My Bigger Piece of the Reef (LotsOPics)

[jnarowe]

salt will seal up small leaks, but it's not somthing you can trust. Instead of using tape on the threads, you might want to consider thread sealant.

[mrcrab]

Originally posted by Kannin
So... I did my leak test today. DISASTER! Small drip leak coming from the out treads of my closed loop Barracuda... No big deal. I re-taped and re-installed it. Some other very small leaks at the "T's" on my manifolds.

I have heard that very small leaks will seal up with salt creep... Is this true?

One of my 1.5" unions leaked a ton. I took it apart and there was no gasket. I'll fix that tomorrow.

With the location of your tank and the wifes tolerance of your obsession, I would seal every leak I find. Like Jon said...plumbers compound is your friend.

[danno14]

"I seriously question your commitment to the hobby Chris. A real reefer would just get rid of the couch."

Too damn funny!

[jnarowe]

I tell it like it is Dan. Shouldn't you be at work?

[danno14]

I got up at 4:30 to start dealing with east coast issues....multi-tasking now

[jnarowe]

hehehehe...I used to do that.

[Kannin]

Ok... So, I 'm getting small leaks in my CL manifold at the "T's" and one of the end caps. How do I seal those? They are glued with PVC primer and glue. And how are they leaking anyways? I slathered the stuff on every male and female fitting.

[jnarowe]

They can't be "fixed" no matter what any rum lover tells you. Sometimes bad seals can be popped off, but the PVC is cheap, so build another one and replace it. Did you post a pic of it?

[jnarowe]

I see some of it at the top of page 4. If you didn't use unions, you will have to cut it out. Leaks can seal but they can also get worse, especially with the vibration of a pump. One thing I did on mine is use flexible PVC betwen the pump and manifold, and between th emanifold and tank. This cuts down on the vibration.

[Kannin]

Here's the sump during the test. The horizontal union in the lower right is the one with no "O" ring. Water was gushing out of it. The lower of the two manifolds over the top has several small leaks. The end cap on the left and 2 of the "T's".


Is it because there's so much pressure? I just don't get how it can leak with all the glue I put in there.

[mrcrab]

When you glued and put the 2 pieces together, did you twist them 1/4 turn?

[Kannin]

Not necessarily...

[mrcrab]

Could be the problem. I'm no plumber and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I think gluing PVC is actually melding the 2 pieces together. You're supposed to put the glue on just one of the pieces, put them together and then twist 1/4 turn. By not twisting the plastic is melted and any small imperfections will cause small leaks. When you twist the pieces the melted plastic seals those imperfections.

[Kannin]

Now they tell me!!!

[FishyBiz]

I ALWAYS give a twist and have NEVER had any leaks. Its a huge pain to try and fix the leaks once the pipe is glued.

[jnarowe]

I clean the PVC, prime it, and then apply the "glue" to both pieces, insert and a slight twist into position. Has nothing to do with pressure I am sure.

[mrcrab]

Originally posted by Kannin
Now they tell me!!!

We thought you knew what you were doing! Just be glad it's not copper tubing.

Just consider it a test run.

[Kannin]

Yeah... I twisted them... I put the purple primer on and glued both male and female parts. I am concerned that I might have left some burrs. I went to Lowes today and read different glue cans and they all said to remove burrs. I tried to but, I may have rushed a couple towards the end. Pretty sure that those arent the ones leaking, though.

Is it possible to get bad glue?

Maybe I just shouldn't plumb... The little ball valve that screws into the water line for my RODI unit leaks too. I have installed it 7 times. First... with 2 turns of tape... then 3... then 5... then 3 with silacone... then used the thread sealant... then 7 turns of tape...

[jnarowe]

aarrghhh. I feel for ya. I never bother to remove burrs, but I do sometimes hit the pipe with very fine sandpaper.

The little ball valve that screws into the water line for my RODI unit leaks too.

What is this? Got a picture? Are you talking about the one that goes on the pressure tank? If so, you may have screwed up the threads. it's easy to do, and you can get a replacement at HD/Lowes. And you should carefully inspect the tank for damage to the threads as well. QC isn't so hot on those.

Or is the supply line connection? Same thing goes for that as well.

[Kannin]

Suppy line connection. There is a spacer that hooks to the faucet... then you put the water supply line back on... then there si the little ball valve that is threaded on one end and schrews into a threaded hole in the spacer. It is machined threads that seem to fit nicely... (Hard to mis-thread I mean). After the third failure... I took it back to the lfs because it looked like the female threads were a little jacked up. The new one is much nicer but also leaks.

[Kannin]

Some good news though...

I put these in this weekend too.

[jnarowe]

gotta love dem Brutes!

Must be a mis-match on the threads. You shouldn't be having so much trouble with them. Is the supply line tip an interesting shape, like maybe a flare fitting or some other specialty plumbing deal? Sometimes it's hard to get what's wrong, but I am guessig the two are not compatible.

[Kannin]

They seem compatible... I put the new one in this morning with 4 turn of tape plus silicone. I will test it in the morning and, if it still leaks... I will dis-mantle it and snap a pic.

[steve the plumb]

whats leaking.I can help you fix it.You don't have to clean the fittings or sand them.Just make sure they are free of dirt.You can place glue on both pieces or fittings when gluing them.It is better to push and twist the fitting then hold it for 20 seconds.PVC sucks.ABS is so much better but you can't use it in saltwater.I wouldn't.I have seen it used.PCV glued fittings will sometimes come apart thats why after you glue them hold them together for a good 20 to 30 seconds.You don't need to use primer.There are better quality glues out there(weldon) is very good.I used the oately brand witch you can find at the hardware store but the weldon brand ( marked on the can) is a better quality glue.If the ro lines are leaking make sure you cut the tubing evenly.Those are push in fittings so you just push them in and make sure the tubing gets grabbed.Try pulling it out,if it doesn't come out then its fine.If it leaks take it out and try again.I wish we were able to use copper.The fittings are much stronger.I am not to crazy about these plastic fittings that you tighten.My boss was away on vacation and he just renovated the basement and he had installed a brand new furnace.The plastic fitting for his humidifier popped and water was ****ing all over his brand new hard wood floors.

[steve the plumb]

Take a close up pic of whats leaking.I have also used the oatley brand of thread sealant.I have used it on one or two of my threads for my system.I used very little and I am not sure if its 100% reef safe.Its a liquid Teflon and its gray in color.I used it for my dart NW pump,when I got it the thread was leaking.This stuff works great and you don't have to use a lot of it.