Re- gluing ? re-melting PVC w/ PVC solvent

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Racer814

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mike08201 said:
Just yesterday, the fella at the plumbing supply store (Grant Supply) told me that ABS is superior to PVC since PVC joints will come apart if that are hit and no cleaner was used.
Mike, that fella is an idiot


don't listen to anything he ever tells you from this moment on...
 

Kordts

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It is true in a way. If primer isn't used on PVC, the solvent doesn't melt the joint together, it's not much stronger than the pipes just being jammed into the joint.
 
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tobrien56

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Just tried it

I just tried regluing a PVC joint that broke. I wiped it as dry as I could, then scraped it with some aluminum oxide emory paper. After putting on a bunch of purple primer, I put on the cement and reaffixed the joint. After that, for good measure, I wiped it again and did the same procedure around the outside of the joint. It seems to have worked. I don't know how much the original sealant renders the PVC impervious to solvents. In this case, there was some white PVC left that had not been coated by whatever someone used to seal it in the first place. I also found that there was pressure on the pipe from a framing member that had been installed after the plumbing was done. This probably contributed or actually caused the bust. I thought it might have been better to notice this before I glued the pipe, because the joint I reglued was less than perfect in terms of angle, but oh well it seems to have stuck. I was doing the kind of "handyman" work described in this comment stream after a plumber had been at it, and to avoid a "real" plumber getting involved. One thing I'll say, when I do that stuff, I always make the homeowner/landlord very aware that I am not a licensed plumber, and I can't guarantee my work in the same way. People appreciate that, even if they're nervous, they know I'm not trying to "chew and screw".
 
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diyeverything18

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Ok, let’s see if I can qualify myself...

I don’t charge people for plumbing work.
In fact I don’t DO any work except DIY at my own house.
I make no claims regarding plumbing, electrical or any other trade.
And I know everything because I’ve watched This Old House for over 30 years.
So here’s the problem I’ve been stuck on...er...unstuck.
I’m installing a new water heater. My cold supply is CPVC and comes up through the closet floor. I needed to increase the head height to reach the new heater (taller than the old one) so I used a 3’ length of PVC pipe. The hardware store “expert” said it would work if I used a PVC to CPVC coupler (PVC pipe to threaded PVC nipple screwed to a CPVC nipple. I cleaned, primed and glued both sides of the joint. And yes, I used purple primer (for PVC and CPVC) and CPVC glue.
The first time I let it cure for 48 hours. When I put pressure on while filling the tank the joint held for about 90 seconds before popping off and creating a 3’ fountain. Once dried I inspected the parts and they were fine except for glue build up which I carefully removed and tried again. The second time it cured for about 3 hours and I got only about 60 seconds before fountain time.
All other joints are holding perfectly tight and leak-free. Any thoughts on why the one just refuses to hang on? I hope I provided all the detail needed.

Thanks for any replies.

index.php
 
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OnlyinCali

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I'll comment on the "why do we help these shmucks do proper plumbing if they steal our businesss?" comment....

1. We all have our trades (most of us) that we are experts at, yet still do "other" trade's jobs almost daily, especially on our own homes. I happily share my trade "secrets" with others who are willing to put the effort into doing a job PROPERLY. When I need help doing a job PROPERLY, I ask the pro's...For plumbing....that's you guys. I don't plumb for hire but it sure is nice to know how to do a DIY repair PROPERLY now.

2. If I'm doing the work myself anyways, why not do it PROPERLY and likely at a higher level than the "pro's" in my area? I'm going to spend the time and money doing it anyways (on my own home), so why not spend 5 minutes to share a tiny portion of your 20 years experience to help a fellow hard worker to do the job right? When you have a medical question, electrical question, framing question, etc, those experts can help you in return.

3. TONS OF PEOPLE use this forum to learn how to do something correctly and THEN hire a contractor/plumber to do it. They now have the knowledge to ensure the pro is doing the job properly.

Anyways, I love this forum and I love that most pro's on here are willing to share knowledge with people who are WILLING to LEARN. The "I'm not sharing secrets that took me 20 years to learn!" bullsh$% needs to change. People with that mentality have no business on a public forum where advice is meant to be shared, ideas meant to be spoken, debates meant to be had.
 
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Jadnashua

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PVC piping generally is not approved for use inside of a house...why didn't you use CVPC? Also note, there is often a minimum distance plastic piping must be from the top of the WH. That may only apply to gas-fired ones, but is a good idea regardless. Pretty sure that's 18".
 

PlumbSolve

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I ask questions on this section because I thought it was the diy section. In my country you will battle to find a plumber who primes his pipes.I will not argue that it is a better system,we just dont do it.I believe if your pipes are relatively clean and you take care on your application you will be alright.
Its only recently that the oatey glues have reached our shores. The cheaper pvc glues do fail.

I have used a heat gun with success to remove a pipe from a fitting when I cant afford to cut the pipe shorter. The pipe tends to get soft enough to fold into itself and the fitting has memory to return to its original state. I sometimes will help it by quickly pushing in a short piece of pipe and cooling it with water .
A scrape with a scalpel and some emery paper usually prepares it well enough to get a chemical weld taking place.

In my country you can pretty much do as you like.I am a plumber but I will also tackle small building works and waterproofing and tiling. In my area if you do a new house it will need to be passed by an inspector. Its quite weird ,I can hardly understand what is sometimes discussed on this forum. Your plumbing in the States seems very different to my country. We chase everything into our brick walls. There is no dry wall.Our heaters are different and we dont use 3 inch for sewer.
 

PlumbSolve

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Our sewer pipes are 4 inch sewer domestic or 6 inch for bigger projects. All grey water like basins, sinks showers baths etc are two inch.
 

Reach4

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Our sewer pipes are 4 inch sewer domestic or 6 inch for bigger projects. All grey water like basins, sinks showers baths etc are two inch.
You use 50 mm for showers, tubs, washing machines, sinks. What do you use for the flush toilet? Would that always be 100 mm, or might that also be 50?
 

PlumbSolve

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For flushing toilets only 110mm (4 inch) Why what is the standerd in your country? I have seen 50 mm used but that is on a pumped system where the toilet water is pumped to a higher level but the motor has blades and chops the solids up and then pumps it via a 50mm pipe.
 
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