PVC Pipe Fittings + Pipe + Fittings = Adult Legos

[pierhogunn]

Just an observation, but last night, as I spent some quality time at lowes infront of the bins of PVC fittings, I was struck by how much like Adult Legos these things really are, you have to thing, and evaluate what you want to accomplish, and what parts fit the bill the best, anyone else ever have this thought?

Oh, and I still have my legos, and from time to time take them down to futz around with them, ( usually followed by some web surfing for some good deals on the things)

[LCHIEN]

They're more like Playskool's Pipeworks. MY kids had a couple of sets of these in the 80's. I'm sure the designers were inspired by playing around with PVC pipe.
They had holes drilled at 90 degrees around the ends of the pipe pieces, the fittings had little plastic retainers to make sure everything lined up square. Everything snapped together. They had snap-in panel fillers for the open spaces, They also had wheels (about 8-10" diameter) that would slip over the pipe or go on axle stubs on fittings. You could actually make small wheeled vehicles.

I guess you can only get them on ebay nowadays

[crokett]

Every time I do a plumbing project I have this thought.

If working with PVC dry fit EVERYTHING before you break out the glue. Also mark the fittings/pipes with alignment marks before gluing.

That is why I like sharkbite - if you screw up you can take it off and do it over.

[maxparot]

Great stuff you never know what you'll see made out of it next. I made a solar cover reel and stands out of it saved over $100 vs a commercially available model. It actually took more time to pick the right parts than to cut and glue it together.

[kirkroy]

I know quite a few people who've made exercise equipment with PVC (e.g., stuff here: http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenand...unt/grunt.html).

[Uncle Cracker]

When exercising your ingenuity at making things out of PVC, remember that most types are not sunlight resistant. The UV in sunlight will break down the material over time, and make it brittle. FWIW.

[JR]

Ah yes, PVC pipe and fittings. Unfortunately, I do have some familiarity with this topic. Here are some pics of my summer project, about which I bravely announced "Sure, Honey, I can fix the sprinkler valves. I'll upgrade the whole system. It'll only take a weekend."

Before: the 20-year-old homebrew system, with seven leaking valves.


After: a month later, it finally doesn't leak any more.


Of course I couldn't resist making it into a woodworking project!

[pierhogunn]

impressive Frankenstein monster valve assembly

I'll definitely have to take a pic of my mess and attach it here. I did make a discovery, 1.25" pipe straps are a perfect fit for the fittings that do 1" pipe.

Onward and Downward