Plumbing advice please

I wouldn't. Now you have even more areas that will possibly leak. You have a flange and washer on the bulkhead. Silicone will care for the rest of it.
 
They are pretty deep chips and I found neither the flange or washer covers half of these chips around all of the holes. If you think it would be best I don't I won't. It would look ugly anyways with all of these extra clear rings glued on.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9062420#post9062420 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mbbuna
you really don't need to use the primer. all it does is clean the surface, but the glue actually melts/welds the two part together. half of my plumbing was done with primer and the other with out and ive had no leaks in over 3 years.

the mfg recommends 24 hours cure time before it gets wet but ive replaced fittings, rerouted pipes ect. and had it running again in an hour

That is incorrect. The primer starts the melting process. It is the same "stuff" as the glue without the filler in it. Cleaner cleans the PVC. The reason we use primer is because the surface of hte PVC is a bit different than the core material. This is due to the way the PVC dries when it comes out of the mold.

The porper way to glue PVC is to use the primer. That is why plumbing codes require it and why primer is purple (so the inspector can see that the primer was used).

Bean
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9068819#post9068819 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Bulkheads should be installedd with the rubber washer on the inside of the tank. The nut should be HAND tightened, and then maybe a tiny bit more with a wrench to make it snug. No more.

When shopping for plumbing parts, it is always best to buy extras and take back what you don't need. That way you can complete your project that day.

The gasket should be installed on the FLANGE side of the bulkhead. The flange can go inside or outside of the tank. We normally put the flange inside and the nut outside due to space considerations.

However, if the glass is chipped on the INSIDE of the tank and preventing the gasket from sealing, an easy fix is to turn the bulkhead around and place the FLANGE and gasket on the outside where it can make a good seal.
 
I'd rather have the bulk of the bulk head on the outside, lol. do you think I will be ok with a good amount of aquarium glue Bean?

Jon
 
As for the silicone... that is where Melev and I are going to disagree... I think the stuff is a poor mans bandaid that is a leak waiting to spring :) Plus, I never do anything the easy way!

If the bulkheads can not be turned around, I would look at fashioning a PVC washer and gluing it to the bulkhead flange with PVC cement. The washer would give the FLANGE a larger footprint. A new gasket can be made from EPDM, Silicone rubber, or whatever you can get your hands on. McMaster sells the PVC sheet stock on small pieces, as well as the sheet rubber. Lowes or HD also have pond and shower pan liner that will work.
 
Even freaking mother nature is against me. I figured I would spray paint those white plugs so they would match the bulk heads. Supposed to be 15 minutes dry time so I figured I'd leave them out for 15 to get rid of the smell a little bit and bring them in.

5 minutes later.... I look outside and see nothing but white. <CENTER><IMG SRC="http://www.gordonious.com/RC/IMAGE_056csr.jpg"></CENTER>
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9074282#post9074282 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
That is incorrect. The primer starts the melting process. It is the same "stuff" as the glue without the filler in it. Cleaner cleans the PVC. The reason we use primer is because the surface of hte PVC is a bit different than the core material. This is due to the way the PVC dries when it comes out of the mold.

The porper way to glue PVC is to use the primer. That is why plumbing codes require it and why primer is purple (so the inspector can see that the primer was used).

Bean

not to split hairs here. the primer just deglaz's the surface. it doesn't melt the pipe, and is not the same as the cement - fillers. it is an aggressive solvent, not cement. some plumbing codes will allow you to sand (deglaze) the pipe (as you would for copper) in place of the primer. and some codes dont require the primer on waste lines and low pressure applications.
 
Yes that is splitting hairs, but be careful how many you split!

I said: "The primer starts the melting process" That my friend is deglazing by chemical means. In the converse you mention copper pipe. We can use an acid wash to "deglaze" the copper pipe.

Now lets look at those split hairs! I don't mind being wrong... but do not like to be called wrong when I am right :)

PRIMER is the same STUFF as CEMENT without the fillers. That "stuff" would be the SOLVENT. The CEMENT is SOLVENT with PVC fillers added.

Please look at the ingredients:

Oatey Purple PVC Primer:
Methyl Ethyl Ketone 25 - 80%
Acetone 0 â€"œ 40%
Tetrahydrofuran 5 - 30%
Cyclohexanone 10 - 20%

Oatey Medium Bodied PVC Cement:
Methyl Ethyl Ketone 10 - 50%
Tetrahydrofuran 25 - 50%
PVC Resin 12 - 20%
Acetone 0 â€"œ 20%
Cyclohexanone 5 - 15%
Amorphous Fumed Silica 1 - 5%

Notice that the ONLY difference between the PRIMER and CEMENT is the PVC RESIN (AKA FILLER) and the fumed SILICA (another filler that makes the cement more thixotropic). Of course we can split more hairs about the percentage of each ingredient... but that would be REALLY splitting hairs. The only major percentage difference is the Acetone. I will leave it to you to determine why :)

So both the cement and primer are solvents. The Cement has PVC resin in it with a thixotropic agent to keep it from running.

So please lets not split hairs here.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9079182#post9079182 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
The only major percentage difference is the Acetone. I will leave it to you to determine why :)

Obviously, the acetone is there for a quick buzz - followed by a killer head-ache ....
 
Ok I need more advice. I need to figure out how to plumb this region of my tank.

<A HREF="http://www.gordonious.com/RC/plumbing.html">Follow this link to see what I mean. </A>
 
Ok I realized last time I tried to rush through making this page at 3:30am I didn't exactly word it so humans could understand. I reworded things in English. Took out half the photos that were not needed and is may perhaps load a bit faster now.

<A HREF="http://www.gordonious.com/RC/plumbing.html">Here is the link again</A>

Please feel free to point out any obvious mistakes I made on the page or might be making with the plumbing. I will not be insulted.
 
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