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Complete DIY Custom 144x15x15
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
calvin415
New member
The upper fittings will be glued... ??? The only fitting not glued will be the elbow into the tank and that is so I can remove the pipe for maintenance. With the vingar baths, is shouldn't require much scrubbing if any so scratches should be minimal if at all. Anti siphon holes won't be needed with this approach, it will kill the syphon as soon as the top of the 90 is exposed which will only be about 1/2" of water I think (sump can handle lots more).
Red? Contrast or clash? Red would look like a major eye sore IMO. While I too like the industrial look, having 1 piece looking industrial isn't going to change the entire rooms feel, instead is will look out of place.
LOL!
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13805795#post13805795 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tigerarmy40
my bad...
No prob, I'm was just beginning to feel like a broken record and read your post at a bad time.
LOL!
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13806283#post13806283 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by just dave
My.
The clear PVC I've used is not clear. It actually has blue tint to it and does not have the polished look of acrylic and as it is extruded it has the lines commonly associated with that process. I think it kinda looks cheap. The glued joints will be visible and discolor differently. I don't know how it will react being exposed to your lighting as I've never used where that was an issue but it is more brittle compared to regular PVC and I imagine the exposure to your lights would make it worse over time. It does scratch easily and while you may keep it clean an inevitable hazing will occur especially on the inside as the water pumps particulate matter through it. Given your criteria I would do one of two things.
Bend some regular PVC to get the form you're after and paint it a white to match your trim or a contrasting color like black. You can pack the pipe with sand to keep it from collapsing during the bending process but I've never been able to achieve a visibly uniform curve. Always looked too organic to me.
The other is to use 1" pipe and 3/4" fittings and join them by butting them together instead of the socket joints. I've done this with PVC cement and it has worked fine and joints were plenty strong. You could sand all the seams and raised lettering from the fittings and after the parts were set and cured form the attachment process you could give it a final sanding to smooth the joint lines and paint the pipe the color of your choice and it would look like a continuous molded piece. You might could use Weld-On 40 but I've never used it for PVC to PVC. I've used it for PVC to acrylic but I didn't get the impression that it was actually softening the material like PVC cement does and I don't know if the minimal contact it would have would be strong enough. Though you could bevel the outside of the joints so that when they were butted together they formed a shallow V and after they were attached together use 40 to fill in the V and once cured sand it flush and this would give you a greater contact area.
If you went the black route , which I think would look good because I noticed some black furniture in the room and it definitely would not look like you were trying to hide it but the opposite, I would use black PVC and still paint it black to cover the sanding and glue marks. This would give you some added visible protection should something scrape the paint as it would still be black underneath.
Not a bad idea, but since the pipe is purchased, if I don't like the look, perhaps this will be my back up plan... Thanks for the thoughts.
My experience as well, but it also leaked!
Also not a bad color, but I'll have to consider it as a back up plan. Pic of the clear pipe will be end of the week as it shipped today.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13806863#post13806863 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hopeful Reefer
Talk about DIY!!
Ditto.
Ditto.
Hopeful Reefer
Premium Member
:lol2: Well, guess that means ya gotta work harder now to fill it!!!
Grats on the split by the way... :beer: :bounce1: :bounce2: :bounce3: :dance: :celeb1: :celeb2: :celeb3:
Grats on the split by the way... :beer: :bounce1: :bounce2: :bounce3: :dance: :celeb1: :celeb2: :celeb3:
earthboy17
New member
update update update
earthboy17
New member
double post, YEAH!
yousmellsfishy
New member
:hammer: :hammer: :hammer:
calvin415
New member
I don't have any new pics, maybe tonight...
The clear PVC pipes were delivered today so hopefully I will get to play with some plumbing tonight. I have 3 3" holes drilled in the end of the stand where I will be installing my circulation fans, each one handles 30+ CFM so I will be able to recycle the air in the stand in less than a minute! The air will come from a vent on the cabinet side at the opposite end (the one against the wall) where I have the 3 660 ballasts now installed. All the air will pass over the ballasts to help keep them running cool. Opposite from the ballasts are the connection bars for the wiring since I have to pass bare wires (no room for quick connects) through a 1" pipe in the overflow for the canopy (still to be built). After tonight, the only thing left to purchase is a couple PVC unions, 80lbs of sand, a ton of loc lines, and the supplies for the pendant. I picked up the last of the light supplies yesterday, so I now have all my lighting.
I'll probably do a water test as soon as I get the loc-lines, but no ETA on those since I need to get the funds for the fittings, or just ask for them for Christmas...
The clear PVC pipes were delivered today so hopefully I will get to play with some plumbing tonight.
I have 3 3" holes drilled in the end of the stand where I will be installing my circulation fans, each one handles 30+ CFM so I will be able to recycle the air in the stand in less than a minute! The air will come from a vent on the cabinet side at the opposite end (the one against the wall) where I have the 3 660 ballasts now installed. All the air will pass over the ballasts to help keep them running cool. Opposite from the ballasts are the connection bars for the wiring since I have to pass bare wires (no room for quick connects) through a 1" pipe in the overflow for the canopy (still to be built). After tonight, the only thing left to purchase is a couple PVC unions, 80lbs of sand, a ton of loc lines, and the supplies for the pendant. I picked up the last of the light supplies yesterday, so I now have all my lighting. I'll probably do a water test as soon as I get the loc-lines, but no ETA on those since I need to get the funds for the fittings, or just ask for them for Christmas...
calvin415
New member
Thanks JackJack.
Here's my photo update:
I guess, let me start with the work done this weekend...
Here's the vent cover installed (yes I cut the drywall behind it) which vents directly over my 3 IceCap 660 ballasts:
Across from the ballast (on the left) are my wire connection bars (screw down connections). These will connect my ballasts to the pendant when it's built. All the wires from the pendant will come down through the center bulkhead pictured and route over to the connection bars and the ballasts will just swing around the plumbing and connect to the matching wire from the pendant, hope that makes sense...
Closer...
Here's the fans I'll be installing in the end of the tank, 32 CFM and only 14 dBA! I can't wait for the power supply to get here!!!
And before I show you the new return plumbing, here's why it's not against the column... There is a 2x4 in the way.
Okay, here it is w/ the three fan holes (which will have white speaker style covers), for some reason the pipe looks crooked in the pics, but it's perfectly plumb and level...
And what it will look like (sort of) once the doors are installed.
Here's my photo update:
I guess, let me start with the work done this weekend...
Here's the vent cover installed (yes I cut the drywall behind it) which vents directly over my 3 IceCap 660 ballasts:
Across from the ballast (on the left) are my wire connection bars (screw down connections). These will connect my ballasts to the pendant when it's built. All the wires from the pendant will come down through the center bulkhead pictured and route over to the connection bars and the ballasts will just swing around the plumbing and connect to the matching wire from the pendant, hope that makes sense...
Closer...
Here's the fans I'll be installing in the end of the tank, 32 CFM and only 14 dBA! I can't wait for the power supply to get here!!!
And before I show you the new return plumbing, here's why it's not against the column... There is a 2x4 in the way.
Okay, here it is w/ the three fan holes (which will have white speaker style covers), for some reason the pipe looks crooked in the pics, but it's perfectly plumb and level...
And what it will look like (sort of) once the doors are installed.
yousmellsfishy
New member
+1:thumbsup:<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13857082#post13857082 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Looks great. I think you need to get it all wet already.
