Any recommendations for an alternative to uniseals?

fernco-

Originally Posted by Murfy

fernco-

THanks for the fast reply. Pleaase forgive me for my lack of knowledge with plumbing fittings, but can you tell me how these work? Do you just shove the thinner end into the holes in the buckets? Does this provide a water tight seal? Thanks

Each end slips over a pipe of the appropriate size, I don't see how they could be used in place of uniseals myself. Maybe Murfy will pop back in and explain it for us. Maybe glue a short piece of pipe on and then use a flexible coupling like that?

to answer your question, no, i don't no of anything better than uniseals to get a watertight seal on a round/curved plastic surface. i love uniseals. they do the impossible, you just have to be very, very precise when drilling your hole (less than 1/8" off).

uniseals can be a bitch if you drill the hole too big or not smoothly enough. i've got a graveyard of bins and garbage cans and buckets i messed up. they do expand when you plug a pipe in them, but not a lot. and they won't fill in chips and large irregularities. the hole has to be smooth. that's key. high speed seems to melt the plastic smoothly after cutting it. practice on the lid if it's the same kind of plastic. every kind of plastic is different and reacts differently to different bits, speeds, torque settings, etc.

i like using a step bit for smaller holes (1-1/4" for 1/2" and 3/4" uniseals), but it's easy to go too far and make the hole too big. make your mark and start on the outside. about halfway through, drill from the inside. drilling it from both sides gives it a burr-free cut. i find that i get a more precise cut when i finish the hole from the inside. having a helper support the plastic so it doesn't flex when you drill it will also give you a more exact hole.

for bigger holes, i use a hole saw with pilot bit. after you pierce the surface with the pilot bit, make sure the cup saw is spinning at a pretty good speed before making contact with the surface to be cut. if it's not spinning fast enough, the cutting edge can snag, and torque the entire drill in an unbalanced, off-axis, dangerous way that gives you an uneven hole that will leak. i like to drill the pilot hole with a plain 1/4" drill bit from the outside, then actually cut the hole from the inside out. obviously, you won't be able to do this with a 5-gallon bucket.

with both methods of cutting holes, precision is the key. not just a consistent diameter, the edge of the hole needs to be perfectly smooth.

if you have to manually deburr, use your fingernail or credit card. don't use a knife.

the second problem people run into with uniseals is difficulty in getting the pipe into the hole.

to get the pipe in the hole, lube it up with plumber's silicon grease. best stuff ever. i use it on both sides of the gasket for bulkheads too. the lubrication lets you really turn the nut with a lot less friction from the rubber gasket. another thing you can do is to slightly taper the edge of the cut pipe. i've seen tools to do this at the hardware store. i've used a utility knife with success to manually cut a 45-degree bevel in the outside of the pipe. doesn't have to be perfect, just enough to get it going, but i don't even do this anymore. just lube up the inside of the uniseal good and plenty and ram it in there. if you get the lube on a surface you're going to glue, use a clean paper towel to wipe off any excess and be sure to use a purple primer before gluing.

if you're not using a ratcheting pvc cutter, then spend the $10 and get one. it gives you easy, perfect cuts. i have one small one and one that can handle up to 2" drain pipes. you can also use a chop saw, but i find the hand cutter easier and faster to work with. pipes cut with hacksaws give you a rough edge that won't insert smoothly. chop saws can chip and melt the pipe, potentially making it more difficult to insert. the ratcheting hand cutters are really the way to go.

hope that helps and you have better experiences with uniseals! if you do find of another product, please update this thread!

Fernco fittings are a plumbing industry standard & are used in many critical plumbing applications.They are your best choice if easy disassembly is what your after.

They will not leak or fall off once tightened as long as they arent over torqued ,fernco sells a small torque wrench made special for the 5/16 tightening nut for about $15.

Fernco fittings are a plumbing industry standard & are used in many critical plumbing applications.They are your best choice if easy disassembly is what your after.

They will not leak or fall off once tightened as long as they arent over torqued ,fernco sells a small torque wrench made special for the 5/16 tightening nut for about $15.

that's a coupler for 2 dif size pipes.. not a water-tight seal for a bucket hole 0_o

sorry-

i thought you were using tub drains. continue to do so. the tub, sink, uniseal fittings are all variations of what are known as bulkhead fittings. these are fittings that are used to put a hole through (a bulkhead), sealing, and providing a nipple.

blow up pools have them. scavage the ones you see on the side of the road. any plumbing ssupply house will have a plethora of the to choose from. including rounds of varying size.

after your bulkhead fitting is in place, instead of a cemented joint, use the fernco to adapt to your plumbing. they come in many configurations.
hope that helps.