Gluing PVC: Do you always need a union in there? Can you glue two sides of a coupling at once?

[reefpool]

Hi there,

I've had to rip out a bunch of plumbing and I ended up plumbing in some unions because I just couldn't figure out how on earth they had hard plumbed everything without one single union. Well, I have two more lines to do and I'm wondering whether I can learn whatever this technique is and avoid more unions- I just can't figure out how they would do it. The lines are hard lines so there is almost no give, and if I get the pipes close to each other and glued on either side, how can I join them? It would be impossible to stretch them apart and put in a coupling, and if I could it would be very hard still to glue both ends of the coupling at once. So, what is the secret?

I'm attaching a photo of how this was previously plumbed with no unions. Also, there is an apparently dead loop there that you can see hooks up both ends under ground. I believe that's where the heater was plumbed in. Well, the joins in there are leaking underground we have just discovered and so that funny loop is one of the lines I'm going to be playing with. The other is from the new Pentair Multivalve to waste.

Thank you for your help!

Angela

 

[ajw22]

This help you...

Buy this 1-1/2" Spears PVC Short Repair Coupling - SOC x SOC

We carry this useful 1-1/2" Sch. 40 PVC Repair Coupling from Spears (SH119-15)! This coupling can replace sections of pipe that are cracked or warped with ease!

www.pvcfittingsonline.com

 

[reefpool]

Hi Allen,
Not sure how that coupling works, is it some sort of extendable union?

Whoever did the PVC work here the glue is failing in all of the joints, so maybe that explains it, but I was just wondering if there was some technique that I just can't find- they did this entire line with not one union/o-ring, all glue. (albeit a horrible job clearly). Maybe there is some ultra slow setting PVC glue, or some other thing I don't know about.

I'll probably just put in the regular unions, just not understanding how it was done without.

Thanks!

 

[ajw22]

I am not sure what specific line you are discussing.

That coupling solves the problem of gluing together two immovable pipes since it slides and you put it in the slot and then it slides out to couple to both pipes.

Gluing failing is usually because not enough primer was used.

I don't know if you have seen these articles:

Swimming Pool Plumbing Repair

Fixing a leak in your pools plumbing is easier than it sounds. In this article we'll help you fix your leak using a saw and cheap pvc glue.

www.troublefreepool.com

PVC Repair - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com