clear PVC order

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

is anyone interested in getting this stuff with me 4inch cpvc pipe for aprox 30$ft.
i need 4ft and i have to purchase 10ft pipe.
this is for DIY calcium reactor for me. :confused: smile.gif

[UnderWorldAquatics]

why would you use clear pvc at $30/foot when you can get clear cast cell acrylic(a much better product) for $32-34/foot and you can buy it in 5 or 6 foot lengths???just wouldnt make sense to me!

[Seaquest]

Hi

I agree, clear PVC is nice stuff to work with especialy when building large format protein skimmers, but for a calcium reactor that going sit under or behind a cabinet I don't see the attraction. Cell cast acrylic is a much more sensable product to use. I can get 8 inch clear PVC pipe here in Toronto for $27 a foot, I guess not everything is the best in the west. Good luck and shoot us a photo of your reactor when it complete. smile.gif

[Seaquest]

Hi

I agree, clear PVC is nice stuff to work with especialy when building large format protein skimmers, but for a calcium reactor that going sit under or behind a cabinet I don't see the attraction. Cell cast acrylic is a much more sensable product to use. I can get 8 inch clear PVC pipe here in Toronto for $27 a foot, I guess not everything is the best in the west. Good luck and shoot us a photo of your reactor when it complete. smile.gif

[Delphinus]

Is cell cast acrylic just rolled acrylic? Because I just found some 4" OD clear acylic tubes, must have been 6, 7 feet (at least 1' "taller" than me and I'm 5ft-something), and they're like $80 per that length. How much pressure is a Ca Rx under? The reason I ask is that the wall thickness looked only about 4.5" and I don't know if that makes these tubes inappropriate for a Ca Rx or not.

[UnderWorldAquatics]

Cast cell arcrylic is just what it says it is! It is cast in a mold and only pure acrylic is used. It is of the highest quality! The cheapest you will find it is around $30/foot for 4" OD with 1/16th-1/4" wall thickness

[Delphinus]

Cast cell arcrylic is just what it says it is!

Ok, maybe to someone familiar with working with acrylic knows exactly what that means. I don't. Sorry that I'm sooooo stooooopid. How do I know if something is "cast cell" or if it's something else besides asking someone who knows what the difference is?????? How do I know by looking at a tube of clear acrylic if it's suitable for use in a Calcium reactor? BTW I was mistaken I said it was wall thickness 4.5mm I was thinking of something else, the tubes I found were 4"OD and 3.75"ID, which makes it 1/8" wall thickness which is more like 3mm. Is this stuff OK to use for a Calcium reactor or not????

[ 07 March 2002, 10:17: Message edited by: delphinus ]

[Aquattro]

Tony, I used extruded acrylic (1/8" wall) for my reactor and it's fine. The tubing cost was very cheap. As long as the surfaces are perfect and you bond it properly, it is more than strong enough. Cast will give you a bit more clarity as it doesn't have any ripples in it from processing. I built my reactor with pump for about $100. I found a used tank for $100, you just need to look around. J&L has regulators and needle valves that are decently priced. Email Allen for pricing.

[DJ88]

I have used extruded as well Tony.

Works fine. Cell cast is what the big companies use as it looks better.

[Delphinus]

Oooohhhhh OK I think I am finally starting to understand. Yes this stuff did have ripples so I guess that makes it "extruded" versus "cell cast" would mean it is much cleaner looking...

Thanks for all the explanations (and I really am sorry for being soooo stooopid it just takes me a while to catch onto some things :D ) I am not used to working with plastics *at all*.

[titus]

Hello,

I believe I can step in here as I have enough experience with both extruded and cast material.

The extruded was made by pushing the resin out as it cools, while the cast (I hate it when they call it cell cast, make it sounds fancy and no body call them this in the acrylic industry) are made entirely in the mold.

Bottom line, if you are making products commercially and plan to ship them out via UPS, you want something that is inherently strong. Extruded just breaks too easily during shipment and such. Not worthwhile.

[Aquattro]

Titus, are you saying the actual plastic broke, or the joints came apart? I find it difficult to imagine either breaking unless the UPS truck drove over them. How long did you let the joints cure before shipping?
If someone is going to make their own and not ship it to themselves, I see no point in spending the money on cast when extruded is so inexpensive.

[DJ88]

Brad,

Extruded will snap like a dry twig. take my word for it. lol. I have broken tubing like it was a piece of glass. :eek: it doesn't take much.

Why do you think skimmers n reactors cost so much to buy? Cell cast isn't cheap. It has to take a lot of abuse.

[Aquattro]

Darren, I've dropped pieces of tubing without damaging it. I guess I need to drop it better :D
Until I find a reasonable price on cast tubing, I'll just make sure I don't break anything!! tongue.gif

[stephane]

I made this skimmer whith extruded cast and it work just great and save a lot of $$$$$$$$ and like reef raf said i dont see how you could break it until if you drop it by the window I work whith acrylique for long time and the only difference i see between them is the tickness extruded are often less tick than cell but other than thay are made of the same material just made differently

you not suppose to play football whith reactor and
skimmer just take a litle more extra care and all will be find your just not suppose to drop it and why you do. you handle a lot of ting in you life that are not bullet proof and have no problem. Did
company make toaster or blender or radio drop proof just in case you drop it?

LFS could ship metal halide bulb whitout any problem so i dont see why a skimmer or a reactor well made could not be ship
http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=1670

http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=1671

[ 09 March 2002, 09:44: Message edited by: stephane ]

[Bryan]

Stephane:

Nice looking DIY skimmer. If you don't mind, what is the o.d and the height of the main riser.

Originally posted by stephane:
I made this skimmer whith extruded cast and it work just great and save a lot of $$$$$$$$ and like reef raf said i dont see how you could break it until if you drop it by the window <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">

[StirCrazy]

Titus, "Cell cast" is used in the industry as you have to be able to tell the difference between that and "Continuous cast" we used continuous cast in the skylight factory whare I worked befor I got into the Navy, as for how strong, well it like anything else depends on the manufacturing and quality control. Extruded Acrylic is the most consistant when it comes to thickness but it optical quality isn't as good as the other types. this is the MAIN difference.. Cell cast is the highest optical quality, Continuous cast is next and then finaly Extruded.

now having said that Extruded ends up being softer than cast methods so it will scratch easyer and has a tendency to gum up tools more, also because of the softness it can adsorb solvents faster than cast which can result in incomplete or brittle seams. to corect this just use a solvent that sets up a little slower.

hope this helps

Steve

[DJ88]

Stephane,

I will speak from experience with extruded acrylic.

It is brittle in comparison to cell cast. I have dropped pieces of tubing by accident and it cracked or shattered. Very eaisly. It will crack and shatter the same way if you aren't careful when you are drilling or cutting.

After making skimmers and a few other gadjets with extruded I would not ship it anywhere as it woudl not make it at all.

[titus]

Hello,

I have made quite a few items back when Canreef was in full swing. And I can tell you the following are facts:

1) Extruded gums up, melts easier, but is more brittle.

2) Cast gives you clean cut, takes longer to melt, but is optically clear and doesn't break easily.

3) I wish I can take a picture of the broken reactors and skimmers but I threw them all out. Some of the reactors just break as if UPS had step on it. Don't ask me why. I'm just speaking what's happened. Send a message to Premium Aquatics and ask Jason about it. He can tell you what I'm telling you here.

4) As of 1) - 3), I do not buy or make things out of extruded tubings anymore. Period. I don't care what. If this mean the end product is more expensive, so be it but it's a better built unit and it's worth both mine and the customer's time.

5) The reason I recommend cast for even the DIYs is because 2) and I don't want to sell cheap material. Think about it, I have some leftover extruded material sitting around but you don't really see me really trying to get rid of them. I'd rather not recover the cost of paying for those material than selling something cheap.