Hi Rick,
I got the unions at Lowes - I think they were around $12. I'll let you know how they hold up - but so far they seem fine.
I am sticking with the Haywards on the pumps, but am going to try these on the send and return lines.
We were in a big time crunch to move, so I didn't have time to head out to Aquatic Eco.
Everyone said expect your house to sell in 5-6 months.......
WRONG - our Conway house sold in 2 weeks, our Lake Nona house took 3.........
So much for taking our time setting up the new place......
SO, I took off one of my Hayward unions and put it side by side with the American Valve (made in China) from Lowes. Believe it or not, it is a true union.
It appears to be very well made and is a slightly smaller clone of the Hayward.
The only big difference is there is a flow direction arrow molded into the body, and the ball valve works a bit harder than the Hayward.
I'm still trying to decide how to plumb this beastie. I'm sticking with my Velocity T3 (800 gph) for the mains.
And have a T2 (600gph) for a closed loop. I was thinking of using a Sqwd or a sea swirl for some movement. No powerheads in this tank!
So if you're in the Windermere area I'd love to get your input.
Thanks,
Nick