4" PVC Conduit

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auxiliary
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Thu Jul 30, 2009 4:34 pm

I rode my bike to Consolidated Plastic Supply and looked through their scrap yard of pipes. There, I found Sch 40 4" PVC conduit and Sch 40 2.5" PVC conduit. With these pipes I am hoping to build a coaxial pneumatic. I asked two different guys there if the 4" conduit would be suitable for a gas pressure application of 100psi. Both of them said that the conduit and the White PVC for potable water are manufactured with the same process and that they are identical in strength except the conduit is gray. One guy said the pipe was rated to 133psi (I could tell he used engineering toolbox) and the other said that is was rated to 223 psi because he saw it written on the side of a pipe that it used to be apart of. Are this guys just trying to get me to take their leftover pipe despite the risk of the pipe blowing up?
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Technician1002
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Thu Jul 30, 2009 4:42 pm

I have had the same mixed statements regarding PVC conduit.. I use it with no problems.

My 1/2 inch barrel for AA batteries is a piece of leftover conduit.

The 2.5 inch reducer for the tennis ball barrel is a conduit fitting.
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Grey 2.5 inch coupling and reducer are electrical conduit parts.
Grey 2.5 inch coupling and reducer are electrical conduit parts.
Close up picture of the coupler.  The reducer from 2.5 to 2 inch is cut short and inside, then a ABS female adapter is inside that for a small dead space when used on the big 2 inch valve.  The white PVC is only threaded adapters so it will fit on the small tank.  They are removable.<br /><br />The barrel volume is written on the coupler to make barrel selection and GGDT modeling easy for any barrel tank combination.
Close up picture of the coupler. The reducer from 2.5 to 2 inch is cut short and inside, then a ABS female adapter is inside that for a small dead space when used on the big 2 inch valve. The white PVC is only threaded adapters so it will fit on the small tank. They are removable.

The barrel volume is written on the coupler to make barrel selection and GGDT modeling easy for any barrel tank combination.
Conduit coupler.jpg (30.96 KiB) Viewed 1150 times
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auxiliary
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Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:24 pm

I am sure that conduit fittings hold up fine, but I don't know about an entire chamber especially with such a large diameter.
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Technician1002
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Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:28 pm

auxiliary wrote:I am sure that conduit fittings hold up fine, but I don't know about an entire chamber especially with such a large diameter.
I don't have a pic handy, but I also have a 2.5 inch barrel. For the t shirts the ID proved to be too small. It is also heavier than the thinwall stuff.

Had no issues with it at pressure, but stuck with the thinwall for the contest. Sched 40 PVC is heavy..

The 6 inch chamber PVC Dragon cannon is too heavy to be pratical as a hand held.. Did much better going to steel. Much lighter for the chamber size.
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Thu Jul 30, 2009 10:20 pm

auxiliary wrote: Both of them said that the conduit and the White PVC for potable water are manufactured with the same process and that they are identical in strength except the conduit is gray.
Conduit IS gray but, some PVC potable water pipe is manufactured in gray also. It's has more wall thickness than white PVC sch80 and is used where pipe threading is required.
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/produ ... e%5Ftest=1
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Technician1002
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Thu Jul 30, 2009 10:39 pm

velocity3x wrote:
auxiliary wrote: Both of them said that the conduit and the White PVC for potable water are manufactured with the same process and that they are identical in strength except the conduit is gray.
Conduit IS gray but, some PVC potable water pipe is manufactured in gray also. It's has more wall thickness than white PVC sch80 and is used where pipe threading is required.
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/produ ... e%5Ftest=1
I guess I should have been specific.. The 2.5 inch grey parts were purchased from the electrical section along with a length of Grey Schedule 40 PVC Conduit. It's cooled down.. I grabbed the camera.. The 2.5 inch is painted.. The end I cut off doesn't have markings.. Sorry. Grabbed a shot of the 1/2 inch conduit barrel tool.
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Cut off end of the 2.5 inch conduit barrel..  No markings on the short piece.  Sorry.
Cut off end of the 2.5 inch conduit barrel.. No markings on the short piece. Sorry.
It's conduit.. Tested under pressure.. 110 PSI.
It's conduit.. Tested under pressure.. 110 PSI.
MiniMarshmallow1.jpg (18.99 KiB) Viewed 1104 times
1/2 inch 6.5 foot mini marshmallow barrel.  Works for AA batteries tool
1/2 inch 6.5 foot mini marshmallow barrel. Works for AA batteries tool
MiniMarshmallow.jpg (15.87 KiB) Viewed 1104 times
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