<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11169014#post11169014 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RedEDGE2k1
I really expected this step to be one of the easiest, but I was wrong. I'm pulling my hair out trying to figure this out.
So....I'm trying to plumb my Eheim 1262 return pump to the bulkheads that came with the Perfecto "Corner-flo" tank's overflow kit.
The bulkheads are "slip x thread", meaning the standpipe slips into the top, and the drain/return connections are meant to be screwed onto the bulkhead threads underneath the tank.
The bulkheads are black, but there is no label identifying them as either Sch 40 or Sch 80. How do I figure out what they are?
From measuring as well as trial-fitting different sized threaded pipe at Home Depot, the bulkhead threads appear to be 1-1/4". However, using my hands only, I cannot get PVC pipe to thread onto the bulkhead more than 3/4 of a turn or so before the connection is incredibly tight and won't go any further. Am I doing something wrong? Is it supposed to be this tight so quickly? I can hand-tighten typical PVC connections almost half-way up the threads before it starts to get tight...that's definitely not the case with the bulkheads. If I use a wrench to make them tighter, I'm worried I might strip the bulkhead threads or worse, crack the $400 aquarium under stress.
Am I doing something wrong?
I'm beginning to think it might be easier and more convenient to just use a 1-1/4" flexible coupling with clamps, to connect the bulkheads to rigid 1-1/4" pipe.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?