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Field Sink
by hpstoutharrow on September 17, 2009 Table of Contents Field Sink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: Field Sink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 1: Conserve Water vs. the Traditional camp hand washing technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 2: Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 3: Fresh Water Bucket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 4: Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 5: Basin Construction - The Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 6: Basin Construction (cont.) - Join the Side Wall & Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 4 6 6 7 8 9

Step 7: Foot Pump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Step 8: Support Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Step 9: Spout Riser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Step 10: Spout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Step 11: Connect the Pump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Step 12: Ready for Clean-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Step 13: Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

http://www.instructables.com/id/Field-Sink/

Intro: Field Sink

Bring running water to remote locations with this foot pump operated wash station. Perfect for camp or the patio. Ideal for campfire or BBQ grill-side food prep clean-up. Ready for a duch oven or BBQ outdoor cook competition yet miles from running water? Our scout troop uses this Hand Washing Station to clean up before, and during meal food prep. Even if you are just grilling on the back deck, use this set-up grill-side to keep from from running into the house for a quick rinse every time sauce is slopped. And if its a party...just watch guests try to open a screen door with sticky BBQ covered hands. This pump is made to be operated with a foot...can't say the same for a sliding screen door! This is ideal for an outdoor group washing-up before meals. Especially when cooking at camp, it would be nice for the cooks to easily clean-up while preparing food with a more traditional sink with running water to promote: Safe Food Handling Practices - No Faucet Handle to turn ON and OFF with Dirty Hands. - Its easy (and fun) to use...so it gets used! (apparently its cool to squirt water with a foot pump) - There's room for a soap dispenser right there on the table (up off the ground). It also helps with: Water Conservation - The on-demand pump system uses a lot less water (compared to letting gravity spill it from a water jug spigot. How it works: A foot pump transfers clean water from the lower bucket up and out the spout for hand washing. The wash water is collected a basin and drained and stored in a gray water bucket receptacle. When all the fresh water has been transfered to the in the gray water bucket, the gray water is emptied into the fire ring to douse the campfire The video shows the set-up, convenient "all-in-the-bucket" storage, and the Hand Washing Station in action.

A patch to the first to call out the troop identifier in a comment

http://www.instructables.com/id/Field-Sink/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Field-Sink/

Step 1: Conserve Water vs. the Traditional camp hand washing technique
Before this Instructable camp wash station, this was the well documented typical food preparation procedure at camp in 10 easy steps. (remember these are young teen scouts learning cooking and cleaning responsibility.) 1. Raw chicken is removed from its package and karate chop hacked into cubes (ok...chunks) with several finger-slicing near-misses with the knife. 2. The hacked raw chicken pieces are grabbed, and with the precisionons of an NBA three point shot, are individually tossed into the dutch oven....swoosh...nothing but cast iron...(most of the time). 3. With a sense of winning the game at the buzzer, hands are about to be ceremoniously wiped on the pants. Wait...there's a whistle on the play...Leadership refereering intervenes... a technical foul is called. The penalized scout is directed to go properly wash his hands. Properly washing entailed a trip to the 5 gallon spigotted blue jug propped on the end of the picnic table. 4. These same chickened hands open the spogot to start the WATER FLOWING.... One-thousand 1 One-thousand 2 One-thousand 3 5. The hands are wetted One thousand 4 One thousand 5 One thousand 6 6. Soap is applied One thousand 7 One thousand 8 7. Wash One thousand 9 "ewugh"...pause to examine and scrape a rogue piece of chicken stuck to a finger One thousand 10 One thousand 11 Wash some more...wants to be thorough...because that's just how scouts are... One thousand 12 One thousand 13 8. Rinse one thousand 14 One thousand 15 and Rinse

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one thousand 16 and some more (because it takes a while to rinse away the suds of six pumps of soap) One thousand 17 One thousand 18 9. Shake hands to fling water drops and for a quick air dry One thousand 19 One thousand 20 10. Turn CHICKEN COVERED spigot OFF...with a once clean hand. Lets critique the process: Hands cleaned ...Check Hands re-contaminated from the spigot...Check Boots submerged (in a newly created mud puddle under the water jug)...Check Pant legs soaked (from spigot water splashing into same puddle)....Check Water jug successfully relieved of a gallon or more of water....Check (Which means after the next 4 washes, the "discussion" about whose turn it is to fetch more water will start. Which will be followed by a unanimus scout group decision that their hands are not really that dirty after all) ...and then...hand washing in general...is over...Check TASK COMPLETE! While this new wash station can't make campers wash their hands, it can make it easier, and prevent a soaking; all while conserving water. Pumping water, even with a foot pump, requires effort so you know water use will be kept to a bare minimum...letting gravity spill it on the ground is easy... and fast! The same 5 gallons now lasts all day even with everyone washing their hands for meals.

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Step 2: Materials
The central components of this project are 5 gallon buckets with lids and a marine (outboard motor) fuel primer squeeze bulb and hose assy. The Squeeze Bulb is the pump that moves the water from the Fresh Water Bucket up to the Spout and out, collected and funneled by the Basin into the Gray Water Bucket the rest is just plumbing and support Major Components (3) 5 gallon utility buckets (2) 5 gallon bucket lids Marine fuel primer bulb and hose assy 3/8" brass fittings Rubber O-ring 3/8" tubing various 1" and 1/2" plumbing pipe sections and fittings Automotive steel fuel/brake line Door hinge Scrap wood

Step 3: Fresh Water Bucket

Drill a 3/8" diameter hole about 1" from the bottom of what will be the Fresh Water Bucket. 1. From the inside of the bucket, feed the male end of a 3/8" 90 degree brass fitting though the hole in the bucket. (Place an O-ring on the inside of the bucket at the base of the 90 degree fitting before pushing it though the bucket wall (Photo 2). When the fittings are tightened the Oring will seal the hole in the bucket.) 2. From the outside of the bucket, thread on a female 3/8" barbed hose fitting. 3. Thread a second male barbed hose fitting into the 90 degree fitting inside the bucket. (Photo 3) 4. Angle the open end of the barbed fitting downward until it touches the bottom of the bucket. (photo 3) This will help to pull water from the very bottom of the bucket allowing it to almost completely empty the bucket before it needs refilling. Alternate Construction Note: If you don't want to add a hole to a perfectly good bucket to dedicate it to this project, you may be able to cut a hole in the fresh water bucket lid at the very outer edge and snake the hose down into the bucket (make sure the buckets will still stack). This should also work, and eliminate the need for the brass hose fittings (less $'s) but, the hose may curl and not stay submerged especially because the hose will be coming out of the top of the bucket and will have to travel down to the pump on the ground.

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Image Notes 1. Note O-ring placed between the 90 degree fitting and the bucket

Image Notes 1. Note the open end of the barbed fitting is angled down to touch the bottom of the bucket. This allows the bucket to be almost completely drained.

Step 4: Basin
The Basin is a nice finishing touch. It is not entirely necessary but it serves a few purposes. Number one...it is a lid for the Grey Water Bucket. It keeps you from staring at bucket of dirty, soapy water from the last guy, while you wash your hands. It also keeps that same dirty, used water from splashing back up on your clean hands while your are washing. The Basin also allows hands to be washed inside the basin's high side walls - keeping the falling spout water from splashing off your hands onto your pants. Because the Basin sits almost entirely above the grey water bucket it does not compromise the storage capacity of the gray water bucket. This means that the gray water bucket does not need to be emptied until the fresh water bucket is exhausted and ready to be refilled. Hand washing could be done directly over an open Gray Water Bucket without the Basin but, as it fills; imagine trying to wash-up with water splashing into a nearly full bucket of used water. A similar commercial product (Wishy Washy) selling for $90 (buckets not included, shipping extra) is set up with an open gray water bucket. The addition of the basin shown here and the provisions for stacking the two buckets to bring hand washing to counter height, improves on the comercial product and go a long way to make the system more practical than splashing water from a waist high spout into a open bucket of gray water on the ground.

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By the way, the material to make the system shown here did not cost anywhere near $90..nor even Half that! And both systems use similar Marine Outboard fuel primer squeeze bulb and hose assemblies that cost around $15-20. (or buy cheaper hardware hose (Chemical resistant hose is not necessary with water) and the squeeze bulb with check valve is around $12 by itself). Another $15 for plumbing, tubing & fittings; throw in some scrap wood and it will land far less than $90!

Image Notes 1. Cut off the top of a bucket 3/4" below the lowest rim flange

Step 5: Basin Construction - The Bottom

The Basin is constructed from the the upper portion of a third bucket and a bucket lid. Removing the Outer Rim of a lid creates the Trimmed Lid which will be the bottom of the Basin. 1. Remove the rubber seal from the underside of a bucket lid. 2. Cut along the bottom of the trench that the seal was in. (dotted path in Photo 2) Cut all the way around the lid to remove the Outer Rim. (Photo 2 & 3 shows where to cut) 3. After cutting off the Outer Rim, clean-up the outer diameter of the lid by trimming any excess material so that the outer diameter of the lid is flush with the Upstanding Rib Wall. When complete the overall lid diameter should not extend beyond the Upstanding Rib Wall. Note: In the completed basin photos in step 5, notice that the bottom of the basin is concave. To achieve this "bowl shape", the lid was heated in the oven at about 275 degrees F for about 15 minutes to soften the plastic. While hot, it was worked over the bottom of a large glass mixing bowl to impart the concave shape. The removal of the Outer Rim was done after this forming. "Stretching" the lid to form this shape is not necessary, and was in fact, the most difficult part of the process. (handling hot plastic while stretching and keeping it from buckeling and over-thinning is not so easy). Well worth the effort thought...It gives it a true sink look and better funnels the water to the center drain...much better than a flat lid basin bottom.

Image Notes 1. Outer Rim Removed 2. Compete Lid before rework - seal and Outer Rim in place. 3. Upstanding Rib Wall - Remove all material outboard of this wall.

Image Notes 1. Outer Rim to be removed 2. Cut line 3. Upstanding Rib Wall.

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Image Notes 1. Top Side View of Lid - All material outboard of this cut line should be removed. (Remove the material all the way around the lid)

Image Notes 1. This is the outer rim removed 2. A new lid before this outer rim is removed.

Step 6: Basin Construction (cont.) - Join the Side Wall & Bottom
The Basin is just a shorter bucket with a center drain hole, that sits inside the top of the Gray Water Bucket. The Trimmed Lid from the previous step, added as a bottom to the cut off top portion of another bucket, creates a shortened bucket Basin. 1. Cut-off the top rim portion of a third bucket. The cut should be about 3/4 of an inch below the last flange on the bucket. When cut, the removed upper portion of a bucket forms the Basin Side Wall. 2. Fit the the Trimmed Lid from step 4 into the Basin Side Wall. 3. From the underside of the Basin Side Wall, make sure the Upstanding Rib Wall on the Trimmed Lid is flush with the bottom of the Basin Side Wall. (photo 2) 4. Drill (4) 1/8 inch diameter holes through the Upstanding Rib Wall on the Trimmed Lid and the Basin Side Wall. Drill the holes at North, South, East, West) 5. Use Aluminum pop-rivets (with washer) to secure these two components through the four drilled holes. Note the interface between the Trimmed Lid and the Basin Side Wall does not have to be a full waterproof seal. Because the finished Basin will fit inside the Gray Water Bucket, any water that seeps through at this joint will drip into the Gray Water Bucket.

Image Notes 1. Cut off the top of a bucket 3/4" below the lowest rim flange

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Image Notes 1. Trimmed lid Upstanding Rib Wall flush (up/down) with the bottom edge of the Basin Side Wall

Image Notes 1. Basin flange sits inside the Gray Water Bucket.

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Step 7: Foot Pump

The pump is made from a marine (outboard motor) fuel line primer squeeze bulb. The hose and bulb (with integral check valve) was purchased as an assembly from a sporting good / hardware store that sells marine supplies for outboard motors. The pedal assembly was made from scrap wood, a door hinge, wood dowels, and a foam rubber toy ball. The dowels (glued into holes in the wood base) allow the bulb to move up and down freely when pumped. The open top of the dowels make for easy installation and removal of the bulb for storage. The foam rubber ball prevents damage to the rubber squeeze bulb. The ball was cut in half and epoxied into a recess on the underside of the pedal. The recess was cut with a hole saw drill bit and then the material inside the hole saw cut was chiseled out.

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Step 8: Support Table

The Support Table serves a few purposes. The wider stance of the table provides stability for the two buckets. A nearly filled Gray Water Bucket stacked on top of a nearly empty Clean Water Bucket can be a bit of a top heavy tip hazard on uneven ground. The table also holds the Clean Water Bucket a few inches off the ground. This reduces the impact to ground cover when compared to a a bucket sitting directly on the ground for an extended period of camping. The table is also a place for a bottle of pump soap and a wrist watch removed for hand washing.

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Step 9: Spout Riser

The main purpose of the Support Table is to attach the Spout Riser. The Spout Riser is a combination of 1" dia. and 1/2" dia. galvanized pipe sections threaded together and attached to the Support Table. The galvanized pipes that make up the Spout Riser threads into a plumbing mounting flange attached to the table.

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Step 10: Spout

The Spout is formed from an automotive steel fuel/brake line. (purchased as a generic 4' section at the local auto supply store) 1. Bend it into a 180 degree cane shape. The diameter of the bend should be 1/2 diameter of the bucket. This will position the Spout nozzle over the hole in the bottom of the Basin. Note: The flared end of the brake line adds a finished look to the open "Nozzle" end of the Spout. 2. Slide a 2" section of clear hardware tubing onto the other end of the Spout. 3. Slide a 1/2" to 3/8" galvanized reducer fitting on the Spout. 4. Then slide about a 24" length of tubing onto the Spout. The reducer fitting will be trapped in location on the Spout by the two sections of tubing; yet free to spin and thread onto the Spout Riser. Note: The contact area of several inches of tubing "sleeved" over the bottom edn of the Spout, and the low pressures involved, means a clamp is not required to retain the tubing or to prevent leaks at this joint. 5. Feed the Spout, and Tubing Assembly down through the Spout Riser pipes and thread the reducer fitting onto the top of the 1/2" Spout Riser Pipe. Ignore the wine cork shown in the photos it is remenents of an earlier spout locating scheme.

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Image Notes 1. 1/2" to 3/8" reducer fitting 2. Location of first section of tubing 3. Second Section of tubing slid onto the end of the Spout

Image Notes 1. Clear tubing "sleeved" over the Spout

Image Notes 1. Feed the Spout and tubing assembly down through the Spout Riser pipes

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Step 11: Connect the Pump

After feeding the Spout and Tubing through the Spout Riser pipes connect the clear tubing to the tubing attached to the squeeze bulb pump. (or it could connect directly to the squeeze bulb but because I bought the bulb and hose as an assembly I wanted to leave the factory clamps in place) The reason there are two sections of tubing is so that the unit can be disassembled for storage. The upper clear tubing remains attached to the Spout as a friction fit. There is no room for a clamp inside the smaller diameter upper Spout Riser pipe so the servicable connection is made under the Support Table.

Step 12: Ready for Clean-up

Now that this handy wash station is assembled its time to clean-up. Fill the lower Fresh Water Bucket with... you guessed it...fresh water. Put a lid on the Fresh Water Bucket place the Gray Water Bucket on top and cover it up with the Basin. Start pumping. Health Note: One of the scouts suggested this would be a good "bug juice" (Lemonade) dispenser. Sounds cool except, the Marine grade chemical resistant primer bulb specifically indicates it is not food grade safe. Water for hand washing should be fine...prolonged contact with ingestible liquids - not good.

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Step 13: Storage

Note: Each of the components - Pump, Pedal, two sections of Spout Riser pipes and the Spout and Tubing Assembly are sized to fit within the height of the bucket for storage. - Everything is stored inside the Gray Water Bucket. - This bucket fits inside the Fresh Water Bucket (The brass fittings in the Fresh Water Bucket are mounted low enough that they do not prevent the buckets from nesting fully together.) - The Basin fits inside the top of the Gray Water Bucket (the 1/2" pipe portion of the Spout Riser fits through the drain hole in the Basin) The Fresh Water Lid fits on top of the Basin to close everything up.

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Field-Sink/

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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 58 comments

wendilane says:

May 3, 2010. 11:24 PM REPLY OK ... I'm in the process of building this now. The Homer Buckets have gone through a slight design change compared to the ones you have in the photos. What I had to do in order for the basin to nest into the grey water tank was to push the trimmed lid up about an inch to relieve the pressure for the basin to nest properly. Yes, the basin is a little more shallow, but not really that much to notice. In fact, I kind of like it a little more as the rivets are now up a little higher and not in the path of the two buckets. I'm building three complete units, but want to have one completed before Roundtable this Thursday to show other Scouters. Thanks for putting up the ible!

wendilane says:
Giving a little back ... Ok ... made some new foot pumps. This time, I took a lot of pics. If you don't want this, feel free to delete the post. Enjoy!

Nov 10, 2010. 8:30 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/Field-Sink/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Field-Sink/

windowi says:
Hey! What size is the primer bulb you used? and if you ordered it online, where from? Thanks for the great pics!!

Nov 21, 2010. 12:28 PM REPLY

wendilane says:
Here you go ... and it's on sale at the moment! http://www.harborfreight.com/fluid-siphon-pump-93290.html

Nov 21, 2010. 3:24 PM REPLY

Also, if you look in today's (Sunday) paper (if you are in the States), and have a local HF store where you live (like we do here in Phoenix), look for a 20% off coupon. Print out the online listing (the stores match the online price) and take that and the coupon into the store and you'll get this for 4.79+tax. This pump has the check valve build in, so it self primes, which is what you need.

bxfl says:
Do you think this pump would work? http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Hopkins-FloTool-clear-tube-super-siphon/_/N26df?counter=1&filterByKeyWord=siphon+pump&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=159128_0_0_ I can't find if it is self-priming. Thank you for your help!

Jan 28, 2011. 12:54 PM REPLY

wendilane says:

Jan 30, 2011. 4:08 PM REPLY Self priming pumps usually have an arrow indicating the direction of flow somewhere on the pump bulb. By looking at the picture of the Hopkins FloTool brand siphon pump and by searching listings from other suppliers, it doesn't appear to to have the check valve. You can also check with a Marine Supply store, if you have one in your area.

windowi says:
Wow! thank you very much, just ordered mine, also did you glue the blue ball onto the wood? Thank you for your time.

Nov 29, 2010. 12:25 PM REPLY

wendilane says:
Yes. I used a 5 minute epoxy to secure the ball to the underside of the foot pedal.

Nov 29, 2010. 2:19 PM REPLY

wendilane says:

May 5, 2010. 3:11 PM REPLY All I have to say is - What a great project! We did a "sink wettening" (a.k.a. boat christening but for sinks) of the first station last night without a single leak, and were very impressed with the output flow. Completed the second station this afternoon, so all is ready to demonstrate at Roundtable. (Hopefully, soon, you'll get some more hits from AZ.) As soon as I take the pics, I'll post them up. We've already begun looking at ways to help reduce the cost per unit, i.e. utilizing used 5 gallon buckets, using other materials other than galvanized pipe and fittings (largest cost items). At what I used, the cost per station is $49 (minus tax), which is definitely less than what is out there commercially.

hpstoutharrow says:

May 5, 2010. 9:31 PM REPLY Look forward to seeing your pics. Glad to see that others found it useful. And certainly, there is always room for improvement. Regarding the choice of materials, there is a lot of latitude. As a matter of personal preference only; I chose steel pipes; gives it a robust sructural element reminsent of the cast iron hand pumps found at camp. Could have used PVC or something else to support the spout but, I fancied the archetectural asthetics of the tappering 1" to 1/2" to 3/8" sky scraper inspired tower. (That and... I had the pipe left over from another project.) By the way, if interested...there are a few other scout friendly projects published earlier and a few more yet to come.

wendilane says:
TIP: Save the grey water Since building the "twins", we have never used "clean water" to put out our campfires.

Sep 14, 2010. 3:44 PM REPLY

Another Tip: Get the foaming pump soap, instead of using regular soft-soap. Your boys will end up using even less water. One squirt to wet the hands, "foam up", then rinse.

wendilane says:

Sep 12, 2010. 4:51 PM REPLY Ok ... took me a while to get the pics pulled from my phone from the weekend after Roundtable (still haven't fired up camera that has the Roundtable pics). Since my previous report, the was stations were used at a Father's and Son's campout the following weekend, during a week long 50 miler in June, and at a Scoutmaster Outdoor Leader Skills Training at the end of August. Since then, I have received numerous requests for the link to your "ible". Every compliment I get means Kudos out to you, and I make sure people know this was your idea and not mine! ;)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Field-Sink/

hpstoutharrow says:

Sep 14, 2010. 3:04 PM REPLY NICE WORK! Thanks for the photos. The set up is great. Love the "His and Hers" double sink concept...just like a true wash room. This is another that project might be of interest to add Hot running water to camp: http://www.instructables.com/id/Camp-Hot-Water-Heater-with-an-easy-to-use-Dispens/

wendilane says:

Sep 14, 2010. 3:25 PM REPLY I'll tell you what ... having two sinks going keeps the lines down quite well. We had 58 leaders at the Outdoor Skills Training last month and didn't have any issue handling the volume. Sep 14, 2010. 3:22 PM REPLY

wendilane says:
Thanks!

I definitely took advantage of the Hot Water idea, given that we had one of those pots as well ... turned our great! Thanks again!

bxfl says:
What are the dimensions of the table top? Thanks!

Jan 28, 2011. 1:18 PM REPLY

KittyF says:
I was thinking that a flat drain cover would also help conserve water.

Dec 1, 2010. 6:07 AM REPLY

When we're camping we use the old fashioned method of one basin for washing, and one for rinsing, but then there's only five of us usually, not 50. LOL The nice thing about your set up for camping would be one fill for the whole day. or even the whole trip maybe.

CrackdownMN says:
Genius!! I think I'll build it for my next holidays!

Sep 1, 2010. 3:41 AM REPLY

tommyhays says:

Jul 22, 2010. 2:23 PM REPLY If the o-rings did not work and it leaks from the hole i drilled, what do you suggest i do to keep it from leaking??? Other than that i have completed the project and have already used it when i went camping and it was awesome! i used pvc pipe as my spout though and it still did the trick! Jul 12, 2010. 11:27 AM REPLY I do a lot of outdoor catering and have always used the gravity type hand washing station with a 5 gal. bucket to catch the grey water. I've often thought "What a waste of water; there has to be a better way to do this (hand wash). I really like the way that this was presented. I know it will make the folks at the Health Department happy!

Dutch56 says:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Field-Sink/

OruKun says:

Jun 23, 2010. 8:01 PM REPLY Making a reservoir at the top or making a compressed air field sink with a valve would be commendable. As to pump then turn on, and maybe over pump and wash your hands several times before pumping again. Just a recommendation, since its weird but of no large consequence to basically tap your foot while washing your hands unless your singing a jig or something. But i feel like making one now Good instruct!

TheInventor1997 says:
it never occured to me that some of my favourite camping 'ibles came from the same person!

Jun 11, 2010. 6:54 PM REPLY

TheInventor1997 says:

Jun 7, 2010. 12:45 PM REPLY hmm to make it look nicer you can make a sink cover so you look at wood instead of bucket and maybe you could paint the basin so it looks nicer, an elegant addition to a fort to be Jun 6, 2010. 8:07 AM REPLY This is a very good instructable! I am going to make several of these for my National Guard unit. I found siphon pumps for $2.50 each, and a local Chinese restaurant throws out several soy sauce buckets each week... The foot pump wood will come from scrap pallets. Total cost: pretty low! Thank you for posting this instructable, and good luck with your Scouts!

tomstedham says:

eulaliaaaa! says:
Troop 558!

May 8, 2010. 10:11 AM REPLY

eulaliaaaa! says:
That's my troop.

May 8, 2010. 10:15 AM REPLY

eulaliaaaa! says:
And I see that you are with Troop 49.

May 8, 2010. 10:14 AM REPLY

josh says:
This is one of the best instructables I've seen! it's also a great idea for group campouts and primitive living situations! If one were to use a black 5gal bucket placed in the sun you could even have warm water! Thanks for sharing this great project!

May 2, 2010. 7:17 PM REPLY

rerxmorgan says:

May 1, 2010. 11:33 PM REPLY First off let me say what a great way to improve upon the camping experience. This looks like a fabulous project and I plan to do it next weekend. My question is what is the off-white color piece on the brake line (spout)? I have read and reread the instructable but cannot seem to figure this out. Thanks for a great project.

hpstoutharrow says:

May 2, 2010. 2:20 PM REPLY I tried to cover this obsolete component with a foot note at the bottom of step 10. The piece you are referring to is wine bottle cork (the man-made synthetic variety) drilled and slid on the the spout. It was the original means of keeping the spout from dropping down into the riser. It was replaced by the shorter section of clear tubing. I just never took the cork off. Sorry for the confusion I... guess I did not make the explanation prominent enough.

spankieway says:
This is a really good idea for the average person, but how would this work for someone with physical disabilities?

Apr 30, 2010. 11:29 PM REPLY

May 2, 2010. 2:08 PM REPLY hpstoutharrow says: Granted, this project is not an assist for someone with a physical disabilities. I was publishing it for its own merits as a wash station. It just happened to coincide with the Humana "Health by Design" contest and after reading the rules (quoted at the end of this reply) it seemed eligible so I checked the enter box.

Encouraging cleanliness, and safe food handling practices by making hand washing convenient and fun (in an environment notorious for swamp stomping, frog catching, tree climbing and all around earthy good times in the great outdoors) seems like a promotion of healthy habits. Certainly not as noble as the instructables that directly aid the disabled, but within the scope of the contest per the discription. Contest Rules: "The rules are simple. Enter any Instructable that promotes health, or that makes life easier for those who have been afflicted by sickness, injury, or any disability. Your project can be small or large, simple or complex - all that matters is that it makes someone's life healthier, happier, and more productive."
http://www.instructables.com/id/Field-Sink/

omakii says:
FANTASTIC idea and execution! Thanks for bringing food safety on your camping trip! I'll be recommending this to every troop I encounter. You, sir, will be a legend :)

May 2, 2010. 9:41 AM REPLY

marks69 says:
Hey great idea :-)

Apr 30, 2010. 4:09 AM REPLY

Eeloie says:

Apr 29, 2010. 5:48 PM REPLY I just looooooove this! What's more, with your great directions, I think I can do it. I don't go camping, but I cook and garden quite a bit on my deck. Now that I'm retired, I spend almost the entire day on the deck when I'm not running errands. This would be great and save me running back and forth to the kitchen when I want to rest or go back to my book or laptop. Thanks so much for your design and creativity.

Broberg says:
Forgot to mebtion thae cleaver code you left behind... Great job making us pay attention to details!

Apr 29, 2010. 2:55 PM REPLY

Broberg says:

Apr 29, 2010. 2:44 PM REPLY I have to admit this is a wonderful idea! I am looking at an afordable way to have a wash station/sink for our family camps and this is it! The photos and directions are spot on! I can't wait to get started on our Field Sink soon (maybe this next weeek even) Thanks for all the hard work you do with your scouts and have a great time enjoying the great outdoors!!! Apr 29, 2010. 9:17 AM REPLY There are very few day-to-day things that light me up more than clear ingenuity and creativity to make life more simply functional. This falls right into that category nicely. Wo/Man, I love this site!!

ladybanksia99 says:

casman300 says:
would it be easy to atach a filling hole to the fresh wather to help the lasy people

Apr 28, 2010. 10:01 AM REPLY

jwelkin says:
Beautiful! This fills a long-standing need. Thank you kindly from both the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts!

Apr 28, 2010. 7:29 AM REPLY

trike road poet says:

Apr 27, 2010. 12:38 PM REPLY Just sent this to the local scout troop run by a friend, he's making it a troop project. Thanks for a seriously outstanding idea and clear pictures of how to do it. You once again bring us a fun project with panache and useful! Apr 27, 2010. 9:54 AM REPLY Great Idea. Easy and portable. Just needed a warning about being careful as to where the top bucket is placed (put down on dirt) when emptying. Seems that a dirty bottom will "unsanitized" clean water when placed back on, after emptyng. Just a thought. But Great work keep the ideas coming. Apr 27, 2010. 7:38 AM REPLY

rafa3410 says:

mario59 says:
I'm amazed on how simple, straightforward and useful this idea is... I think I'm not exaggerating saying that there's something "genius" inside, since I NEVER SEEN ANYTHING similar to it... I'm a various eaons camper and this is the BEST SOLUTION on having running water wherever you are, I ever seen!!! congratulations hpstoutharrow !!!!! ;-)

dchall8 says:
Very nice. You have worked out a lot of problems with this design. Making the bowl is very clever.

Apr 26, 2010. 4:56 PM REPLY

If you put some full strength, chlorine bleach into the fresh water, you could have a sanitary set-up. I believe it is 5 tablespoons (2.5 fluid ounces) for 5 gallons of water to sanitize it for washing . Is there a reason to use galvanized pipe instead of PVC? I'm glad I stuck with reading this, but I can't recommend it to others with that distracting discussion in Step 1. I thought you were off on another project.

dzent1 says:

Apr 26, 2010. 10:19 PM REPLY You can't recommend this incredibly well presented project to others because he had the audacity to write about it the way he wanted to? I'll be recommending the h*ll out of it. GREAT IDEA, hpstoutharrow! Thank you for posting this and solving a genuine problem with style and flair. And with minimal cost as well.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Field-Sink/

SamK92595 says:

Apr 26, 2010. 7:24 PM REPLY Just spitballing ideas here, what if you didnt use a table and found a way to use those infaltable water bag thingys for bckpaking, that way you could not use a pedal and have a almost perfect backpacking sink Apr 26, 2010. 5:45 PM REPLY

red scourge says:

Very nice! Is the troop identifier 49?

hpstoutharrow says:
A Patch to red scourge on behalf of Troop 49!

Apr 26, 2010. 6:30 PM REPLY

rimar2000 says:
Very good design!

Apr 26, 2010. 5:31 PM REPLY

ksqrd says:

Apr 26, 2010. 5:00 PM REPLY Great idea! Wish we had one of these when I was a scout, might have washed my hands more before eating, and not grossed out my parents when they saw me come home. I did not read it all, is there a back flow preventer valve to keep water up at the faucet, or is that built in to the pump? Great job, if only I had more room for gear, this would go on my next trip.

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Field-Sink/