Building a PVC pit frame and looking for suggestions

[Qbot2640]

I will second the info about PVC being saggy and requiring constant repainting. I don't know if this is the right choice for you - but we used electrical conduit and it is working great. We were able to fabricate corners that the long sections attach to with thumbscrews - and instead of painting we covered our with colored duct tape. Two years - seven FRC events, plus tons of demonstrations and the pipes still look great. Plus, the conduit (we used half-inch) is much more compact and easier to set up and tear down.

[Jim Wilks]

Originally Posted by Qbot2640

I will second the info about PVC being saggy and requiring constant repainting. I don't know if this is the right choice for you - but we used electrical conduit and it is working great. We were able to fabricate corners that the long sections attach to with thumbscrews - and instead of painting we covered our with colored duct tape. Two years - seven FRC events, plus tons of demonstrations and the pipes still look great. Plus, the conduit (we used half-inch) is much more compact and easier to set up and tear down.

Do you really mean rigid steel conduit or are you using EMT?

[Qbot2640]

Originally Posted by Jim Wilks

Do you really mean rigid steel conduit or are you using EMT?

EMT - but it is quite rigid. No - not like the thick liquid-tight steel stuff, but way, way more rigid than even 2" PVC.

[protoserge]

To add to the other comments, I would recommend not developing your pit for 10'x10'x10'. In my experience, we have had space ranging from 8-11' per side - sometimes all four sides were different lengths.

[George C]

In 2012 we replaced our pit made out of ABS pipe. It was shaky, wobbly, a pain to put up, transport and store and very weak. We've used the same pit structure since - several regionals, championships, off-seasons with no problems The basic structure is telescoping ham radio antenna tube. It fits into 5 bags. 4 people can put it up in under 20 minutes and take it down in less. At least 5 teams have made very similar pits with no complaints. It also expands in 6" increments from 8' x 8' to 10' x 10' Detailed instructions are here. http://1334.ca/content/Pit_Design_and_Construction.pdf

[brndn]

No matter what, I would avoid a "roof" and "siding." It's more fun for spectators (assuming they can look down on the pits at a particular venue) to be able to see what's going on in all the pits. One wall of banners is fine, but I'm disappointed when I see a bunch of little houses. No "walls" also lets you better interact with your neighbors in my opinion.

[Jon Stratis]

We've used PVC to frame the back of our pit for many, many years. We started with two big buckets, filled them with cement and sunk in the initial supports - this ensured the frame wouldn't tip over, but the buckets were a pain to transport. Since then, we've had a parent build us a pair of rolling cabinets that go in the back corners, and we built the frame supports into those - same basic concept, as all the weight is down low. The frame works alright and is repainted every few years, and is extremely cheap, considering we've used the same frame for 8 years now... but personally, I want us to get something that looks more professional.