So my dad broke the septic clean out cap with the lawn mower. He cannot find a replacement that is lower to the ground so I am printing a new one. Should I use PETG? Or another material. Also I hope this is not violating some form of regulation in the U.S.
ASA is the peak material for outdoor prints with the best uv and weather resistance. It is quite a bit expensive but worth it imo if it’s not something you want to replace every 2 years. Downside is it must be dried before use every time and printed in a good enclosure printer, ideally preheated.
How big is the cap? Is it a threaded pipe clean out cap or a manhole sized cap?
There are codes regulating the loads a septic cap has to support (preventing people from falling in) as well as some need for atmospheric sealing. If you have to print in multiple sections I don’t know how tight you can make it and how strong it can really be if there is glue involved.
Agree on ASA. I have some PLA+ prints that have been outdoors 24/7/365 for going on 5 years now and they’re holding up really well, so that’s another good option.
I’ve been printing ASA for about a year and a half and haven’t dried a spool yet. I guess it all hinges on a mix of relative humidity in your area and how much you care about a flawless finish.
Are your PLA+ prints under any load at all? I have some PLA+ pieces that I have printed to repair outdoor Halloween and Christmas decorations which are at some stress points in the decorations and I have to replace them at the start of each season because they get so brittle by the time the holidays are over. Hoping to try PETG next year.
They’re under an intermittent load, but it’s probably not very high. Interestingly, the parts don’t seem very brittle. I suspect the exact materials in PLA+ probably vary wildly between blends/companies, so their material properties likely have some variation.