We are constantly repairing leaks in the platform plumbing. The current design uses PVC tubing with plastic, barbed connectors held together with glue/PVC cement. The main mode of failure is at these fittings, where the (1) seal of the glue fails or (2) the plastic connectors themselves break in half.
It would be great to update the plumbing with better fittings/design so that these failure modes no longer occur. Some ideas that have been thrown around:
- New material: copper tubing or PEX
- New connector type: compression fittings
- New design: include a plenum (like a reservoir) to reduce the pressure differential seen when thrusters are activated
We are constantly repairing leaks in the platform plumbing. The current design uses PVC tubing with plastic, barbed connectors held together with glue/PVC cement. The main mode of failure is at these fittings, where the (1) seal of the glue fails or (2) the plastic connectors themselves break in half.
It would be great to update the plumbing with better fittings/design so that these failure modes no longer occur. Some ideas that have been thrown around: