Glueless Locking PVC Fittings...Thoughts?

[AwildcatsZ]

I work as a landscape architect and one of our irrigation reps brought by some interesting products that I immediately thought would be great for plumbing my upcoming Reefer 250 Build.

The product is PVC-Lock by Hydro-Rain. Rather than myself explaining it, here is the description per their website (https://www.hydrorain.com/products/pvc-lock/3-4-pvc-lock-fittings):

The fittings come in sizes ranging from 1/2" to 1" and a variety of models:

The fittings lock onto PVC pipe and can be removed with a special key that unlocks the metal grips. This seems like a great alternative to messy PVC glue and threaded fittings as you can easily take apart all sections of your plumbing for maintenance or repairs, not to mention the initial installation if you measure wrong...

Does anyone see any problems or concerns with using this product for a reef tank? They also make a product designed for HDPE pipe. Is there an advantage to HDPE over PVC?

 

[AwildcatsZ]

I guess my first thought/concern would be that saltwater could corrode the metal locking mechanism. The product is designed for irrigation lines, so I would think they design for harsh water quality.

 

[cracker]

can they be taken apart & reassembled again?

 

[S-t-r-e-t-c-h]

In an ideal world, saltwater would never touch the metal teeth. That said, I wouldn't trust that in the real world. Salt creep or spray could cause issues/will cause issues with enough time.

HDPE is softer than pvc. Probably not enough to be a structural issue. Personally, I'd stay away. I trust a glued pipe way more...

 

[AwildcatsZ]

can they be taken apart & reassembled again?

They can be taken apart with a special key that unlocks the grips. You can then clean the plumbing and reassemble using the same fittings. This is where I can see this being a huge advantage.

 

[AwildcatsZ]

In an ideal world, saltwater would never touch the metal teeth. That said, I wouldn't trust that in the real world. Salt creep or spray could cause issues/will cause issues with enough time.

HDPE is softer than pvc. Probably not enough to be a structural issue. Personally, I'd stay away. I trust a glued pipe way more...

Yeah, that is my only concern. I may ask our rep to get us a sample and I will keep it submerged in saltwater for an extended period of time and see what happens with the locking mechanism.

 

[cracker]

Interesting !

 

[Hillbillyreefer]

I’ve been using a similar fitting on my tank for years, it’s never given any problems. In fact I’d forgotten it was even there until this thread popped up.

 

[AwildcatsZ]

I’ve been using a similar fitting on my tank for years, it’s never given any problems. In fact I’d forgotten it was even there until this thread popped up.

Do you recall which brand you use and whether the locking mechanism is metal or another material?

 

[Shufflepig]

In an ideal world, saltwater would never touch the metal teeth. That said, I wouldn't trust that in the real world. Salt creep or spray could cause issues/will cause issues with enough time.

HDPE is softer than pvc. Probably not enough to be a structural issue. Personally, I'd stay away. I trust a glued pipe way more...

Appears that if salt water is contacting the metal teeth the fitting is leaking. If the fitting is truly leak proof this looks like a great way to plumb your tank. If you make the wrong measurement it’s an easy fix. Any idea how expensive the pieces are?

 

[Hillbillyreefer]

Sorry I have no recollection of what brand, iirc it did have metal teeth in the grip mechanism. Having a look at it would require a tear down of the entire system, someday that will happen, but not anytime soon.

 

[AwildcatsZ]

Sorry I have no recollection of what brand, iirc it did have metal teeth in the grip mechanism. Having a look at it would require a tear down of the entire system, someday that will happen, but not anytime soon.

Understood! It's cool that you have used a similar product with success...makes me really consider this as the direction I go for the new build.

 

[AwildcatsZ]

Appears that if salt water is contacting the metal teeth the fitting is leaking. If the fitting is truly leak proof this looks like a great way to plumb your tank. If you make the wrong measurement it’s an easy fix. Any idea how expensive the pieces are?

That is also my thought, and if you are meticulous about cleaning your system and keeping it free of salt creep, waste, etc. I don't see the downside of this.

The fittings run about $1-$3 depending on the model and size. However, you will save on glue costs, additional fittings if you ever change things up, and what I believe would be easy assembly.

 

[AwildcatsZ]

Another downside is the lack of gate valves, or other specialized fittings that one would need in their system.

 

[Shufflepig]

That is also my thought, and if you are meticulous about cleaning your system and keeping it free of salt creep, waste, etc. I don't see the downside of this.

The fittings run about $1-$3 depending on the model and size. However, you will save on glue costs, additional fittings if you ever change things up, and what I believe would be easy assembly.

I think these hold great promise. I wish I had a tank that needed plumbed. Would love to try them. This may be the perfect excuse for a new tank. Do you know if these fittings are available to the general public?

 

[AwildcatsZ]

I think these hold great promise. I wish I had a tank that needed plumbed. Would love to try them. This may be the perfect excuse for a new tank. Do you know if these fittings are available to the general public?

@Shufflepig there is a similar brand, Orbit, available at Home Depot, Amazon, and other sources. The Hydro-Rain brand also looks to be available on Amazon and other online retailers.

You could also follow my build! I believe this is the route I am going when the time comes!
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/time-to-get-serious-red-sea-reefer-250-build.555866/#post-5733884

 

[Sleepydoc]

These look to be similar to Sharkbite fittings. They have a rubber (or some similar material) O ring that seals the connection. The metal teeth then grip the pipe and hold it in place. I've seen some reports of shark bite fittings failing, but it's certainly not widespread and that's at household pressures (50-60 PSI.) Our systems are significantly lower than that.

Potential concerns:

• Are the rubber o rings suitable for salt water?
• is there any copper in the metal teeth? Ideally they should be dry, however depending on the fitting location they may leech into the water.
• If the pipe is not supported well, the movement could cause the metal teeth to wear into the PVC, eventually causing it to loosen up and/or fail.
• Removing and re-applying has the potential to weaken the grip

I don't know the answer to any of these, they are just potential issues that I thought of.

Personally, I don't find solvent-welded fittings messy. You cut the pipe, apply the cement and push them together. Ideally you should wait a few hours but I've seen people who have used them immediately without issue. A solvent welded connection is cheaper and more solid. If it's a connection that I want to have the ability to disassemble in the future I either use a threaded fitting or a union. These fittings may be nice for areas or circumstances where you can't use a solvent but I'm not sure I'd really use them on a regular basis.

 

[WVNed]

I recently used sharkbite fittings for the first time. They are easy to use but there is one problem. The pipe rotates in the fitting so you get no support in the corners and nothing is rigid. I have a valve with a long handle and it rotates downward do to gravity.

 

[Erica-Renee]

These type of fittings have been out a while.. I have seen them at local plumbing supply places where they say use the above ground and in SUPER LOW or no pressure situations. Lowes and Home Depot also carry these type of fittings but come in a Hefty price tag..

My thinking is if the price were to come down to 1-3 dollar price mentioned above they would be good for some parts in Drain lines . I would never use one in a return or pressure system.. Just like i will NEVER ever use a push fitting in a home under a sink , behind a wall or in a basement. Thou i have made quite a bit of money making repairs where they rupture, Leak and Explode. .. Regardless of what people think these type of fittings i think are going to be coded out of existence by authorities when law suits start forming . Just like the Memory fittings type of pex connectors that started out in the mobile home industry. Existing pex fittings and crimp connections are the way of the future. Mechanical assemblies such as o rings and Compression tension-er always wear out and are more prone to catastrophic failure on a much larger scale then any Sweat joint or pex crimp fitting done properly.

This is from my experience over the last 30 plus years working on the home Remodeling Business Directly with Quality Plumbers .

My Long winded Professional Opinion...

 

[Erica-Renee]

I recently used sharkbite fittings for the first time. They are easy to use but there is one problem. The pipe rotates in the fitting so you get no support in the corners and nothing is rigid. I have a valve with a long handle and it rotates downward do to gravity.

If you support it on both sides of the fitting and in a way they the pipe cant be pushed out. At least it will just leak instead of burst maybe allowing you time to find it before to much damage is gone.