DIY Skimmer Critique

[rustybucket145]

Everything on the right hand side is 3/4" and everything on the left is 1 1/4". Is that what you were looking for?

 

[pescadero]

yes, that's all i needed. thanks.

 

[pescadero]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11209837#post11209837 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pescadero
I've got a question for you about how you attached the CD case to the 3-inch clear acrylic tube. Did you just cut a pair of rings out of 3-inch PVC pipe, and sandwich the CD case cover between them? If that's what you did, what did you use for glue to bond the PVC and the clear acrylic to the CD case cover to get a watertight seal?

I'm revisiting the same question now that I'm getting closer to doing the gluing.

What type of plastic was your CD case made from, and what type of glue was that that you used?

I found a page that explains the recycle codes:

http://www.ides.com/resources/plastic-recycling-codes.asp

The CD cases that seem to be most durable are those that are marked "5", which corresponds to polypropylene. AFAIK you can't glue polypropylene, so its hard to find a way to weld the PVC rings to the CD case to assure a good watertight seal.

Those plastics that are marked "6" are polystyrene. You can glue that, but its a brittle plastic that won't hold up very well as a removable cup.

I would like to find a CD case that's both durable and weldable. So far, all I've found are the ones that are marked 5 (polyproplyene, unweldable) and 6 (polystyrene, brittle).

Anybody got an answer to the dilemma? Thanks.

 

[rustybucket145]

I re-did my CD case idea. Overtime the glue came unseated, I re-glued it, and it didn't last much longer...... I re-cycled an old acrylic skimmer cup that I had left over from an old skimmer. I just re-cut the hole in the bottom and used my PVC sleeve from the original build.

I think the CD case just couldn't hold up to a weekly removal and cleaning. But then again, mine could have easily been the brittle type of plastic. It never did break, just came un-glued.

 

[turtleman10]

bump

 

[turtleman10]

Where do you find PVC thats bigger than 4" diameter? I went to Menard's and didn't see it there I'm thinking 8 to 12 inch diameter depending on the cost.

 

[Aqua Keepers]

I found 6" at a place called Handy Man.

 

[rustybucket145]

For anything larger than 4" you're going to have to go somewhere that sells commercial plumbing fittings (4" is largest in residential and home plumbing) Try to find your local plumbing supply house, everywhere has one close by. Look in the phone book.

 

[turtleman10]

Thanks for the info.

 

[kelvin88]

interesting, thanks for sharing