PVC leak patching

[Joshua]

****** guys you're not supposed to use logic and reason. I left out the fact that the 2" intake and 3x 1" returns are all drilled into the bottom of the tank and coming up from underneath purposely so nobody would mention flooding the house. lol

[Bill S]

Hey, I'm just good at giving advice. Don't blame me. Now, if I could only TAKE the advice...

[caferacermike]

Ok so I'm a pipefitter. Been one for over 14 years. You are not going to like what I have to say.

Tear it all out now and do it right. Period. Don't screw around and take chances. If you can't do it yourself ask for help. You cannot properly patch a bad PVC joint. PVC CEMENT is not a GLUE. PVC cement works to melt down a thin layer of both the fitting and the pipe. When you push them together you mush all the bits together. It is actually a solvent. As the chemicals melt the PVC the solvents quickly evaporate creating an almost instantly usable bond. Translation: you are mixing and transferring the plastic from each piece creating a molecular bond. Again this is not glue. Glue fills in voids and creates the bond itself. Silicone on PVC is the absolute most horrible crap I've ever seen in the hobby. It just screams look at the guy who either failed to do any research at all or the guy that does a sloppy job and has little pride. Silicone does not properly adhere to PVC. It will fail. Not when either as it will be in a very short time. I've seen tanks piped in using only silicone, GOD it looks horrible. Salt creep and stalagmites everywhere.

But hey it's your tank right? Do it however you feel comfortable...

[SoLiD]

Bottom line, Mike is right. My good friend gave me a great tip when bonding PVC. Be sure to put enough PVC cement in the fitting. Then, when joining the fitting and the pipe, twist the pipe as you insert it. Keep twisting the two pieces until it becomes somewhat snug. I've Never Ever had a leak using this method. Give it a try, it works!

Also, don't cheap out. Use unions and valves.

[captexas]

Didn't you see those commercials? Just use some chewed up gum to patch up the holes! LOL As you have time, fix it right like the others have said, it will be much better in the long run.

[Joshua]

Well the globs didn't work. I took my roto-zip and ground grooves into the seams that were leaking, shoveled all the shavings back into the grooves and packed them tightly and filled with PVC cement and it seems to be holding nicely. I'll fill'er up with water from the hose and let it run for a few weeks just to see how it holds. I still can't figure out for the life of my why I had so many leaks to begin with, never had any problems like this and I've done some fairly elaborate plumbing jobs through multiple systems.

[SoLiD]

You should look in to buying some new PVC Cement. That could be your issue...

[Joshua]

You should look in to buying some new PVC Cement. That could be your issue...

Hmmm, maybe so. This stuff was in my huge container full of spare PVC parts and is probably 3 years old. Still seems like the consistency is good though and still burns nose hairs when you open the lid...