PVC tubes & fittings

[nemirn]

What's the best place to get PVC tubes, adapters, etc. in Austin?

I have what seemed to be an easy project.

Starting with a 1 1/4" bulkhead coming out the bottom of an HOB overflow box.

All I want is to attach a gate valve and a tapered PVC end, onto which a 1" tube will lead to my ghetto faux-Rubbermaid sump.

After spending 30 minutes at home depot, the simplest contraption I could devise required

a half dozen adapters and fittings. An employee tried his best to help me, but provided an even more

complicated and tritely contrived contraption.

The main problem is that none of the female pieces could match the male threads of the bulkhead, not even the ugly brass ones (That's one lonely bulkhead).

Should I be at the LFS or a home gardening center instead, perhaps?

I'm in south Austin.

Thanks.

[DaJMasta]

I've got a lowes across the street and that's where I got all my fittings. They typically don't carry bulkheads, but they should be able to get the basics at any big hardware store. I would look towards using slip fittings and PVC cement, as they are readily available and can be cut to length without requiring threads on each end, but when cemented make a tight and waterproof seal. Some sizes may be more difficult to find than others, 1 1/4" will probably be tougher than 1 1/2" for example, but they should be able to get you all the basic fittings and tubing - at least in white.

I've also seen a tower of drawers at aquatek full of PVC fittings. Haven't taken a look, but I'll bet some LFSs would carry at least the basics for plumbing a sump. For that specifically, instead of using a tapered PVC bit, which would be near impossible to find, I would look for some kind of adapter or bushing.

Edited February 16, 2010 by DaJMasta

[muddybluewater]

You can not find fittings for the outside of a BH you have to work with the inside either threads or slip fitting. You probably have 1" on the inside if the outside is 1 1/4"

[joshman1204]

In my experience 1 1/4 PVC is very rare and only available in limited supplies in most home depots and lowes stores.

[nemirn]

In my experience 1 1/4 PVC is very rare and only available in limited supplies in most home depots and lowes stores.

Ok, that's what I have done in the end.... I slipped a 1" PVC into it.

I am glad to know that there is no need to keep searching for that elusive BH female threading since it doesn't even exist outside the BH.

[Derry]

FWIW, I've always had better luck finding the PVC items I wanted at Lowe's rather than HD. Better organized and greater selection.

[caferacermike]

And as always you need to ask yourself why in the world are you planning on adding a valve to your overflow?

It is a waste of time and money. It is all a simple game of physics.

Your rate of water going into the overflow is 100% directly related to your return pump. If you size your pump accordingly all will be well. Period. If you have to use a valve there, you've done something 100% wrong.

[chrisfowler99]

FWIW, I've always had better luck finding the PVC items I wanted at Lowe's rather than HD. Better organized and greater selection.

yup

Plus they actually sell shorter sections of PVC...that'll actually fit in my car.

[Timfish]

Warehouse Pool Supply has a lot of interesting PVC fittings and bulkheads. Locally I favor HD to Lowes but they're both "small" stores ans sometimes I end up going to another farther away.

[Jimbo]

And as always you need to ask yourself why in the world are you planning on adding a valve to your overflow?

It is a waste of time and money. It is all a simple game of physics.

Your rate of water going into the overflow is 100% directly related to your return pump. If you size your pump accordingly all will be well. Period. If you have to use a valve there, you've done something 100% wrong.

+1

There should be no restriction on your overflow...that's just another place scale or snails or junk can bulk up and cause, well, an overflow of the bad kind.

Back to the question. I find Lowes has a better choice of fittings. If you do have a bulkhead with a 1 1/4" inner diameter, you can use a reducer to something more manageable (should be able to find a threaded reducer 1 1/4 x 1) then use a threaded nipple to your hose (if that is what you are using). If you want to use rigid or flex PVC, then you can get a male adapter for the reducer and glue in your pipe.

HTH.

Jim

[Jimbo]

In looking at your question again, you probably have a bulkhead with a slip connection on the inside of the exposed part. In that case, you will have to glue in the reducer.

The other option would be to get a corrugated hose of some kind (many times this is 1 1/4") and clamp it to the outside of the bulkhead. You can then clamp that to the reducing fitting on your sump, or reduce it using a hose reducer.