Introduction: Vacuum Pump From Aquarium Air Pump
This is a re-publish of a poorly done instructable that I posted a while back.
Transform an aquarium air pump to create a weak vacuum
This type of pump will only produce a weak vacuum but I use it for positioning electronic components and de-soldering applications.
You will need a tetra whisper Aquarium pump, a Philips screwdriver and about 5 minutes.
Step 1: Open the Pump
On the bottom of the pump you will fins 4 Philips screws. Remove these with a number 2 Phillips driver.
Flip the pump over and lift off the large blue plastic cover.
Step 2: Convert to Suction
The white plastic squares on the pump assemblies need to be rotated 180 degrees.
The whole white arm assembly will lift straight up and the white plastic piece will rotate.
Then the pump assembly is pressed back down into place.
Step 3: Reassemble and Enjoy
Reattach the cover and attach the air lines.
The pump will now create a vacuum.
As noted it is a weak vacuum but suitable enough for simple tasks like picking up electronic components.

Participated in the
Joby Transform It! Challenge
1 Person Made This Project!
- SimonM83 made it!
11 Comments
Question 3 years ago
can you suck up water and pump it out through a tube?
and use it as a water pump?
Reply 3 years ago
I highly doubt it. Try looking on amazon for "Peristaltic Liquid Pump" for a better solution
Reply 3 years ago
OK
10 years ago on Introduction
Nice instructable! How much vacuum does it generate (PSI or Hg)? I saw the gauge but it's not clear what the reading is.
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
9 in Hg Vaccum. its Psi for the blue and Hg for the green
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
in Hg. Inches of Mercury.
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
i think it sais psi on the bottom right of the blue part
8 years ago on Introduction
Trying to find a cheap way to create a vacuum so I can attempt the wine bottle electron accelerator instructable... Do you suppose this would be sufficient enough to create the vacuum in the bottle required to perform the experiment??
8 years ago on Introduction
I noticed that the Tetra pump has not changed (internally) in over 25 years. I used to repair them for my customers (pet store). As for the instructable - very well done. Looks very easy to do. It is a practical tool for light duty. I wonder if it can be used to vacuum seal food bags.
9 years ago on Step 3
Great Instructable! This was a big help.
10 years ago on Introduction
The green part of the gauge is scaled differently and appears to be in inches of mercury and looks to be reading 8". That corresponds to -3.9 PSI or -27 kPa.
That's quite an OK vacuum for picking up electronic components.
I'd like to know if it is good for desoldering too and if it is then all that is needed is a filter to stop the solder particles from reaching the pump.