# How to bend PVC faster ?



## delbert

How can I bend PVC pipe faster ?


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## F_Eddie

You can bend PVC pipe with a bender. If you bend it to 90 degrees you will get a 45. It seems to work out pretty close to half of the degrees you bend it at. You will have to make 2 bends to get a 90 but it is much faster than heating the pipe! I haven't tried it on any pipe larger than 1 inch but I would guess that as the pipe gets bigger, the maximum degrees that you would be able to use this method would decrease.


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## zander

This does not have anything to do with faster, but iv'e heard of putting hot sand in the pipe as a method


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## speedy petey

I know this post is old but maybe someone could use the info.

Use a heat gun. A regular conduit bender will not work, heat is the only thing. There are blankets, boxes and guns.
Blankets are expensive and size specific, and IMO they are slow. Boxes are expensive, but the absolute fastest way to bend PVC. I have one and LOVE it. A heat gun is very inexpensive, does a good job heating even 2" PVC, and can be used for many other projects & jobs as well.


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## K2eoj

speedy petey said:
			
		

> I know this post is old but maybe someone could use the info.
> 
> Use a heat gun. A regular conduit bender will not work, heat is the only thing. There are blankets, boxes and guns.
> Blankets are expensive and size specific, and IMO they are slow. Boxes are expensive, but the absolute fastest way to bend PVC. I have one and LOVE it. A heat gun is very inexpensive, does a good job heating even 2" PVC, and can be used for many other projects & jobs as well.



Hey thanks Speedy. I didn't even know you could bend PVC. I already have a heat gun. K2.


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## xkvator

torpedo heater...hold 12 - 18" away...practice on a scrap piece first


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## milehigh_woodcrafter

buy the unions or elbows or whatever you need and some pvc cement.  Depending on the overall size, I've actually heated it in the oven and formed it.  (don't tell my ol' lady)


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## AdamAleksander

I just finished a big job where i heat bent 2" pvc beautifully on my Gas Range. To do this, First you make a jig. This means draw the shape you want onto of ply wood then cut it out. 2 pieces works better for the height. Attach them to a table.
   Next heat the PVC over 2 burners on your stove until the desired length gets putty soft over the full circumference and over the full bend. Note: heat 4" on either side of the desired start and end of the curve. This may take 5 minutes of heating. Also don't be shy about burning the pipe a little. And be careful of the fumes.
   When the curve is putty soft, run and put it into the jig. Bend slowly and hold in place or clamp before and after the curve, but not on the hot part.
    If the curve is near the end of the pipe, you will want to put a fitting or cap onto the end so it keeps a good shape.
   With this method you can make a beautiful bend quickly and have it still super strong. I stood my 2" pipe up and attached 35 lbs. at the end of mine and yanked on it. It didnt move at all. 
   This is the best way to heat bend up to 2" thick PVC quickely that i have found. Because heat guns are too slow and Blow Torches are too severe.


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## speedy petey

AdamAleksander said:


> Also don't be shy about burning the pipe a little. And be careful of the fumes.


You can't be serious (about the burning comment)?  





AdamAleksander said:


> Because heat guns are too slow


And making a "jig" out of plywood and carrying a 10' stick of 2" PVC into your house is quick and efficient???  




AdamAleksander said:


> Blow Torches are too severe.


But burning it over a gas range is not?  



Sorry, I'm not trying to be harsh, but this post is pretty funny.


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## triple D

First of all I would never use open flame to heat pvc, especially indoors. This is not a good thing to burn, and it is a touchy practice, more like an art. If you over heat you make a weak, brittle area. There are no-heat pvc benders. A rep came to our supply house and did a demo with one. It looked kind of like a spring, and you just slide over the pipe and bend. I've only seen one for 1/2, 3/4 and 1". Anyway I'm with the others on the heat gun. It's all I've used for years and all I will. So I'm glad your all here, cause I'm not all there..........


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## Parrothead

I've been known to use a propane torch, but it's touchy and I only do it outside. You need to be very careful, as it's easy to scorch it.


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## adam_withrow

There is a new tool out there called a PVC Bendit.  It's a heater that you stick inside of the pipe, and it allows you to work entire sticks of conduit like they're silly putty.  After the pipe cools down, it is just the same as it was originally.

That means if you have to make multiple tight offsets, you can in a single operation.  You can set a form that includes all of the bends you need at their precise sizes, heat the whole pipe up, lay it in the form, and it will have all of your bends at once.  This is also great if you're working on curved walls.


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## sailor86

triple D said:


> First of all I would never use open flame to heat pvc, especially indoors. This is not a good thing to burn, and it is a touchy practice, more like an art. If you over heat you make a weak, brittle area. There are no-heat pvc benders. A rep came to our supply house and did a demo with one. It looked kind of like a spring, and you just slide over the pipe and bend. I've only seen one for 1/2, 3/4 and 1". Anyway I'm with the others on the heat gun. It's all I've used for years and all I will. So I'm glad your all here, cause I'm not all there..........



Have you got a brand or model name? Sounds interesting. I've bent quite a few 1/2" pipes using my knee with fairly good results. But if there's an affordable alternative, I'd like to check it out.


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## speedy petey

sailor86 said:


> Have you got a brand or model name? Sounds interesting. I've bent quite a few 1/2" pipes using my knee with fairly good results. But if there's an affordable alternative, I'd like to check it out.


You may want to e-mail him. His reply was from *2008* and he has not been back online here for almost a year.


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## joecaption

Just wondering, why would anyone even want to go through all the trouble to try and bend it when in less them 1 min. I can add an elbow.


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## sailor86

joecaption said:


> Just wondering, why would anyone even want to go through all the trouble to try and bend it when in less them 1 min. I can add an elbow.



I found offsets to be a nice touch. But I think you can even buy those at your Home Depot nowadays.


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