Building Big Bertha: 800G
- Thread starter bbrantley
- Start date
Weeeell... finished off the last bits of plumbing on the primary drain and skimmer tonight after acquiring Yet More Plumbing Bits (YMPB) from the hardware store this morning. Now I have Yet Another Slow Leak (YASL) on my Dart again. I did an exhaustive search on RC and it seems there are tons of people who have this exact same problem. (Well, if "tons" means 4 or 5 threads devoted specifically to this problem, which I think should count.) The consensus seems to be to use liquid teflon/"pipe dope" to goop the threads and then seal. I already went to the outlet fitting with a big pipe wrench to no avail. If I had turned any harder I'm pretty sure I would have broken the pump housing. (Which would have, in some small way, made me feel better for a while.)
So, tomorrow I'll see if I can steal off to get some magical pipe dope and finish it off. I have an early flight out Wednesday morning, so I won't get to do any more tank work until Friday. I was hoping to get the tank drained by tomorrow so I could start pumping RODI into it while I'm gone. That may not come to be, however.
I have a 2" Savko and Hayward BH that I will photograph and post here later for your direct comparison. The most interesting difference is the gasket, which I will be sure to examine closely for you armchair bulkhead snobs-to-be.
Ben
So, tomorrow I'll see if I can steal off to get some magical pipe dope and finish it off. I have an early flight out Wednesday morning, so I won't get to do any more tank work until Friday. I was hoping to get the tank drained by tomorrow so I could start pumping RODI into it while I'm gone. That may not come to be, however.
I have a 2" Savko and Hayward BH that I will photograph and post here later for your direct comparison. The most interesting difference is the gasket, which I will be sure to examine closely for you armchair bulkhead snobs-to-be.
Ben
cbui2
Premium Member
you welcome, ben.
the way i look at it, doesn't hurt to try since so many attempt has been done anyways.:hmm4:
of course i would know with all the fittings i have done.
this is my very first plumbing job ever, honestly never touch pvc for any projects. this is my first home and never owned one before so never had to do any handy work around the house. the only experience i have is 10yrs of custom building car audio fiberglass enclosures and body shop from my shop. my top installer had taught me alot along with others.
the way i look at it, doesn't hurt to try since so many attempt has been done anyways.:hmm4:
of course i would know with all the fittings i have done.
this is my very first plumbing job ever, honestly never touch pvc for any projects. this is my first home and never owned one before so never had to do any handy work around the house. the only experience i have is 10yrs of custom building car audio fiberglass enclosures and body shop from my shop. my top installer had taught me alot along with others.
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jnarowe
New member
yeah, I get a woody over Bart's plumbing too. I hope it's labeled! :lol:
Ben, I think the problem with the Dart is due to the threads being slightly different. I am not really sure about using pipe dope though, as I would be concerned it could get into the tank. I used lots of Teflon tape and it worked fine. Seems odd that this problem would still be plaguing you.
And Bart, there is clear PVC glue you can use!
Ben, I think the problem with the Dart is due to the threads being slightly different. I am not really sure about using pipe dope though, as I would be concerned it could get into the tank. I used lots of Teflon tape and it worked fine. Seems odd that this problem would still be plaguing you.
And Bart, there is clear PVC glue you can use!
James,
How do you like those Banjo polypro BHs? I used one for a project awhile back and it worked fine. (Threads were LH for the nut, not sure why)
I dont think I'd use it to penetrate the bottom of a tank for a CL, but it worked fine.
I like the Haywards, and the Savkos for when space is tight.
How do you like those Banjo polypro BHs? I used one for a project awhile back and it worked fine. (Threads were LH for the nut, not sure why)
I dont think I'd use it to penetrate the bottom of a tank for a CL, but it worked fine.
I like the Haywards, and the Savkos for when space is tight.
Hi Chris,
The Banjos are okay but the threads can be a bit trashed at times, whattya expect from polypro though. Most bulkheads do go to LH threads at 3" an up. When you tighten a fitting into the bulkhead, a RH thread can have a tendency to loosen the nut, could be bad on something big. Since all Banjo polypro bulkheads are T x T, it makes sense. Hayward and Spears are my favs but the other two are workable. *My* issue with the Savko variety has been that since the thread pattern is so fine, the threads get tweaked too easily, bad molds and/or QC have left flashing in the threads as well. I haven't used them in a few yrs so these things may have been corrected. I'm loyal to the things that treat me well so Hayward and Spears for me
/hijack
James
The Banjos are okay but the threads can be a bit trashed at times, whattya expect from polypro though. Most bulkheads do go to LH threads at 3" an up. When you tighten a fitting into the bulkhead, a RH thread can have a tendency to loosen the nut, could be bad on something big. Since all Banjo polypro bulkheads are T x T, it makes sense. Hayward and Spears are my favs but the other two are workable. *My* issue with the Savko variety has been that since the thread pattern is so fine, the threads get tweaked too easily, bad molds and/or QC have left flashing in the threads as well. I haven't used them in a few yrs so these things may have been corrected. I'm loyal to the things that treat me well so Hayward and Spears for me
/hijack
James
Alrighty folks, believe it or not... pipe dope is the bomb. Gooped it on heavy, screwed that fitting into the Dart with the pipe wrench, and voila: no drips, no leaks. Going strong now for six hours. Yay!
I'm off to lovely Richmond, VA, tomorrow, so I'll be draining the tank and preparing for RODI on Friday. I'll probably aquascape the base rock into the tank as the water fills. I have enough RODI capacity to produce about 150gpd.
Ben
I'm off to lovely Richmond, VA, tomorrow, so I'll be draining the tank and preparing for RODI on Friday. I'll probably aquascape the base rock into the tank as the water fills. I have enough RODI capacity to produce about 150gpd.
Ben
