PVC pipe for small hoop structure?

[checkitnice]

My daughter has decided that she wants a "fort" instead of a bean tipi. That's fine with me. I haven't started it yet anyway. I was thinking of using PVC pipe to make a kind of tiny hoop house.

How much will this material bend? I know that you can use it to make large structures, but will 10' sections bend into a useful arc without breaking?

[CarolT]

You'd do better trying the gray plastic conduit. You have to heat it to work it but it's easier to do. Be sure to post pics!

[ceresone]

I'd use cattle panels

[KIT.S]

We used 1/2 inch 10 foot pvc over a 7 foot distance to put a tarp over the chicken run. it's attached to 3-foot high fencing framed in 2x4's with screws through the pvc into the 2x4's, and has a piece of pvc at the top, taped onto each loop with duct tape to keep them upright! It's lasted very well for being as wimpy as it is, although I don't know if I would use it for my grandkids to play in - they could probably take apart a fort made of 2x6 lumber in less than a day....
Kit

[TNHermit]

If I remember and can find it or somebody else knows I think there is a site or three that has all kinds of fittings for working with pvc. Lot of the garden seed sites talk about it

[seagullplayer]

I was in home depot the other day and they now carry a cross fitting for 1/2".

You should be able to make her a playhouse of some type out of it, it is cheap and
easy to work with and easy to change when she wants something else next month.
Ya, I had kids...

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Originally Posted by CarolT

You'd do better trying the gray plastic conduit. You have to heat it to work it but it's easier to do. Be sure to post pics!

Just to add: Large arcs bend just fine with out heat. The gray conduit is amazingly strong compared to the normal stuff. If you are making smaller bends, try soaking the pipe in some boiling water for a few minutes, it will make it pretty soft, although your working time will be short and I imagine it would be difficult to bend the pipe with out collapsing it unless you used some sort of filler material. I found that the heat from a torch was much, made the plastic brittle. Maybe a heatgun would work better. I have also heard of filling conduit with sand and then warming it in the oven for making small items.

We built this out of PVC and steel conduit:

[checkitnice]

Oh good, this is actually doable! I 'borrowed' a plan from a children's toy website where they're selling the frame for one for $70. It just didn't mention what it was made from.

Pics to follow.

[Sawmill Jim]

I have put PVC 20' long curved it in a long wheel base pick up worked at a plumbing supply store once . The difference in the gray is a color code telling you if you are digging to add a faucet it has electric wires in it not water . There is a deferent color code for gas ,steam and every thing out there .

[Jennifer L.]

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

We built this out of PVC and steel conduit:

That is so absolutely drop dead cool. I love that! LOL!


Jennifer

[seedspreader]

From 2010

[City Bound]

Nice pics of building projects.

I use the gray electric pipe also. It is cheaper then the plumbing pvc.
I saw an ad for that company that sells all the odd fittings for pvc in mother earth news, but I dont recall the name of the company.

Now that i am thinking about it, I think you can make your own fittings for pvc with some wood blocks cut from framing lumber. Just get a boring bit and make your holes.

[CarolynRenee]

http://krazoacres.blogspot.com/2011/04/hoop-houses.html

Here's two small hoop houses we built this spring ^

[Oldcountryboy]

1/2 inch electrical pvc will bend great for small hoop houses. Buy 2 sticks of 1 inch pvc and cut into 2 foot sections. You should end up with 10 peices. Drive each peice down into the ground about a foot deep and about 2 feet apart. Make two rows approximately 6 feet apart and 8 ft. long. 5 peices on each side.

Using a battery drill, drill a hole threw each peice about 8 inches down from the top and install a bolt through the hole and place a nut on the bolt. Now, using 1/2 electrical pvc will have a slip collar on one end. This will need to be cut off cause each end of the 1/2 inch pvc will slide down into each 1 inch pvc pipe. Slide one end of a 1/2 inch pvc into a 1 inch pipe till it bottoms out against the installed bolt and then bend the pipe over to the matching 1 inch pvc pipe in the other row and install inside of it. You will need 5 sticks of 1/2 inch pvc pipe altogether.

You now have a mini hoop house. Cover with 8' X 6' tarp or larger for shade. You can run a 2 x 4 frame around the bottom using 1 inch, two hole straps to anchor the pvc pipe for more stability. You can also use the frame to tack clear plastic or a tarp to for cover.

[seedspreader]

The thing to keep in mind with PVC is UV degradation.

[checkitnice]

Here is the "bean house" now. They love it!

[Windy in Kansas]

Since you are speaking about bending PVC pipe you may wish to read up on the different ratings nominal pipe sizes and schedule ratings of pipe so that you will get one that will bend.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominal_Pipe_Size