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jmccown
02/05/2007, 11:50 AM
I re-plumbed my sump this weekend to accomodate a new skimmer and I thought I overglued my PVC on my return pump but I guess not. I have a 45 that still has a very slight leak. A small drip about every 2 minutes. I tried to just put a bead of silicone around it but it didn't work. Is there anything I can put around it to completely seal the PVC without tearing it all apart and redoing it? It is one of the pieces that is attached to the ball valve and the union. So I'm looking at $10-$20 to redo the whole thing if I cut it off and redo it. Help a brother out here and give me some plummin' advice.

BeanAnimal
02/05/2007, 12:29 PM
Silicone will not work. The only think you can try is to use dry the joint out completely and drip some primer and then solvent cement into the leaky area. A syringe would be a great help. 2 PART epoxy may stop the leak, but is a band-aid at best.

More often than not, the best fix is to redo the joint. If it leaks in the first place, then you may want to examine your glueing technique and choice of materials.

pvtschultz
02/05/2007, 12:34 PM
One thing that I have found out during my years of DIY plumbing in the home and for the tank: Always use a primer and always make sure you twist the parts about 45 degrees or so during assembly to make sure the glue is properly distributed. If you just slide them together you can remove all the glue in an area which will be a leak. Twisting them together helps prevent this.

If you know exactly were the leak is, do as Bean said and dry it thoroughly and then get PRIMER and glue in the leaky spot.

jmccown
02/05/2007, 12:35 PM
I can't figure out how I missed. I used the purple primer/cleaner and all. I put so much glue on it that it always drips outside the PVC. When I put it together I always twist the PVC for a good seal. If I cut this piece I will have about 3/4" to glue a replacement to. Will this be enough? I have a 2300gph pump and I surely don't want the PVC to blow apart. Would empty my 75g sump in a minute.

pvtschultz
02/05/2007, 12:49 PM
I would try and add more primer and glue to it. Funny, I do exactly as you did...

jmccown
02/05/2007, 01:28 PM
I'll try that this evening. Hopefully it will work. I hate to redo it all.

loves saltwater
02/05/2007, 08:04 PM
If it is leaking the PVC glue will not do any good on the outside of the fitting.I would recommend you try aquamend which will set up even under water. You can it at Home Depot in the isle where the adhesives are.

loves saltwater
02/05/2007, 08:06 PM
If it is leaking the PVC glue will not do any good on the outside of the fitting.I would recommend you try aquamend which will set up even under water. You can get it at Home Depot where the adhesives are.

jmccown
02/05/2007, 08:07 PM
It seems to have worked (primering the outside and reglueing it) I took a hair dryer to it so it would harden quicker. Been reglued for about 4 hours now, no leaks.

Vincerama2
02/05/2007, 08:27 PM
Oops, caught this thread too late, but for future reference ....


Go buy something called "Plumber's Goop" at Home depot. I had the same problem with a badly drilled hole and PVC on my kalkwasser reactor. Silicon didn't help at all. I globbed this stuff on, which dries harder than silicon, and the reactor, which has been running for 3-4 years CONTINUOUSLY has never leaked. It's truly awesome stuff. The reactor runs with a bit of pressure too, since the stupid thing is 4.5 feet tall and is fed with a peristaltic pump.


V

jmccown
02/06/2007, 09:24 AM
I'll grab some of this stuff next time I'm at the HW store. It would be handy to have around.