Introduction: 10 Life Hacks With PVC #13

By SpecificLove.com
About: A community of family fun, DIY, How-to videos, and Homemade creativity. We hope you can get inspired to make new projects, and possibly learn a little along the way.

10 Life Hacks with PVC #13

[WATCH VIDEO]

Here is the 13th Edition to our “10 Life Hacks with PVC” Series. We built and tested these projects with success. I hope you can benefit from some of these awesome life hacks.

Hacks Included:

1. Shin Protectors

2. Travel Dog Bowls

3. Hold a Street Sign

4. Carry Bags of Popcorn or Cotton Candy

5. Martial Arts Nunchucks

6. Tent Weights

7. Drill Holder

8. Bed Tent

9. Speaker Stands

10. Weed Eater Accessory Hanger

If you would like the video version of this Instructable and the embedded video does not appear, here is an alternative link

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Just remember that PVC is only a form of hard plastic. It can and will break if too much weight or force is applied and injuries can occur. Please use caution when using anything made from PVC. Use of content for personal projects is at your own risk.

Step 1: ​Shin Protectors

Shin Protectors

Need:

- 4-inch PVC pipe (12 inches long)

- Rope

- Tape

Tools:

- Saw

Have you ever been cutting the grass and hit a rock?

I once had a rock hit me in the shin extremely hard.

It hurt so bad that I decided to make some cheap shin protectors.

I started with a 4-inch PVC pipe that was about 12 inches long.

I cut it in half lengthwise.

Make sure to remove any sharp edges.

I then used some tape to attach the rope at the top and bottom leaving it long enough to tie around my leg.

You can also decorate these to make them look great.

Step 2: ​Travel Dog Bowls

Travel Dog Bowls

Need:

- 4-inch PVC Drainage End Caps

- Zip ties

Tools:

- Drill

A friend was trying to fly his dog across the country and the airlines required dog bowls to be securely attached to the kennel.

To do this I first started with some 4-inch PVC Drainage End Caps.

These caps are different from standard pipe end caps. They are much thinner and much cheaper. They are also flat on the end.

I decided to attach the bowls to the front cage door since it is easy access for refilling.

Also the metal grate made it easy to attach and the kennel frame added support at the bottom.

I drilled a couple holes about half an inch apart at the top of each cap and secured them in place with zip ties.

The bowls worked great and stayed in place the whole trip.

The dog is now happy at his new home.

Step 3: Hold a Street Sign

Hold a Street Sign

Need:

- 1-inch PVC pipe (about 5 feet long)

Tool:

- Saw

Have you ever tried to help direct traffic at a school or church event?

It can sometimes be hard for the drivers to see you.

Here is an easy way to make a sign holder.

I used piece of 1-inch PVC that was about 5 feet long.

Using a saw, I cut a 4-inch slot lengthwise into one end of the pipe.

Now you can slide a thin sign into place.

This should help when directing traffic.

Step 4: ​Carry Bags of Popcorn or Cotton Candy

Carry Bags of Popcorn or Cotton Candy

Need:

- 1-inch PVC pipe

- Zip ties (cable ties)

If you have ever tried to sell popcorn or cotton candy at a sporting event, it is sometimes hard to hold a bunch of bags.

Here is a great way to carry a lot of bags all at once.

First get a length of 1-inch PVC piping. The longer the pipe, the more you can carry.

Flip the pipe upside down.

Starting at the top, hold several bags around the pipe and secure them in place with a zip tie.

When you flip the pipe upright, the bags will stay in place.

Now when you sell one, just carefully pull each bag out of the zip tie.

If you made the zip tie tight enough, the rest of the bags will not fall out.

With this method, you can have several layers of bags to sell.

Step 5: Martial Arts Nunchucks

Martial Arts Nunchucks

Need:

- 3/4 inch PVC pipe (12 inches long)

- Rope

(Optional)

- 1/2 inch PVC pipe (12 inches long)

- pool noodle

Tool:

- Drill

If you like Martial arts, then you might like some nunchucks.

Here is an easy way to make some practice nunchucks.

I started with a 12-inch section of 3/4 inch PVC pipe.

At one end of each pipe, I drilled a hole about 1-nch down.

I then attached a rope threaded through the inside, so I could hide the knot.

If you have smaller children, you can make a safer version by using some 1/2 inch pipe and adding a pool noodle to each pipe.

These are great to practice with and cheap to make.

Step 6: ​Tent Weights

Tent Weights

Need:

- 2 foot section of 4-inch Drainage PVC pipe (Not schedule 40)

- (2) Drainage PVC end caps (4-inch)

- Long Eye bolt

- Extra nuts (4) and washers (3) that fit eye bolt

- Concrete

Tool:

- Drill

- Saw

If you have ever used a large tent or canopy, you know that the wind would love to blow it all over the place.

Here is a great way to hold it in place.

I first started with a 4-inch PVC drainage pipe that I cut to 2 feet long.

I then took one of the end caps and drilled a hole in the center.

I then placed a long eye bolt through the cap, using a nut and washer at the top to keep it flat.

On the inside of the cap, I placed another washer and nut to hold everything in place.

At the bottom of the bolt, I added two more nuts with a washer sandwiched in between.

You can now put the cap back on the pipe.

Now flip the pipe over, with the bolt on the bottom, and slowly fill the pipe with concrete.

Give the concrete about a week to dry and then you can add the final end cap to the bottom.

Now you can use these pipes to hold your canopy in place.

Step 7: ​Drill Holder

Drill Holder

Need:

- 4-inch PVC pipe (about 12 inches long)

- Screws

Tools:

- Saw

- Drill

Here is a simple way to store your electric drills.

I started with 12 inch section of 4-inc PVC pipe.

I then cut a 2 inch wide and 6.5 inch long section out of the pipe.

My drill fit nicely, but you may have to make a few adjustments to allow you drill to fit.

Then you can drill a couple of holes it the pipe and hang it from a shelf.

Now your drills are up and out of the way.

Step 8: Bed Tent

Bed Tent

Need:

- 3/4 PVC pipe

- (2) corner connectors

- (4) 45-degree elbows

If your child likes to go camping, here is a great way for them to have a tent on their bed.

Each bed can vary in size so adjust the measurements as needed.

For my son’s bed, I needed 5 lengths of 4-foot pipe.

I used corner connectors at the top and angled down 2 pipes on each side of the bed.

The sides were connected at the top with one of the 4-foot sections.

At the base of each corner, I added a 45-dergee elbow and small section of pipe that slid nicely into the bed frame. This allowed the frame to stay secure.

To cover the frame, just use a large bed sheet.

Now your child can go camping every night.

Step 9: ​Speaker Stands

Speaker Stands

Need:

- 3/4 inch PVC pipe

- (4) Elbows (3/4)

- (3) T-connectors (3/4)

- 1/2 inch PVC pipe

- (4) Elbows (1/2)

- (3) T-connectors (1/2)

- 1/2 to 3/4 inch adaptor

- Sand

- Cardboard

Tools:

- PVC cutters or saw

I had a number of viewers ask if I would make some small speaker stands and this is what I came up with.

At the base, I constructed a square with 3/4 inch elbows and T-connectors.

In the center of the base, I have a T facing upward with a 3/4 inch pipe that is about 12 to 18 inches long.

If you make the pipe much longer, you will need to use 1-inch pipe instead.

Once the base is constructed, I strongly suggest adding some sand to make it heavier and more stable.

The top of the stand is identical to the bottom, except that I used 1/2 inch pipe and fittings to make it a little smaller and a little lighter.

The top is connected using an adaptor.

Once everything is assembled, you will need to add a thick piece of cardboard to the top.

The cardboard will provide a flat surface for the speaker to rest on.

Step 10: Weed Eater Accessory Hanger

Weed Eater Accessory Hanger

Need:

- 1-inch PVC pipe (about 6 inches long)

- Paracord

Tool:

- Drill

If you have one of the weed eater tools that comes with attachments, then here is a great way to store those extra pieces out of the way.

First get a short section (about 6 inches) of 1-inch PVC pipe.

At the top, drill a hole all the way through.

Now add some paracord through the hole and tie a knot.

From the other end of the pipe, drill a hole about one inch from the end.

This will be the hole for the attachment buttons to hold in place.

Now you can hang the accessories up and out of the way.

Step 11: Other PVC Life Hack Videos

Other PVC Life Hack Videos:

#1

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#2

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#3

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#4

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#5

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#6

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#7

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#8

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#9

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#10

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#11

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#12

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#13

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Lifehacks are great techniques, tricks, shortcuts, or novelty ways to reuse, repurpose, recycle, and upcycle certain products in uncommon ways to make life easier. Just remember that PVC is only a form of hard plastic. It can and will break if too much weight or force is applied and injuries can occur. Please use caution when using anything made from PVC. Use of video content for personal projects is at your own risk.