Bamboo pipe is made from straight culms 5-10 cm across with the internal node dividers knocked out, joined by fitting a smaller culm into a larger one or by binding and sealing the joint, and supported every 1-2 m. It lasts 2-5 years and holds only about 3.5 to 7 m of head, so its limit is pressure and rot, not friction, which is just 0.04 m of head per 100 m at 0.2 L/s in a 60 mm bore.
Bamboo pipe uses the natural hollow of bamboo culms as a water conduit. It is fast to make and easy to repair where bamboo grows, but it rots and splits, and it is for low heads and temporary or renewable lines.
What The Parent Page Specifies
Select straight culms of 5-10 cm diameter. Knock out the internal nodes with a long rod or a heated iron rod. Join sections by inserting a smaller bamboo into a larger one, or by wrapping the joints with cordage and sealing with pine pitch, beeswax or clay. Support the pipe every 1-2 m to prevent sagging. Bamboo pipe lasts 2-5 years before it needs replacing. For the open half-pipe form of bamboo water channel, see Bamboo Aqueduct.
Pressure Is The Limit, Not Friction
Pipe Making rates bamboo at 5-10 psi. At 1.42 psi per metre of head that is 5 ÷ 1.42 = 3.5 m to 10 ÷ 1.42 = 7.0 m. Past that, the walls split along the grain or the joints blow.
Friction, by comparison, is small. Using the Hazen-Williams equation from Pipe Sizing with its roughness for wood and bamboo of 80-100:
- 100 m, 60 mm bore, 0.2 L/s: loss is about 0.04 m: 0.040 m at C = 80, 0.032 m at C = 90 and 0.027 m at C = 100.
- 100 m, 50 mm bore, 0.2 L/s: 0.098 m at C = 80, 0.065 m at C = 100.
- 100 m, 50 mm bore, 0.33 L/s (a spring-sized flow): 0.20 m at C = 90.
So a bamboo line is limited to 3.5-7 m of head by its walls, and nothing at all by its friction at household flows. If the drop is bigger than that, break the line with a break pressure tank every few metres of fall, or use another pipe on the steep part.
What You Need
- Mature, straight bamboo culms, 5-10 cm across, graded so sizes nest
- A long rod to push out the nodes, with a hot iron rod for tough ones
- A saw and a knife
- Sealant: pine pitch, beeswax or clay
- Cordage or wire to bind joint ends
- Posts or stones to hold the pipe every 1-2 m
- Fine mesh for open ends
Method: Clear, Join, Support
Step 1: Cut the culms to length with a saw, leaving clean, square ends.
Step 2: Clear the nodes with the rod. The bore should be open end to end: look through it, or push a stick straight through.
Step 3: Make the joint. Ream or choose a larger culm for the socket and push the end of the next culm into it, upstream end inside downstream end, so flow tends to hold the joint closed. Bind the socket end tightly so it cannot split, and seal with pitch, beeswax or clay.
Step 4: Lay the pipe on supports every 1-2 m, falling steadily, with no sags where air or silt can lodge.
Step 5: Flush before use, with clean water, until the water runs clear of colour, bits and taste. Cover open ends with mesh against insects.
Step 6: Mark the date on each section and plan replacement within the 2-5 year life.
Keep It Wet, Shaded And Covered
Bamboo that dries splits. Keep the pipe full, buried or shaded, and covered from the sun. Where it crosses the ground, support it clear of soil.
Common Mistakes
- Using bamboo on a steep line without break tanks.
- A node left in place, blocking the bore.
- Unbound joint ends, which split.
- Sealing with coal tar or creosote. Use pine pitch, beeswax or clay.
- Leaving it empty in the sun.
Safety
Hot rods, splintered bamboo and pitch burn and cut
A heated rod can burn through the bamboo and the hand; hold it with a cloth and keep fires clear of dry bamboo. Hot pitch burns skin and catches fire; heat it in a metal pot at a distance from the fire’s edge and never leave it. Split bamboo has razor edges: wear gloves. Do not use bamboo pipe for hot water or for any pressure above its small limit.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Wooden Pipe (Log Boring) — a longer-lived hand-made pipe
- Combine with: Air Valves — release air at high points