I will be installing a longish run of internal/external waste pipe from a washing machine using solvent weld pipe and fittings. Never used it before, is it just a case of ensuring that the 2 surfaces are clean and liberally coated with solvent or are there any tricks or tips for achieving sound joints?
rbel
You don't need to go mad with the stuff: a reasonable coating is fine.
But be aware that you will have what seems to be 0.005 of a second to get the orientation correct before it sets solid. Don't expect a leisurly few seconds of twisting and orienting. So prepare, cut and test-fit everyting dry. Then think carefully about the order you want to glue them it: it's a one-time deal.
Find yourself a permanent marker and mark each dry fitted joint so that you know the exact orientation. What may seem easy to remember becomes blurred in the heat of the moment, "0.005 of a second" seems a bit slow to me :-) Practice on a couple of straight joints first to get a feel for it before moving on to the complicated bits.
Maybe consider some rodding access too.
Have fun......
I find that a fairly generous coating acts as a lubricant and extends the setting time. I also only apply it to the piece going into the socket, so any excess ends up outside the pipe.
Time enough to push home and twist to spread the gunge around the joint IME.
Marking the final orientation during the dry fit is a good idea too.
Colin Bignell
+1 all round.
If you want a "presentational joint" then you may need to go easy on the cement otherwise it does scunge out a bit. Do not attempt to wipe it off - it will get everywhere and etch the surface and look worse than a neat bead of the stuff. Trim off with a sharp knife after it's gone rubbery if it bothers...
This doesn't matter for hidden joints so a bit of extra cement does no harm but don't go overboard or a lot will squeeze out inside the joint and form a snagging point=future obstruction.
Be aware that a permanant marker won't clean off if the cement gets over the marking - again, for work on show, a pencil is best.
Rodding access can be made with a Tee plus a screw-cap blanking piece - ideally at the end of the run "on the straight" asuming the pipe takes a 90 deg turn out of the tee to its final connection.
Ditto bends - the tees have the same bend radius IME as the normal (rather than the tighter knuckle) bends. Do put the tee the right way around so the flow is smooth.
If that's a problem, add a tee in midstream facing upwards and screw-blank the top - as least you can still poke a wire or fine flexible rods in there.
Many thanks to all for the advice. I will do a dry run and mark up the orientation of the fittings to the piping, bear in mind the very limited positioning time and fit supports every 60 cms on the long horizontal run (allowing a decent fall).
rbel
And have a practice with some offcuts first.
Good idea and looking at the proposed run I will add 2 rodding access points.
rbel
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