I am making a water changing station and had a question about the plumbing. I purchased sch 80 bulk heads but forgot to get the 3/4" male x slip adapter for my pipe which screws into the bulkhead. I can get sch 40 adapters at Home Depot or Lowes but not the Sch 80. Will Sch 40 work or do I need to get Sch 80? The sch40 starts to screw in but gets really tight only a few turn in.
Sch 80 Bulk Head Question
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Steve_Skullsplitter0
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They should work, but dont use thread tape. You might want to buy a threading die if you want it screwed in further.... another trick is to put the female end in really hot water for a min but not boiling hot. Then it will surely thread deeper.
Pigpen
Active Member
Since npt threads are tapered the more you screw it in the tighter it will get . never use teflon tape of plastic threads , use a tine dead of silicone instead . any silicone will work . the different between sch 80 and sch 40 is the wall thickness of the pipe , all of the outside dimensions of the pipes are them and interchangeable .
Sweet! Just wanted to make sure the 40 and 80 connectors were compatible with each other. The 40 just seemed to not screw in very far which made me think they were incompatible. When I say not very far it means a few turns by hand.
Big G
captain dunsel
Seems like manufacturing tolerances vary a bit from company to company. Because of that, I find myself going through the bins at the store test fitting as much as possible before purchase and heading home. Sch 80 pipe is thicker "on the inside" of the pipe; and thicker on the "outside" of fittings. That way you can still use Sch 40 as the contact points are identical. IMO Sch 80 is better made, where as Sch 40 is made as cheaply as possible. I always use Sch 80 on my tank plumbing because of that perspective. And I use it also on my well plumbing, water lines as possible. Just seems more rugged and less likely to crack at weak spot, like the inside of an elbow. That's where sch 40 pipe often cracks. Plumbing supply houses where plumbers and irrigation setup and maintenance folks shop usually have a lot better selection of Sch 80 fittings. Hint. Use lots of threaded unions so you can take apart your system if necessary.
Even Further
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That's like saying 3/4" NPS is cheaply made and 1" NPS is high quality. The wall thickness is a design variable, nothing to do the quality of manufacturing. Sch.80 is stronger compared to Sch.40. Sch.40 has higher flow capacity in comparison.
Sch.80 allows a proper taper on the threads. Sch.40 feels like it tightens quickly, because there is not much wall thickness to taper the threads.
Steve_Skullsplitter0
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Sch 80 is for industrial use ...sch 40 for residential use....both can fail for sure but IME sch 40 life expectancy measured in months and sch 80 in years in our hobby.
I have an inground swimming pool which needs nearly half of all sch 40 unions, valves, elbows, and bulkheads replaced every spring... my new 150g cube tank all plumbed in sch 80. Think it'll be several years before i see a single drip.
PS. Dont get a swimming pool its a hassle.
SPIERS brand fittings in both types are highest quality you can get.
Other words of advice if you have questionable threads use a dab of silicone not pipe dope with teflon. Thread sealant is meant for free flowing potable water not closed systems like our tanks. It will leetch into water as it never hardens. Teflon is not a trace element for your live stock and it is not even used in cookware anymore. Just cause it says you can use it on pvc doesn't mean you should. Manufacturers dont have our pets we love in mind. ... (mic drops)
I have an inground swimming pool which needs nearly half of all sch 40 unions, valves, elbows, and bulkheads replaced every spring... my new 150g cube tank all plumbed in sch 80. Think it'll be several years before i see a single drip.
PS. Dont get a swimming pool its a hassle.
SPIERS brand fittings in both types are highest quality you can get.
Other words of advice if you have questionable threads use a dab of silicone not pipe dope with teflon. Thread sealant is meant for free flowing potable water not closed systems like our tanks. It will leetch into water as it never hardens. Teflon is not a trace element for your live stock and it is not even used in cookware anymore. Just cause it says you can use it on pvc doesn't mean you should. Manufacturers dont have our pets we love in mind. ... (mic drops)
