For anyone wanting to go metal arch here is a good choice for bending an arch
http://www.buildmyowngreenhouse.com/hightunnelbenders5999.aspx
http://www.buildmyowngreenhouse.com/hightunnelbenders5999.aspx
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Driveway Arch
- Thread starter Protege94
- Start date
alwsquared
New member
I know you posted this 5 years ago, but wondering if you were successful in making the arches for a 30-35 foot span over a driveway.
I tried years ago using 3/4" and it didn't make it. They sagged in the middle and that was without lights! I gave up but still want to do it. Thanks for your time
I tried years ago using 3/4" and it didn't make it. They sagged in the middle and that was without lights! I gave up but still want to do it. Thanks for your time
I am looking to make an arch over my driveway for this years display. I am wondering if anyone on here has done that and they they used to build it?
The driveway is slightly wider than a standard double wide and is about 30'-35' long.
I think once built I will use either LED string lights or LED net lights and multiple channels, probably 6-10 channels.
I do an entire drive-through tunnel with 1" PVC, schedule 40 at 33.5 feet circumference. 4 guy lines. I've got one of those arches up right now, and for Thanksgiving I put a fan of lights on it and it turns into a turkey. The PVC itself has 300 pixels wrapped around it, 12V, which I power inject at both ends.
I would love to figure out how to make it work with PEX, but so far that is just not to be. It is just too saggy.
I would love to figure out how to make it work with PEX, but so far that is just not to be. It is just too saggy.
Last edited:
alwsquared
New member
Thank you for your reply. I will try the 1" Schedule 40. I'm looking to do about 4 total arches. Do you connect them together at all with "T" and "X" fittings to brace together or just use the guide wires?
First, a question: is your 30-35 foot "span" the diameter, or the circumference? I think you mean diameter. I am at 33.5 foot circumference, and I am borderline 1 1/4" PVC. If your PVC thickness is too big for a given arch length, that stresses out the couplers and they snap (which is highly catastrophic). You've got to hammer in the PVC into the couplers real good. But if your PVC is too thin (e.g. 1/2"), as you know it's wobbly. If your 30-35 feet is strictly for the diameter, you would be at 1 1/4" minimum; possibly 1 1/2". And you'll need probably 2 or 3 guys to set it up.
I have tried any and all trusses to stabilize the base--mostly because I'm in the middle of a parking lot and I have 200 cars driving through. If you have access to grass on both ends, I would be okay simply relying on 4 guy wires, and affixing the PVC to 2-foot rebar on the ends. Actually, I would sleeve 3/4" PVC over the rebar, hammer in the 3/4" into the ground as well (which is not much...), then sleeving the 1 1/4" PVC over that.
OTOH, if your arch is THAT big, you will probably want to hang stuff on top of it. That zenith is way high, >20 feet in the air. If you want to hang stuff, then the guy wires alone aren't going to cut it in the wind. For that, I use a combination of cross couplers and right-angle couplers at the ends. You just need a system of PVC at the base to form a wider base, to resist the swaying motion in the wind. I'd have to draw it out.
I have tried any and all trusses to stabilize the base--mostly because I'm in the middle of a parking lot and I have 200 cars driving through. If you have access to grass on both ends, I would be okay simply relying on 4 guy wires, and affixing the PVC to 2-foot rebar on the ends. Actually, I would sleeve 3/4" PVC over the rebar, hammer in the 3/4" into the ground as well (which is not much...), then sleeving the 1 1/4" PVC over that.
OTOH, if your arch is THAT big, you will probably want to hang stuff on top of it. That zenith is way high, >20 feet in the air. If you want to hang stuff, then the guy wires alone aren't going to cut it in the wind. For that, I use a combination of cross couplers and right-angle couplers at the ends. You just need a system of PVC at the base to form a wider base, to resist the swaying motion in the wind. I'd have to draw it out.
I do hope that the "couplers" being talked about are more than a standard EMT coupler (dual screw or dual clamp). We insert a piece of pipe (usually at least 12 inches long) just smaller than the one making the arch. A couple of tech screws to keep it from migrating inside the arch and all works very well.
alwsquared
New member
First, a question: is your 30-35 foot "span" the diameter, or the circumference? I think you mean diameter. I am at 33.5 foot circumference, and I am borderline 1 1/4" PVC. If your PVC thickness is too big for a given arch length, that stresses out the couplers and they snap (which is highly catastrophic). You've got to hammer in the PVC into the couplers real good. But if your PVC is too thin (e.g. 1/2"), as you know it's wobbly. If your 30-35 feet is strictly for the diameter, you would be at 1 1/4" minimum; possibly 1 1/2". And you'll need probably 2 or 3 guys to set it up.
I have tried any and all trusses to stabilize the base--mostly because I'm in the middle of a parking lot and I have 200 cars driving through. If you have access to grass on both ends, I would be okay simply relying on 4 guy wires, and affixing the PVC to 2-foot rebar on the ends. Actually, I would sleeve 3/4" PVC over the rebar, hammer in the 3/4" into the ground as well (which is not much...), then sleeving the 1 1/4" PVC over that.
OTOH, if your arch is THAT big, you will probably want to hang stuff on top of it. That zenith is way high, >20 feet in the air. If you want to hang stuff, then the guy wires alone aren't going to cut it in the wind. For that, I use a combination of cross couplers and right-angle couplers at the ends. You just need a system of PVC at the base to form a wider base, to resist the swaying motion in the wind. I'd have to draw it out.
The 33.5 foot is actually the span across my driveway. I also have 3 SUV's I would need to park under the arches, so it would definitely be over 40-45 feet long in PVC. I'm thinking this whole thing is just going to have to be a wish and dream, because there is no way i could do metal poles, and it seems like going to 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 will bring me more issues with straining the PVC. I already use rebar and sleeve with a smaller diameter. I have walkway arches that work well, so I may just have to stick with these. Thank you for your help.
No, the large size of the arch actually means you DON'T stress the PVC. At 40 feet, that means you only have to bend a 1 1/4" PVC 45 degrees over the span of 10 feet. It can handle that, no problem (more importantly, the PVC couplers can handle that). You can try it with a single 10' section.
My bigger concern is actually having to get up on a ladder. Also the guy lines have to go out quite a ways. If you have access to metalworking, you can lose the guy lines, but it sounds like neither of us have access to that.
My bigger concern is actually having to get up on a ladder. Also the guy lines have to go out quite a ways. If you have access to metalworking, you can lose the guy lines, but it sounds like neither of us have access to that.
alwsquared
New member
No, the large size of the arch actually means you DON'T stress the PVC. At 40 feet, that means you only have to bend a 1 1/4" PVC 45 degrees over the span of 10 feet. It can handle that, no problem (more importantly, the PVC couplers can handle that). You can try it with a single 10' section.
My bigger concern is actually having to get up on a ladder. Also the guy lines have to go out quite a ways. If you have access to metalworking, you can lose the guy lines, but it sounds like neither of us have access to that.
sounds good. Thank you again for your replies, and I may go and try at least one arch and see what happens.
The first is by far the hardest. It gets easier.
While I'm here, I ought to share what also did not work for me: trying to permanently bend the PVC. They sell these benders which work really well on 1/2" and 3/4" (and I have some), but the only ones I found that work on 1 1/4" and up start at $300. I'm not plunking down that money for something where there's no guarantees it'll work. So then I tried to follow these Youtube videos which involve heating up sand to 400 degrees, but that failed miserably. If I could only get the PVC to want to remain in a permanent arch position, that would be so much stronger. I'd probably dump all the guy lines, and rely only on a truss at the bases. But alas, I never could get the bending to work. I wish even more that I could do the same for PEX.
The best I do now is form my initial arches in the heat of the summer, after the PVC has baked in the sun. The PVC has at least a little memory of its arch position then. Just enough to take that stress off the couplers.
While I'm here, I ought to share what also did not work for me: trying to permanently bend the PVC. They sell these benders which work really well on 1/2" and 3/4" (and I have some), but the only ones I found that work on 1 1/4" and up start at $300. I'm not plunking down that money for something where there's no guarantees it'll work. So then I tried to follow these Youtube videos which involve heating up sand to 400 degrees, but that failed miserably. If I could only get the PVC to want to remain in a permanent arch position, that would be so much stronger. I'd probably dump all the guy lines, and rely only on a truss at the bases. But alas, I never could get the bending to work. I wish even more that I could do the same for PEX.
The best I do now is form my initial arches in the heat of the summer, after the PVC has baked in the sun. The PVC has at least a little memory of its arch position then. Just enough to take that stress off the couplers.
Last edited: