Homemade syringe tank mod, looks easy!

[Spazmelda]

I want this one: SpectraPure® Deluxe Piercing Saddle Valve for 1/4 Inch | eBay

That one looks like it was made for punching cartos. I saw it somewhere else too, for cheaper and less shipping... uh, let's see... Aqua FX - Aquarium Water Filters - Self Piercing Saddle Valve

Oh, never mind. the shipping was outrageous, not cheaper. LOL! $11.95 ground.

 

[oplholik]

I want this one: SpectraPure® Deluxe Piercing Saddle Valve for 1/4 Inch | eBay

Now, that's the bees knees!

 

[asnider123]

I made a tank for a friend, another G3 .. it kinda qualifies as a syringe tank mod, the internal tank is a 3ml BD syringe, the external tank is a 3/4 diameter x 1.5 long piece of polypropylene thick-wall tubing with Danco size 1/2 flat gaskets. The inner syringe was drilled with 4 holes toward bottom, 2 about 2/3 of the way up (for breaking vacuum). Easy to build once you get the parts together.

The CE2 element is easily replaceable, just wiggle out the old one, wiggle in the new one, seat the silicone seal around the ceramic cup. Bob's our uncle!

By asnider123 at 2011-10-06

PS: used a 2.4 ohm CE2-XL .. did NOT use the CE2 plastic sleeve, it's too thin and not very strong, BD 3ml syringe far better. Capacity .. about 5ml .. it fills with syringe thru the standard CE2 filling holes, no need to puncture or remove seals. After 6 weeks of testing, still absolutely leak-proof (even laying down or hanging upside-down) .. Breaktru did the original plans, I modified with the CE2 and 3ml Syringe.

 

[asnider123]

Punching holes??? No! I use a tiny (1/16") drillbit on my drill press, works every time!!

 

[wyojoe]

Punching holes??? No! I use a tiny (1/16") drillbit on my drill press, works every time!!

I don't have a drill press and tried a hand drill and it doesn't work for sure. It takes to much pressure on you hand drill and when it breaks thru it grabs the filler material and wads it up inside and ruins the carto's so I use my deck screws and tap with a hammer and it works very well because they are pointed. Works for me.

 

[debb]

 

[madjack]

...ya know, those self piercing valves are the same thing used to install ice makers in a fridge and tap freon lines in window AC uits...they should be available at any hardware store...............
madjack

 

[ricks]

10.99 shipped from ebay
Self Piercing Saddle Valve Feed Water Copper Pipe Adapter Brass Fitting ROsystem | eBay

8.94 shipped from this place https://www.freshwatersystems.com/p-390-self-piercing-feed-valve-c-style-14-compression.aspx

 

[wyojoe]

...ya know, those self piercing valves are the same thing used to install ice makers in a fridge and tap freon lines in window AC uits...they should be available at any hardware store...............
madjack

I agree, and next time i'm out will see what I can find.

 

[oplholik]

I got my 20ml syringes yesterday, and started making a tank. I noticed that the hole in the plunger rubber, on the flat end, is slightly larger than the carto which will allow a fair amount of liquid to settle there and be wasted, plus possibly making it a mess to change cartos. My syringes are Ideal syringes, and don't know if the other brands of syringes are the same. Any one else have this, is it a problem?

 

[Spazmelda]

I got my 20ml syringes yesterday, and started making a tank. I noticed that the hole in the plunger rubber, on the flat end, is slightly larger than the carto which will allow a fair amount of liquid to settle there and be wasted, plus possibly making it a mess to change cartos. My syringes are Ideal syringes, and don't know if the other brands of syringes are the same. Any one else have this, is it a problem?

Someone earlier in the thread explained that you can get some flexible tubing that just fits around your carto to fill in that space. I think they said to cut a short length of it and slide it around the carto so that it sits in that space. You can look back and try to find it if my explanation doesn't make sense. My cartos are big enough so that they wedge in there very tightly, so it wasn't a problem for my tanks.

 

[oplholik]

10.99 shipped from ebay
Self Piercing Saddle Valve Feed Water Copper Pipe Adapter Brass Fitting ROsystem | eBay

8.94 shipped from this place https://www.freshwatersystems.com/p-390-self-piercing-feed-valve-c-style-14-compression.aspx

I think I will order one of those for $8.94 shipped. I thought about trying to find one locally, but with sales tax and gas wasted, this will probably be cheaper.

 

[ricks]

Ideal has 2 different types of 20ml syringes. When I bought my syringes from TS they had both types. The ones that are better are the ones with 2 ribs on the plungers. The other one had 3 ribs.

I got my 20ml syringes yesterday, and started making a tank. I noticed that the hole in the plunger rubber, on the flat end, is slightly larger than the carto which will allow a fair amount of liquid to settle there and be wasted, plus possibly making it a mess to change cartos. My syringes are Ideal syringes, and don't know if the other brands of syringes are the same. Any one else have this, is it a problem?

 

[debb]

think I'll get this one..

https://www.freshwatersystems.com/p-2070-self-piercing-feed-valve-c-style-14-quick-connect.aspx

 

[wyojoe]

I got my 20ml syringes yesterday, and started making a tank. I noticed that the hole in the plunger rubber, on the flat end, is slightly larger than the carto which will allow a fair amount of liquid to settle there and be wasted, plus possibly making it a mess to change cartos. My syringes are Ideal syringes, and don't know if the other brands of syringes are the same. Any one else have this, is it a problem?

Something that might work to fill the gap, is to just wrap it with Teflon tape like you use on pipe threads. Its 1/2 inch wide so you could wrap it around the carto enought to fill the gap, then push it in the plunger of your tank. You will need to wrap it a little above the the end of the carto so you can get it though the hole that you cut in the plunger.

 

[Skeeterkck]

Okay the 20ml syringes that I got from American Health Express, the plungers has 3 ridges on them. It does NOT have a ridge that will sit on the tube. The plunger goes all the way into the tube Did i get the wrong ones???? Please help
Hugs,
Skeeterkck

 

[oplholik]

Something that might work to fill the gap, is to just wrap it with Teflon tape like you use on pipe threads. Its 1/2 inch wide so you could wrap it around the carto enought to fill the gap, then push it in the plunger of your tank. You will need to wrap it a little above the the end of the carto so you can get it though the hole that you cut in the plunger.

Actually, I just realized in putting it all together, that, that side of it goes to the outside, so it doesn't matter if there is a little gap there.

 

[oplholik]

Okay the 20ml syringes that I got from American Health Express, the plungers has 3 ridges on them. It does NOT have a ridge that will sit on the tube. The plunger goes all the way into the tube Did i get the wrong ones???? Please help
Hugs,
Skeeterkck

I think that will be fine, just push it in till the flat side is even with the top of the tube. I haven't tried one filled yet, but seems it will be ok.

 

[Spazmelda]

Skeeter- I don't really know. Can you post a picture?

This saddle piercing doo-hicky is AW-SUM! I got one at home depot today. It's not that fancy type from the aquarium type stores, but it works fine. I'm using the syringe plunger as a sort of a jig to get the holes in the right place like this...

I put the plunger (with the hole already in it) on the carto where I want it to eventually be, then I move it down so that it's hanging off the bottom of the carto by about 1/2 it's width. Then I use that to line up the carto in the piercer. I punch the carto, and before I take it out, I use a pencil to lightly mark the syringe plunger 180 degrees from where the first hole is. I loosen the puncher part and the two tightening screws, then rotate the carto 180 so that my pencil mark is now up at the top. I tighten the screws and then punch again. I'm doing ~4 full turns past where I first hear the spike pierce the metal. That puts two holes on opposite sides right down at the bottom where I will need them to be when the tank is assembled.

ETA: a picture, in case that didn't make any sense.

 

[oplholik]

My new concern is getting the glue off the carto after taking off the sticker. I haven't been able to get the glue off without using Goof Off. I don't want any chemical residue on anything inside that tank. Guess I should wait till I get some cartos w/o the stickers.