Sterilite ClearView containers

[Pszemol]

I was thinking about using Sterilite ClearView containers
available in Walmart and other places for my sump/refugium.
They are cheap as dirt and in nice sizes suiting my cabinet.
The only thing they lack is dividers... I was thinking
if I could somehow glue them inside but I am not sure what
this containers are made from (what plastic?) and what glue
can I use to seal it... Any idea you can share with me?

I need to make at least two dividers - one short one to
stick drain hose behind it and the second one to keep
high water level in the sump dividing section for the pump.
I am not going to do any complicated baffling system...

[Marc Levenson]

Why not use a few of those sterlites to make one? Just cut out the base of a
couple of cheap ones to assure you have the same material.

I don't know if Weld-On would work, but Home Depot has a number of GOOP products
and you'd want one that glues plastics. Then again, you'd have to worry about
leaching products into your water.

To keep the Sterlite from swelling, you'll need to cut a hole in the lid (for
access) and then glue/screw it to the top to help it keep its shape.

Marc


Pszemol wrote:

> I was thinking about using Sterilite ClearView containers
> available in Walmart and other places for my sump/refugium.
> They are cheap as dirt and in nice sizes suiting my cabinet.
> The only thing they lack is dividers... I was thinking
> if I could somehow glue them inside but I am not sure what
> this containers are made from (what plastic?) and what glue
> can I use to seal it... Any idea you can share with me?
>
> I need to make at least two dividers - one short one to
> stick drain hose behind it and the second one to keep
> high water level in the sump dividing section for the pump.
> I am not going to do any complicated baffling system...

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[Pszemol]

"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message ...
> Why not use a few of those sterlites to make one? Just cut out the base of a
> couple of cheap ones to assure you have the same material.

That was exactly my idea. I just need to know first
what kind of plastic they use to pick right glue for it.

> I don't know if Weld-On would work, but Home Depot has a number of GOOP products
> and you'd want one that glues plastics. Then again, you'd have to worry about
> leaching products into your water.

Have to check them out - thanks.

> To keep the Sterlite from swelling, you'll need to cut a hole in the lid (for
> access) and then glue/screw it to the top to help it keep its shape.

Good idea.

[Richard Reynolds]

> That was exactly my idea. I just need to know first
> what kind of plastic they use to pick right glue for it.

most sterilite bins I have seen have been marked polypro, which is not glueable, you would
need to weld it using an expensive plastic welder :(

--
Richard Reynolds

[Mort]

As far as which glue to use, maybe PVC cement would be worth a try?
It *should* be safe, afterall, its used on our plumbing for potable water.
And IME, it will bond most plastics.

~Mort


"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
...
> Why not use a few of those sterlites to make one? Just cut out the base
of a
> couple of cheap ones to assure you have the same material.
>
> I don't know if Weld-On would work, but Home Depot has a number of GOOP
products
> and you'd want one that glues plastics. Then again, you'd have to worry
about
> leaching products into your water.
>
> To keep the Sterlite from swelling, you'll need to cut a hole in the lid
(for
> access) and then glue/screw it to the top to help it keep its shape.
>
> Marc
>
>
> Pszemol wrote:
>
> > I was thinking about using Sterilite ClearView containers
> > available in Walmart and other places for my sump/refugium.
> > They are cheap as dirt and in nice sizes suiting my cabinet.
> > The only thing they lack is dividers... I was thinking
> > if I could somehow glue them inside but I am not sure what
> > this containers are made from (what plastic?) and what glue
> > can I use to seal it... Any idea you can share with me?
> >
> > I need to make at least two dividers - one short one to
> > stick drain hose behind it and the second one to keep
> > high water level in the sump dividing section for the pump.
> > I am not going to do any complicated baffling system...
>
> --
> Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
> Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
> Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com
>
>

[Rod]

maybe you could use a smaller container inside of the larger sterelite? thats
what I do. I have the drain lines and the skimmer drain dump into a smaller
container ( actually a 1 gal picture) that has a series of holes drilled near
the top of that container. There are also a few small rocks in that container
to break any airbubbles. If any airbubbles make it out of the first container,
they are broken up by live rock that is in the main sump near the return line..
The sterelite that i use does not bow or distort too much. I dont keep the lid
on it.
Rod Buehler
www.asplashoflife.com

[Pszemol]

Do you have any pictures of your sump I could take a peek?

"Rod" > wrote in message ...
> maybe you could use a smaller container inside of the larger sterelite? thats
> what I do. I have the drain lines and the skimmer drain dump into a smaller
> container ( actually a 1 gal picture) that has a series of holes drilled near
> the top of that container. There are also a few small rocks in that container
> to break any airbubbles. If any airbubbles make it out of the first container,
> they are broken up by live rock that is in the main sump near the return line..
> The sterelite that i use does not bow or distort too much. I dont keep the lid
> on it.
> Rod Buehler
> www.asplashoflife.com

[Rod]

Sorry, I dont.. Its very basic though.. I should also mention that I do not use
my sump to grow macro-algae, nor do I use it as a refugium. I keep my
refugiums/algae-scrubbers above the tanks.
Rod Buehler
www.asplashoflife.com

[Acrylics]

>most sterilite bins I have seen have been marked polypro, which is not
>glueable, you would
>need to weld it using an expensive plastic welder :(

I believe the colored ones are polypro and the clear ones are polyethylene, but
both are one or the other.
In either case, neither will glue using regular plastic solvents.
I would try the actual glues first, Marine Goop may stick to a point but I
doubt long term. Same with silicone, I would think you should be able to get
it to hold if you silicone the hell out of it though..
Hot glue would be an easy one and sounds plausible enough.
Hmm, now I have some experimenting to do as well :)

James

[Pszemol]

"Acrylics" > wrote in message ...
> >most sterilite bins I have seen have been marked polypro, which is not
> >glueable, you would
> >need to weld it using an expensive plastic welder :(
>
> I believe the colored ones are polypro and the clear ones are polyethylene, but
> both are one or the other.
> In either case, neither will glue using regular plastic solvents.
> I would try the actual glues first, Marine Goop may stick to a point but I
> doubt long term. Same with silicone, I would think you should be able to get
> it to hold if you silicone the hell out of it though..
> Hot glue would be an easy one and sounds plausible enough.
> Hmm, now I have some experimenting to do as well :)

You say hot glue... but now I would introduce uncertain material again...
Is hot glue safe?

[Wayne Sallee]

In article >,
(Acrylics) writes:

>I believe the colored ones are polypro and the clear ones are polyethylene,
>but
>both are one or the other.

LOL Acrylics, I thought you would know your plastics :-) The clear ones are
polypropylene also. I don't know of any Sterilite containers that arn't
polypropylene.

The best Wally-World plastic containers to use for sumps, are "low density
polyethelen" (more resistant to chemicals, and cracking). But you usualy don't
see them in clear, at least not at Wally-World. And even the "clear" ones are
stranslucent. Best to use a big sump, and then add dividers to it.

If you want clear, go with glass or acrylic.

"low density polyethelen" is stamped on the bottom as "LDPE"

Wayne Sallee
http://members.aol.com/waynesallee/weblink.htm