sea swirl elbow stick on.

ron popeil · 04-11-2005, 06:43 PM

i have a 1 inch sea swirl. and just lately its decided to it would be awesome to drop the 90 degree elbow about once a week.

i stick it on, and it keeps coming back off. i only have about 800 gph going through it, but as of this week will most likely step up the flow to 1100 gph. but i wont be able to if the elbow keeps popping off into my tank.

any ideas on how to more firmly attach the elbow to the device?

its getting really annoying.
thanks!

liquidfunk · 04-11-2005, 08:53 PM

I would send a quick email to Ed at sea-swirl.com I recently had 2 appature arms inside break and he was SUPER SUPER cool in dealing with it. I paid $30 and he sent me a ton of parts (I basically rebuilt the 1/2 model, except for the motor)

Im sure he has had the problem before, and would have some ideas.

Maybe just take both parts out and be sure they are super clean? Maybe then sticking them together when they are dry might help "bond" them together a bit...

ron popeil · 04-11-2005, 11:25 PM

well, sea swirl has been extremely generous enough as it is, and im sort of avoiding them unnecessarily. but its been suggested that snails have been getting lodged between the tank and elbow, dislodging it. but...i just think theres enough clearance between any top of my astrea snails shell and the elbow.

the two parts are super clean, and the only way i can attach the two is the main body on top, inserting it through a hole in the brace of my tank, and then attaching the elbow under the water.

so what else could i do? silicone? maybe roughing the male end up with some sandpaper? some form of thread tape?

liquidfunk · 04-11-2005, 11:40 PM

You could use some silicone or just a touch of super glue the next time you do a water change, and the water level is below the swirl far enough to do it "dry". Take both pieces out, dry them, install them and just a drop of super glue or a bead of silicone then refill.

Just a thought,,, The roughing with sand paper sounds like a good thought though, get some nasty 60 grit and rough it up.

Krux · 04-11-2005, 11:55 PM

silicone, superglue is too permanent, and if it sticks against something, the silicone will break before the plastic does in most cases.

rong666 · 04-13-2005, 12:58 AM

im unfamiliar with the seaswirl....but maybe a wrap or two of plumbers tape...pvc stuff???

just a thought

Ron

ron popeil · 04-13-2005, 02:12 AM

well i like the idea of silicone because its not exactly permanent, but still able to do some holding.

Ryan Mackey · 04-13-2005, 11:50 AM

Go to Lowes, find the nylon screws in the hardware dept. Buy the drill bit and thread tap that are the right size for the nylon screw. Put the Seaswirl and elbow together and drill the hole. Tap the threads through the two parts or at least the Seaswirl part. Put the 2 parts in place and together, then insert the nylon screw to hold them there. The screw will be removable when service is needed. R2

ron popeil · 04-13-2005, 12:00 PM

wonderful. thanks for the tip R2.

Ryan Mackey · 04-13-2005, 12:10 PM

No problem Jordon, just another example of why a hobbiest would pay a few bucks more for an item at his/her local fish store rather than shopping on line; a human to offer info and support when needed. Glad I could help. Ryan@advancedreef.com

Lowman · 04-13-2005, 12:23 PM

Try to scratch inside the elbow with a nail or screw, that will sometimes stop those from coming apart and you can still pull them apart when you need to.

Illusion · 04-13-2005, 12:25 PM

Jordan another Idea... The fittings are just PVC... Get some PVC primer and Use it... It will Thicken the area and make them stick together better.. It wont be permanateas its not glue... Worth a shot..

HTH<
James

liquidfunk · 04-13-2005, 01:16 PM

I dont think Id want that PVC primer in there without letting it fully cure though,,,

I vote for Ryans idea, its the best bet!

Gaidin · 04-13-2005, 07:31 PM

I wouldnt suggest the PVC Primer either.. basically the primer softens up the PVC so that when its glued together it basically melts and cements together kinda like using weldon and acrylic together. (i am sure this isnt exactly what happens but a rough basic explanation for illustration purposes) so if you just used the PVC primer but not the glue, its true that it doesnt glue it together but you run the risk of letting the two pieces melt together if the primer is still "active" or not completely dry or cured etc.(whatever you want to call it but you get the idea) I have done this numerous times where i was dry fitting pvc and used pvc primer on a piece then fit it together to make sure one last time it was going to work right before i glued it or whatever and the two pieces would not come apart for anything. So probably not the best way to make it happen. I would go with the silicone for a good removable solution. Altho i have done a teflon tape technique in the past for a quick fix until a more permanent or semi permanent fix could be found. Take your teflon tape and wrap it around the male end of your fitting just a couple times to make the fitting of the two pieces more snug, you dont want too little or the fit on the two pieces together wont be snug enough to keep them together, but you dont want to use too much or the teflon tape will not let the two pieces fit together or the tape gets pushed back (not sliding between the two fittings) as you try to fit the pieces together, this also a removable temporary solution and you might have to do some trial and error to get the right amount of wraps figured out. and u might have to redo it everytime you take the piece off for servicing but you would have to do that anyways for the silicone solution also.

(did i ramble on? i think i did...i should strive for more concise answers)