I built a shop vac from some "trash" my girlfriend wanted me to throw away
:)

this is my first instructable ( even though i try to build something every other day )

hopefully, many more will follow!

Step 1: Get the "air Module" Out of the Failing Air Mattress

(ipretty sure the cat put 17,897 small punctures in it while we weren't looking)

removed the inflation module by cutting around it with sharp knife or scissors.

(i guess, i should put warnings about safety and stuff here!)

Step 2: Cut a Whole in the Water Cooler Bottle.

i used a cordless circular saw to cut out a rectangle from the side of the bottle.

for my first attempt, I just "eyeballed" my air module to be about the size of the label on the front of the

5 gallon water-cooler bottle and cut it with out even marking or measuring anything.

--AS ALWAYS, use caution when working with potentially dangerous tools.

... water bottle should be empty.... before you start any of these steps...

... ... you'd be surprised....

i wedged the air module into the hole i cut into the water bottle

later models will probably use an epoxy or something of that nature to seal the air module to the bottle,

but today i simply used vinyl tape to secure the connections.

used an old shop vac hose to extend the range

Because the mattress had a deflate option as well as the inflate option ,

i was able to use my new device as a blower AND a shop-vac.

There is also a handy little compartment for cord storage.. or whatever...

The prototype works better than i could have anticipated.

Impressive amount of storage and suction!

Picks up broken glass, water, pine needles, much much more.

i will retool and make a v2 in the near future