Argh! Fittings!

[Jon Baldwin]

I've been trying to find the fittings that go through the wall of the tank that you can slide a 1 inch PVC pipe through. I could get by with two of those and one for a 2 inch PVC.  You can see them in action 33-34 min into the "1st 90 days" CD.  Murray refers to them as "fish tank outlets".

 

All the local repair and hardware stores think I'm nuts because "what are you using it for again?"  I think Murray has them as part of a plumbing kit out of Australia, but really, there have to be some somewhere in the US.

 

Any suggestions will be appreciated. 

[Raychel A Watkins]

Those things are called uniseals.  Mostly I get them at Aquatic Eco Systems out of Florida.  If you have a place that does Koi ponds or things like that they may have them

[Chris Cates]

You can use a shower pan drain.  I was looking at these things in lowes the other day.  I already used bulkhead adapters I ordered here, but these would have worked for my fish tank fittings and were a little cheaper.  Item # 253153 on lowes.com is the 2" version.  You can add a reducing coupler to take it down to 1".

[Shas Cho]

If you can afford uniseals
they are the bee's knees.
Here are the best prices I've found-
http://www.aquaponiclynx.com/products/uniseal

You may even recognise the seller!

[David Hart]

I 'hate' uniseals...

Yes, they work. I've sucessfully have installed about 2 dozen. But if your trying to install any pipe bigger then 1 inch...forget that!  What a pain in the ...wrist.

The picture that Rik shared, where the guy looks like he just pushed in a 4 inch pipe...what a joke.   They should be sued for false advertising !

A 2 inch 'economy' bulkhead at aqautic eco  or  at jemhco only costs 2 dollars more then a 2 inch uniseal. Unless your a masochist....it's 2 dollars well spent

 

[George]

I didn't think 2 inch uniseals were much trouble - beveled edge with sander and used spit lubricant.

David Hart said:

I 'hate' uniseals...

Yes, they work. I've sucessfully have installed about 2 dozen. But if your trying to install any pipe bigger then 1 inch...forget that!  What a pain in the ...wrist.

[Gina Cavaliero]

Even though the economy bulkhead is only $2 more, there is additional cost in at least one or quite likely 2 MIP or FIP fittings that you wouldn't have with the Uniseal.  Plenty of lubricant is the key.   We use them up to 3" in tanks and as essentially quick connects for teeing into pipes instead of cutting and gluing in T's.  We love Uniseals Dave!    Lol!

[David Hart]

The only thing more 'evil'  then a uniseal,  is a 'tee eliminator'. They look like a uniseal, but have threads inside them...designed to have a female adapter, screwed into them. Install a handfull , and 1 will leak 'for sure'....

 

I use slip x slip bulkheads, so no extra cost of any fittings. Aquatic eco carrys them with,  without threads ...or threads on one side and slip on the other....your choice.

[Shas Cho]

All of which goes to show that there is no one way

to set up and maintain an aquaponics system!

As my grandma used to say,

anyway you get the skin off a cat is the right way!

[M D Fowler]

here is what i had to do...

1" male that screws in with "O" ring and 1" female that screws in with "O" ring.  one on each side of tank and if it is NOT going to be under pressure you don't need to use glue (safer for fish and plants).  if it leaks a little change the "O" ring to a thicker one, i made my "O" rings.

 

let me know if that worked!!!

[Shas Cho]

What did you make your 'O' rings out of?

Some of those male/female fittings have nice square shoulders
which compress an 'O' ring nicely.
Others have shoulders like the Hulk,
sloping from the neck to the body
and requiring silicone as well as three gaskets.
It pays to examine them before buying!

[M D Fowler]

the hardware store sell sheets of 5"X5" rubber for that or i've hear of people using tire inner-tube.  your right about the fitting, i had a 3" that wouldn't screw all the way down even though i tryed everything from vasaline to silacone and ended up scrapping it.

[Shas Cho]

Yes, I use inner tubes,
but those are not as easy to come by as they were 20 years ago.
I was hoping you had discovered a new miracle material ;-)