When manufactured pipe is unavailable, a water line can be made from bamboo, which lasts 2-5 years, from bored wood for low-pressure gravity supply under 3 meters of head, from fired clay for gravity flow, or from salvaged pipe whose previous contents are known. These pipes cannot hold the pressure of a steep line, so on a drop of 30 meters they need a break tank about every 3 meters, and salvaged pipe from unknown service must never carry drinking water.
Part of Community Water System
Improvised pipes are water conduits made from local or salvaged materials, bamboo, bored logs, fired clay and reclaimed tube, used where manufactured plastic or metal pipe cannot be obtained.
Improvised Pipe Works At Low Pressure Or Not At All
The community water system page lists bamboo as free and available in the tropics but rotting in 2-5 years and leaking at joints, and says never to use pipe salvaged from unknown industrial use because it may be contaminated with heavy metals or chemicals. Three other materials can be made at settlement scale, each with a pressure ceiling much lower than plastic or iron:
| Material | Limit and life | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bamboo | 2-5 years; low pressure | Clear the joints, fit each upstream end inside the next (Bamboo Aqueduct) |
| Bored wooden log | Under 3 m of head in Wooden Pipes; up to 15 psi in Pipe Making | Must stay wet; the two pages disagree, so use the lower figure |
| Fired clay | Gravity flow, low pressure | A socket flared wider than the pipe (Clay Pipes) |
| Salvaged pipe | Depends on the pipe | Only if the previous contents are known and harmless (Half-Pipe Salvage) |
What You Need
- A pressure limit for each pipe you plan to use, in meters of head
- The profile of the route, so you can see how much head each stretch carries
- Break tanks at the intervals the limit demands
- A plan for replacement — bamboo is a consumable
Method: Keep Each Section Inside Its Limit
Step 1: Fix the limit. Wood under 3 m of head, or 15 psi if you accept the higher page’s figure. Bamboo: low pressure only. Clay: essentially gravity flow.
Step 2: Split the line into sections that each carry no more than the limit, using break pressure tanks (Break Pressure Tanks).
Step 3: Keep the pipe full of water. Wood dries, shrinks and splits if left empty. Bamboo and wood both decay faster when they alternate wet and dry.
Step 4: Prefer manufactured pipe for the steepest and highest-pressure stretch, and improvised pipe for the gentle ones.
Step 5: Mark the replacement date and keep spare lengths ready.
Worked Example: A 30-Meter Drop In Wooden Pipe
Inputs: 30 m of vertical drop; wooden pipe limited to 3 m of head.
- Sections needed = 30 ÷ 3 = 10 sections, which means 9 break tanks between them.
- With the higher figure, 15 psi: 15 × 6,895 Pa = 103,000 Pa, which is 1.03 bar, about 10.5 m of head. Then 30 ÷ 10.5 = 2.9, rounded up to 3 sections and 2 tanks.
The two limits give 9 tanks or 2, a very different build. Until the figure is tested on your own pipe, use the cautious one, and treat the 15 psi value as an upper bound, not a design number. This is why improvised pipe is best kept to gentle slopes.
Common Mistakes
- Using a pipe past its limit because it held at first. Wood splits along the grain; clay cracks.
- Letting wooden pipe run dry. It shrinks and cracks.
- Using salvaged pipe without knowing its history. The wall can hold chemicals that leach out for years.
- Assuming a glaze is safe. Clay glazed with lead compounds leaches lead; use unglazed or salt-glazed pipe for drinking water.
Safety
Salvaged pipe can poison a whole village
Never use pipe that carried fuel, pesticides, industrial fluids or sewage, pipe soldered with lead, or pipe of unknown service, for drinking water. Never cut or drill asbestos-cement pipe: the dust is a lung hazard. Wear a mask and eye protection when cutting bamboo or clay, and when boring wood.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Pipe Materials — when manufactured pipe is available
- Combine with: Clay Pipes — making the pipe that suits gentle slopes