removing metric PVC

[reedman]

Anyone have experience either cutting or dremeling out the metric PVC from a skimmer body? I have a skimmer that uses the metric PVC and I really don't want to play the game of finding metric PVC so I want to remove the existing fittings and put in the US fittings. I'll probably use the uniseals once I get the old fittings out.

Thanks for any ideas.

 

[dnjan]

Are these threaded fittings or glue fittings?

If glue, no problem to machine out a bushing. Give me a dimension and I'd be glad to put a piece of PVC in the lathe for you.

If threaded (I assume female threads in the body of the skimmer) I think it would be best to ream it out enough to remove the threads and then glue in a slip-to-threaded bushing. What is the inside diameter of the threaded part that would need to be reamed out?

 

[reedman]

Hey Don, thanks for the reply. These are actually the male side of a union glued onto the clear PVC going through the skimmer body. I was thinking of removing the existing union, but leaving some material to glue a new union onto. The other option is to remove the fitting and the pipe going though the skimmer body and putting in a uniseal with all new pipe. But I am open to other ideas too. Never thought about grinding down a US pipe to fit into a metric one...I'll have to look at that.

 

[dnjan]

Threaded union or slip? Slip would be real easy to machine-out a piece of PVC to glue on.

Thread would be a bit trickier, but a high-viscosity PVC cement should fill the threads well-enough to get a leak-proof glued connection. I would probably machine-out a PVC fitting to a bit smaller ID than the OD of the threads, and then use a file to take the threads down a bit. Follow that with hi-visc cement and let it set.

 

[reedman]

Do you think I can just grind down the fitting until it is small enough to match up to a slip PVC fitting? It would be a lot of material to remove since it is a union, but it's doable.

 

[dnjan]

Please clarify - is this a threaded fitting?
If so, I would take off some of the threads with a file, and also enlarge the inside of a fitting to slip over it.

I would be glad to put a fitting in a lathe and increase the ID as much as necessary. Let me know.

 

[reedman]

Hey Don. This is tough to describe properly. the fitting is a union that is slip on both ends. After thinking about it for a while though I think I am going to remove the plumbing all together and use a larger ID PVC to increase the through put. In doing this I can move to US standard PVC fittings and eliminate this issue all together. Thanks for the offer to lathe the plumbing down....I appreciate it.

 

[dnjan]

Good luck! If you end up needing any of the fittings "adapted" to make them fit, give me a holler.

 

[1badbrd]

hey reedman, did you do anything to the metric idea? I have an octopus skimmer that uses metric parts and want to upgrade the pump to something else. But ran intot he same troubles with metric fitting

 

[reedman]

I ended up just using a hole saw to remove the fittings and put in uniseals. Worked great and it turned out that the holesaw for 3/4 PVC was almost exactly the same size as the outside of the metric PVC fitting coming off the skimmer so it was easy to drill.

 

[Skimmy]

good deal, did you leave the pump inlet and outlet with the regular metric fittings? or did you switch them out too?

 

[reedman]

I swapped them all out. I figured I was already drilling, why not.