emissary January 7, 2006 Share January 7, 2006 So I've got a 1" pvc pipe slid into a 1" bulkhead with the "blue stuff" ... as opposed to the primer + pvc cement. I don't know if I didn't use enough of the stuff or didn't twist enough, but it's leaking. ... just a little bit. What are my options here? Saw it up and go buy a new bulkhead (well I'd need to buy a new combo ball valve union too. I wonder if you can buy just half of a union -- the male threaded half. The rest of the line is fine. Thoughts? I'm talking about this by the way: http://reef.korff.org/pictures/Tank-In-WallProject/100_3886 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ne0eN January 7, 2006 Share January 7, 2006 I know from experience that not all union fittings are threaded the same way. Different manufacturers use different size threads. Go figure. If you can find the same 'make' male union part, go for it. Since this is just a water holding tank, I'd try to dab some PVC cement around the joint and let it dry overnight. What is the blue stuff anyway? I always use purple primer and PVC cement. -Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victorh January 7, 2006 Share January 7, 2006 Plumbers putty will work. Its ugly, but it works. I believe you're supposed to use the primer with the blue stuff as well. Ne0en, the blue stuff is PVC glue that you can use in wet conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victorh January 7, 2006 Share January 7, 2006 Also, in the future, make sure your male pvc pipe is square and chamferred to keep it from scraping away the cement when inserted. Apply glue to both male and female, and then wait about 30 seconds to let it soften before inserting. No dirty jokes here. :idea2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emissary January 7, 2006 Author Share January 7, 2006 Hmm... different threads would make me unhappy. I might give it a shot anyway though. As for plumbers putty -- is there a brand I should be looking for? I'm not familiar with it. I have something called AquaMed which appears to be some kind of underwater putty epoxy stick. Think that'll work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victorh January 8, 2006 Share January 8, 2006 Sounds like the same thing. Its soft with 2 different compounds in it. You have to kneed it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emissary January 8, 2006 Author Share January 8, 2006 Yup, I guess that's what it is. I'm trying it, we'll see how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 January 8, 2006 Share January 8, 2006 If you haen't done that yet you can also let the piece dry and then use some acrylic solvent on the joint. The "watery" ones are made to move by capillary effect and will seep into joints. Then, you can glob on some of the regular PVC cement over it and take another piece of PVC and rub it around. The solvent will melt the outside and create a seal while the acrylic solvent will do the same on the inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emissary January 8, 2006 Author Share January 8, 2006 Well I did the putty thing last night. I just did the bottom half, waited an hour for bonding/curing and tested. Leaked out the top. I did the top half, waited an hour for bonding/curing and tested. No leaks this morning. Woohoo! Thanks for the advice -- I would have forgotten the epoxy if you hadn't mentioned plumbers putty victor. [ Now the question is... how long will it last before it leaks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 January 8, 2006 Share January 8, 2006 I'm not a putty fan nor an epoxy fan. The putty can get into your system one way or another and is pretty greasy from what I remember the last time I used some on a sink. I don't know if it's petroleum based or not, but it would seem to be something not good for a tank. The epoxy, I'm not sure how durable that will be, but in theory it should be good for a long time as I believe it's totally inert. That said, it's pretty ugly and I have a CA reactor that I bought used but wasn't told that it had been repaired using epoxy. My dilemna is how to remove the epoxy without breaking the reactor itself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victorh January 8, 2006 Share January 8, 2006 Dave, sorry, I was talking about the epoxy. I coundnt think of the right word, but I believe I described it correctly. Its actually re-labled and sold as coral epoxy in the LFS. I had the same exact problem with a CA reactor I bought used. After cracking the acrylic, I ended up cutting the bottom 3" off and starting over with it. emissary, you used the stick looking stuff right? It's about the size of a cigar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emissary January 8, 2006 Author Share January 8, 2006 Yeah it was a stick, green on the outside white on the inside. It didn't have a greasy feel. Chalky a bit when wet... like a really dry dough. Now it's hard as rock. Doesn't look that bad either. Just an off-white. For what it's bbeing used for you'd never notice it's there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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