Thread: DIY 500 Litre bio chamber in Beige RAL 7032 Polypropylene

I'll start this thread off now and update it as i get the time to build my new bio chamber
1000mm long x 600mm wide x 900mm high to hold roughly 500 litres of water and 250-300 litres of K1

this is the cut list plan i made and sent to the plastic company all cut from one 3mtr x 1.5mtr sheet of 12mm beige polypropylene.
and also a 6mtr length of 50mm x 50mm square tube polypropylene for top edge reinforcement.
it all came out at £293 including VAT and delivery.
though i already have a coil of beige PP welding rod and the hot air welder from my previous bio chamber build.

the cutting list website is really easy to use, and helps maximise what you can get out of a full sheet.
https://www.opticutter.com/cut-list-optimizer





part 1 of the build





part 2 of the build





part 3 of the build





part 4 of the build

So they cut it for you and you weld it together ?

Never tried plastic welding before but watched Wrighty on YouTube.
Keep us updated Dave.

Originally Posted by john1

So they cut it for you and you weld it together ?

Never tried plastic welding before but watched Wrighty on YouTube.
Keep us updated Dave.

it doesn't take much practise to do if you are pretty handy.
PP is much more forgiving to weld than PVC as PVC burns really easily.

sure i made a post somewhere about my last bio chamber that i welded up...

That's a quality job Dave. Nice work.

Originally Posted by davethefish1

thats the old bio,
just waiting on the new plastic to arrive and i'll get started on the new one

Haha Brill

You should have kept quiet and claimed it as your own work as we all know your attention to detail and what the quality of your workmanship is from past experience

Originally Posted by davethefish1

i made that one too...this will be my second DIY build

You're just showing off now, aren't you! lol

Good luck Dave

Just remember, measure twice, cut once

I saw a post on farcebook recently where the person had strapped the tape to the bed of the chop saw and cut through the tape. The caption read something like - measure once, cut once

Originally Posted by davethefish1

cheers mate,
should be nothing to cut other than the slots for the outlet grid.
all measured to the millimeter so just needs welding up...
though the 12mm will take a bit more work than the thinner 9mm i used on the last one

Just makes it a bit stronger going 12mm less chance of the sides bulging when full. More peace of mind

Started building the bio chamber today,
it went together pretty easily the actual welding is not difficult, its just hard work on the back as it's a slow process.

i just cut the holes out for the pipes welded them in before putting the panels together to make it easier.
then dry clamped the sheets together on the base, used corner clamps and ratchet straps to hold them in place and welded all the external joints.
still got all the internal joints to weld then on to the grills... and external braces.

but it's coming along quite nicely

part 1 of the build...

Looking good Dave, exactly as I would expect from you

Looks rubbish, finish it up and I'll dispose of it for you mate!