Anyone use 2" black poly pipe?

hawgdawg50

I'm going to the Fiji Islands to complete a project to bring water from a spring to a medical mission site. The pipe was put in place a couple years ago, but fittings were lost or stolen in transport so it wasn't finished. I've never worked with this stuff, so I'm looking for advice. I'll be using barbed fittings, so my plan is to clean and wet the pipe, shove the fitting in, and put on a hose clamp. Sounds easy enough, but this is pretty big stuff and I'm not sure of the force required. Are there any particular tools that I might need?

Thanks
Tommy

jamiedolan

Sounds like the abs plastic. I think it needs a different cement than PVC does.

If you won't have access to proper modern plumbing supplies while there, I would bring some fernco connectors with, just in case.

Jamie

rjniles

Dip the end of the poly pipe in a pan of hot water with a little liguid hand soap in it. The heat will expand the pipe and the soap will lube it. Will slide together easily.

RippySkippy

While I've not worked with 2" I have installed water mains with 1" and 1-1/2" so the process would be nearly the same.

First on your fittings, don't be tempted to used the white poly barbed fittings...use red brass or bronze fittings. While more expensive...they last just about for ever. To install them, get a small hand held propane torch, like the one used to sweat copper and apply heat with a small flame. Gently heat the pipe where the fitting will go, it will become shinny; wet looking when it's hot. The fitting will push in very easily. Otherwise with cold pipe, it's darn near impossible to fully seat the fittings. Immediately with the pipe still warm, put 2 stainless steel screw clamps on each end of the fitting, with the pull being opposite of each other. Make sure when you keep the pipe nearly straight while it's is still warm until it cools, otherwise you'll have some funky bends. It just takes a few seconds for the pipe to regain it's rigid state.

Sounds to me like you need someone to ride shotgun...taking applicants?

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DangerMouse

taking applicants...too funny.... you're not fooling anyone Rippy, you just want a free island vacation!

DM

RippySkippy

sssshhhhh.....

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Marvin Gardens

How much is the drop in elevation. I have seen homeade projects like this where the drop was enough to bust the pipe.

I also suggest that you put in a pressure tank or something to prevent water hammer. Pressure control is important in situations like this.

Even if the drop is not all that far pressure control is good. Over time the lack of pressure control could loosen the fittings.

And being a medical clinic I am sure they considered filtration for giardia and other spores along with filtration for e-coli, c-dif and other wonderful microbes.

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