In order to be successful at off-grid living there must be a dependable source of water and the ability to top move that water. A water pump will make moving the life-sustaining water from point A to point B a much easier and quicker. And to stay true to sustainable living, building a DIY water pump (especially from recycled materials) is the way to go.
Even if you don’t live off-grid, a water pump is something that can make life easier on the homestead by helping you move water where it’s needed without carrying a bucket at a time.
Check out our 17 innovative ideas for building a DIY water pump to find one that is just right for your water-moving needs.
1- Centrifugal DIY Water Pump
In this plan we have cheap and easy to follow the detailed instructions for building a DIY water pump by instructables that will cost you less than $5. Using recycled material (the water pump motor is from an out-dated VHS player) you’ll be able to pump water where you need it and promote a sustainable lifestyle.
Steps needed to make this diy water pump are:
- First make the impeller for the motor. Take something that have wheel like structure and remove the rounded plastic.
- Take some round cable and weld it on the motor terminals.
- Make the hole at the bottom of canister and pass and epoxy the cable through it.
- Apply epoxy around the side of motor to fit it in the canister.
- Tight the wheel on the motor and make two holes for the ins-out nozzles.
- The water pump is ready. Now it is capable of sending water above 50 cm.
2- Powerful Homemade Water Pump
If you are looking for a powerful diy water pump that is an ideal project for school, then this is what you need.
It’s small, easy to build and provides incredible power. It has multiple uses for the home and will amaze your class and earn a high school grade.
Simple components, like PVC pipe, a few couplings and a 12 volt battery are used to create this homemade water pump. The components are inexpensive to purchase and you may have some of them on hand.
Follow these pictorial and written instructions, along with video instructions, so you can build this DIY water pump for home or as a school project.
3- Drill Power Water Pump
Use this free tutorial to construct a DIY water pump by hackaday that is powerful enough to pump water out of a flooded basement, but gentle enough to use as a backyard water feature for the kids. Build the water pump and turn it on so kids can run through water and cool off on a hot summer day.
So simple to build and the drill does all the work for you. Pumping water has never been easier or less expensive like we have in this diy water pump plan.
4- Micro DIY Water Pump
When you only need to move a small amount of water, consider building this micro water pump by instructables made from little more than two bottle caps and some glue. Easy to following video instructions.
Here are brief steps to make this small water pump.
- Take two caps of bottle. One should be larger than other.
- Make hole at the bottom and side of small cap and one hole in the bottom of large cap.
- Tight two caps with each other. Rub the rare part of outer cap to enlarge the hole.
- Make fan from plastic card and insert it in the gear of motor.
- Joint the motor with cap and connect a Nokia charger to run it.
5- PVC Pipe DIY Water Pump
Get detailed instructions for building your own PVC pipe water pump in this YouTube video. It’s a simple design, yet highly effective and efficient for pumping water wherever it’s needed.
This is a great way to use up leftover PVC pipe and fittings on a new DIY project, making the cost almost nothing for this functional water pump.
6- Centrifugal DIY Water Pump
This DIY water pump design by interestingengineering uses centrifugal force to pump water where it needs to go. Ideal for living in offgrid cabin, this design can pump enough fresh water to satisfy the needs of a family home.
Best used for relatively clean water, since any mud or debris would clog up the rotating components and stop the flow of water. It’s a simple and functional design that is easy to build with these detailed plans. You may also like to see diy vacuum pump to use in your home or workshop.
7- DIY Power Pump
When you need power behind the water, this DIY water pump on youtube is for you. This detailed youtube video will show you exactly how to build a powerful and portable water pump at home that will give you the power to spray water for long distances and/or power-wash debris off of surfaces. You may also like to see diy sprinkler systems to water plants.
8- Basic DIY Water Pump
A bottle cap, aluminum can and a small motor can be transformed into a basic water pump such as this one by instructables that will have so many uses around the homestead. Use it for moving water in small fish ponds and aquatic gardens so fish and plants will grow and develop their best.
9- PVC Manual DIY Water Pump
If the power goes out, do you have access to fresh water? Not if your well has an electric pump, you will have to wait until power is restored before enjoying the benefits of running water again.
This PVC hand pump by motherearthnews can change that by allowing you to hand pump water up and out of your well when the power goes off. It’s a great homemade water pump to build and use in water wells in areas where electricity is not available too.
10- Mini Water Pump
This mini water pump by instructables can be used in many DIY crafts and can be created from items you probably have on hand.
We Can call this diy water pump an ideal for use in a small home water feature or small aquarium. Popular homemade fairy gardens could be made even more attractive with the addition of a small water feature using this mini water pump idea.
The sound of running water is soothing and relaxing, so there are many ways to use this mini pump in your home as a stress reducer.
Follow this free tutorial and learn how to make a water pump very cheaply.
11- Decorative Hand Water Pump
Nostalgic hand water pumps add a touch of sentiment to an outdoor garden. They remind us of a by-gone era when times were simpler and life seemed to go by much more slowly.
Modern conveniences, like tap water, have made the hand water pump by acraftymix obsolete in most countries. And after enjoying the ease of just turning a handle to get water inside of home, none of us would want to go back to the old outdoor hand water pump.
But we do like the look of the hand pump, and these free plan will show you how to build a nostalgic hand water pump that will actually deliver water.
It is for decorative purposes only, and makes a great addition to a home garden or container garden.
12- Wind Powered DIY Water Pump
If you have some old bicycle parts lying around, you can use them to build a DIY water pump such as this one at treehugger. Follow this instructional video that also contains suggestions for improvements and modifications so you will be able to build a DIY water pump that will make your specifications.
13- Mini DIY Water Pump
Here is another innovative DIY water pump idea on Youtube that uses bottle caps and straws to create a small water pump. This powerful pump is quick and cheap to build, and its power allows it to be used for many water-moving tasks. Simple video instructions will allow you to build this pump and get water moving in quickly.
14- Windmill DIY Water Pump
No motor or electricity needed for this small water pump by paksc. Ideal size and design for a school project or for use as a water feature in a home garden.
The windmill is attractive and the sound of running water is soothing, making this DIY water pump a great investment of time since you will be getting two desirable features for one investment.
Make one to place in a large container, then plant flowers around it for a unique container garden.
Follow these free plans for constructing a small windmill water pump.
15- Gravity Power Water Pump
Use the law of physics to create a DIY water pump such as this one at instructables that is powered by gravity. No electricity or other power source needed to pump water. A great design for pumping water to an off grid homestead of hunting cabin in the woods.
Simple design has a very low construction cost and these free plans show you how to build this functional homemade water pump. You may also like to see homemade water filters to clean your water for make it drinkable like DIY rain barrel water.
16- PVC Pipe Hand Water Pump
This powerful hand water pump is capable of moving water or air, depending on your need. This easy-to-follow video instructional will walk you through each building step for this PVC pipe hand pump for water by lifehacker.
17- DIY Turbine Water Pump
Detailed YouTube video instructions show you how to create this DIY water pump by interestingengineering using water to power it. A small battery will also be needed to help pump water, but the turbine and battery power produce a lot of water movement.
Great for removing water from a flooded basement, off grid living or for pumping water to a vegetable garden or livestock. This homemade pump can pump a lot of water through it in a short amount of time. This is a good design for any job that requires pumping a lot of water. You may also like to see diy self watering planters.
Ending Note!
Having a small diy water pump is an ideal solution to move water from one point to another when living a self sustainable life. These DIY builts don’t require much technical knowledge or know-how and with a little DIY skill you can make use of any of these you like the most.
References:
Slideshare, pub: Jun 25, 2021, by VijithaVikneshwaran, “Water pump”, https://www.slideshare.net/VijithaVikneshwaran/water-pump-249478352
AIP Publishing, “A study of water pump efficiency for household water demand at Lubuklinggau”, Volume 1903, Issue 1
14 November 2017, by Anna Emiliawati, https://pubs.aip.org/aip/acp/article/1903/1/100003/856284/A-study-of-water-pump-efficiency-for-household
Science Direct, From: Centrifugal Pumps (Second Edition), 1992, “Water Pump”, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/water-pump
UK Essays, Published: 1st Jan 2015, “Water Pumping System For Rural Applicatio Engineering Essay”, https://www.ukessays.com/essays/engineering/water-pumping-system-for-rural-applicatio-engineering-essay.php