This handy DIY water pump has practical uses, whether you are camping or in a survival situation.

Easy to make, relatively inexpensive and lightweight, you can transport it into almost any situation and very quickly set yourself up with a pressurized water source.

This instructable will show you what I built. It is certainly not the best or only way to do it, but it is what I did & I find it quite handy at the campsite. Hopefully this will give you a couple of ideas for your own water pump system.

Step 1: Bucket Lid

For my system, I wanted to be able to pump water either from a bucket or an outside source such as a tank or stream.

I decided that I would mount a pump onto a lid of a bucket.

I made a plywood lid for a bucket by cutting out two circles, one slightly smaller than the inside of the bucket, and one slightly larger than the outside of the bucket. I then glued and stapled the two circles together and I had a nice solid surface to mount my pump and plumbing to.

Step 2: Mount The Pump

After making the lid, I was ready to mount the pump.

At first glance, the lid seemed like it provided so much room for the pump, however, like all real estate, it shrinks pretty fast when you start putting things on it…

Carefully decide where you want to mount your pump, trying to take into consideration plumbing, connections, electrical, etc…

Step 3: Start plumbing the system

I use PEX for almost all of my plumbing. I used to use copper, but I like PEX better because it can handle freezing, and it is cheaper than copper…

For my water system I wanted to be able to pull water either from a bucket or from an outside source such as a holding tank or stream. To accomplish this, I will install a hose connection on the bucket for the outside source, and a siphon pipe for pumping from the bucket. In the last picture you can see the line under the bucket lid. If the valve is open (as in the picture) and the valve on top of the bucket is closed, then the pump will draw from the bucket. If the valve is closed and the valve on top open, then it will draw from another outside source… Note to self, do not leave both open or water will be everywhere.

I could of used a bypass valve which would of only allowed water to come from direction, However I needed this pump the day I built it

Having a water source that is pressurized allows you to do so much more than just having access to water. Even something as simple as keeping clean becomes much easier because you can use this DIY water pump to pressurize a shower system.

Because it is portable, you can take it almost anywhere, which can make those back country treks much more enjoyable.

To see how to complete your DIY water pump, please visit Instructables.