Xtra Large Diameter Piping

rampantbunny

Anyone have any ideas on where I might get some very large bore pipe? Something in the region of 450mm + dia. I know that plastic 'corri' pipes exist in this and larger sizes but there might be alternatives out there.

From this pipe, I want to make a kids slide to suit a platform height of over 2m. Online prices are in the region of €1200+ but there could be cheaper out there.

If I knew someone also interested in making a slide from a pipe, I could get one of the corri pipes mentioned (6m Long), and we could go halves (literally) by cutting the pipe down the middle. A lot cheaper than the prices I've seen for the real deal.

Any suggestions?

DublinDilbert

Goodwins have that pipe for €200 or so

https://www.goodwins.ie/products/Stormwater-Pipe-450mm-x-6-Metre-Twinwall-18-.html?filter_set[]=1891,1896

rampantbunny

DublinDilbert wrote: »

Goodwins have that pipe for €200 or so

https://www.goodwins.ie/products/Stormwater-Pipe-450mm-x-6-Metre-Twinwall-18-.html?filter_set[]=1891,1896

Yea, I can get the corri pipe in local h/w store but wondering if anything else out there. That pipe does have a smooth inner, but there are still ridges in it regardless.
Pipe will do the job but won't take bends etc.
Can also get 2.4m lengths of stainless sheet through a friend if wanted to make metal slide but a lot more DIY with this.
Suppose the question is becoming more of a 'any bright ideas for making a slide'.

GreeBo

Will the slide be straight or you want curves?

If straight I think I would just make a wooden slide and line it with sheets of perspex or something similar...

rampantbunny

Personal preference, but not sure I'd choose wood for the job. At moment I'm building a wooden playhouse mounted on a large wooden platform - just not sold on the idea of a wooden slide. Maybe it's convenience, but a I tend to over engineer things and don't have time for another project with wood.
Pipe is a time-saver. But thanks for the suggestion.

GreeBo

Cast a (reinforced) concrete half-tube and support it? Not sure how slidey it would be though...`

Other option is to just buy a plastic slide chute for about 65 quid!

GreeBo

also, how are you planning on attaching the tube/pipe to the platform?

my3cents

I wonder how a wooden slide coated with fiber glass and sanded and polished up would work? Might be a lot of work with the sanding and polishing?

GreeBo

my3cents wrote: »

I wonder how a wooden slide coated with fiber glass and sanded and polished up would work? Might be a lot of work with the sanding and polishing?

I was thinking the same... so I'd just line it with perspex and seal the joints.

OP the other option is that you mould one using fibreglass and resin yourself of course!

cletus

Surely just buy a slide. There's 10' slides on eBay for €120

rampantbunny

GreeBo wrote: »

also, how are you planning on attaching the tube/pipe to the platform?

Nothing planned but if full pipe I could put a rope or metal band around it. Pipe is corrugated so there's something to grip on. Don't think that detail would be too hard work out, same if half pipe.

rampantbunny

cletus wrote: »

Surely just buy a slide. There's 10' slides on eBay for €120

Thanks, but not long enough.

rampantbunny

GreeBo wrote: »

I was thinking the same... so I'd just line it with perspex and seal the joints.

OP the other option is that you mould one using fibreglass and resin yourself of course!

I've zero experience with fibreglass/resin so although I mulled this approach over before i don't want to stretch myself this far. Compared to getting pipe it sounds labour intensive, plus sourcing the material. Don't know.. I'd like to try it but not on something this big.

Maybe the perspex approach would work but in a straight run. And as I said before, it requires a form, probably wood, so again time/materials.

rampantbunny

To anyone posting about just buying a slide, I can't find anything cheap that will suit 2.2 to 2.4m high platform. 30deg slope for kids slide means slide length of 4.4m/14.4ft. Standard 10ft slide makes for a 47deg angle which is too much. I could have the bottom of the slide raised off the ground to reduce the height but order not to.
So anyone suggesting to buy one, if you know of any that length be sure to let me know, thanks.

GreeBo

rampantbunny wrote: »

To anyone posting about just buying a slide, I can't find anything cheap that will suit 2.2 to 2.4m high platform. 30deg slope for kids slide means slide length of 4.4m/14.4ft. Standard 10ft slide makes for a 47deg angle which is too much. I could have the bottom of the slide raised off the ground to reduce the height but order not to.
So anyone suggesting to buy one, if you know of any that length be sure to let me know, thanks.

Most slides of that length will have a flat runout section at the end anyway...to slow the kids down!


Regarding the attachment to the platform, I'm more concerned about the threshold than physically securing it to the platform, a pipe is going to have a fair old curve in it, so connecting to a presumably flat platform is going to involve interesting cuts to the top of the pipe...especially when the outside is corrugated.

/edit
meanwhile you could try these guys
https://www.justoutdoortoys.co.uk/4m-childrens-slides
they have plastic and stainless slides

rampantbunny

GreeBo wrote: »

Most slides of that length will have a flat runout section at the end anyway...to slow the kids down!


Regarding the attachment to the platform, I'm more concerned about the threshold than physically securing it to the platform, a pipe is going to have a fair old curve in it, so connecting to a presumably flat platform is going to involve interesting cuts to the top of the pipe...especially when the outside is corrugated.

/edit
meanwhile you could try these guys
https://www.justoutdoortoys.co.uk/4m-childrens-slides
they have plastic and stainless slides

I wouldn't need to cut the pipe.. be much easier to make a circular seat for it to sit into. Cut out some semicircles from ply and should be good.

I will surely try that link. Experience trying Irish suppliers though tells me they'll be a pretty penny.

GreeBo

rampantbunny wrote: »

I wouldn't need to cut the pipe.. be much easier to make a circular seat for it to sit into. Cut out some semicircles from ply and should be good.

I will surely try that link. Experience trying Irish suppliers though tells me they'll be a pretty penny.

dont forget that you are going to have the pipe at 30-45* so it wont be a semi-circle at the point on intersection (My Mechanical Drawing leaving cert muscles are twitching!)

Was thinking about this last night in bed...randomly.
Get yourself 4 x 4M black soil pipes
Halve them along their length so you now have 8 x 4M semi circular pipes
Lay 3 (or more) of them beside each other and bolt their cross-section to keep them together. I'd bolt through some 4x4 timber for strength and rigidity.
Flip this over so the outside of the pipes are facing up.
Then do the same with the 2 remaining pieces (either halves of full pipes) but bolt them on above the horizontal plane, they are basically the sides of the chute.

You should now have a smooth rounded surface of ~4M long that you can use as the slide chute.
You could then go mad and start playing with resin etc to fill this in and make it even smoother, but I think it would be good enough. You also dont need to worry about protecting it from weather etc.
Stick a few washers between the main body and it will be self draining too...

You can use the horizontal bracing timber to support other braces (vertical support legs & lengthwise) and I reckon Robert is your mothers brother!

(Or just buy a chute if you can find one!)

Melodeon

Wavin do a 450mm 'plain' sewer pipe:
https://www.wavin.com/en-ie/Catalogue/Rainwater-Stormwater/Subsurface-Conveyance/U-Drain/PVCU-Sewer-Pipe-18-L6-PE

It's ludicrously expensive though: €1391/length (plus VAT I presume), according to their price list (page 39):
https://mexichem.blob.core.windows.net/assets/F-38627-0.pdf

rampantbunny

GreeBo wrote: »

dont forget that you are going to have the pipe at 30-45* so it wont be a semi-circle at the point on intersection (My Mechanical Drawing leaving cert muscles are twitching!)

Was thinking about this last night in bed...randomly.
Get yourself 4 x 4M black soil pipes
Halve them along their length so you now have 8 x 4M semi circular pipes
Lay 3 (or more) of them beside each other and bolt their cross-section to keep them together. I'd bolt through some 4x4 timber for strength and rigidity.
Flip this over so the outside of the pipes are facing up.
Then do the same with the 2 remaining pieces (either halves of full pipes) but bolt them on above the horizontal plane, they are basically the sides of the chute.

You should now have a smooth rounded surface of ~4M long that you can use as the slide chute.
You could then go mad and start playing with resin etc to fill this in and make it even smoother, but I think it would be good enough. You also dont need to worry about protecting it from weather etc.
Stick a few washers between the main body and it will be self draining too...

You can use the horizontal bracing timber to support other braces (vertical support legs & lengthwise) and I reckon Robert is your mothers brother!

(Or just buy a chute if you can find one!)

Haha, good stuff, hope the creative streak isn't keeping you awake.
Still think anchoring to the platform is a minor enough thing. Whatever shape the pipe takes, I'll cut props/anchor point to marry up to it.
O/H has just signed off on the corri pipe so I'll over rotate on this a bit more before collecting one from local h/w. Thanks for the input though, appreciate it.

rampantbunny

Melodeon wrote: »

Wavin do a 450mm 'plain' sewer pipe:
https://www.wavin.com/en-ie/Catalogue/Rainwater-Stormwater/Subsurface-Conveyance/U-Drain/PVCU-Sewer-Pipe-18-L6-PE

It's ludicrously expensive though: €1391/length (plus VAT I presume), according to their price list (page 39):
https://mexichem.blob.core.windows.net/assets/F-38627-0.pdf

Still about as cheap as what I've seen for long slides that would be fitted to playgrounds.. Have a quote for €1300 ex Vat from one supplier myself.

Corri pipe has ripples so I'll prob increase the pipe angle slightly to compensate.

my3cents

rampantbunny wrote: »

...

Corri pipe has ripples so I'll prob increase the pipe angle slightly to compensate.

Or you could provide a mat that is slips well on the pipe. Possibly something like a plain coir doormat or even use old hessian grain sacks.

The old style fun fairs always used some sort of mat on the really big slides.

rampantbunny

Just to circle back on this in-case anyone is interested. Pipe installed as slide and works well. 6m pipe shortened to 5m.
Used as water slide last weekend by putting kids paddling pool at end and water hose at top.
Approx. cost: pipe €200. Had lots of timber off-cuts lying around that I used for props but let's say €10.
Labor: about 2hrs to lift and anchor pipe, make lower prop etc. Took about 3 hours to cut out and paint circles with kids (old ply and some paint test pots we had).

Pic attached is edited to remove identifiable surroundings but should give the idea.
Slide.png

BlackHall

@rampantbunny
I notice this slide is there a while now. Have your kids outgrown it? Would you be interested in selling it by any chance? We built a tree house last year with a platform that is 2.5 metres high. Looks like your slide would be perfect.
Thanks

rampantbunny

BlackHall wrote: »

@rampantbunny
I notice this slide is there a while now. Have your kids outgrown it? Would you be interested in selling it by any chance? We built a tree house last year with a platform that is 2.5 metres high. Looks like your slide would be perfect.
Thanks

Hi BlackHall. Nope, won't be selling it. When you say 'there a while now', it's only been a year. Kids are young so they'll get a few more years out of it yet.

LenWoods

Looks like he got the slip instead of the slide

looksee

:eek: I am quietly having claustrophobic nightmares at the thought of sliding down inside that tube :eek:

rampantbunny

looksee wrote: »

:eek: I am quietly having claustrophobic nightmares at the thought of sliding down inside that tube :eek:

And I'm going to have nightmares thinking about the stranger using my kids slide 😉

I've LED fairy lights on the ceiling of the pipe. But without these it is a bit dark, but they seem to get a buzz after doing it once.

BlackHall

@rampantbunny DOH i looked at your join date instead of the date u posted above.

No worries.

Where did you get the pipe and how much was it? Thanks

rampantbunny

BlackHall wrote: »

@rampantbunny DOH i looked at your join date instead of the date u posted above.

No worries.

Where did you get the pipe and how much was it? Thanks

Price posted above..€200ish.
Bought it a local (country) hardware store. Any hardware store that farmers frequent would prob stock them.

kilclon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/113304747#Comment_113304747

Sorry to dig up an old post but I didn't see the diameter of pipe mentioned. I was looking at 900mm but they are pricy. What did you go with and do you regret not going bigger?