Solvent weld - how long should it last?

[The Natural Philosopher]

brilliant stuff. yes the degreaser is solvent without plastic in it.

Probably MEK.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Only thermosets dont weld, although polythene is a toughie. Not much dissolves it.

PVC ABS and styrene all weld very easily with a wide variety of solvents. Acetone, MEK, Xylene etc etc. From memory.

[Tim W]

The Natural Philosopher wibbled on Sunday 25 October 2009 16:04

I've not come across purpose degreaser - I wipe mine over with meths. But that's working with new parts. If jointing to a bit of grease coated crap in an old kitchen, I'd be looking for something stronger...

[<me9]

The first (in 1962) plastic pipe I came across was heat welded. A 'soldering iron*' was heated in a blowlamp and used to soften the pipe and fitting before fitting them together. When cooled, a weld.

• Well it was heated like an old soldering iron, It had a spigot and socket on it's head to heat the pipe exterior, and the fitting interior.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "David WE Roberts" saying something like:

I've come across several 20ish year old solvent joints which were fragile and leaking, but it was quite possible they weren't done right in the first place. Well-made joints seem to last decades, but you can never be absolutely sure of the quality/age of the solvent or the bloke who fitted them.

[Rick Hughes]

had been dodgy for some time (if not its entire life).

They should last as long as the pipes ... the big issue is that the 2 surfaces should be cleaned with solvent cleaner before solvent weld applied. This remove all contaminants, esp. the polished finish ... wipe it with cleaner first then apply solvent ... perfect job.

Remember that if the job is done properly the pipes are welded into each other, a fusion of the surfaces ... not glued.