dsquared Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Is it necessary to use primer when plumbing a saltwater tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don duncan Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Im no plumber, but I would use it. It helps the pieces bond better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 +1 for using primer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Completely unnecessary, as long as your PVC is clean. We deal with plumbing on a regular basis building large PVC maifolds for our customers and we never use it, I also know plumbers that don't use as long as there is no pressure. Honestly primer can get you in trouble for a couple reasons. One is it causes PVC to swell and it can make it hard to assemble and it pushes apart when you first put the pieces together, plus its ugly! Trust me don't worry about using it for this project. It won't hurt to use it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Agreed. If it's old or dirty pvc, use some sandpaper to clean and put a little texture on it. Otherwise PVC glue should be more than enough. If it's for a high pressure application you may want to use it, but for low pressure usage like an aquarium, it's just a waste of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsquared Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 Good. I am plumbing the new tank so one less step will save a little time. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaJohn Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 lol I was gona say after having to dig up the main water line to my house because the prev owner was a DIY person and did not use primer . There is no way I would not use it but thats 80PSI so mabey you can get away with not using it but it would be a shame to come home to hardwood floors coverd in saltwater because you saved 3 bucks on primer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 How much are you really saving, both from $ and time perspective, by skipping the use of primer? If you do have a leak, then you waste more $ and time (plus added frustration) taking it apart and redoing the joint. IMO it's best to do it right the first time. Just my $0.02 =) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I think you could draw a distinction between *necessary* and a best management practice. Necessary for low pressure? No. Good idea? Probably. For example, in many areas, you can't use clear primer because inspectors want to be sure that you used primer (purple or blue). This is more of a necessity in high pressure scenarios, but it does soften up the PVC and make a better/stronger bond between pieces. Throw my 2 cents into the mix. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Jakedoza Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I've done a LOT of wet side plumbing... If it is going to have any sort of pressure you want to use it. The primer does a couple of things when using it. one, it cleans. two, it melts the PVC slightly to make it sticky and when it all evaporates the pieces are essentially welded together. three it gives the glue something textured to adhere to. You don't have to over do it on the priming, but for pressurized pipes I deem it necessary. Drain pipes you can just glue so long as they are clean. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 The thing that I really hate about primer is that it melts the PVC too much sometimes and when you assemble the parts it scraps off a layer that goes in the pipe. This either restricts the flow or the layer breaks off and gets in to the system, most of the time it just stays in there disrupting the flow Just for fun if anyone thinks primer is necessary even for low pressure please let me mail you a fitting glued to a pvc pipe without using primer and see if you can get it apart.... without breaking the fitting in to pieces. I have used chisels and hammers.....didn't work, I tried to use large pipe wrenches turning the pipe one way and the fitting the other way...didn't work. I have even tried to do this a minute after putting them together (after realizing a mistake was made) and could get them apart. BTW in case anyone doesn't know you can use PVC glue and PVC fittings with spa flex tubing. Another tip is to use pvc glue instead of teflon for threaded pvc fittings. Its permanent of course but will not leak, ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropy Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 lol I was gona say after having to dig up the main water line to my house because the prev owner was a DIY person and did not use primer . There is no way I would not use it but thats 80PSI Kind of off topic, but where are you getting 80 PSI from around here? I feel pretty lucky when my PSI gauge hits 45. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I'm a pipefitter by trade, as in that's how I've been making a living for the last 18 years. I'm NICET ceritified and I'm registered with ASCET. I can assure you that primer is unnecessary in what we do. If you were running a line that is under pressure from your house line to your fish room, then yes use primer, plumbing in your gravity fed sump, no. Your piping is all open ended and has practically no pressure whatsoever. As far as 80psi? That's the normal operating pressure in a city. All new housing meters are set to restrict at 80psi. As you move farther away from the pumping station you may see less than 80 but the average in th area is about 75psi. I lived in downtown ATX for several years and our water pressure was 125 during the day and 140 at night. The house was about 80 years old so not many safety devices installed. Being as that my job is to verify pressure and volume in the use of automatic fire sprinklers, I take certified readings all over town. I also test and repair backflows, noting the pressure at each test station. There are some areas around the hills of loop 360 that easily reach 125psi and higher. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 A certifiable expert has spoken! Are there any downsides to using primer? Stephen has listed one, but are there any other (non-aesthetic) downsides to use that you can think of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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