What is the Best PVC Pipe Glue?

PVC pipe “glue” – or more accurately, PVC solvent cement, is widely available online and at your local home improvement store. There are a number of brands out there, all promising to be the best stuff on the market, but what brand is truly the best?

There are a number of factors that go into determining what works best for you… how well the cement adheres, how fast it dries, what color it is, how much it costs, etc. For that matter, there are probably many different types of PVC users referring to this article. Because that is the case, we’ll break it down into three different user categories: weekend crafter, home repair user, and industry pro. Take a second to think about your use and then refer to our recommendation for you below.

For special non-plumbing projects and crafts, preventing leaks probably isn’t a priority for your (unless your project involves water). For projects like this, you can get away with using whatever glue is cheap. Brand name doesn’t matter, as long as the can says PVC PIPE CEMENT. Don’t try to get away with using the leftover wood glue from the garage. PVC cement is specially formulated to soften the plastic so it can form together to create a bond. Work quickly using the cement, and hold together each joint you glue for 30 seconds. You should be good to go.

You should be a little more discerning than the weekend crafter types. Mostly because you don’t want to deal with leaky pipes in the basement a week from now. For home repairs and small plumbing projects we recommend using an Oatey brand PVC cement. Oatey is very easy to find at the local home improvement store. Both the big box stores carry it in various types. Most projects will do fine with the regular clear cement, while larger size pipes will require a medium or heavy bodied cement that dries a little slower. Remember to pick up some Oatey purple primer to go with it.

For heavy-duty and professional jobs we recommend WELD-ON products. These are all low VOC and come in different body types for your various pipe sizes: regular, medium, heavy, extra-heavy. We keep this stuff on hand in our own warehouse for small fab jobs and special orders. It’s designed for industry use, so you known it’s going to hold up if used correctly. We use the 705 cement and the P-70 purple primer for most jobs. You should be able to get this from your local PVC distributor or online. Easy to find in pint, quart, and gallon sizes.

The most important thing to remember about using PVC cement is that the way you use it will have the biggest effect on how it performs. Always clean and deburr your PVC pipe before applying primer, then cement. Work quickly to avoid drying. The cement only works when it’s wet. After inserting pipe into fittings give it a quarter turn and hold the pieces together for 30 seconds before moving on to the next piece. This gives the cement time to work its magic on the plastic. If you follow the cement directions and work smarty, your job should hold tight without any issues.