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Ponds & Aquatic Plants

Bulkhead fitting - need education

16 years ago

Educate me, please!

I need a 2" bulkhead fitting for a 2" PVC pipe or hose (making a homemade pond filter). My understanding is that the actual drilled hole for the bulkhead fitting will need to be larger than than the 2". My hole-saw blades come in 2", 2-1/2" and 3". However, most of the bulkhead fittings I'm finding online usually need a 2-3/4 sized hole. I don't really want to buy a new hole saw blade that size which will only be used once. What do you do in a situation like this? Will a 3" blade suffice for the 2-3/4" hole?

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Comments (8)

pikecoe
16 years ago
nancym, My hubby's theory is if: You need it one time, you'll need it again. That is the same reason he never borrows anything from anyone. Glenda
nkm56
Original Author
16 years ago
I'm wondering now if I could go to the 3" size blade. The hole will be a bit too large, but I could fill it in with silicone and glue the flange to the side of the tub. That might work.
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horton
16 years ago
Nancy,If you really don't want to purchase another hole saw blade, why don't you cut the hole out with your 2Â½" hole saw and use a half-round file to bring the hole up to the size required for the bulkhead fitting.
Filing out plastic is not a big job and the tighter the fit the better it will be, to stop potential leakage.
Cutting a 3" hole could cause you to have problems with sealing the bulkhead fitting properly.
"Horton"
nkm56
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks. I'll keep looking for a while for the proper fit, but lacking that, I'll try to file it to the correct size.
lsst
16 years ago
Do not go with a 3" hole. Even with silicone, it will leak-I know that from experience. LOL

If it is a 2" bulkhead you can use the 2.5 hole saw. The best way is to measure the outside diameter of the bulkhead once you have it in your hands and make the hole slightly larger than that.

If your filter is a rigid plastic, Uniseals work well, too.
The link below also has Bulkhead fittings

Here is a link that might be useful: Uniseals
nkm56
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the advice. You've given me some things to think about. I will definitely measure the outside diameter and then see what I can find to make a good fit when I cut. I definitely don't want it to leak.
nkm56
Original Author
16 years ago
I decided to try a local place (well, actually its in the next city, but Tulsa and Bixby have closed the gap between each other) I hadn't thought of until now, and low and behold, they had a 2" bulkhead fitting that requires a 3" hole! So, since I have the 3" hole saw blade, I'm good to go! Thanks for all the comments and advice. This is my first foray into DIY filters, so I'm learning as I go. Guess I'd better practice on an old barrel first, LOL!
lsst
16 years ago
Great! Good luck!

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