Black furniture grade schedule-40 pvc tubes and fittings - anyone using?

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Folks,Building a rack system that needs to look beautiful as it will go in the living room (It's a good location). Using mesquite wood and making all of my tanks rimless to blend in with the décor of the living room which is Venetian plaster, ceramic tile and wood furnishings.

They will all be plumbed; I need the fittings and tubing to look discrete and pretty against the glass, mesquite wood, black iron and plaster that will dominate the setup. The setup will be an aquaponics setup with 6 20L tanks, 1 20L sump and 3 42" planter boxes. It's inspired by the stands at Zen Aquarium in Seattle. I just can't imagine the setup looking attractive with a bunch of white pvc everywhere. I've seen black furniture grade schedule-40 pvc tubes and fittings used in many aquaponics setups, so I'd imagine they are appropriate for use in aquariums.

This is what i'm referring to:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Formufit-1-2-in-Furniture-Grade-PVC-Tee-in-Black-10-Pack-F012TEE-BK-10/205749428?MERCH=REC-_-NavPLPHorizontal1_rr-_-NA-_-205749428-_-N

Here is an outrageoiusly priced setup that uses this type of PVC:
https://allgreenhydroponics.com/products/aquaurban-sleek-aquaponics-system?variant=83072548888&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Desktop%20-%20General&utm_term=4580290567443152&utm_content=All%20Products

So has anyone used this material? Were you concerned with any leaching?

Another issue I have is clearances. Standard bulkhead fittings waste a bit of space by the time you actually have your 90 degree elbows installed and are pointing downwards... The offset from the glass can be about 5". I need to be at about 3" for my setup. Therefore I'm considering Uniseals in lieu of bulkhead fittings for the supply, return and drain entry points of the aquariums.

Here is what I'm referring to:
https://www.marinedepot.com/UNISEAL_Flexible_Tank_Adapter_(Bulkhead)_3_4_Inch_ Bulkhead_Plumbing_Parts-Allied_Aqua_LLC-5X1005-FIFTBH-5X1075-vi.html#

I've seen a few threads on Uniseals on this forum, but they are old. I'd like to find out is anyone using them? How are they holding up? Any leaks from degradation or failure?

[Adam S]

Furniture grade PVC: If it's NSF rated, it's fine. The stuff you linked NSF rated isn't, and it's probably fine, but I'm a "peace of mind" prioritizer.

Fittings: A lot of saltwater people do SCH 80 grey fittings instead of matching the pipe color. It isn't stronger like some claim, but it does look better than white in most set ups.

Uniseals on glass: a big NO. It stresses the glass too much, especially if the hole wasn't edge ground and polished. What size bulkhead fittings do you need? Check these out: https://www.glass-holes.com/1-1-2-Bulkhead-Slip-x-Slip-Short-bh150sxs-short.htm

They're available elsewhere too, their site just had nice pictures.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Adam,

I appreciate the info on the black schedule 40... I'll look for a source that meets the requirements you stated.

Thank you very much for the link to the short neck bulkhead fittings. Just have to find them in 1/2, 3/4 and 1 sizes too. Glass stress could be a concern... as I'm making 6 20L display tanks rimless, so I don't want the uniseals adding additional stresses. I'll stay with bulkheads.

Peter

[Adam S]

Not sure why I didn't think of this on the first post, but couldn't you just cut the extra thread length off a standard bulkhead? I think most are a little under 3" total length, so you have some room to work with.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Yeah, as long as I don't mess the threads up too much, I should be able to thread the nut to seal the bulkhead against the glass. Might even try cutting down a few of the 90deg Elbows to reduce how far the plumbing stands off the end of the glass. A 1/2 an inch gained here, an inch gained there, it all helps to reduce the whole package size. I'll draw it out and share what I need to accomplish in a bit.

[JamesW]

For clearance you might want to consider slip elbows: https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-2-in-CPVC-CTS-90-Degree-Spigot-x-Slip-Elbow-C4707-2/100345137

If you have slip x slip bulkheads (which I have and like very much as the piece in the tank can be 'slipped' in place and removed for easy cleaning) then you should be able to save some space on the outside portion. You just need to get good at PVC gluing.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

For clearance you might want to consider slip elbows. If you have slip x slip bulkheads (which I have and like very much as the piece in the tank can be 'slipped' in place and removed for easy cleaning) then you should be able to save some space on the outside portion.


James, definitely will be all slip fit.. bulkheads, elbows, tees, ball valves and unions.

[JamesW]

I'm sure you understand but just to make sure I was clear the elbows I am describing fit directly into a slip fitting so you don't need to put pipe between the bulkhead and the 90 joint. Like you said, it might save you 1" or so of back clearance.

What size piping are you using? I would think that even 1/2" tubing would be more than enough for this sized system.

[Adam S]

Street elbow or slip x spigot.

Another wacky thought: depending on how discrete you need them to be, you could always reverse the bulkheads. Just make sure the gasket is always always always on the flange side.

[Cove Beach]

For anything PVC white or Black or even clear try Savko.com they have everything you will ever need and the prices are better than HD. My complete setup was plumbed through them and i used Spa Flex to keep down the noise.