How to fix a pipe leak on my sprinkler system?

[misterno]

So I digged the soil for half a feet and found where the leak is. It is the distribution center of sprinkler system where it is connected to controller with wires and pipes.

I immediately saw where the leak is. So I bought the primer and the other liquid I forgot the name. These are for PVC cement.

I placed both liquids on both ends of the pipes inside and out. Then I manually attached them. Waited for couple of minutes. Release it. And it holds perfectly.

But when I turn on the water, it cracks from the another connection. If I fix this new one also, the previous one starts to leak. So I was not successful in fixing this issue.

Yesterday I saw a handyman working on my neighbor's sprinkler system, I called him over to give me estimate. He looks at the pipes in 1 second he says "oh you can NOT use pvc cement on old pipes, it will not work".

So he says I need to buy new pipes and install it.

Anyway, back home where I came from (eastern Europe) there is a pipe melter gun. You melt both ends of the PVC and before they get cold you connect them and viola, it freezes and you get one piece pipe FOREVER.

Is this solution available in USA?

 

[ExtraMilePlumbing]

I recommend you take a piece of the pipe with you to a plumbing supply house and ask them for help on the welding solution , as for the pipe that keeps kracking must be beacuse you are putting too much tension on the pipe . I recommend replace as much as that pipe as you can.

 

[misterno]

I recommend you take a piece of the pipe with you to a plumbing supply house and ask them for help on the welding solution , as for the pipe that keeps kracking must be beacuse you are putting too much tension on the pipe . I recommend replace as much as that pipe as you can.

Thanks

In the meantime, do you think melting the pipes and connecting them is a good solution? Is this done here in the US?

 

[ExtraMilePlumbing]

No we don't melt sprinkler pipe we just glue .

 

[havasu]

If the connections were properly sanded rough, I sure don't know why it wouldn't work. I've been doing this for 40 years.

Sure, that guy stands to make a bunch of money on a complete repipe of your irrigation system.

 

[frodo]

melting the pipes together is called fusion.

we do it on gas lines, it is a different type of pipe.

as suggested, take a piece on the pipe with you to a plumbing supply house, not a hardware store

 

[misterno]

If the connections were properly sanded rough, I sure don't know why it wouldn't work. I've been doing this for 40 years.

Sure, that guy stands to make a bunch of money on a complete repipe of your irrigation system.

I understand

But for some reason my glue did not work. Anyway I will go to a local plumber supply and see what they say.

In other forums, I read that ABS brand is superior to other brands sold in Home Depot.

I forgot to take the picture of my pipes, I will do it tonight and post it here

Thanks

 

[havasu]

ABS glue is for ABS pipes. It is not a brand of glue. PVC glue is to be used for PVC pipe. They also have transitional glues, but you need to use the glue (AND PRIMER!) specific to your pipes. Please verify which type of plumbing by either posting pics here of letting a knowledgeable person look and tell you.

 

[misterno]

Here is the 2 pictures from the sprinkler pipe system I am trying to fix

I bought the house last year and you can tell by the bluish colors on the pipes that someone worked on them before

Appearantly this blue color primme or whatever is not a permanent solution. I wish there was a super glue in the market and I can use and be done with this instead of digging the soil and separate the pipes, put the prime in and out of 2 ends of the pipe. I mean who has the time for all these every year?

Anyway here are the picture

http://i.hizliresim.com/YlBy4a.jpg

http://i.hizliresim.com/rVQ46B.jpg

 

[havasu]

Those pipes are definitely PVC pipes. The light (old) color of purple appears to be Oatey's purple primer. The bright darker blue color appears to be Christy's red hot blue glue. This is exactly what I use for a strong, fail proof connection. It appears the last time your pipes were glued, I see there appears they forgot to first use the purple primer and only has the red hot blue glue. This will end in failure for sure, as I just confirmed last week when one of my workers did exactly the same thing on my own sprinkler pipes. As said previously, lightly sand the connection, apply the purple primer liberally on all connecting surfaces, let it dry a minute, then apply the red hot glue on all surfaces and quickly insert the pipe. Once inserted, the pipe will need to have pressure for a few minutes, then you can let it go. Let the pipe cure for an hour, and it will be a strong connection.

 

[havasu]

By the way, multi-valve manifolds are readily available at most local hardware stores, which would allow you to install one time, then you could forget about this problem for years.

 

[frodo]

http://screencast.com/t/sKpWMrqZ

 

[frodo]

By the way, multi-valve manifolds are readily available at most local hardware stores, which would allow you to install one time, then you could forget about this problem for years.

i know how to turn that into the trigger system for a golf ball gun

 

[misterno]

Those pipes are definitely PVC pipes. The light (old) color of purple appears to be Oatey's purple primer. The bright darker blue color appears to be Christy's red hot blue glue. This is exactly what I use for a strong, fail proof connection. It appears the last time your pipes were glued, I see there appears they forgot to first use the purple primer and only has the red hot blue glue. This will end in failure for sure, as I just confirmed last week when one of my workers did exactly the same thing on my own sprinkler pipes. As said previously, lightly sand the connection, apply the purple primer liberally on all connecting surfaces, let it dry a minute, then apply the red hot glue on all surfaces and quickly insert the pipe. Once inserted, the pipe will need to have pressure for a few minutes, then you can let it go. Let the pipe cure for an hour, and it will be a strong connection.

Havasu

Applying first the primer and then the glue is what we did. The home depot guy told me the same thing. So we did this exactly the way it is told us. It turns out the glue that we were using has been sitting under sun for many days and it did not work well. So the application did not work.

Then I went to home depot bought a fresh one. But before we did the second application we sand the pipe ends in and out then applied the primer then the glue.

Still there was a leak.

So I am guessing, I think I did not clean good enough. Maybe I should sand it harsher for a longer time? Do I have to make sure all the residue from previous application is gone before I start the second application?

 

[misterno]

http://screencast.com/t/sKpWMrqZ

These are couplings

So do you mean it is better to go with couplings rather than fixing the pipes?

But don't I need to connect this to my main pipes which needs to be glued anyway?

 

[frodo]

those are telescoping couplings.



they are to be used when you can not push/pull the pipe apart to glue it proper

from the look of your picture, that is your problem. you do not have the "PLAY" in the piping to fix proper.

so you are cutting your pipe to short to compensate and it is leaking.

right?

the coupling i showed you eliminates that problem.

if it was me..i would cut all that stuff out and redo it. new male adapters and all

but i am a neat freak,,,hate couplings, they look like a fu__ up..i use a rag to wipe excess glue off..

 

[ExtraMilePlumbing]

. Pvc glue should be left to cure for 10-30 min before turning on the water . In very cold climates even an hour is recommended

 

[misterno]

. Pvc glue should be left to cure for 10-30 min before turning on the water . In very cold climates even an hour is recommended

there you go

this was my problem

I thought I had to wait only 2 minutes or so. Shute

Okay, I will go back and do it and this time I will wait for A DAY!!

seriously

 

[misterno]

those are telescoping couplings.

View attachment 8947

they are to be used when you can not push/pull the pipe apart to glue it proper

from the look of your picture, that is your problem. you do not have the "PLAY" in the piping to fix proper.

so you are cutting your pipe to short to compensate and it is leaking.

right?

the coupling i showed you eliminates that problem.

if it was me..i would cut all that stuff out and redo it. new male adapters and all

but i am a neat freak,,,hate couplings, they look like a fu__ up..i use a rag to wipe excess glue off..

Frodo

I had little space to pull pipes apart so I was able to put glue in and out of pipes. But my mistake was not to wait more than 2 minutes.

Anyway, if you notice I used a coupling on 2nd from bottom in the picture and there is no problem with that. But to do that I needed to cut the pipe.

So this time I will be using glue and primer for all others and then wait for a day to let it dry. Then turn on the water.

Here is my question. How do you clean the pipe in and out properly? It is hard to sand inside the pipe don't you agree?

 

[frodo]

[1] all you need to do is wipe the pipe with a clean rag, [get the dirt off]

[2] apply CLEANER to the outside of the pipe
...AND the inside of the fitting

[3] , apply glue to the outside of the pipe AND the inside of the fitting

[4] push the two together,

[5] and give it a 1/4 turn twist

.............this will get rid of any air bubbles
.............wipe the excess clue off of the pipe

[6] let it sit, a minimum 10 minutes, it is best to let it sit for 1 hour

[7] turn water on