Instructions / Assembly

®
System 1738 Installation Methods16
Cold Weather Solvent Welding
– Below 50°F (10°C)
1. Prefabricate as much of the system as possible in a
heated area
2. Store System 1738 primer and solvent cement in a
warm location above 40
o
F (4
o
C) when not in use
and make certain cement remains fluid
3. Take special care to remove moisture including
snow and ice from the surfaces being joined
including pipe ends and fitting sockets
4. Ensure that the pipe, fittings and accessories are at
the same temperature prior to solvent welding
5. Ensure the surfaces are softened before joining.
Check for proper softening of surfaces and correct
amount of cement on a sample pipe. Surfaces are
sufficiently softened when scraping a blade on the
treated part results in the effortless removal of a thin
layer of the base material
6. Colder weather requires longer set and cure times.
Refer to the System 1738 Solvent Weld Cure Times
section of this guide for required cure schedules
before moving joints. A heating blanket may be
used to speed up the cure times
Hot Weather Solvent Welding
– Above 86°F (30°C)
1. Store System 1738 primer and solvent cement in a
cool or shaded area prior to use
2. Store pipe and fittings in a shaded area prior to
solvent welding
3. Cool surfaces to be joined with a clean, damp rag.
Be sure the surface is dry prior to solvent welding
4. Consider solvent welding joints in the cooler
morning hours
5. Make sure both surfaces to be joined are still wet
with solvent cement when joining them together
6. Vigorously stir or shake the System 1738 solvent
cement before use
As the solvent dissipates, the solvent cement layer
and the dissolved surfaces will dry and harden with a
corresponding increase in joint strength. Completed
joints must be handled with extreme care until the
average appliance service time has expired. See the
Average Appliance Service Time Schedule table in the
System 1738 Solvent Weld section for details.
Joint strength continues to develop as the solvent
cement dries.
Surface Interaction in Solvent Welded
Joint
Sufficient cement must be applied to fill the gap in the
loose part of the joint. Besides filling the gap, adequate
solvent cement layers will penetrate the surfaces and
must remain wet until the joint is assembled. If the
solvent cement coatings on the pipe and fittings are
wet and fluid when assembly takes place, they will tend
to flow together and become one solvent cement layer.
Also, if the solvent cement is wet, the surfaces beneath
them will still be soft, and these dissolved surfaces in the
tight part of the joint will fuse together.
Cement Coatings of Sufficient Thickness
10°-15°
3/32" Approx
Bevel
pipe ends
Bonded Surfaces
Fused Surfaces
Surfaces must be assembled while
they are wet and soft
NOTICE
DO NOT use excessive amounts of primer or solvent
cement. Too much primer or solvent cement can lead
to puddling in the pipe and fittings which can result in
product failures and property damage. Always follow
the instructions provided with each can of System 1738
primer and/or solvent cement.