What's your water pressure?

**Bung** · 21-08-2011, 01:35 AM

I would keep the cover on your pump as well if you don't already and when adjusting your pressure switch pull the plug out as those screws are pretty close to the live contacts of the switch.

**The Fresh Prince** · 21-08-2011, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Get some bleach mate. Should take care of the "green shit."

Was woken up this morning by the builders re-doing the front and back of the house at 8am (bastards) so I've assigned them the task.

Originally Posted by Bung

I would keep the cover on your pump as well if you don't already

I took it off for the photo.

**joepattaya** · 22-08-2011, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by Attilla the Hen

I'm worried about the pvc water-pipes springing a leak.

I was wondering the same. Lots of connections don't have or do have not enough glue on them.

**The Fresh Prince** · 22-08-2011, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Get some bleach mate. Should take care of the "green shit."

Just a quick one, a bit off topic.

The builder is just painting over the green shit. Is this gonna cause a problem later or should he be bleaching it first?

**Marmite the Dog** · 22-08-2011, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by The Fresh Prince

Is this gonna cause a problem later or should he be bleaching it first?

He should've cleaned it off, sealed it and painted it with anti-fungus paint.

It'll be back within 6 weeks I reckon.

**The Fresh Prince** · 22-08-2011, 01:59 PM

Yeah, thought so. I'll get them do it properly when they come to fit the roof.

This guy doesn't speak Thai so getting the message across is like bashing your head against a green slimy wall.

**DrAndy** · 22-08-2011, 02:05 PM

depends on the state of the "green"

if it was thriving then it may well continue to do so and break through

if it was dried up it may be dead and no problem

also, some paints have an anti-fungal/algae component

best way is to keep a little of the paint and redo if the problem does come back

**The Fresh Prince** · 22-08-2011, 02:12 PM

His pot of paint says TOA 302 Acrylic Sealant.

**DrAndy** · 22-08-2011, 02:23 PM

quite a good paint, and will stop any more water getting to the algae

so there may be no more problem

**ChrisInCambo** · 25-08-2011, 09:25 AM

Seriously unless all of your piping is exposed and easy to get to, putting 2-3 bar through blue pvc drainage pipe is a disaster waiting to happen. Pressurised pipes need to welded not glued. It's not a question of if it will fail, it's just a question of when.

PP-R PVC pipe costs less than $0.5 per meter and if I can buy it easily in Cambodia, I'm sure it's available everywhere in Thailand. Then just a $30 investment for the heat welder and you're off. The mind boggles why builders out here still use blue drainage pipe for preasurised water outlets, the saving is small, the potential side effects are massive, especially if your pipes are inside walls, or worse yet the floor pad.

**VocalNeal** · 25-08-2011, 01:09 PM

I don't know what they use in Cambodia but the smaller size of "Blue" uPVC piping available in Thailand from Somchai's builders merchant are relatively thicker than the larger sizes.

The 1/2 and 3/4 commonly used here for water are usually somewhere between Sch. 10 and Sch 40 called PVC 13.5 and are made to standard TIS 17-2532. 13.5 actually means the pressure rating is 1.35 Mpa or 195 psi
Wall thickness is about the same for all sizes so the larger sizes for drainage are relatively thinner. Why? Because they are used for different services.

So our common or garden blue PVC piping here in LOS has a rated pressure of about 195 psi and a short term test pressure factor of about 4. If you are unlucky and the contractor used 8.5 instead of 13.5 then the rating is 123 psi or about 8 bar. So 3 or 4 bar or 45 to 60 psi will be no problem. As has been said most pumps are set at 2.2 bar or about 66ft. enough for an average house. Upping the pressure by another 1/2 bar or so won't make one iota of difference.

LT said his factory runs at 6 bar. I'll bet if he looks carefully somewhere in the building is some innocuous looking 3/4 in blue pipe running quite happily at 6 bar.

The solvent used here is not "glue" it chemically melts the plastic and bonds it together. The pipes end up chemically welded together.

**DrAndy** · 25-08-2011, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by ChrisInCambo

putting 2-3 bar through blue pvc drainage pipe is a disaster waiting to happen.

drainage pipes are a different thickness and spec from water pipes

if the joints are made properly, the "glue" works well. As said above, it actually melts the PVC and bonds together

all over Thailand the standard pumps sold have pressures of around 2 bar set already, and they are almost always used with the blue PVC water pipe

**hillbilly** · 25-08-2011, 05:46 PM

In the past few years we have had a few leaks from the blue pipes. Pain in the butt, to fix, but doable. We have been told too many times it is because the blue pipes were not glued properly to begin with.

I have supervised many projects here in Thailand with blue pipes. Damn hard to oversee every joint.

Having said the above if the blue pipes are glued properly then they should outlast most of the TD posters.

**DrAndy** · 25-08-2011, 09:51 PM

tips:

Clean the pipe and fitting, maybe lightly sand if not new

put the "glue" on both the pipe and the fitting

push the pipe in and rotate a little each way (this is not always possible for the last joint, so be extra careful in that case with the glue spread and sanding)

leave for a few minutes before using

oh yeah, do not use old glue that has been open for a while

that should last for eons

**Bung** · 26-08-2011, 09:01 AM

I find the more expensive glue in a tube is way better than the cheaper stuff in a tin and lasts longer as it can be re sealed properly. Cheap insurance that. Go buy some for your builder.

**VocalNeal** · 26-08-2011, 09:36 AM

The thicker medium or heavy viscosity stuff, which also comes in tubes, is used for bigger pipes, 2 in and above. There is also primer available for cleaning grease off the pipes before solvent welding.

**ChrisInCambo** · 26-08-2011, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by DrAndy

drainage pipes are a different thickness and spec from water pipes if the joints are made properly, the "glue" works well. As said above, it actually melts the PVC and bonds together all over Thailand the standard pumps sold have pressures of around 2 bar set already, and they are almost always used with the blue PVC water pipe

Exactly the same here, in fact all of the pipes here are produced in Thailand, also the same technique with the glue. The pressure rating of the pipe is irreverent here as the joins are the weak link in the chain.

I've seen them fail many times, twice in houses I've lived in (luckily rentals). The blue PVC IMHO is only suitable for drainage, for any kind of pressurised system then the best bet is a fusion welded pipe like PP-R. -

**DrAndy** · 26-08-2011, 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by ChrisInCambo

The pressure rating of the pipe is irreverent here

don't they show any respect for it?

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