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Another
frustrating weekend, just when you plan things the heavens
open again and ruin it.
Managed to get the plumbing sorted out though together with two
trenches across my wife's flower bed. Fortunately you would not
know now so I live to see another day.
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Some
comments about solvent welding - its hard! The pipes are hard
to push together and don't always go all the way even under
a lot of pressure. If you sand them down so they fit dry, when
the solvent goes on they seem to swell which makes it hard.
The cleaner should be used first to de-grease the pipes followed
by the solvent which goes on both surfaces before pushing together.
Make sure things are straight first! there is not room for error, the stuff sets
really fast and you have only a few seconds to get it right. |
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The
connections into the 6" pipes going into the vortex are all welded with silicone
only as per Nitritech's recommendation. This was a good one
because there would be no way to get them welded at the same
time as the connection to the feed pipes and the sealant provides
some 'give' while things are getting straightened out. Even
so it is a juggle to get everything into place and help is
recommended. The 6" pipes are under even less pressure and
so silicone should be OK. In the event of ever needing to disconnect
them it will also be possible.
I am sure they are water tight but as a double protection
I put a ring of Silicone Sealant round each joint as well.
The 4" pipes are not under a lot of water pressure so it
should be OK.
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TIP. If
the vortex chamber is made of fibreglass then the pipework
can be connected to it with solvent. However, some of them
are made of a material such as polypropolene and in this case
silicone must be used instead. Always check this out with the
supplier when you buy the unit. |
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This photo shows
a close up of one of the 4" slide valve in the feed pipe just
before the 6" join.
TIP. The
photo above shows that the vortex chamber has only one inlet,
but there are inlet pipes from the two bottom drains. It will
be seen that Mark has used a six inch manifold into the vortex,
and the two 4" pipes join on to this. The angled pipes and
45 degree elbow ensures that there is a better flow of water
than if he had used a right angled bend.
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This shot shows the
pipes disappearing down the outside of the concrete ring. It
is necessary to channel out behind them so the pipes run down
behind the wall and along the bottom in the concrete. |
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