is black abs plastic safe to use?

[organicreefer]

Originally posted by Ironreef
I can guarrentee there is absolutely no abs on my tank. Mine is 100% acylic. I doubt if the solvent used is potable either.

i checked with ips (the makers o weld- on products),and ALL of there ABS cements are suitable for potable water .however,some of their cements,in particular some of those used for flexible pvc,are NOT safe for potable water.be carful what you pick
weld on 795 ,both blu and clear are not safe
weld on 747 is safe

[Ironreef]

Ha I was refering to my solvent on my tank. Probally not potable. No abs but toxic solvent

[organicreefer]

just got back from the store

[golfish]

FWIW, If you haven't noticed yet the ABS pipe is a lot more brittle then regular PVC. I used a small section of flex hose on ALL of my hard piped PVC lines that involved a pump. This small section will absorb the vibration from the pump and hopefully eliminate any cracks that may occur.......I advise you do the same. It also makes tear down easy.

I thought you were only going to use ABS in the tank but it looks like your going to use it for the for the whole job.......Good Luck

[MarkS]

Kinda off topic, but you used this word in several replies... What is a "dummer"??? I have never heard of that before.

Thanks,
Mark

[organicreefer]

just got a reply from a abs manufacturer:
Please find the attached with regards to the ABS request you had. For your
information we have never heard of any leaching from ABS system.

<<ABS DWV.doc>>

Kevin Webb
Ph: 905-403-0264
Fx: 905-403-9195
kevweb@ipexinc.com <mailto:Kevweb@ipexinc.com>
IPEX Inc. ~ Clarkson

[organicreefer]

yes golfish ,youre exactly right,ABS is more brittle than pvc,hence cannot handle the pressure involved in supply lines;) .ABS IS SAFE.

marks ,ironreef is refering to the plumbers

[MarkS]

Originally posted by organicreefer
[B
marks ,ironreef is refering to the plumbers [/B]

I kinda figured that. I just thought maybe it was a profession that I have never heard of.

Mark

[organicreefer]

golfish,
yes i did decied to use abs for the whole job,its just better suited for the purpose than pvc;) .look at the elbows and splits and stuff,and you can clearly see it just 'flows" better than pvc,with sweeping archs and such.i guess since its DESIGNED for drainage,it has to flow better than a pipe supplied with PRESSURE;) .aside from that ,its more compact too,plus a better selection of peices,at least that i could find locally.im very happy with my decision at this point,especially with the reply from IPEX inc.
ive done my homework......................
ABS is definitely safe to use

[organicreefer]

the ABS pipes in my overflow after 3 months,covered in all kinds of stuff

[organicreefer]

lets try that again

[organicreefer]

WTF? i cant post a pic???

[rayjay]

I'm glad to hear the ABS is safe. I've used it for 8 years now, and it's on every one of my systems, plus my first skimmers were 4" dia. 6 ft high ABS. I only changed the skimmers to PVC because I get the 4" tubes free.

[organicreefer]

Originally posted by rayjay
I'm glad to hear the ABS is safe. I've used it for 8 years now

glad i could "help " ya out;)

[the_blue_tuna]

Mark S ,
They say you really only need to know 3 things to be a "dummer"
#1 - payday is on friday
#2 - s**t flows down hill
#3 - dont bite your fingernails

Mark M ,
Must be pretty cool working for PEPSI

[golfish]

Mark M,
Must be pretty cool working for PEPSI

Hmmmmm, PEPSI? that's some kind of insect, right?

[brn2bbald]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and thought I would share my experience to this subject. I'm a Civil Engineer and a Reefer. SCH 40 IS used in Potable Water systems. I design new buildings and onsite water systems with it every day. ABS does NOT have an antibacterial leaching agent in it. It is the number ONE material used for on-site sewer treatment systems (septic systems) in the US. WHY is this important? If your home is not connected to the sewer treatment plant you are disposing of the wastwater in your home in your own septic type treatment system.

Just like a fish tank an onsite sewer septic system must allow anaerobic bacteria to devour the nitrates in a septic system and allow the water to leach and filter into the soil until it is purified and diposited back into the ground water where it is used again for potable water. ANY antibacterial agent would kill this process and your septic system would cease to function. Federal quidelines require ALL pipes and adhesives designed for those pipes used in NATURAL sewer and waste treatment to be completely inert for this reason.

Why is ABS black and SCH 40 white? Amoung other things the pipes are color coded. You don't want a plumber making repairs in your home to accidentaly connect the sewer to the water system. Keep in mind these pipes are design for Human consumption and waste and color coded for ease in constrcution and maintenance. Even though we are using them in an aquatic environment, they are functioning in the same way and for the same purposes that they were designed.

[Jnance]

Wow organic reefer thanks for starting this, i found all the info i needed in my first search. Very useful thread.