Super Soaker Central forums

Specter · 08-05-2008, 11:06 PM

Is it possible to use a pipe nipple as the pump on a homemade?
It seems like it would be easier and possibly a bit cheaper (for me). When I was at lowes today, they have every length pipe nipple you could possibly want. from 1.5" long to 12" long. I don't remember but I think they also had either 14" or 16" length as well. The 12" long 1"diam nipple was just over $2.
If I remember correctly they had 1/2" diameter pipe nipples. And I remember that it is suggested the diameter of the pump be 1/2".
If I could get a 1/2"diam nipple, what is the suggested length of a pump? (the pipe nipples were all Schedule 80)

I also saw the 1/2" check valves (I never saw any check valves when I was at my home depot but then again I wasn't looking for them so...), and you guys were right, they are the most expensive part of a homemade. They only had 1 on the shelf and it was $5.96. The 3/4" ones were $5.97. the 1" ones were over $6. There were no threaded check valves though.

Lowes also had much more threaded fittings, elbows, tees, plugs, reducers, it was threaded fittings galore in there.

As I said in my other thread, that Lowes I was at has a much much broader selection of PVC parts. My Home Depot doesn't even have threaded end caps, Lowes did. Lowes even had test plugs. (those flat caps that go inside the end of the pipe). I think I might go the extra distance to get some PVC stuff if I can't get it at Home Depot.

I might reconsider building the APH. Would it be reasonable to build it will mostly threaded parts? (threaded tees to the PC's, with pipe nipples between each to the nozzle )

Heres a picture of my design i drew up near the beginning of the summer:
APH-design.jpg

CROC · 08-05-2008, 11:17 PM

I wouldn't recommend using pipe nipples for a pump. Mr ldude made an aph entirely,except for the PC. Use a long piece of pipe, it probably costs less than the nipples. With mr dude's permission, I can post what his looks like tomorrow most likely. If not, I will put it up ASAP.

cantab · 08-06-2008, 06:08 AM

What material are you working in here?

I'd guess threaded fittings are more expensive than glued ones. And buying lots of pipe nipples will also probably be costlier than just getting a length of pipe.

Also, perhaps the larger range of threaded fittings is a result of different male/female combinations?

As for pump length - as long as suits your design. If you end up not using the full length that's no big deal, but everyone agrees too-short pumps are annoying.

CROC · 08-06-2008, 07:44 AM

The material that was used in mr dude's APH was mostly 1/2" SCH40 PVC. It may have been UPVC,being dark gray and all. Threaded pipe is extremely customizeable, and easy to replace or redesign if you don't like it, or it breaks.

devvo · 08-06-2008, 02:49 PM

remember that the pipe will not be totally smooth on the inside as there will be a weld seam which after hard and fast pumping could easily tear the O ring on the dowel.

Silence · 08-06-2008, 08:26 PM

A pipe nipple would work, though it would be heavy if made out of metal. If you can't use PVC, then you might as well since metal is heavy no matter what material you use. Unfortunately, nobody seems to offer aluminum pipe nipples, at least not locally.

Quote:

Originally Posted by devvo

remember that the pipe will not be totally smooth on the inside as there will be a weld seam which after hard and fast pumping could easily tear the O ring on the dowel.

Your knowledge of manufacturing minutiae continues to impress me.

Specter · 08-06-2008, 08:27 PM

With the Pipe Nippes being Sch 80 would it have any effect on anything?

Oh another thing I noticed is that schedule 80 caps are nearly 3 times as much as sch 40. (1" cap- sch 80 was nearly $3 when sch40 is under $1)

Quote:

the pipe will not be totally smooth on the inside as there will be a weld seam

Theres no seam on the 1" x 2" pipe nipple i got yesterday.

devvo · 08-07-2008, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Specter

Theres no seam on the 1" x 2" pipe nipple i got yesterday.

thats quite unusual! what gauge is the pipe? medium or heavy (is the nominal bore small or large in other words)

Quote:

Unfortunately, nobody seems to offer aluminum pipe nipples, at least not locally

.

aluminium pipe and fittings are rare outside of specialist uses such as dairy and pharmaceutical companies,.

Specter · 08-07-2008, 01:13 PM

Quote:

what gauge is the pipe? medium or heavy (is the nominal bore small or large in other words)

um.. i dont really know what that means, but its a 1" diameter pipe thats 2 inches long.
it looks like this:
http://forums.sscentral.org/attachme...g?d=1217973541

CROC · 08-07-2008, 03:46 PM

OH! that kind of nipple! I thought you were talking about like an NPT kind of thing. Yea, those are fine, as long as they are SCH 40 + or even iron.

Mr. Dude's entire gun is basically this... I was browsing Home Depot, and noticed that they called pipe of certain lengths with threads on one end nipples for some reason. You're fine then.

Here is a picture, ruthlessly stolen from Google Images:

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...130100PCLG.jpg

Specter · 08-07-2008, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Yea, those are fine, as long as they are SCH 40 + or even iron.

They only come in schedule 80 so that should be ok?

aEx155 · 08-07-2008, 04:54 PM

Since the schedule denotes the pressure rating, I would see having SCH 80 pipe as a benefit, as it would allow those parts to handle higher pressures. You might see a minimal reduction in flow, though, since the ID of SCH 80 pipe is smaller than that of SCH 40 PVC (usually).

Ben · 08-07-2008, 07:36 PM

I've used pipe nipple before. It's appropriate in some situations. If you want everything to be repairable or replaceable in the future, go with pipe nipple and threaded fittings, You'll have to pay a little more, especially given that they don't seem to make much PVC pipe nipples that are not sch. 80, but they're very convenient.

The schedule refers to some standardized thickness, not pressure rating. There apparently is DWV schedule 80 pipe out there. The thicker the pipe though, the higher the pressure rating for the same diameter, so the trend is correct.

Strangely though, the newer sch. 80 pipes often seem to have sch. 40 dimensions. I remember buying sch. 80 pipe and barrels for Nerf years ago, but now I can't seem to find any sch. 80 pipe with the right sizes any longer. They're all too large.

Specter · 08-07-2008, 08:38 PM

Quote:

You'll have to pay a little more,

From what I saw at the store, the threaded fittings weren't that much more than non-threaded.

and Like I said before, the 2" long pipe nipple was $0.67. 3" was .70something and the 4" was just under a dollar, if i remember correctly.

08-05-2008, 11:06 PM	#1
Specter Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: bound brook, NJ -The flood town Posts: 363 UserID: 1090	Pipe nipple as pump shaft? Is it possible to use a pipe nipple as the pump on a homemade? It seems like it would be easier and possibly a bit cheaper (for me). When I was at lowes today, they have every length pipe nipple you could possibly want. from 1.5" long to 12" long. I don't remember but I think they also had either 14" or 16" length as well. The 12" long 1"diam nipple was just over $2. If I remember correctly they had 1/2" diameter pipe nipples. And I remember that it is suggested the diameter of the pump be 1/2". If I could get a 1/2"diam nipple, what is the suggested length of a pump? (the pipe nipples were all Schedule 80) I also saw the 1/2" check valves (I never saw any check valves when I was at my home depot but then again I wasn't looking for them so...), and you guys were right, they are the most expensive part of a homemade. They only had 1 on the shelf and it was $5.96. The 3/4" ones were $5.97. the 1" ones were over $6. There were no threaded check valves though. Lowes also had much more threaded fittings, elbows, tees, plugs, reducers, it was threaded fittings galore in there. As I said in my other thread, that Lowes I was at has a much much broader selection of PVC parts. My Home Depot doesn't even have threaded end caps, Lowes did. Lowes even had test plugs. (those flat caps that go inside the end of the pipe). I think I might go the extra distance to get some PVC stuff if I can't get it at Home Depot. I might reconsider building the APH. Would it be reasonable to build it will mostly threaded parts? (threaded tees to the PC's, with pipe nipples between each to the nozzle ) Heres a picture of my design i drew up near the beginning of the summer: APH-design.jpg __________________ My "arsenal": Storm 600 pistol (never finished fixing this), launcher- Model:Afterburner(AB) 1.0(Decommissioned), AB1.5, soon AB 1.1(2"rebuild) maybe ill get something else in the future My site Last edited by Specter : 08-06-2008 at 12:12 AM.

08-05-2008, 11:17 PM	#2
CROC Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada (GTA) Posts: 291 UserID: 569	Re: Pipe nipple as pump shaft? I wouldn't recommend using pipe nipples for a pump. Mr ldude made an aph entirely,except for the PC. Use a long piece of pipe, it probably costs less than the nipples. With mr dude's permission, I can post what his looks like tomorrow most likely. If not, I will put it up ASAP. __________________ ~CROC~(c 'rock)n. -The master of ideas, and the occasional mod (Works with mr. dude) Mods: 3xA combat - CPS Turbine - Super Flash Flood - (working on CPH)

08-06-2008, 06:08 AM	#3
cantab Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: England Posts: 528 UserID: 1400	Re: Pipe nipple as pump shaft? What material are you working in here? I'd guess threaded fittings are more expensive than glued ones. And buying lots of pipe nipples will also probably be costlier than just getting a length of pipe. Also, perhaps the larger range of threaded fittings is a result of different male/female combinations? As for pump length - as long as suits your design. If you end up not using the full length that's no big deal, but everyone agrees too-short pumps are annoying. __________________ Arsenal: 2x XP 220, Arctic Blast M(odded), Aquashock Secret Strike M, CPS1200, CPS 2100, SC Power Pak, XP 215, Liquidator, Sting Ray M, Argon M, Tiger Shark, Shark, Jet, Storm 500, Shield Blaster 2000, Waterbolt, The Blaster, 3l garden sprayer M, 1l sprayer, cheap PR gun, backpack piston pumper (broken, again), 3l aquapack, 1.5l aquapack, 10l water carrier.

08-06-2008, 07:44 AM	#4
CROC Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada (GTA) Posts: 291 UserID: 569	Re: Pipe nipple as pump shaft? The material that was used in mr dude's APH was mostly 1/2" SCH40 PVC. It may have been UPVC,being dark gray and all. Threaded pipe is extremely customizeable, and easy to replace or redesign if you don't like it, or it breaks. __________________ ~CROC~(c 'rock)n. -The master of ideas, and the occasional mod (Works with mr. dude) Mods: 3xA combat - CPS Turbine - Super Flash Flood - (working on CPH)

08-06-2008, 02:49 PM	#5
devvo Junior member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 19 UserID: 1605	Re: Pipe nipple as pump shaft? remember that the pipe will not be totally smooth on the inside as there will be a weld seam which after hard and fast pumping could easily tear the O ring on the dowel.

08-07-2008, 03:46 PM	#10
CROC Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada (GTA) Posts: 291 UserID: 569	Re: Pipe nipple as pump shaft? OH! that kind of nipple! I thought you were talking about like an NPT kind of thing. Yea, those are fine, as long as they are SCH 40 + or even iron. Mr. Dude's entire gun is basically this... I was browsing Home Depot, and noticed that they called pipe of certain lengths with threads on one end nipples for some reason. You're fine then. Here is a picture, ruthlessly stolen from Google Images: http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...130100PCLG.jpg __________________ ~CROC~(c 'rock)n. -The master of ideas, and the occasional mod (Works with mr. dude) Mods: 3xA combat - CPS Turbine - Super Flash Flood - (working on CPH)

08-07-2008, 04:54 PM	#12
aEx155 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 313 UserID: 1517	Re: Pipe nipple as pump shaft? Since the schedule denotes the pressure rating, I would see having SCH 80 pipe as a benefit, as it would allow those parts to handle higher pressures. You might see a minimal reduction in flow, though, since the ID of SCH 80 pipe is smaller than that of SCH 40 PVC (usually). __________________ My homemade

08-07-2008, 07:36 PM	#13
Ben Founder Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: College Park, Maryland Posts: 6,042 UserID: 1	Re: Pipe nipple as pump shaft? I've used pipe nipple before. It's appropriate in some situations. If you want everything to be repairable or replaceable in the future, go with pipe nipple and threaded fittings, You'll have to pay a little more, especially given that they don't seem to make much PVC pipe nipples that are not sch. 80, but they're very convenient. The schedule refers to some standardized thickness, not pressure rating. There apparently is DWV schedule 80 pipe out there. The thicker the pipe though, the higher the pressure rating for the same diameter, so the trend is correct. Strangely though, the newer sch. 80 pipes often seem to have sch. 40 dimensions. I remember buying sch. 80 pipe and barrels for Nerf years ago, but now I can't seem to find any sch. 80 pipe with the right sizes any longer. They're all too large. __________________ Note: I am busy so if I am slow to respond, be patient. email: ben at sscentral dot org / Forum rules / Read this page before emailing me. Do not send me a PM or email with a water gun question if someone else could answer the question. Post at the forums. You will get a response from me along with others' views or ideas.

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