Observers of our work previously would have encountered the Slop Drop - our handy gunge tank adapted from a wardrobe of all things... this was due to various reasons, mainly the lack of space.

However! The fact that it was a functioning wardrobe when it wasn't a gunge tank and also that it was... well... a wardrobe meant that the novelty quickly wore off. So we started looking for an option that was:

Quick to put up and pull down
Easy to clean
Easy to store/hide
Won't fall to bits

We had a few back and forths with a couple of users, and looked into ideas such as using multiple ladders, and one using pvc pipe but we finally settled on the joys of scaffold tube. Turns out that this wasn't the first time someone on the forum did this after a pre-posting search (https://umd.net/forums/safety-question-suspending-a-bucket-over) but anyhoo here is our version...

The entire thing is shown in the first photo, which can store nice and neatly out of the way under a single bed. We went for pre-cut scaffold and accompanying fixtures, as well as some plastic feet for the ends of the legs to stop it scratching the hell out of your floor/ruining your paddling pool.

We also did a few additions in the form of painting it to make it look less like "a cage", some clip on lights at the top back of the gungetank (backlighting is important, kids) as well as our new and improved sign.

Some pictures are below, with some inaugral test photos soon appearing on our profile. And we do have a few notes and observations about how it turned out:

- Cost was around £200, although a lot of this was shipping, and if you have a place in driving distance you could probably get that just over £100. But this is the price of shifting a whole bunch of metal to your door. Speaking of which...
- This thing is unseasonably heavy. we went for 48 mm tube but it turns out this may have been overkill. The structure weighs about 60kg, and while can be setup quickly it's difficult to move around once it's up. However it is brutally robust and held our 30 litre tank with ease. Should we ever do this again, we'd probably look into thinner tubes at least.
- A little bit of razzle-dazzle goes a long way. Some lights, a little sign, flick of paint and a black bedsheet can make an amateur hour operation like ours actually look pretty convincing if you squint a little.

So, there you have it. While a tonne of producers have these now, we were genuinely curious to see if we could get something that looked professional working in our amateur setup. Let us know what you think...

What a great idea!

What a fantastic idea and construction.
Thanks for sharing with everyone! Definately food for thought!

This is exactly what is sitting in my shed, I bought for my gunge tank and also for cutting my hedge with a chainsaw! It is the perfect build tool if you have space to keep it.

I looked at getting it specially made but ended up buying from amazon.

£200 does seem quite a bit for that lot. 48.3mm is standard scaff tube used on building sites. If you ever need anything in the way of ironwork that isn't the bog-standard stuff like that then FH Brundle are the people. If they haven't got it, it's not available (or not worth having)! You'd have to do a fair bit of pipe cutting the first time but it should work out cheaper.

You might have got away with 26.9mm for this application. (Having said that, it might not be strong enough for other purposes such as hedge trimming/decorating etc ... though, to be honest, it probably would!) See here for full range of tube and clamps etc. Delivery isn't bad either as they have 6 depots around the country and deliver from the nearest for £10 to your door. I've used them for (non-kinky) purposes in the past and found them to be very good.

https://www.fhbrundle.co.uk/groups/TUBECLAM__Tube_Clamps

Useful link. Thanks.

To be fair, as a one off, even through Brundle's it's probably going to work out at least £200 including VAT given that you're looking at 12-14 metre's worth of pipe plus 14 joints (pushing a tenner each).

We did look at Brundle's but there were a few other sites that sold pre-cut bits of scaffold which would save us the hassle of cutting it down once it got here.

Like we say, a large chunk of the cost was the convenience (pre-cutting, shipping) which could be reduced massively. If you live near a builders yard with a bunch of old tubes you could probably reduce this even more.

The 26mm is definitely in our minds if we need to do this again, although obviously it's less strong, but for a gunge tank would probably be fine...

Nah.

26.9mm tube at 6.5m for £15.70. Short T-pieces at £1.70 and corner clamps at £4.60 a go. Including delivery of £10 plus VAT on the lot, should come in under £100 (That link takes you to the prices.)

As Pineapple Tea says, the labour to get it all pre-cut, plus pricey delivery, is probably what's pushed it northwards. (Oh - and the fact that it's 48.3mm not 26.9mm, of course.)

Tbh with the right design weve seen this made out of plastic pipe not metal. it worked perfectly well.....

That is spot on! It's a thumbs up from me

True, though at £2.42/m for metal pipe and £1.70 a go for metal T-pieces, it might not work out very much cheaper, tbh. A quick squint at Screwfix suggests that the pipe would be a bit cheaper but the couplings look more expensive and, with the extra cross-bracing probably required (and the lack of 90 degree 3-way corners available), the extras required to make it work might bring it up to about the same price. It could be worth doing a more detailed comparison for those thinking of building, anyway. Interesting thought, though.

I have tried with plastic pipe and it twists very easily even with the proper cross braces. You will end up having to spend more and buy more parts to get it stable. If you want cheap and strong then a wooden frame suing fence posts is fine.

If you look at my profile, there is a pie machine made out of plastic pipes. even that twists is a little force is put through it. I would be very worried if anyone made one then put a heavy gunge tank above them.

I managed to make one out of timber for £80. Holds a 67L tank easily. Thats timber, 67L container, a clear pvc sheet to keep slashes in and protective coating for the timber. Not too heavy to move around either. Only issue is storage. Managed to disguise it as a clothes horse in my bedroom when not in use.

What about cleaning the pipes after the fun ?