Connecting 2 inch pipe to a 4 inch pipe using a Uniseal

Koi pond drainage.

The 4 inch drainage pipe was located and exposed. As expected there was little room around the existing pipe due to other pipework in the vicinity. A 76mm holesaw is used to create the correct size of hole for a 2 inch Uniseal.

The 2 inch Uniseal placed into position in the 4 inch pipe.

The prepared 2 inch pipe and bend. The pipe has been lubricated with dish washing fluid. Note the bevel on the edge of the pipe, this helps to get the pipe through the Uniseal. Normally a square cut end on the smaller pipe is sufficient to get the job done. However in this case the inserted pipe was shaped so that less obstruction was created in the 4 inch pipe.

The pipe and bend pushed into the Uniseal. A tough job to get done the first time that you try it. A fair amount of force is required to push the pipe through the Uniseal but this pressure is what creates the seals on the inside and the outside of the Uniseal.

The finished job. The inserted pipe does not have to be at 90 degrees to the receiving pipe. In this case it just happens to be close. The smaller pipe can be swivelled around in the Uniseal to achieve the desired angle.

Uniseals in a Hydroponics setup

One of our customers made good use of a number of Uniseals in their hydroponics setup.

The first image shows two 210 litre blue barrels connected together using two 2 inch Uniseals.

You may notice that one of the Uniseals is reversed in the barrel (the one on the left) allowing the pipe to be fitted by pushing through from the inside of one barrel, out of the barrel and then into the other barrel. It makes no difference to the seal if the Uniseal is fitted one way or the other.

Connecting 1000 litre IBC Containers With 3" Uniseals.

A difficult process made easy. This customer had tried to connect IBC containers together using rigid plastic bulkheads which proved frustratingly unsuccessful - they leaked, probably because it would be nearly impossible to get the IBC containers lined up exactly. Uniseals don't care, they provide a leakproof seal at up to a 20 degree angle. You can even move the containers slightly after insertion of the pipes.

These containers were destined to be hidden underground so a leakproof seal was a necessity to save having to dig up around the containers (again).

Ideal for use in the hydropoinics set up, Uniseals have a 25 year manufacturers warranty. No solvent or glue is required and the connections can be dis-assembled.

Connecting 4" pipe into a blue barrel for Koi pond filtration.

This is a common use for a Uniseal. What is uncommon about the implementation is that the blue barrel filter sits in 2000 litres of water so that the dirty water is inside the barrel and the filtered (clean) water is outside the barrel. The barrels are cleaned by pumping out the dirty water to waste on a weekly basis.

An unusual set up in that there is a massive increase in the total amount of pond water partly held in a sump. This allows settlement of any fines suspended in the water and also allows a home for other processes to take place e.g. Anoxic baskets to complete the nitrogen cycle sitting in the sump, water top up, water heating. Note the bag of Kaldness K1 media sitting in the water.

Connecting 4" pipe into a blue barrel for Koi pond filtration-2.

Another blue barrel set up for a Koi pond. The barrels this time are sitting in the open air. Dirty water is being filtered inside the blue barrel, transported in and out inside four inch pipe. Note the 2 x 4 inch Uniseals (U400).

Could have saved the cost of the rubber straight through connector here by simply using a longer pipe connected directly to the bend at the bottom of the photo.

The red handled on/off valve is used to remove the waste.

Connecting one inch pipe through Uniseal into four inch pipe.

The two photographs demonstrate a one inch Uniseal used to connect a one inch pipe and a four inch pipe.

The four inch waste pipe is on the clean side of an AEM Easydrum Rotating Drum Filter (RDF).

The clean water tapped off the four inch pipe is used under pressure (from the supplied pressure pump) to clean the collected dirt from the RDF stainless steel drum and is washed away as waste.

This simple connection is not possible using a normal tank connector and was achieved by simply cutting a hole with a 44mm holesaw, popping in the Uniseal and passing the 1" pipe through the Uniseal and into the water flow. Uniseals can be used on any complex curve where it would not be possible to achieve a seal with a normal hard plastic tank connector.

You will note that the tap in is created at the bottom of the pipe where most of the water is. This also creates a bit of a reservoir for the high pressure pump to help it not run dry. When there is no water in the 4" pipe some will have been stored in the 1" pipe and flexible re-inforced pipe after the tap-in. This will be enough to provide pressurised water to start the drum cleaning process and of of course when it starts water will again flow in the 4" pipe and fill up the 1" pipe.

Inlet and outlets for a sieve on a Koi filtration system.

The left hand side of the photo shows the inlet side of the sieve which pushes the water onto the stainless steel sieve itself. The inlet pipe can of course be extended to the middle of the sieve, and can be moved through the Uniseal to achieve exactly the right position.

The right hand side of the photo shows the bottom of the sieve from underneath where two Uniseals are used to connect the main water flow pipe in orange (now cleaned water) and the waste pipe in white through the plastic container.

Introducing air into an AEM Easy Drum 22 through a 3/16" Uniseal

Introducing an air line into any vessel neatly is possible with a 3/16ths inch Uniseal which is the smallest available. Ideal to create a water tight seal around 6mm flexible pipe.