5’ 3" PVC pipe
5’ 1.5" PVC pipe
5’ 1" PVC pipe
1" cap
3" cap
1" deck screws
2" deck screws
3" galvanized pipe clamps
rope caulk
silicon caulk
Some zip ties
Anyway… took the 1.5" PVC pipe and wrapped 2 feet with the rope caulk and inserted it (twisting) into the 3" PVC pipe. I checked for straightness and secured with some 1" deck screws. I then repeated with the 1" PVC pipe.
This gave me a 11 foot stepped pole. I then put the caps on and silicons all the edges for water tightness.
I took down the old pole and put the anemometer on the new pole, securing the cabling with zip ties (white ones look better).
I then mounted the whole assembly onto my kid’s playset with 4 3" pipe clamps (which can be tricky with only one person). The whole thing is about 25’ off the ground.
Surprisingly, it wobbles very little, even in 25-30 mph winds.
Note for the discussion on PVC durability… my old PVC mast showed absolutely no wear after over a year of weather exposure.
I know it doesn’t look plum in this image, but I apparently wasn’t holding the camera plum #-o
Wow, very good and great instructions, I suppose if i needed to do this, this is just me mind
i would have doubled the piping, i.e. had one inside the other just to double the strength but
again thats just the way i am, yours actually sounds my sturdy than my 10m aluminum telescopic
mast, even with the guy lines it still belly dances in the a decent wind lol
Ya done a great job, i like seeing stuff like this, shame i dont need to make one myself
You’re lucky, in Phoenix, it would wilt like cooked spaghetti as soon as the temperature gets above 110F. You should probably keep an eye on it, even in your climate. Solar UV will make the PVC brittle after a summer or two. Around here, when it begins to turn brown from the Sun, it is past the point where it will shatter easily.
And I might be tempted to have a dowel up the centre too for even more stiffness, but that’s just me and I have a tendency towards belt and braces engineering solutions.
Great job. Very neat. Well described. An inspiration to us all. Thank you.
I’m not a fan of PVC masts either, but this one is well thought out and constructed with graduated pipe sizes and a big overlap between sections. I think it should be OK, it is only 11’ feet after all. If there’s a wire running down it I’m not sure about lightning argument though…
such is one of the hazards of wanting to put the pole up high… I am using the radioshack mast and so far it holds well. And when Lightining hit it, the ISS is going to need a bit repairing…
However, I am for a steel mast with guy wires. Sometimes with the guy wires, if the mast is still swaying, two things might help, relocating where the wires fasten on to the mast and the second which is easier to work with if getting the mast down isn’t much fun… just move the ground anchors either toward or further out from the mast if possible… YOu might have to use some wire splicing and lengthing the guy wires. and you might want to be sure that the wires are in three directions , four is better but three is minimum.
I have little sway after this winter … and the mast isn’t bad either
