ABS Pipe for Housings?

[CuriousRambler]

...since you will not be forming a vacuum in your housing before you dive or sealing it in outerspace...

Good call, guess I need to think a little deeper into things before I speak haha.

As for drilling, I'm hoping to heat it up and stretch a ring around one end and drill clamps to that instead of into the pressure vessel, and the solid endcap I got seems to be solid ABS as opposed to having the cellular core like the pipe does..I should be able to tell that when I drill it for the gland, and I'll obviously do a couple of dry tests before I throw anything but wires inside the housing to be sure..

Only thing I worry about at this point, PVC won't burn, at least not as hot as I've been able to get it, it just melts and boils and extinguishes any flame as soon as the source is taken away...So throwing it in the oven to make it malleable doesn't concern me too much. ABS is an entirely new beast to me - if I toss it in a 400* oven for a few minutes, am I going to be burning down the house, or gassing myself when I open the oven to pull it out?

 

[Lone Frogman]

Good call, guess I need to think a little deeper into things before I speak haha.

As for drilling, I'm hoping to heat it up and stretch a ring around one end and drill clamps to that instead of into the pressure vessel, and the solid endcap I got seems to be solid ABS as opposed to having the cellular core like the pipe does..I should be able to tell that when I drill it for the gland, and I'll obviously do a couple of dry tests before I throw anything but wires inside the housing to be sure..

Only thing I worry about at this point, PVC won't burn, at least not as hot as I've been able to get it, it just melts and boils and extinguishes any flame as soon as the source is taken away...So throwing it in the oven to make it malleable doesn't concern me too much. ABS is an entirely new beast to me - if I toss it in a 400* oven for a few minutes, am I going to be burning down the house, or gassing myself when I open the oven to pull it out?

He's a link on PVC SAFETY OF PVC IN ACCIDENTAL FIRE

 

[CuriousRambler]

I appreciate the effort and the information, but again - maybe I didn't make it clear in my original post - I'm working with ABS, *not* PVC, and therefore am not interested in what the capabilities of PVC are. I had to drive 50 miles to get my hands on ABS big enough to fit my camera, and PVC is going to be somewhere beyond that - so PVC isn't an option...I'm looking for relevant information to the materials I've got to work with..

 

[Lone Frogman]

I never tried to heat ABS in a oven. But I have seen ABS get really flexible just laying in the hot summer sun.

 

[cwkline]

I would try to get some ABS Sch 40 pipe, and not rely on the foam core. You might want to try an RV shop, as I believe that is what they still use.
You also need to remember that ABS breaks down quickly and can become brittle with exposure to sunlight. It also can become very brittle when exposed to cold temps.
You may want to consider PVC Sch 80.
Just a plumbers point of view.

 

[micklock]

Does anyone know how much pressure 4" sch 40 cellular core ABS can hold? It'll need to hold up and be useable at 100' max. Should I toss it in a dumpster and travel farther until I get my hands on PVC?

Check with a local golf course, we have up to 6" schedule 80 pvc. They might have some scraps laying around.

 

[treasurehunter]

I'm a plumbing contractor and only use abs for drain pipes. I know pvc is really out of the way for you but you should consider not only the pipe but the glue used for abs not sure it will hold up to that kind of presure,it might but with an expensive gadjet inside i'd be careful. Second there are two kind of pvc Pressure and drainage. And each kind has the proper glue for its purpose. The problem with the pvc of that size is cost and you will have to buy at least 12 feet also the pipe can be brittle if knock hard.

 

[CuriousRambler]

Thanks for the ideas on getting my hands on PVC, and the information on ABS. PVC is no stranger to me, my dad owns a plumbing company, so I've got about eight years experience dealing with PVC, but we never used ABS, hence all the questions dealing with ABS. I'll get in touch with my dad and see if he can get me a couple feet of 4" sch 80 and come up with a reasonable way to mail it from Montana to SoCal, it seems like a gamble if I go through with the ABS..

 

[Couv]

You are correct and wrong

100ft is about 60 psi absolute but since you will not be forming a vacuum in your housing before you dive or sealing it in outerspace the pressure differential will be about 45psi. or 14.5 psi per 33ft

Right,

Each foot of sea water exerts .445 psi
Each foot of fresh water exerts .432 psi

When estimating, just use 1/2 lb per foot.

Here is some more just about useless information.


Sea water weighs 64 lbs per cubic foot
Fresh water weighs 62.4 lbs per cubic foot

c

 

[pdh]

I appreciate the effort and the information, but again - maybe I didn't make it clear in my original post - I'm working with ABS, *not* PVC, and therefore am not interested in what the capabilities of PVC are. I had to drive 50 miles to get my hands on ABS big enough to fit my camera, and PVC is going to be somewhere beyond that - so PVC isn't an option...I'm looking for relevant information to the materials I've got to work with..

Cheetah, I made a housing from ABS. The reason was I found it much easier to glue than PVC as it melts using that Acetone based glue. I don't think the burst pressures quoted before in this thread are going to be an issue. Pressure is different when trying to crush things as opposed to trying to explode them and my ABS housing went to 42 metres with no problems and I'm sure would have gone a lot deeper. I currently make housings from Perspex (acrylic) and is not pressure rated at all and which would probably explode with fairly low pressures in them but managed to get to 146 metres before breaking (and that was the end plate, not the tube). See my page below - the Mark I and Mark II are all ABS. The Mark III is all acrylic.

Paul's Homemade Underwater Video Housing

At 42 metres on the James Barrie in Scapa Flow - no lights

My advice is try it. It will probably work well, within sensible depth limits.

regards Paul.