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View Full Version : Which one is better for housing - ABS or PVC



JojoJaro
08-17-2008, 04:22 PM
I have a choice of using PVC or ABS material for my 4" housing. Which is better? Is it true that ABS can withstand higher temps? How about for thermal conductivity? Which material will conduct heat away from the water better?

HYDROTEKPRO
08-17-2008, 05:02 PM
I would never use either material, the maximum operating temperature for both of those polymers is too low for under-the-hood usage.

If you must use an inexpensive material, CPVC or HDPE or XLPE or Polypropylene are much better than ABS or PVC. Of these, Polypropylene is the most chemical resistant, but, also has the lowest maximum operating temperature.

Generally, plastics/polymers insulate very well, so they will contain the heat within your unit. A metal, like 316L stainless steel (which is the best steel for all of our HHO uses) will conduct the heat much, much more quickly. This is effectively cooling the unit, albeit to a small degree.

EltonBrandd
08-20-2008, 02:52 AM
I'm using ABS for my smack's cell. It has held up perfectly fine for 5 weeks now. It sits right behind the headlight on the intake side of the engine compartment. It's rated at 180F. PVC is rated lower at 160F Continuous Service Temperature - in Air. So for what thats worth find a location that is close to the front of the engine compartment.

bigapple
08-20-2008, 03:21 AM
if u have a choice, go with a polycarbonate material... i just purchased a 20 x 24 inch slab of 1/4'' thick lexan polycarb at a local plastics vender for about 40 bucks... it has a normal operating temperature way over 200 degrees and can withstand all the pressure inside the container builtup from heat and gas pressure

if u have to choose between ABS or PVC, id go with ABS... although PVC has a withstandable temp somewhere in the 150 degrees, it cant stand very much pressure at these high temps... i bought a PVC dry box from home depot and it didnt last long at all... i ran the first one with a flashback arrestor and the backpressure caused it to crack in about 5 places within the first 2 days... after removing the flashback arrestor on the 2nd box, it still cracked after a day or two but at a slower pace... basically, if ur cell will run efficiently at about 100 degrees or less, go ahead and get a cheap PVC box... if not, u mite as well get a slab of polycarb and get some solvent to bond the pieces together... itll seal very tight and can withstand the pressures and temperatures of optimum hydroxy production

Dewayne
08-20-2008, 10:14 AM
There are many questions that come up about what material is best to use.

Here is a link to a property table that should clear all this up.

http://www.boedeker.com/mtable.htm