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Schedule 80 PVC (1 Viewer)

2name

2name

Senior Member
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Dec 12, 2011
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71
Location
Minneapolis
Hi all,

When push came to shove, I ordered a new reef-ready, 55 gallon Perfecto from the fine folks over at Something Fishy. Now I'm mentally setting up a plumbing scheme in my mind. I've seen a lot of talk about schedule 80 (gray) PVC. Does this provide some benefit beyond aesthetics? Is there a reason it's superior to the more-readily-available white PVC?

Also, I'm looking around for links on working with PVC, as I'm pretty much a novice (closest I've ever come to "plumbing" is fixing a toilet float and unclogging the garbage disposal my wife tried to use to process an entire head of cabbage at once). Any direction on that front would be appreciated. Do I need to use some sort of special, aquarium-safe PVC glue?
 
Sch80 by default is stronger and made for higher pressure I believe, however we have no use for it except general sturdiness.

For gluing, get the small can of purple primer and a can of the pvc, nothing special needed.

edit - the only thing I have that is sch80 is my GATE valve, because that was the only one I could find. If you are still doing a herbie setup, DO NOT use a BALL VALVE for your downspout. I don't care how much cheaper it is ;)

Spend the money and do it right the first time. GOOD LUCK!!
 
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zocr-AZ said:
DO NOT use a BALL VALVE for your downspout. I don't care how much cheaper it is ;)
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I'm guessing you say this because the gate valve gives more control? I'm like $1700 into this thing and I haven't bought a darn living thing yet. I can spring for a $25 gate valve.
 
From what I understand Schedule 80 is high pressure because it is meant to be used and is safe for potable water (will not leach chemicals into the water we drink). Schedule 40 is meant to be used for waste water (not to drink) and therefore may leach chemicals into the water. There are some people in aquaculture that will only use Schedule 80 for recirc systems because of this, and there are others that say it doesn't matter and Schedule 40 is safe enough. Just an FYI, I used schedule 40 on my reef tank.
 
As others have stated, Sch80 is thicker walled, and can therefore take higher pressure. It can also be much harder to cut due to the increased thinkness. You can mix and match the type of PVC, but it will affect your flow rates due to the differing IDs and increased resistance.

As for the chemical leeching...I've seen tanks using Sch40 pipe for as long as I can remember, and have never heard of anyone having a problem.
 
2name said:
I'm guessing you say this because the gate valve gives more control? I'm like $1700 into this thing and I haven't bought a darn living thing yet. I can spring for a $25 gate valve.
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Now, you can officially call yourself a reefer!!!! :beerchug:



I don't know why, but you will soon find out that there are others who will go the "cheap route" on stuff that seems minimal, but believe me, it is usually those parts that hurt you in the long run. ;) (which is also why I stressed the other things that we spoke about.)

Also, the reason for the gate is because of the precise control for fine tuning in the herbie system and because there are notorius problems with the ball valve for this application. For instance, the ball can slowly open or get stuck in one spot.
 
the sch80 higher pressure sch40 lower is fine. irrigation pipe is schedule 20 which is even thinner and is rated for 120 psi .the nice part is you can use a smaller size pipe because the wall thickness is thinner .NSF if it's stamped on the pipe it's safe for drinking .
 
Thanks super Dave, never noticed the NSF stamp on PVC pipe before. I found this on line:
The presence of the NSF designation on pipe means it was tested for compliance with one or more voluntary national standards. Common designations include NSF-pw and NSF-61, both of which mean the pipe is intended for potable water applications. Pipe displaying NSF-dwv should only be used for drain, waste or vent applications

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_NSF_approved_mean_on_PVC_pipe#ixzz1h1aAB87O
 
The leaching thing has to do with hot water lines. That's why houses use cpvc for supply lines. PVC is fine for cold water and our tanks.
 
2name said:
Thanks for the info guys. How do you go about cutting PVC? Does a hacksaw work?
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That will work, but it is the hard way. Buy a decent quality ratcheting PVC cutter. Home Depot has them, I assume any hardware store does. They are cheap, and well worth every penny. Clean cuts, no PVC sawdust.
 
Yes, hacksaws work. I used one for a long time. Then I splurged and spent $20 on a good ratcheting pipe cutter.

I could have kicked my own *** for using the hacksaw for so long. The pipe cutter cuts better, is faster and cleaner. Its the way to go.
 
Pipe cutter or miter saw always work great for cutting the PVC. Sch 80 is just for looks when it comes to the hobby and setting up our tanks, personal preference.

Just out of curiousity what did you all buy for the setup in equipment and supplies? $1700+ seems like alot for a 55 gallon setup. Only reason I ask is because my 60 cube display tank at my store retail is right around 2k and is fully tricked out... Don't mean to pry just am curious though. Take care!
 
SCH40 will work just fine. SCH80 is stronger, but has a smaller inner diameter which restricts the flow a bit. If you are concerned with aesthetics, you can always paint the white PVC another color with Krylon fusion.

The SCH80 valves and unions are typically better, but they fit on sch40 pipe so they work together.
 
Fragtastic Reef said:
Just out of curiousity what did you all buy for the setup in equipment and supplies? $1700+ seems like alot for a 55 gallon setup. Only reason I ask is because my 60 cube display tank at my store retail is right around 2k and is fully tricked out... Don't mean to pry just am curious though. Take care!
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$1700 was probably an overestimation, but here goes (some of this stuff I purchased as opposed to using DIY solutions (the sump), which obviously costs but I'm not remotely handy):

Perfecto, RR Aquarium $250
Stand $150
Aqueon Proflex Sump $300
AquaticLife T5-HO 4-lamp, 48" fixture with Lunar LEDs $370
Return Pump $70
Coralife Super Skimmer 65 $120
Heater $30
2x Koralia Evolution 750 powerheads (in retrospect, this seems like overkill. Is it?) $80
RO/DI system $150
Float valve for ATO $25
Quarantine tank and accessories $175 (most of that is for a stand that my wife finds aesthetically pleasing enough for our living room)
Testing Kits and stocking "marine medicine cabinet" $50

Yeah, $1700 is about right. Granted the stuff in there that's "vital" was probably only about $1200-$1400, but having things like the RO/DI system are a short term expense for long term savings in my mind.
 
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2name said:
2x Koralia Evolution 750 powerheads (in retrospect, this seems like overkill.
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No, more flow = better. I have not seen a reef tank with too much flow. I highly doubt there is one when you consider the flow in the ocean.
 
Ok with the RO and QT that mixed in I can see more expense.

Sounds like its going to be a sweet setup! :beerchug:
 
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