280g Inwall

Delphinus · #1 10-16-2010, 05:37 AM

Okaydoke. Here is today's valuable learning experience:

Don't use a valve like this in the 1.5" size (I've used similar half-union'd valves on 1", 3/4" and 1/2" without issue on a few calcium reactors I tried making back in the early days).

The 3 little sticks are these little holder things that keep in place the white plastic ring that in turn holds the ball in place. The ball just sits in the fluid and it's insane how loose it all is (it just falls out when you take the clip out). There's no way this thing could hold back pressure of any kind ... and, well, it didn't. 10" of water and the thing was leaking right through the join. In fact I can blow into the pipe and the air escapes out - not through the ball - ie., water wouldn't flow through the pipe at least, but the housing isn't watertight in the least.

I can't imagine ANY scenario that a valve like this would be useful. What the heck???

Off to find me a true-union 1.5" valve tomorrow. Man I hope Red Coral has one in their boxes-o-plumbing heaven .. to order something like this from BRS is do-able but darn it all if that isn't another 2 weeks or whatever. I suppose I could just use a standard PVC valve from HD and a union and get the same effect but that will end up being huuuuuuuge and cumbersome and I'd just rather not.

Bah!

Guess it's still better to find these things out now and not after there's rock and sand and livestock in there.

Rbacchiega · #2 10-16-2010, 04:08 PM

weird, I've never seen ball valves like that before. Where'd you get em? A little off topic, but remember how I said I couldn't find unions anywhere...went to home depot yesterday to pick up a new dremel...unions galore.

Delphinus · #3 10-16-2010, 04:21 PM

Rona has unions stocked fairly regularly nowadays which is kinda nice. Home Depot I find still about 50/50. Sometimes I'm surprised by what they have, other times I'm surprised by what they don't.

This kind of valve is called a single-union ball valve and should be a fairly standard sort of thing. It's the kind of union'd valve that Western Pump happens to sell. We don't seem to be overly blessed with too many PVC warehouses in Calgary, probably on account that around here it's mainly used for garden irrigation and pools. This particular one seems defective in the housing that's intended to allow for servicing. I should probably return it but I doubt I'd get anywhere on it since it's all cemented in and stuff now. For the $15 or whatever it was it's probably worth going back in and showing them but on the other hand the time it will take me to pack up the kids and drive on over there and blah blah blah blah.

Hopefully Red Coral has the true-union style for 1.5" in stock. I *could* order from BRS, I need a 1" gate valve anyhow that nobody in town seems to have in stock at the moment, so I have to do an order anyhow at some point... but it would be nicer if I could just get this part locally. The 1" gate valve isn't quite as mission critical as it will be for the frag tank, but I kind of do need a block valve.

There was a tiny piece of silicone goo that I missed under the bulkhead gasket so at least that explains that leak. So in the meantime I can get the bulkhead reinstalled and put in a PVC plug into the bulkhead for the time being while I remake the skimmer feed line.

Lance · #4 10-16-2010, 04:22 PM

Yeah, you should be able to find them at any good plumbing store. We even have them here in little Powell River.

Lance · #5 10-16-2010, 04:25 PM

Never mind.

Delphinus · #6 10-16-2010, 04:28 PM

Yeah, I'm usually pretty jealous at the plumbing supply stores I see and how well stocked they are when I come out to the coast. It's weird what you find yourself noticing after a few years in this hobby. "Aw man, this place has GATE VALVES? What the HE** !!!" I have found myself uttering these words sooooo many times when on vacation.

Around here though, not so much. I think it's because irrigated agriculture is much bigger out your way than it is here (which also doesn't make sense. Where does it usually rain? Where does is usually NOT rain? Summer 2010 notwithstanding.)

Anyhow I don't pretend to understand anything anymore. It is what it is. Until someone tells me the secret place that sells PVC bits galore around here, it's a combo of Red Coral, Western Pump, and Home Depot/Rona. Each place sells about 90% of what you need at any one moment. So you have to hope that the overlap of each 90% on top of each other covers closer to 98%-100% of what you need, you just accept that you have to hit up each one of them until you have everything you need, or enough for a suitable workaround.

i have crabs · #7 10-16-2010, 04:39 PM

hey tony is this what your looking for,

Delphinus · #8 10-16-2010, 04:41 PM

Yes - you wanna sell it??

Please and thank you? (Is that 1.5" ? Kinda looks like 1.5" anyhow..)

i have crabs · #9 10-16-2010, 04:46 PM

ya its a 1.5", who dosent have 1 of these floating around in the basement lol,
but ya its just sitting around so make me a fair offer and its yours, but ofcours i live on the other side of the city from you also

lastlight · #10 10-16-2010, 04:51 PM

Plumbing is such a frustrating thing. Not even talking about DOING the plumbing it's acquiring all the dang parts. Even BRS didn't stock strainers for bulkheads when I did an order once. Got EVERYTHING else yet still had to make a second trip around the city in search.

Gob of silicone...you use silicone on your bulkheads man?