piping
- Thread starter DS5000
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Clear primer and cement...Oatey brand, available most anywhere.
mcshams
Slave to my wife's reef desires
Reef Tank 365
SDMA Member
Hospitality Award
Los Angeles Aquatics Club
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2020
- Messages
- 431
- Reaction score
- 1,227
Make sure you use the CLEAR. You'll never be clean enough on the colored glue to make it neat enough! Dry fit....a LOT prior to gluing. Once you glue... it's permanent... and I mean in seconds.
I have an unorthodox practice.
The first time I worked with PVC, it was when I got involved in the hobby. There was a lot of mistakes and as a result, lots of waste piling up. I needed to work with it in a way that is more forgiving.
Don't be quick to cement. Assemble everything using petroleum jelly. Now you can see that everything fits properly, and it will be easy to take apart when it is time to glue in place. You can even run your system with it this way for the purpose of seeing how everything functions.
Once you are happy, the cleaner solvent you use before the glue will remove any residue and allow you to glue everything together.
Auqaman
Active Member
I'm curious to how you'll plumb the return. I just plumb a return straight down into the DT. I forgot it acts as a syphon when the pump is turned off and my sump almost overflowed. Ended up drilling a small hole below the water line that acts as a syphon break.
I also spray painted the pipes black and it's barley noticeable. Once the paint adheres to the plastic you wont have to worry about it contaminating the water...Good luck!!
I also spray painted the pipes black and it's barley noticeable. Once the paint adheres to the plastic you wont have to worry about it contaminating the water...Good luck!!
I have quite the collection of PVC...mostly extra or incorrect fittings I am too lazy to return. Kids love playing with them.
I really like your petroleum jelly idea as I find dry fits are sometimes quite a pain to separate.
Yes clear glue.
Pre-fit every piece and measure twice cut once.
Sand down any rough spots inside and outside of every end of the pipe.
You will want to dry fit everything together first before gluing.
You will also want to add maybe 1/8 to a full 1/4 inch in overall pipe length.
No matter how well the parts dry fit, they will will go in deeper when glue is used.
Another thing is to twist the pipe and fitting 1/4 to 1/2 turn after the pipe bottoms out.
Then hold the pieces together for 15 to 20 seconds so the pipe does not move out from the fitting as the fittings are slightly tapered.
Pre-fit every piece and measure twice cut once.
Sand down any rough spots inside and outside of every end of the pipe.
You will want to dry fit everything together first before gluing.
You will also want to add maybe 1/8 to a full 1/4 inch in overall pipe length.
No matter how well the parts dry fit, they will will go in deeper when glue is used.
Another thing is to twist the pipe and fitting 1/4 to 1/2 turn after the pipe bottoms out.
Then hold the pieces together for 15 to 20 seconds so the pipe does not move out from the fitting as the fittings are slightly tapered.
Gobi-Wan
Active Member
-When using primer, circle the end of the pipe at least 10 times, and go in both directions to prevent missing spots. Prime the same length of pipe that fits inside the fitting. Primer softens the surface of the pvc so that the actual pvc welds together, not just attached by the glue.
-The pipe must insert all the way into a fitting until it stops. Glue both the pipe and fitting. The fittings are tapered so that the farther the pipe goes in, the tighter the fit. This is what causes the soft pvc surfaces to weld together.
Straighter cuts = better joints, because the pipe goes all the way in the fitting, all the way around.
-Use sandpaper or a blade to clean all the rough edges off of a cut before gluing. The little pieces of pvc left from sawing can scratch the soft primed surface inside the fittings and cause a leak. Uncommon, but take the time to do a clean job. Don't use your fingers... it will cause tiny cuts that the primer will be waiting to find. Not pleasant.
-twist the pipe as you're inserting it into the fitting. This ensures the glue is evenly spread around incase you missed a spot gluing. Wipe off the excess glue thats squeezed out.
-use unions. You dont want to have to cut all your plumbing out to fix or modify it, or take your sump out or whatever.
-be very careful where you do your work... primer is acetone and can remove floor finishes, furniture finishes etc.
-The pipe must insert all the way into a fitting until it stops. Glue both the pipe and fitting. The fittings are tapered so that the farther the pipe goes in, the tighter the fit. This is what causes the soft pvc surfaces to weld together.
Straighter cuts = better joints, because the pipe goes all the way in the fitting, all the way around.
-Use sandpaper or a blade to clean all the rough edges off of a cut before gluing. The little pieces of pvc left from sawing can scratch the soft primed surface inside the fittings and cause a leak. Uncommon, but take the time to do a clean job. Don't use your fingers... it will cause tiny cuts that the primer will be waiting to find. Not pleasant.
-twist the pipe as you're inserting it into the fitting. This ensures the glue is evenly spread around incase you missed a spot gluing. Wipe off the excess glue thats squeezed out.
-use unions. You dont want to have to cut all your plumbing out to fix or modify it, or take your sump out or whatever.
-be very careful where you do your work... primer is acetone and can remove floor finishes, furniture finishes etc.
Last edited:
Similar threads
