Air Cannon

[Pat Arnold]

Originally Posted by Otaku

I'd still see it as an issue. Since the chance for failure is always present (and mostly the damage is microscopic but at those pressures you will magnify the problems) and PVC does tend to react in the way it does, it would really be your best bet to switch to ABS plastic.

Search on YouTube for Potato Cannon explosions. You'll notice all of those ones are PVC. That's why I built mine out of ABS.

I don't think a total rejection of heavy wall PVC is warrented. Schedule 40 is rated for 200 psi and that's a conservative number (probable factor safety of 2). Household water pressures can run 70 psi (think of all the pvc used without a problem, i.e. water exploding from pipes) and I know of businesses using PVC tubing for compressed air running 120 psi.