Alright, so I decided to build a battery powered water pump. Why? Well, let's just say I had a few spots where dragging a hose was a real pain, or there just wasn't any power nearby. You know how it is, sometimes you just need to move some water without a big fuss.

Getting Started - The "Plan"

I figured, how hard could it be? A pump, a battery, some tubes. Simple stuff. So, I started by grabbing a few bits and pieces. Nothing too fancy, mind you. I wasn't trying to build a fire hose here.

Here’s what I rounded up:

• A little 12V submersible water pump. The kind you see for fountains or fish tanks.
• A sealed lead-acid battery. I had one lying around from an old project, probably a 7Ah one. Figured that’d give me enough juice for a while.
• Some flexible tubing that fit the pump's outlet.
• A simple on/off switch, because fumbling with battery clips every time is just annoying.
• A bit of wire and some connectors.

Putting It All Together

First thing, I tackled the wiring. I'm no electrician, but red to positive, black to negative, seemed straightforward enough. I cut the pump's wire and spliced in the switch. Soldered the connections, then covered them with heat shrink tubing. Didn't want any shorts, especially with water around, right?

Then I connected the wires to the battery terminals. I used some spade connectors for the battery side so I could easily disconnect it for charging. The tubing was a bit of a tight fit on the pump outlet. Had to wrestle with it a bit, maybe warm it up slightly to get it on there properly. Didn't want any leaks at the connection point, that’d defeat the whole purpose.

I thought about a fancy enclosure, but honestly, for this first go, I just wanted to see if it worked. So, it was a pretty bare-bones setup. Pump, battery, switch, all just sitting there ready for action.

The Moment of Truth - Testing

Okay, so I grabbed a bucket of water. Dunked the pump in, making sure it was fully submerged. Flipped the switch. And... it whirred! A tiny little whir, but it was something. Then, a stream of water started coming out the end of the tube. Success!

It wasn't a massive gush of water, more like a steady flow. Good enough for what I needed, which was mainly for watering some distant plants and maybe emptying small containers. I let it run for a bit, checking for leaks, making sure the switch worked, and listening to the pump. Everything seemed okay.

So, How's It Holding Up?

I’ve been using it for a few weeks now. It's surprisingly handy. No more lugging heavy watering cans quite as far. The battery lasts a decent amount of time for the small jobs I use it for. Charging it is easy enough.

Is it perfect? Nah. The flow rate could be better, and I still haven't made a proper case for it, so it looks a bit like a science experiment gone rogue. But it does the job. It was a fun little project, didn't cost much, and actually solved a problem I had. Sometimes these simple DIY things are the most satisfying, you know?

Definitely learned a bit, mostly that sometimes the simplest solution is good enough. And that I should probably invest in a proper waterproof box if I'm going to keep using it near water. But hey, it works!