Glue - PVC to Sterilite Tub Question

I am going to be gluing 4” PVC end caps into Sterilite 1756 tubs to hold Deli water dishes so they are not turned over. I’m using end caps because I already use them except they are not glued down and are not quite heavy enough to prevent turn over in all cases.

I am going to use Silicone glue unless someone has a better suggestion. I use Silicone to glue temperature controller probes in cages and it works well. I have never used it in Sterilite tubs so I don’t know if it will react or adhere well.

Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks.

I tried this idea a few years ago using condiment cups, basically the same thing, just clear, still plastic. I used silicone to attach them to the bottom of the sterilite tubs and it worked for a month or two then they started coming loose.
During the time they were attached though, I decided I didn't particularly like them that way in that small of a container, so I never tried any other methods of attaching them.
In those small tubs I usually use paper towel or something similar as a substrate and it was just aggravating getting it around a water bowl that I couldn't pick up. With a particle substrate it would have been much better.

If I were going to try it again I'd first try hot glue and if that happened not to work I'd use super glue and let it sit a couple of days to fume off before I used it with a snake.

If you really, really, really never want the end caps to move, use PVC joint compound, the stuff they use to glue PVC pipe together with. That stuff will withstand 600 PSI in waterlines, so it should stand up to your BPs! Just make sure you give it several days to air out. Fumes from that stuff are very potent.

I thought of suggesting that but since I hadn't tested it I couldn't know how it would work. That glue is made specifically for chemically welding PVC and since sterilite tubs aren't made of PVC I couldn't say for sure how well it would react to it.
If I had to guess I'd be inclined to think it would not form a complete chemical bond to the tub and with adequate stress would separate there. What amount of pressure it would withstand I couldn't guess.

I used that stuff for years when I was doing underground utility work. Trust me, it'll stick anything to anything! LOL! If you get it on your hands it takes about a week to get it off, and it will never come out of clothing. It actually will form a strong enough bond that the pipe will shear off before the glue joint fails.

Sterilite tubs (and others) are made of polypropelene, and to the best of my knowledge there is no adhesive that will bond with it. Pvc cement will not bond, it peels right off when dry. You might want to try an acrilic adhesive or a good double stick tape, like MachTec.

I did this once, only once, and decided I didn't like it.
I hot glues a disposable water bowl to the bottom of a sterilite tub as a holder and put a new on into each time I changed the water. Over time the snake still knocked the bowl over. I ended up with a patch of glue on the bottom of the tub I couldn't scrape off after I was done messing with it.

I recently switched over to ARS tubs which have a bowl holder already built into them. Much better IMO than dealing with glue.

You can see it in this picture. I just pop in a disposable bowl whenever I need to change the water.

Well there goes that brilliant idea. Maybe I'll experiment with a few types of adhesives and see if any work well, one of my main concerns other than sticking was sealing the bottom. Since these are end-caps, I wanted to seal all the way around the cap to seal out dirt and germs.

I don't put any tape in a cage every since years ago one of my balls was wearing a 6" piece of two sided tape on its head one day when I came home. Took me hours to get it off, wouldn't stick to the side of the cage but it sure stuck to his head.

Thanks for the information.

Originally Posted by monkeywrench133

I used that stuff for years when I was doing underground utility work. Trust me, it'll stick anything to anything! LOL! If you get it on your hands it takes about a week to get it off, and it will never come out of clothing. It actually will form a strong enough bond that the pipe will shear off before the glue joint fails.

No it won't bond anything to anything, not by any stretch. For instance it's completely useless on HDPE, another material I have worked with extensively.
Yes it will bond PVC pipe as you described, I've run more than my share of it, but that's what it is specifically designed to bond. There might be another type of plastic or two related to PVC that it would perform almost as well with, but beyond that there are several types of glues on the market that are far superior, and if no chemical exists that will do the job adequately, you turn to heat welding with either a hot plate welder for pipe or an extrusion welder for sheet plastic.
PVC cement is by no means the end all be all of plastic adhesion. You just can't use the experience of one material and an adhesive made for that material and apply it to all plastics, let alone all materials.

It might be tough to glue polypropylene, just found; Polypropylene Glue Spreaders for sale.

Polypropylene Glue Spreaders
If you're tired of using your finger to spread glue, then you will love these simple glue spreaders. We haven't found a glue that will stick to these polypropylene plastic sticks. Once the glue dries it can be removed with a flex of the spreader's blade.

Works with all types of woodworking glues including:

yellow glue
polyurethane
hide glue
epoxy


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I did read where a contact adhesive or silicone may work the best. I guess I've beat this one to death.