A Homemade Vacuum Pump and Air Pump

By The Mother Earth News Editors
Published on January 1, 1981
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The completed air pump/vacuum pump at work inflating a tire.
The completed air pump/vacuum pump at work inflating a tire.
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Diagram shows the parts and assembly method for air/vacuum pump.
Diagram shows the parts and assembly method for air/vacuum pump.

Most cost-conscious folks would frown on the purchase of a product that might see use only once or twice in a year’s time. But when that same implement can be salvaged–at almost no expense–chances are that the frowns will turn to smiles no matter how often the device is used!

Such is the case with MOTHER EARTH NEWS’ homemade vacuum pump and air pump, which is nothing more than a slightly modified refrigerator compressor, but is still capable of inflating tires, filling air tanks, recharging cooling systems, or evacuating heat pipes, all with just a little tinkering. Our research crew discovered several years ago that many folks were literally begging to be rid of old iceboxes–most of which had bad door seals or temperamental thermostats, but perfectly good compressors–so locating the “raw material” for this project should be no problem, even if it requires a trip to your local dump.

Build It in an Hour

The conversion from cooler to pump is an easy one. The job requires a tubing cutter or hacksaw, a drill with an assortment of bits, a soldering iron and some 50/50 general-purpose plumbing solder, a handsaw, a 9/16″ wrench, and a pair of pliers. In the way of hardware, you’ll need six No. 8 X 1″ flathead wood screws, a No. 6 X 2″ threaded wood fastener, a 1/4″ pipe tee, a 1/4″ pipe to 1/4″ tube flare coupling, a 1/4″ pipe to 1/4″ hose barb, a 1/4″ male 45° permanent flare coupling (available from your local refrigeration and heating supply jobber), a 1/4″ X 2″ bolt with nut and washer, and a 1/4″ stem 0-100 PSI pressure gauge. A scrap of 2 X 4 about 32″ long will also be required, and a length of bicycle tire pump hose.

The first step, of course, is to investigate a fridge or two until you discover a self-contained hermetic compressor. (Be warned that not all canister-style pressurizers are the same. Some have a permanent oil reservoir, while others use the circulating refrigerant as a lubricant and hence will not run indefinitely when salvaged. Ask your local refrigeration mechanic. He or she may be able to tell you which type your choice is.) Remove the mechanism by unbolting its mounting platform from the refrigerator frame and cutting the coolant “feed” lines as far from the drive unit as possible. (Important: Always wear goggles and gloves–and work in a well-ventilated area–whenever you are discharging a refrigerant.)

Next, locate the largest -diameter pipe (this suction “hose” is usually found protruding from the bottom of the canister) and the uppermost 3/16″-outside-diameter tube (which is the discharge hose) on the housing. Trim the inlet line to about 6″ in length, and the outlet line to a foot or so …taking care not to collapse either conduit wall as you cut. With this done, remove an 8″ section of 1/4″ O.D. flared-end copper tubing from one of the lines left in the main body of the cooler (if you can’t find one, just 45° flare the tip of a scrounged straight piece of tube), and cut a 2″ stub off the “funneled” end.

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