Tools for UC Assembly and Maintenance

[redwhiteblue]

What do you keep around for building and maintaining your UC systems?

 

[woodsmaneh]

I have brushes that will clean my pipes and I use a garden sprayer to apply H2O2 to clean. I also bought a small 1500psi electric pressure washer for 49$ that I use to clean the system with. The only tools I use are Plumbers stop leak and regular blue Windex, that's it.

I also have a junk yard for systems I have built, 1 inch , 1 1/2" , 2 " and 3" and 4" systems and manifolds. I bet I have 7 to 10 different systems I have built and discarded for various reasons. The smaller pipe just could not do the job IMHO and boxes of hoses and fittings. It's nice as I can build just about anything from my junk pile.

 

[redwhiteblue]

Do you seal your fittings/pipes with PVC glue?

 

[Greeneye04]

yes u will want to glue all your pvc fittings.. u dont want leaks... i also use a shop vac to get all the water out of system when cleaning between runs.. works great.. toilet brushes or brushes used for home brewing work great for cleaning pipes

 

[woodsmaneh]

All my pipe is cemented, other wise it will leak. I use a pre-cleaner than lots of glue (it's cheap) I found that working with larger size pipe 3" and larger, for the cost of a bottle of pre-cleaner is well worth the money spent. When you pay 38$ for a 4" 90 you want to make sure it's well glued as there is no going back. Mistakes can be very expensive when dealing in larger sizes. I use the grey pipe which is over kill and about 4 times the $$ than the white Pool pipe. I use it cause the store is close by and being grey no mold grows on the outside like on the white pipe.

 

[All4freedumb]

A couple of other things I thought to add..

 

[ttystikk]

The uniseals are the Undercurrent's Achilles' Heel. While I value Woodsman's opinions and admire his skills, I've found that for me, 1" lines and fittings work fine and remain very affordable. Instead of uniseals, I use bulkheads, as these actually help to strengthen the bucket they're installed in. They're also easy to remove, repair- not that I've ever had to- and reconfigure your systems with.

I too have a bunch of spare parts, but they all fit my systems. A little planning and design in the beginning can go a long way towards keeping the parts count and cost down while still getting impressive results!

Lastly, if in doubt, go with fewer sites and longer on center distances- the girls will amaze you with how fast they grow and extra room is always appreciated for everything from lighting to air movement to just getting around in there.

 

[All4freedumb]

I did forget about the new bulkheads replacing the uniseals. That was pulled out of our er bag. I have yet had to replace a bucket or a uniseal although we have both on deck.. One system has been stripped down and rebuilt over 5 times in 2 1/2 years.. We have been very fortunate with 34 buckets overall we have never had to replace any uniseal or bucket...

 

[redwhiteblue]

All my pipe is cemented, other wise it will leak. I use a pre-cleaner than lots of glue (it's cheap) I found that working with larger size pipe 3" and larger, for the cost of a bottle of pre-cleaner is well worth the money spent. When you pay 38$ for a 4" 90 you want to make sure it's well glued as there is no going back. Mistakes can be very expensive when dealing in larger sizes. I use the grey pipe which is over kill and about 4 times the $$ than the white Pool pipe. I use it cause the store is close by and being grey no mold grows on the outside like on the white pipe.

What type of "cement" are you using?

 

[woodsmaneh]

The uniseals are the Undercurrent's Achilles' Heel. While I value Woodsman's opinions and admire his skills, I've found that for me, 1" lines and fittings work fine and remain very affordable. Instead of uniseals, I use bulkheads, as these actually help to strengthen the bucket they're installed in. They're also easy to remove, repair- not that I've ever had to- and reconfigure your systems with.

I too have a bunch of spare parts, but they all fit my systems. A little planning and design in the beginning can go a long way towards keeping the parts count and cost down while still getting impressive results!

Lastly, if in doubt, go with fewer sites and longer on center distances- the girls will amaze you with how fast they grow and extra room is always appreciated for everything from lighting to air movement to just getting around in there.

I have never had an issues with the uni-seals failing it has always been because of improper installation. The seals are use by the industry for years and they work if installed properly. I have sold bulkheads for years and they work great, since I started dealing with the UC I have not sold a single bulkhead. As for using 1" I tried it but the flow rate was too restricted for larger systems. I don't build anything smaller than 3" and with my larger systems I use 4" which is very expensive but I can move a ton of water with the 4". I run 1200 gph pumps with the 4" and my plants love it.

I noticed UC now sell bulkhead connectors they look well built.

There are lots of ways to get the job done and the most important thing is to start were ever you can and use what you have to get there.

As I always say if it works for you that's great so keep on growing.

Peace

 

[orbad]

I saw a dryer vent brush at Lowes today. Probably a foot and a half long and tapers from about 2" down to about 1/2" with a long flexible handle. Looked like it would work great for cleaning pipes.

 

[UC Quest]

What size holes need to be drilled into buckets to accomodate 3" bulkheads please ?