1/2" cpvc Lauter Tun question

[jjayzzone]

What can I use to have a sealed "exit" out of the cooler? I can't find a liquid-tight type fitting that would seal with gaskets anywhere (I don't recall the name of the fitting). Remember, this is 1/2" cpvc, so it is copper dimensions, not schedule pipe.

Is there an epoxy that would bond cpvc to the plastic cooler, is food safe, and can withstand 170 degree sweet wort?.....mmmmm. If so, that would be easy with a threaded x 1/2" sw nipple. I can't find an epoxy that bonds, though, and it would work perfectly if I could find that....

 

[pompeiisneaks]

I don't know about any sealant, most people just use washer and o-rings to seal up thru bulkhead type connections. Someone may know, though, but sadly its not me... Is there any reason the typical o-ring seal won't work?

 

[keelanfish]

I used cpvc for my through wall and valve instead of stainless because of price. The pictures aren't great (I'm brewing tonight so I'll try to get some better ones), but basically I used a grommet I found at homedepot to make the seal. Something like this one...

Brewed with it several times now and it's never leaked a drop.

 

[jjayzzone]

You guys both answered my question.

pompeiisneaks; I only found one bulkhead fitting, and it was for electrical and for schedule pipe.....so I didn't know how I could use that with 1/2" cpvc. That's where I was confused, because I couldn't find a fitting that would fit 1/2" cpvc. Maybe I just didn't think through the possibilities....

keelanfish; that's exactly the kind of recommendation I was looking for....I just didn't know what to look for. I'll go ahead and look for that item at home depot....

 

[carnevoodoo]

People sell cooler specific bulkheads online too.

 

[keelanfish]

Glad to be of help. The photo isn't the exact grommet I used, but very close. The one I used didn't have the taper, both sides were the same as the top of the one pictured. The gap wasn't wide enough to fit the plastic layers of my cooler, so I ended up using an xacto knife and trimming off one side. Just be sure it fits tight around your 1/2" pipe as it not only has to make the seal against the wall of the cooler but also around the pipe.

 

[boredatwork]

Hayward Safe-T-Loc CPVC Bulkhead Fittings - US Plastic Corporation

 

[tipicreeper]

I used the same fittings as keelanfish but insted of a grommet, I used the gasket that came with the cooler to seal the spigot.

 

[dzlater]

My first couple all grains. I just shoved the CPVC through the cooler no sealent , no bulk head, it worked well only a little trickle leaked.

 

[jjayzzone]

boredatwork; lol, funny name. They don't have 1/2" bulkhead fittings....although I could use a reducer.


Thanks for your help, everyone. I bought a SW x female thread cpvc part, an o-ring, a 1/2" threaded nipple, a washer, a nut, and a brass valve. Looks great, but I haven't tried it with water yet. Seems so simple now! A bulkhead fitting isn't even necessary, which I thought it was.

dzlater; that was kinda my plan, but I was trying to seal it with some kind of epoxy. Didn't work out, to say the least....

 

[billy_awesome]

For those of you wondering.

CPVC is the same as PVC, just it's made with a chroline based additive that's called Corzan. It repels chemicals better than PVC, and it is good up to 180 degrees. PVC is good up to 140degrees.

 

[boredatwork]

Oops, wrong link. Point is, seraching for CPVC bulkhead on google turns up plenty of options.

Plastic Depot (310) 217-7080 - Hayward® Bulkhead Fitting, CPVC/EPDM Soc x Thd

 

[dutchboy62]

keelanfish what do you have going thru the cooler wall is it just a piece of 1/2" cpvc pipe?

 

[jjayzzone]

My guess would be a threaded nipple. That's how everything ends up tightened against the cooler wall on both sides....

 

[keelanfish]

keelanfish what do you have going thru the cooler wall is it just a piece of 1/2" cpvc pipe?

It is 1/2 cpvc, but it's a threadded piece. The angled sides that you would put a wrench on to tighten form a kind of bulkead allowing it to seal against the inside of the cooler wall.

 

[Ridemywideglide]

Glad to be of help. The photo isn't the exact grommet I used, but very close. The one I used didn't have the taper, both sides were the same as the top of the one pictured. The gap wasn't wide enough to fit the plastic layers of my cooler, so I ended up using an xacto knife and trimming off one side. Just be sure it fits tight around your 1/2" pipe as it not only has to make the seal against the wall of the cooler but also around the pipe.

I used a similar setup. Just a large flat neoprene washer. It doesn't seal to the pipe, it seals to the wall. If you take your pic, it's sealed inside between the hex and the wall. Nothing to do about the threaded insert. That provides the pressure for the rest of the parts.

End result, mine looks like yours, and works great.. was cheap, only milled around HD with the dogs for about an hour trying 101 different fittings..