The suck bucket

[willie59]

Well, I've posted this handy little shop tool in a couple of places on the forum, makes it kinda obscure to find it hidden in a thread somewhere though. So I thought I would start a thread about it so it's easy to locate for someone who would find it useful for them. Problem I had was trying to figure out what section on the forum to post it. Didn't see an appropriate alternative to post it other than in Showtime. :tong

Many times when doing repairs, you run across little messes you have to deal with. Could be oil, could be antifreeze, water, diesel fuel, any number of liquids that are giving you a problem and you need to remove it. Sometimes, could use a pile of rags. But even rags cost money, then you have oily or contaminated rags you have to dispose of. Some creative individuals get the thought they have a shop vac. Perfect, problem solved. Well...not quite. Shop vac may get the job done, but now you have a disgusting mess inside your shop vac you have to deal with. Solution?

The suck bucket.

Take an empty 5 gal oil bucket with lid in place. On opposite side of lid, drill a hole in lid that will snugly fit a piece of 1/2" ID clear vinyl tubing in lid. 1/2" seems to be a good size, moves a good bit of liquid, and any tubing larger in size tends to collapse. You're now ready to tackle those messy tasks.



I had to repair a leaking control shaft seal on a Morooka dumper drive pump. Once I removed the control valve, had this nice, small lake of hyd oil lying there saying "ha, ain't gonna let you make a seal with a gasket".



"Oh Yeah!" I says to the pump, "watch this!" Place shop vac hose over pour spout of suck bucket, stick vinyl tubing into innards of pump, and sllluuurrrrrrppppp. Oil gone.

 

[willie59]

Suck up the oil that flowed into bolt holes, finish it up with air nozzle down the holes.





Then move hose over surfaces to remove the residual oil.



Every thing cleaned up, ready to remove gasket and clean surface with starting fluid and rag, then re-install control valve with new seal. No oil, no mess, no oily rags to dispose, and pour the oil in the suck bucket into the tank for the waste oil heater. Yes...heater fuel!

 

[Turbo21835]

Here I thought you were going to post pictures of the bucket i pulled apart earlier this year. Atco, you may be the evil genius of mechanics

 

[EGS]

That is pretty good.

 

[95zIV]

Never thought of something like that. Used to change the valves on fuel oil tanks with oil in them by sealing the end of a shopvac in a top hole of the tank and turning it on.

 

[bobin35]

Great idea,also you could add a piece of copper tube to clean out the bottom of contaminated hydraulic tanks

 

[gatorguy]

You are a genius. I might have to make a mess just to clean it up.

 

[RonG]

I wish that I could say "I thought of that".What an ingenious solution that will probably be used just about every day in the shop.Thanks for sharing and reaffirming what an asset that you are to this board.Ron G

 

[bill onthehill]

I have used a variation of that for years. With a larger hose than 1/2 you can prime a jet pump without getting your vac wet. Works well for cleaning sink traps also.

 

[darinray]

Bravo and thanks for sharing...

 

[willie59]

Yup bill onthehill, the application possiblities are near endless. :yup


Thanks for the compliments men, but take it easy calling me a genius fellas, I'm already a legend in my own mind. bah ha ha ha


So, here's another task I had recently. Boss wanted me to rebuild injectors in a smoky Kobelco SK480 with a big six Mitsubishi in it. Can't be that hard, right? Ha.



Proceeded removing injectors, but had a little difficulty removing injector on number 1 cylinder, she was stuck. After much cussing and fussing, all manner of threats, I finally managed to get it to come out. Aww crap, that wasn't supposed to happen! So that's why it was such a B with an itch! The dang injector nozzle was stuck in the brass injector cup insert that's pressed into the head, pulled brass cup out of head. Grrrrrrrr. To the left is a proper injector, the one on the right is #1 with brass cup insert. Not supposed to happen. Reckon it has something to do with all the silicone some previous meathead applied to the injectors? Grrrrrrr.



Ok, so what's this have to do with the suck bucket you ask. Wellllllll...that brass cup goes through the coolant chamber inside the head. Yup, when that cup came out, all I could do was watch this very pretty red colored coolant fill the combustion chamber of #1 cylinder, right down through the injector nozzle hole.



Drained coolant from radiator and grabbed the suck bucket. Now, a 1/2" diameter hose ain't gonna go through that injector hole in the head. Sooo, reduce the size with smaller size pieces of vinyl tubing to get to a smaller size piece of hose that will fit through hole.



Stick the tube into cylinder, sucked out the coolant sitting on top of the piston.



Now, if just getting a new brass nozzle pressed into the head were as easy as using the suck bucket. Me thinks not. Grrrrrrrr. :Banghead

 

[John C.]

Just love yankee ingenuity. Fast, simple, little to no cost. I bet you pulled the bucket out of the trash. How many times have you sucked the bucket flat?

I've used a small version of that to bleed in brake systems. Had a vacuum pump and adapters I used for checking the seal on piston pins for Detroit engines. I took a mason jar and soldered a couple air fittings on the lid. I got the proper hose to fit the bleeder nipple on the wheel cylinder and used the vacuum pump to pull the fluid through the system.

I never thought to scale the idea up. You are true genius in action.

 

[bobin35]

Me thinks attco that you have to pull the head to replace cup if im not mistaken!!

 

[willie59]

Me thinks attco that you have to pull the head to replace cup if im not mistaken!!

Yeah, wouldn't surprise me. Fortunately, got a diesel engine head rebuilder here in town to work with.

http://www.dieseldhp.com/

 

[td25c]

Thats Pretty cool & handy ATCO.I can see allot of uses for it.One question,Does the 1/2 inch hose need to go almost to the bottom of the"suck bucket" Like a drop line in a fuel tank? I was thinking that way there is less chance of the fluid atomizing and partly ending up in the shop vac.I dont know? I'm guessing stay away from any highly fllamible liquids like gasoline etc.

 

[willie59]

Thats Pretty cool & handy ATCO.I can see allot of uses for it.One question,Does the 1/2 inch hose need to go almost to the bottom of the"suck bucket" Like a drop line in a fuel tank? I was thinking that way there is less chance of the fluid atomizing and partly ending up in the shop vac.I dont know? I'm guessing stay away from any highly fllamible liquids like gasoline etc.

Actually 25c, I only have the hose going a couple of inches in the bucket. I have used it for several years now and I don't see any oil residue in the vac hose. And yes, I stay away from highly flamable stuff, like gasoline, that stuff goes off with a big whoooomp when it's ignited, just don't trust that stuff.

 

[td25c]

Sounds good ATCO .I'l have to try the "suck Bucket" Idea.The best part about it Is most of us have all the materials to build it.Thanks for sharing that ATCO:thumbsup

 

[mitch504]

Just love yankee ingenuity. Fast, simple, little to no cost.

Hey ATCO, you gonna let him get away with calling you a YANKEE?!!

 

[willie59]

Just love yankee ingenuity. Fast, simple, little to no cost. QUOTE]

Hey ATCO, you gonna let him get away with calling you a YANKEE?!!

LoL, I'm confident John C was using the term in a worldwide context.

 

[willie59]

Do you have a diesel tank that you would like to drain the water from the bottom of it, but the drain petcock is FUBAR? Maybe the drain is a pain to get to? Or, maybe it's a pipe thread plug and your not interested in taking a diesel shower. Maybe it has no drain plug at all. No worries, the solution is simple. Take a length of 1/2" vinyl tubing, slip a short piece of steel oil tubing over the end of the vinyl tubing. Then take a small zip tie and zip it on very end of vinyl tubing, this will prevent steel tube from slipping off. Now simply insert the steel tube end of the vinyl hose into the fill neck of your fuel tank and feed it in. The steel tube will sink it to the bottom. Connect the tube to your suck bucket hose. Quick shot from the shop vac and you'll have the water drained from the bottom of your tank in mere moments.