Hand-powered water pump

For some reason the photos are upside down here, but rightside up on my computer. Hmmm.

I needed a hand-powered water pump for a kid's toy, but the hardware store version cost $30 and was the wrong size. This one costs around $10, depending on what scrap supplies you have lying around.

The basic problem is to make two "check valves" as cheaply as possible. These are 1-way valves, in this case operated by superballs I liberated from the kids' toy basket.

Here's your parts list, most bought from Home Depot. Total cost: $10.47.
- 1 1/4" x 1/2" PVC bushing, screw type on 1/2" end (2)
- 1 1/4" PVC Tee (1)
- 1 1/4" x 1" PVC bushing, pressure fit both ends (1)
- 1 1/4" x 1/2" PVC bushing SPGXS (1)
- 1/2" x 3/4" PVC male adapter SXMPT (1)
- 1 1/4" PVC elbow (1)
- 1 1/4" x 2' PVC pipe

Scrounged:
- superballs, small enough to fit inside 1 1/4" PVC pipe with some room to play (2)
- dowel rod or square wood rod to serve as plunger, as large as possible to fit easily inside 1 1/4" PVC pipe
- rubber or rubberized foam source to seal plunger. I cut up an old foam floor mat. An old sandal would work, too.
- screws to hold superballs and plunger seal in place (3)
- Optional: PVC primer and cement, depending on how permanent you want your pump to be

 

Step 1: Layout of parts

This shows the relative position of parts prior to assembly.

Comments

[Jollyrgr]

Turn them upside down on your computer and re-upload. Maybe that will fix the problem...

[shadnlyd]

Anybody else carsick?

;-)

Just teasing, of course! Great tutorial; can't wait to try it!

[rimar2000]

This seems an interesting and useful instructable, but I don't understand it fully.
Where goes the plunger? Maybe a video?

[Zippityboomba]

Added a video of it in use. The plunger goes into the long empty pipe (If you view what you've made as an upside-down "T", then put it in the long vertical part. You can see my son moving the plunger up and down to work the pump.

[rimar2000]

Yes, the video carify all. The photos are upside down, as you mentioned, but I didn't realize that. Well done!

[rimar2000]

carify -----> clarify

[Kiteman]

+1 on the video.

[jschumaker]

Written instructions to go along with the photos in step 3 would be helpful.

[Zippityboomba]

Annotated the photos; should be clearer now. Let me know if still puzzling. Thanks.

[jschumaker]

What size screws are you using?

[Zippityboomba]

It doesn't much matter, so long as the ball can't get past them. It was probably a 2" screw in the "T" and a 1" screw in the elbow, since they were the first I grabbed from the bin.