers to fit an overflow drain pipe. I'm not sure how they would stand up to the pressure at the bottom of the container though.

 

[Billldg]

The Norwesco containers didn’t come with a flat section at the bottom for the bulkhead? I have 2 100 gal Norwesco containers for my mixing station and they came with a flat section for the bulkheads.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Same question as @Billldg... Is there a flat section? If so, standard bulkheads should work just fine. Best wishes.

 

[VJV]

Thanks! Unfortunately not. They come pre drilled with a threaded 1/2 inch (19mm) molded adaptor and the flat area where it sits is not large enough to drill a 1” or larger hole for a bulkhead.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I’m trying to get a mental picture of what you have— are you going to use a pump like @Billldg has (in his photo... I have the same pump)? If so, that pump would probably push all the water you’d need, even through 1/2” pipe. I’m just saying that because if the manufacturer gave you half inch threads, you might not have to drill anything and you might feel better about being able to screw something in and form a tight seal. Best wishes regardless of which way you go!

 

[Hectaka]

The Norwesco containers didn’t come with a flat section at the bottom for the bulkhead? I have 2 100 gal Norwesco containers for my mixing station and they came with a flat section for the bulkheads.

So I'm trying to build something just like this with 2 - 65 gallon norwesco tanks that came with 1.25" threaded openings at the bottom. I know I've read it's not best to use plumbing tape on pvc threads due to cracking. I have a pvc male adapter to attach to it but I'd rather not glue it, is there anything else I could do to make sure it doesn't leak?

 

[Billldg]

So I'm trying to build something just like this with 2 - 65 gallon norwesco tanks that came with 1.25" threaded openings at the bottom. I know I've read it's not best to use plumbing tape on pvc threads due to cracking. I have a pvc male adapter to attach to it but I'd rather not glue it, is there anything else I could do to make sure it doesn't leak?

I used Teflon tape with no issue. Just don't go crazy on using it as that's what causes the stress cracks.

If you don't feel comfortable using Teflon tape then you can use Rector 5 Paste. It is in the same sections as the glue.

 

[Hectaka]

Thank you for the feedback. I'll probably try using a single layer of Teflon tape since I already have that.