Hoop Coop DISASTER!

[DragonEggs]

So, I went and bought all the stuff to try and build my hood coop today. We don't have a lot of space to work with so I decided on a 5'x10' run. I bought 3 2x4x10 and cut one in half to make the short sides. I bought 3 pieces of 20ft 1/2" pvc and cut them in half to 10ft lengths. I put the T's on either end of one piece and attached 4 of the other 10ft pieces to the other ends of the T's, waited 30 min for the PVC cement to dry and tried to bend the PVC frame to fit into the wooden frame. We kept experiementing with different lengths of the legs of PVC (started with 10 which we knew was too long, then cut to 8, then to 7) but everytime the results were the same, one end would pop out of the T no matter how well we cemented it or waited for it to dry. We even tried gorilla glue. I tried putting the EMT straps on the outside of the wooden base frame to give it more flex room and the PVC was flexing so hard it was pulling the straps off the wood.

Im at a loss of what to do right now. I got so frustrated I broke the T's on both ends trying to pull the legs out and now have to go buy new T's and a new cross beam PVC. Should I cut the legs down another foot, and keep going till I find a flex length that works? I didn't want the pen to be 3ft tall, I wanted to at least be able to walk in it without hunching over much (I'm 5'4" so at least a 5' tall pen).

If I can just get this darn frame bult without having to invest a ton more money I have everything to finish building the pen. Advice would be much appreciated!

 

[onthespot]

a vietnamese friend of mine builds hoop houses for plants. He drives a length of 3/4" pvc into the dirt, sticks the half inch stuff down into it, bends it to his liking, and has a friend drive another piece across the span for him, and stick the other end into the end of the pounded in 3/4" pipe. Just goes down the line like that, and ties it all off with wire or whatever, and puts shade cloth on it.

 

[BlackSilkie1]

Maby if you cut a square in the middle of the PVC than bend it it might give it a little wiggle room?
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[DragonEggs]

IDK if I have something that could cut a small square into half inch PVC without comprimising its sturdiness. My skil saw is kinda old. Im afraid I might weaken it and it would break.

 

[MiniBeesKnees]

From an engineering standpoint...cutting a notch in it will almost certainly make it break at that point.

 

[onthespot]

Have you worked it out on graph paper how long a pipe would have to be to bend x amount and be five feet high in the middle? I'm thinking ten feet is not high enough to make a three or four foot arc. Why not go with 20 footers?

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

What kind of PVC cement are you using. I suggest Oatey Heavy Duty PVC Solvent Cement(dark green and white can). It will Hold. Apply it liberally to the fitting and the pipe. When you insert the pipe into the fitting, do so with a twisting motion. Then let it set for about an hour. Also if the pipe is dirty you may need to use the cleaner on it first.

 

[ChixPix]

You should prime it first too, before the adhesive, just like you were plumbing the house. My husband did this when he replumbed our house last summer and the joints are stronger than the pvc themselves!

 

[suzeeg]

Sorry you are having trouble.

Please feel free to look at my pvc coop on my byc page. I used 20 foot lengths of 3/4 " pipe and once bowed it gave me a height of over 6 feet. I hope you have better luck. Don't give up .

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[DragonEggs]

I started out with 20 ft (10ft legs on each side of the T connection) it was too high and wouldn't flex right to fit the bottom frame. The frame is 5'x10' and I'm trying to get the PVC to fit inside the5' with part of the frame. I did draw everything out and graph i but It's still not working the way I planned... Maybe the stronger cement would help....