PVC plumbing 101?

[khoile]

Hi,

Is there a website that show what the terminology of PVC fittings and recommendations?

I'm getting ready to setup my plumbing, but wanted to educate myself about all pvc stuff first... I have no idea of things like true vs single union, etc...

Thanks.

[deeda]

This site has some good photos. I've purchased from them before. http://www.plumbingsupply.com/pvc.html

[khoile]

Thank you. Their Q&As are especially useful.

[nickboudin]

The worker that specializes in that stuff, in that specific section of Home Depot or Lowes should be able to help you out a lot. It's not like they can scam you into buying something different, PVC cost is like pocket change.

[khoile]

Well I spent 2 hours at Lowe today going over all the PVC parts, even bought some home to play with. I noticed though that the ball valve are very difficult to turn, I could imagine breaking the pipe holding the valve while turning. Any recommendation for smooth easy to turn ball valve?

Thanks.

[BiscuitSlayer]

Probably just a little use will help a lot. Might also want to get the ball wet while turning it.

[swylie]

Originally Posted by khoile

Well I spent 2 hours at Lowe today going over all the PVC parts, even bought some home to play with. I noticed though that the ball valve are very difficult to turn, I could imagine breaking the pipe holding the valve while turning. Any recommendation for smooth easy to turn ball valve?

Thanks.

I swear I read somewhere that the Lowes/ Home Depot ball valves aren't as good as ones you can get online or at a plumbing supplier. I know I've read about cheap ball valves leaking around the valve stem, though I haven't had any issues with the couple cheap ones I have. Maybe you should check a reef site? They seem to use tons of ball valves in their plumbing.

[gsd78]

Originally Posted by nickboudin

The worker that specializes in that stuff, in that specific section of Home Depot or Lowes should be able to help you out a lot. It's not like they can scam you into buying something different, PVC cost is like pocket change.

Don't underestimate the cost of pcv pipe and fittings on a large tank build. I can tell you first hand that the cost can be significant. Flex pvc, ball valves, bulkheads, unions, etc, etc. They add up real quick. I have over $300 spent in this area on my 240g build and its not completely plumbed yet. Just food for thought. Its something that definitely needs to be worked into a large tank budget.

You should check out www.savko.com. They are a great source for aquarium plumbing supplies.

Also, I would recommend the ball valves with built in unions that Lowes sells. They are much easier to turn and are priced about the same as buying the valve and unions seperately. Be sure to work plenty of unions into your setup. You'll want to be able to swap out pumps and other equpment without tearing apart all your plumbing. They can be a little pricey, but well worth it in the long run.

[khoile]

Yeah. I've did a rough estimate and it comes out ~300 for my system. Bulkheads took a major portion.

[original kuhli]

My 83 gallon will be around $250 before bulkheads...you can't believe how fast this stuff adds up. I'll love it when its done but...

If you have a plumbing warehouse in your area you may be better served by going there, Home Depot here is amazingly frustrating in that they only stock commonly used items and in an aquarium job we're using a lot of things that don't get used all that often. Everytime I need something other than an elbow it seems like I end up driving to mulitple locations, its very frustrating!

Having said that http://www.plumbingsupply.com/ has great prices and I've used the Savko site as well, they're clear sched 40 pvc is proving useful to see air blocks in my system.

Assembly is pretty easy, just dryfit your system and get started on the main manifold system that you'll use, the rest will come from there (and 10 more trips to the plumbing shop)....

[khoile]

Ah hah... finally found it...
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/jg/index.php

[original kuhli]

100 pieces later, PVC isn't pocket change...

[mhossom]

Originally Posted by khoile

I noticed though that the ball valve are very difficult to turn, I could imagine breaking the pipe holding the valve while turning. Any recommendation for smooth easy to turn ball valve?

Thanks.

Try a gate valve. They allow for a much finer adjustment and operate a lot smoother.
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/...ories/ssid/349

-Mike