Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer

instructables
Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer
by seamster
Something I've always needed but never had at my house is a utility sink.
I've gotten the stink-eye too many times for scrubbing some greasy thing in the kitchen sink or the bathtub, and cleaning
dirty things with a hose out in the yard or driveway is not very practical, especially in winter.
But . . . my garage isn't plumbed, and doing so isn't worth the cost or trouble.
So with this in mind I came up with a water system in my garage that includes a 30-gallon water barrel up in my shelves,
piped to a exible hose with a valve and faucet, and a mobile/stowable sink that doubles as the basin for a very simple
homemade parts washer.
When the sink is used for general washing, there's a large drain bucket underneath that can be removed and dumped
manually as needed. The water barrel in the shelves will need to be re lled occasionally, but probably not very often
based on how much water I use in the shop. These are minor drawbacks of course, but de nitely worth the hassle for
what is gained overall.
A parts washer (for those that may not know) is essentially a tub with an electric submersible pump that recirculates
either a solvent or other cleaning liquid, typically used for cleaning automotive parts, sometimes with a ow-through
cleaning brush or just a nozzle you point at the dirty thing and let the ow of cleaning liquid wash over the part
continuously.
I could have really used a parts washer on several projects over the years, but it's not something I need on a regular basis
so I couldn't justify having a dedicated "real" one.
This system I came up with includes a very simple DIY homemade parts washer that requires no extra space, but takes
advantage of the large utility sink basin, and it works perfectly for my occasional needs.
I'm very happy with the outcome and functionality this added to my garage workshop. Read on to see all the details.
Thanks for checking this out!
This project includes amazon a liate links.
Supplies:
If you want to make something similar, there are a lot of ways you could do it and perhaps make use of what you already
have on hand. I used a mix of new and used items, which helped keep the total cost down.
But here are the key things I needed.
For the basic water system:
30-gallon water drum/barrel with plastic bung caps (and drum wrench). I bought mine new at a local
grocery store for $60 with two caps included. Check your local online used marketplace; used barrels can
often be found for cheap for free (especially 55-gallon barrels).
Free-standing berglass utility sink (there are a lot of styles ). I bought mine used.
18-gallon barrel, used for the drain bucket. Contained some kind of soap originally. Free from a friend.
Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 1

Small section of PEX plumbing pipe, and various 1/2" ttings. Purchased new.
Section of 3/8" exible air hose. I had this on hand.
Some scrap plywood for the mobile base.
Four locking casters, new.
For the parts washer:

5-gallon bucket with easy-o lid
Dirt guard bucket insert (I used this from Harbor Freight, but you could use something like this on
amazon)
Pond pump (this speci c model, also from HF)
Flow-thru parts washer brush with hose
Additional 4-foot section of exible hose, approx. OD 5/8", ID 3/8". Had this on hand.
I found the utility sink at a local ReStore, and it was nasty--completely covered with grime and several layers of dried
paint. After a lot of cleaning and paint-stripping, eventually it was like new. But if I were to do this over, I might just opt
for buying a new one.
Speci cs details on the various parts will be outlined in the steps.

Step 1: Located a Space
My garage is continually evolving and I'm always trying to maximize the usefulness of the space.
Several years ago I built some high storage shelves.
Then some time later I built some large cabinets under these.
Then later I put some drawers under these on one side, and a horizontal le cabinet on the other.
This left a little nook in the middle where I stored various things over the years, but now it will become the storage place
for this mobile sink.

Step 2: Make a Mobile Sink
How this is done depends on what you have access to and how you want to proceed. My old utility sink has metal pipe
legs that are press- t into the bottom of the sink, so they're easy to remove if needed.
I took some measurements for the spacing of these legs and drilled matching holes in a piece of old plywood, which had
been cut to the size needed to hold the sink as well as have some casters mounted to it.
On the underside of the plywood board I glued and screwed some scrap wood bits to cover the bottom side of these
pipe holes. This way the pipe legs can be pressed down into the holes and rest on these wooden bits. It's simple and it
works.
The pipe legs were trimmed as needed to give me the desired total height of the sink on the base, as well as provide the
correct opening underneath to t a 5-gallon bucket.
Holes for the casters were drilled and they were mounted to the corners of the board.

Step 3: Drain Bucket
Initially I was going to use a 5-gallon bucket as the drain bucket. But I was given an old 18-gallon barrel, so I decided to
cut the bottom o and use this instead . . not really because of the increased capacity, but because it was clear-ish vs an
opaque bucket I had planned on using, so I can see how lled it is at a glance.
This was marked at 14.5 inches from the bottom (same height as a 5-gallon bucket), and then cut using a jig saw. Some
handles were cut as well, prior to making the main cut around the barrel.

Step 4: 30-gallon Barrel Cradle
I used some old pieces of 2x4 to make cradles to hold the water barrel. These pieces were marked as needed and cut
using a bandsaw. Notice the little tabs that I left on either side so these could be screwed in place up in my shelves.
Some pieces of old rubber oor mat were stapled to the sides of the cradle pieces to grip the barrel.
Matching cradle pieces where made to go on top of the barrel as well. These were screwed to a piece of plywood that
had been cut to t as needed above the barrel, so I could use the space above for storage.
A 3" hole was cut in my shelves for the piping from the barrel to pass through. I cut it oversized so if the barrel were to
leak, any drips would go directly through to the garage oor, which is sloped to the middle and down and out of the
garage.
The lower cradle pieces were positioned as needed and screwed in place to the shelf.

Step 5: Prep and Mount the Barrel
The plastic barrel cap "bungs" are each di erent from the other. One has a ne thread and no center thread and no
knock-out plug. This will be at the top. The other has a coarse thread with a plug in the middle and a threaded center. This
will be at the bottom.
I drilled out the center plug area on this cap, careful not to ruin the center threads. Then I wrapped the outside threads
with several wraps of te on tape.
This was then threaded into the barrel hole and tightened with a barrel wrench.
A metal tting was then wrapped with te on tape and tightened into the plastic cap.
The tting is: 1/2" x 3/4" MNPT Male Adapter. Like this on amazon, although I got all my ttings at either my local Ace
Hardware or Home Depot.
The barrel was then lifted into place up in my shelves, and the new top shelf was put on top of the barrel.

Step 6: Add Pipe
I used 1/2" PEX pipe and matching 1/2" ttings and pinch clamps to route some piping from the barrel tting down
through my shelves. All of this stu is common and can be found at your local hardware or home improvement stores.
To tighten the pinch clamps, I have a nice pair of Knipex ear clamp pliers that I used, but an old dull pair of end nippers
work great as well. To cut the pipe I just used my DeWalt utility knife but a PVC cutter would have probably been easier.
I connected the PEX to a long section of 3/8" exible air hose using a 1/2" PEX coupling and tightened this on the air hose
side with a hose clamp, since the pinch clamps I had wouldn't quite t on the air hose. To get the coupling into the air
hose I heated up the end of the hose with a heat gun to get the rubber a little more stretchy.
Why did I use air hose? I had lot on hand, and I gured since it's plenty good for high pressure air, it would be just ne for
no- or very low-pressure water.
Question: is the PEX necessary? Probably not. I likely could have just used the exible hose directly from the barrel tting,
but I liked the idea of a rigid section of pipe from the barrel through the shelf before transitioning to the exible hose
section. Inevitably more junk will be shoved up onto these shelves and the pipe might get bumped on occasion, so this
feels a little more robust.

Step 7: Route Hose to the Sink
Some cup hooks were installed on the outside of my cabinets to route the hose over to where the sink is.
I wanted this exible portion of hose to be easily moveable and adaptable, though, if a situation calls for it.
I can imagine wanting to set up the sink in a di erent part of the garage for some projects, so this is why I didn't hard-
pipe it this location permanently.
I cut some plastic from the leftover part of 18-gallon barrel mentioned earlier to make some hose hangers that I attached
to the underside of my shelves. I wasn't sure of how this was all going to work out at that point . . but I left them in place
because they might come in handy at some point later on.
I had a small hose and nozzle kicking around my garage (it was just like this: hair salon sprayer hose), so I cut o the
nozzle and attached that at the end of my water line with a 1/2" PEX ball valve above it. I attached a small block of wood
to the cabinet right below a cup hook, which works to kick the nozzle end out away from the cabinet.
The hose portion from this old salon sprayer came in handy to help nish the parts washer, which is covered in the
following steps.
After everything was in place, I dragged a hose into the garage and up a ladder and lled the barrel. I got a helper to shut
o the tap when the barrel was lled just below the top hole. The top cap was pressed into the opening but not threaded
in. This way, dust stays out but air can ow in so the water ows smoothly out the tap below. Oh and hey, no leaks!
This part is done. I now have a water source in my shop so can wash my hands, get rags wet, rinse things, wash out my
eyeballs if I try to blow sawdust out of a bowl-shaped object . . and so on.
And that large drain bucket will likely double as a urinal on occasion, just saying.

Step 8: Bonus Project: How to Build an Ultra Easy Homemade Parts Washer
The following steps outline how I made a simple homemade parts washer.
There was quite a lot of trial and error involved with this, and several purchases and returns of various pumps and ttings
until I settled on these parts and this speci c setup.
This step is here to explain what parts I used and why. This might not be ideal for you, but this works for me.
There are a lot of opinions out there on parts washers.
I'm not going to be rebuilding any engines, so I don't need a solvent-based washer and all the bells and whistles that
come with those setups. My approach is this: I'm just a doofus doing random projects in his garage--nothing serious, but I
often nd myself needing to clean dirty and greasy things.
This is just for occasional non-professional use, and I plan to only use aqueous-based cleaners (for starters, I went with
Simple Green Pro HD diluted with water 1:3).
The submersible pump I settled on is from Harbor Freight and is sold as a pond pump that (at the time of writing this)
cost $28. It has a built in lter and has the same ow rate as actual replacement parts washer pumps. It also has a variety
of ttings included and an especially long cord. It works very well so far.
The instructions for this pump note "This pump has been evaluated for use with fresh water only" along with other
suggestions that it not be used the way I'm using it. But I'd be willing to bet the core parts on this are exactly the same as
the universal parts washer pumps. Anyway, I'll risk it and eat the $28 if it goes bad on me prematurely.
Along with this choice of pump, I decided to get a bucket dirt guard insert (also from Harbor Freight) for two main
reasons: it gives me a nice place to securely mount the pump, and it keeps the pump a few inches o the bottom of the
bucket, so in theory the mucky bits will settle down there between uses and the pump will pull the somewhat cleaner
soapy water from mid-bucket.
I also got this exact ow-thru parts washer brush with hose , and this item especially proved useful because the hose it
came with works perfectly with the pump above. This is detailed in the following steps.
In addition I used a 4-foot section of exible hose I had on hand, along with a bucket, lid, and some ttings to complete
this simple washer.

Step 9: Pump/Dirt Guard Assembly
Start by taking the lter cover o the pump and sliding the mounting bracket o of the pump housing. The four suction
cups can then be pulled o of the bracket.
Use four small zip ties to attach the bracket to the dirt guard bucket insert. I positioned it so the pump outlet would be
near the middle of the bucket.
In the pump package there is a large collection of outlet ttings. There are three basic hose barb ttings, and the middle
size is what I used here.
Reattach the lter cover and screw in the hose tting to the pump outlet.

Step 10: Mount in Bucket
Attach the hose that came with the ow-thru brush to the hose tting on the pump, and place the pump/dirt guard
assembly into the bucket.
Mark the hose where it should be cut so it butts up nicely against the bucket wall about 1.5" down from the top edge.
Take hose o of pump tting and cut hose as needed.
Insert a 3/8" hose barb coupler or similar into the end of the hose and a x with a crimp or hose clamp. In order to insert
the coupling, I had to heat up the hose end with a heat gun for a few seconds to make it more pliable.
Drill two holes in the top of the bucket about 1.5" down from the top edge, sized as needed. One is for the coupling to
pass through. The other is for the power cord from the pump. For the power cord hole, cut down from the top of the
bucket to make a U shaped cutout as shown in the last two photos here.
A separate section of appropriately-sized hose is then attached to the hose coupling on the outside of the bucket. This
hose will lead up to the sink and can be used as-is to stream liquid into the sink, or attached to the ow-thru brush.
I lled the bucket with one gallon of Simple Green Pro HD cleaner with 3 gallons of water.

Step 11: Customize and Use It!
I attached a scrap wood block to the back of my sink with a couple of screws, and drilled a hole in one side of this to feed
the washer hose up from the bucket. A piece of copper wire was attached to the wood block as well, which can be used
to hold the hose in a speci c position if needed.
A screw-in hanger was attached to the bottom of the wood block so I can hang the pump power cord and washer
hose/brush when not in use.
When the parts washer setup is being used, the regular drain bucket is moved out and the washer bucket is placed under
the drain.
An old upside down milk crate or similar can be placed in the sink to prop up parts when you're cleaning them, as long as
it doesn't block the drain.
I've noticed that the soap/water mix will foam up after a few minutes of use. I may need to decrease the volume in the
bucket so it's not quite so full. A quick search shows various anti-foaming ideas, which I may also need to try.
But that's it for a simple parts washer. It works well and was super simple to assemble and incorporate in my broader
workshop water system!

Step 12: Go Forth and Wash Things
When not in use, the sink can be rolled under my cabinets and out of the way.
What do you think? Tell me what I did wrong and what you would have done di erent in the comments!


Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

instructables

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 1

For the parts washer:

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 2

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 7

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 9

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 16

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 20

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 23

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 28

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 33

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 37

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 39

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 43

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 48

Mobile Workshop Sink With Easy DIY Parts Washer: Page 54

You might also like