Help... Ican't Get Uniseals... What Can I Use Instead?

Z

zeusfc

New member
HELP! you simply can't buy uniseals out in cyprus... anybody got any watertight suggestions for attaching pipes to a homemade (6" diameter) skimmer?

My idea was to make silicone "blocks" in the inside and outside, to "flatten" the curve, so I could use flat fittings, or... to find a way to "iron" a portion of the acrylic tube into a flat area, and drill the holes there!
 
I heard a suggestion from a fellow here who simply doesn't like the idea of uni-seals and says they always leak. His idea was to take a chunk of pvc the same diameter as the tube you want to plumb through and cut it in half to get a C shaped collar. Then heat it up and press down on it until it conforms perfectly to the tube you want to plumb. Bond it to the acrilic, drill your hole to the perfect size for the pipe you'll be plumbing, and use pvc cement to seal it up. I've never done it, but it sounds like it should work.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=902721&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

Check out Charlie Davidson about halfway down page 1.
 
alot of people simple use pvc fittings, nothing special. just depends on much of a curve your looking at.

like a 1" Male threaded fitting, connect a female 1" threaded fitting from the inside. maybe find an oring to make it water tight.

btw, I am not sure about your friend, but I have personally used dozens of uniseals, and never had any leak!

zeusfc, Im not great with geography, where is Cyprus and exactly why cant you get uniseals of the internet?
 
I may be wrong, but I think Cyprus is a tiny island in the middle of the mediternean sea.....my guess would be shipping makes ordering off the internet cost prohibitive.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9389945#post9389945 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jbd010
I may be wrong, but I think Cyprus is a tiny island in the middle of the mediternean sea.....my guess would be shipping makes ordering off the internet cost prohibitive.
Click to expand...

Oh come on, we're not that small! just 750,000 of us, all trying to get along! We're closer to Bagdhad (or Moscow!) than Athens, and our nearest Neighbours are Lebanon and Israel! (£99 to the Red sea... anyone Jealous???)

Yes, the shipping costs are prohibitively expensive! I've been quoted $20 (+ the cost of a money transfer) to simply stick them in an envelope and send me four...

What we do have here, is a really good supply of building and plumbing parts, and I like the idea of a "saddle mount" I reckon I could pick them up... not pretty, but very functional!

Someone suggested RUBBER gaskets... anyone know if these will perish in saltwater?
 
I've tapped acrylic tube and then I used a threaded adapter, with silicone.
It is a pain in the a$$ to do though, the acrylic can crack
 
rubber should be fine in saltwater, most all equipment has rubber orings.

Or, for all the trouble, if its $20 for shipping, it may be worth it to go ahead and buy a stock pile of uniseals of all different sizes. It is a little upfront cost, but it does bring the price per unit down, and usiseals are reusable. So, if you bought 4-5 of each size that you wanted, you could be set for life!!
 
you should be able to find PVC saddles localy....

If not I am sure somebody here could arrange a trade of some sorts with you.. .a few uniseals in an envelop for a few of something only found in cyprus in an envelope.... I have no idea what that would be but living there, you might.

Bean
 
You could also use paypal (and or open an american credit card account). It would make overseas purchases much easier.
 
Bean, I love the Idea of a trade... I'm going to phone a local (English speaking!) plumber, and see whether I can get "strap-on boss's" locally... that's what they're known as in the UK;

Cyprus has only a couple of S/W LFS, so really there's nothing you'd want here! we do have some fantastic scarlet 1" conch that live all around the Island, but I don't think they'd survive the journey! If I do need to trade, I'd prefer to just pay someone from my Paypal to theirs...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9396347#post9396347 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Daemonfly
You could try a group-buy if you know enough reefers in your area to warrant the higher cost of shipping.
Click to expand...

there's only a few of us on the Island! I don't even know enough plumbers in the area to warrant a group buy! (good idea though!)

Bean... you've been spending too much time on the wrong DIY forum! LOL!
 
Do they make rubber grommets large enough for 3/4 or 1 inch pipe, and 1/4 thick plexi or glass. I would think a grommet should work the same.
 
I live less than 2 minutes from Savko plastics and they carry all of the uniseals listed on the link. I might be able to ship them to you using my wife business account at the local shipping place.

I wouldn't charge anything just helping you out. I have shipped out of country quite a few times so it wouldn't be a problem.
 
Cheers, Cougarguy, but I've actually come up with a solution...

I "ironed" the skimmer tube, until I had a flat section large enough for 3/4" bulkhead connectors, and used them! works a treat... no leaks, and dirt cheap!

It's not the neatest option, but I've used dirty great rubber washers, which do neaten it up a bit, and I'm thinking of re-doing the tube (it cost me under $5! using a heat gun and a round metal disc, to get a neater finish.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread...
 
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