custom bending pvc?????

[new-guy]

ive seen where you can heat pvc up and form it instead of using elbows and 90s they used some kind of heating element but im wondering if you could use a heat gun to do the same???

 

[gb387]

I have used a small torch to do the same thing but you have to be very careful slowly heating the pipe, seems just as the pipe gets workable poof it goes up in smoke and is no good but it can be done with time and patients.

 

[snakeblitz33]

honestly, if I were you, I would just go ahead and use the elbows and 45 degree arms. I wouldn't ruin time, labor and a small amount of money on something that could be easily done with a $0.37 elbow and some primer and solvent...

 

[coraljunky]

Electricians use a hot box to bend/form pvc.

 

[new-guy]

i was just thinking of keeping the max flow as much as possible by bending it

 

[chilwil84]

there are also mats available that will slowly heat it up but as stated above its not worth buying the tool to do it if you dont already have it for work

 

[new-guy]

yeah ive seen that its like 170 bucks

 

[veni vidi vici]

They make flexible PVC. They sell it at Menards,Lowes,Home Depot.

 

[spanko]

Can you rent the tool from anywhere?

 

[al mc]

Originally Posted by Veni Vidi Vici
http:///forum/post/2518570
They make flexible PVC. They sell it at Menards,Lowes,Home Depot.

Definately the way to go. If you must use hard pvc..a heat gun will also work and is probably more in the $35 price range.

 

[natclanwy]

Unless you are planning on having more than 3-4 elbows in one run it probably wouldn't even be worth the time since the gain will be minimal at best, and flexible pvc will work equally well. If you still want to use hard PVC then you could go with 2 45deg elbows instead of a 90.

 

[viper_930]

Believe it or not but two 45 degree elbows actually increase head loss more than a single 90 degree elbow. This is true for ~1.5" pvc pips or smaller.

 

[efishnsea]

Originally Posted by ViPeR_930
http:///forum/post/2519046
Believe it or not but two 45 degree elbows actually increase head loss more than a single 90 degree elbow. This is true for ~1.5" pvc pips or smaller.
Uhhh... how could fluid be compromised by a couple of 45 degrees in the direction of flow as compared to a 90. Mabey because of improper joints in the pvs welds. It just seems anything in motion would require more effort to make a sudden left turn as compared to a gradual left turn..If that makes sense??????

 

[natclanwy]

Seems you are right

I just looked at several Headloss charts and two 45s are equal to or slightly more headloss than one 90. I don't know if I agree with that number in every configuration, but I am guessing if there is a situation where you could reduce headloss with two 45s it would be minimal.

 

[misfit]

if you plan on bending pvc use a heat gun basically its a over sized hair drier you can get them in home depot. The best way i have found is fill your pvc up tight with sand and cap both ends. then heating up the pipe evenly and then bending it slowly. packing the pipe with sand will take a litttle longer to heat up because you have to heat the sand too but it makes the pipe keep a nice radius and not colapse on the inside of the bend