How To Make a Pond Vacuum! Turn a Shop Vacuum into a Pond Vacuum!

We turned a thrown away shop vacuum into pond vacuum. All we needed was a few plumbing fittings, to quarter-turn ball valves, PVC cement, and two 1/4 turn ball valves. You will find the PVC parts at your local hardware store, the bulkhead fitting I had to buy here:
Bulkhead Fitting: amzn.to/3aNKQqI
Check out how much money your saving: amzn.to/3dZiVWP
Support us on Patreon and get exclusive content: www.patreon.com/doityourselfdad
Get this, and all the things we've used on DoItYourselfDad here: amzn.to/2z8Yly0
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Clicking on the links above helps support the channel and helps us provide you with more quality content. We thank you for your support.
Follow us on Facebook: / diyourselfdad
Check out my awesome daughters kids cooking channel: / @kayleyskitchen
CarDIY, our car repair and Do It Yourself channel: / @cardoityourself

[@DoItYourselfDad]

Check out all out Koi Pond Videos: Prevent Green Water: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWmtpHWIg5hmopo Pressurized and UV Filter Review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYK1f2Ssq9ppoaM Get rid of green pond water with a prefilter: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHSbeaqkgMSEpa8

[@franantenore41]

Thorough, comprehensive. Makes it sound easy!

[@kellysheppard6094]

Thanks, need to do mine. I am thinking of backing the shop vacuum up to the pond and draining the pond water back into the pond through a pond net to sift out the debris. Just a thought have not tried it yet.

[@teresastorms3774]

Super helpful!! I'm so gladI found this video! I "inherited" my pond when the apartment house I live in was sold and the owner and former fish pond maintainer moved. I am learning as I go, and the pond is a mucky mess. This is the perfect solution to clean the junk out. Thanks!

[@DoItYourselfDad]

Best of luck! The best thing I've done to clear up the water after getting all the large debris out is installing a UV filter. Night and day difference.

[@samarabevin]

😂😂😂 this is amazing and hilarious. I just created the same thing at home with my wet vac and was wondering if I was the only one. I also attached a transfer pump to the discharge valve of the wet vac.

[@MeMyselfAndUs903]

Would you please provide more detail on how to attach a transfer pump? Thanks

[@TomFredericks187]

Just the idea I needed. Perfect - thanks for sharing.

[@WilliamArronenzi]

Thank you my friend for this handy and affective DIY solution .. I just put in a little pond insert maybe 150 plus gallons .. No fish yet .. Just like the sound of the water when I’m outside and thanks again .. Going to drill my shop vac .. I already have spare bulkheads from my fish tanks

[@terriknox9156]

I use my shop vac from my husbands garage and it works great!!

[@cinderkenner823]

Fantastic! This is so helpful, I have a shop vac that doesn't work great as a shop vac already, and probably also have the necessary fittings! Thanks!

[@atago1943]

Good idea. Thanks for sharing.

[@catherineb5066]

Very cool video! Love the fact you rescued the shop vac and gave detail simple speak and explanation of things. Also I think cursing is allowed in repair and especially in fishing😉 ..I'd love to see a easy explained small hydroponic garden that's affordable and easy to make..I've always been kind of interested in it ..especially on a small scale because I'm old and live in a condo with limited space...I am eternally a country girl.Last year I was giving away green beans lettuce and a ton of tomatoes....ohh another cool thing be how to put up chicken wire or mesh over a end area in the attic I think squirrels are getting in mine and or rats...I dont have flooring up there another cool idea how to put down small plywood in sections so old ladies can lift it into the attic...or how to clean out a dryer vent when some contractor put a almost 90 degree elbow turn in the vent...I see tape at the joint but dont feel comfortable pulling it apart unless I see how it's done first. I sure wish I had paid more attention when my Dad tried to show me these things. Take care to you and your family Stay safe stay strong 🌞💪💝🙏🕊

[@roseannerainwatersmith12]

Dude! That's excellent! Thanks!

[@MA-lq6eb]

Smart YTBR...keep up the good work & Good Luck getting BIGGER 👍

[@joang.4430]

Very clever!

[@yasinahmad918]

Thanks for sharing

[@garden4four]

Love it!

[@nagor4054]

Grreat thanks, just picked up a shop vac for fraction of the cost.

[@danaiyawilhelm661]

Awesome!

[@borispopovich]

I had this idea a few days ago, just checking if I was the only one :) of course not. I suppose if you leave the valve open on the vac, there will be no suction but it would be great if the junk just continuously emptied at the other end.

[@clarkriccobuono3903]

Great idea

[@tomchristensen2914]

Did the same except i hooked shop vac to a sealed 55 gal drum that allows water to flow back to pond after it settles debris into 55 gal drum. This allows constand run

[@user-lx1jd1pr1z]

Pond water is great garden fertilizer.

[@Loraxpilot]

You rock sir!

[@josephdupont]

I have to get some muck out of the bottom of my pond and then would look pretty clear coming out of your unit but the wet back seems like a good reliable situation I have limited water my pond so what I will do is I will dump it away from the pond and let the sills and/or the filter into the grass on its way back to the pond will see

[@thomasmcdermott3944]

Great.. Now just get a pressure washer, combine the two, and you have a great hydro-excavator for digging holes without a shovel and mess.😊

[@robr471]

Genius!!!

[@karlruschman1329]

Awesome thankyou

[@travish4276]

Yes! awesome i'm planning to do this soon. I have a fountain with 12 inch square filter box, and my waterfall 2000gph pumps water through a pressure filter / uv clarifier. My pond is about 800-1000 gal and the water is clear, but still has muck on the liner surface, this seems like a good way to clean out the muck. But frogs just laid their thousands of eggs last week... and I don't want to suck any baby fish into the shop vac (1 to 1.5 inch baby fish) hmm

[@Tom-ug8xk]

Great idea. I tried a an expensive pond vac and it was lousey.

[@giovannipietrobrambilla6409]

Thanks a lot for that, very inspiring! Coming from one whole day spent to manually remove with a pool net the bottom sludge! So, first I checked about "official" pond cleaner... no way! Then I found your video and here we are: going to make it soon. Now, all cheap pvc vacuum available here are small, only 12/15 liters and probably would get full fast.

[@giovannipietrobrambilla6409]

(sorry my txt was cut). I'm wandering if it'd work replacing the drain valve with a check valve and a hose going straight to garden, plant etc. Do check valve prevent air from getting in and ruin suction? 🤔Going to try soon!

[@stoneysscapes7544]

​@@giovannipietrobrambilla6409from a lot of different ideas and some really intelligent people in the future we can usually get the best results , so did you get a chance to build the VAC

[@jasonhale7126]

Worth it

[@kaiul2967]

I liked this right after you admitted cursing at your tools! DIY comedy! 😂 I think a bigger PVC pipe diameter would help suck up the leaves better but I know you had to match your vac hose and maybe finding the valves would be harder to find for anything bigger. I might try to do this custom job to mine if I can find the right stuff. I try to find a 2.5 inch PVC setup.

[@DoItYourselfDad]

If you're not cursing at your tools are you really DIY?

[@doityoself6631]

If you added a filter on the drain off you could use it continuously I think. In the UK the Screwfix titan vac is perfect for this application.

[@DoItYourselfDad]

If you left the valve open you would loose suction.

[@masterv2118]

if you put a rubber flap (cut an old rubber floor mat etc..) the drain pipe the vac will suck it closed, as the water fills it will push it open.

[@ChinaChuck]

I'm excited about where your going with this but I can't picture where to put the flap? Would you put it inside, over the new drain he added? I'm hoping for a way to let the shop vac fill but keep emptying itself, not having to stop. I don't know the dynamics of a vacuum enough to know if that's possible.

[@jonathanmarquis866]

@@ChinaChuck So he didn't reply but my guess is it's going to be on the outside of the drain. the vacuum that's created in the chamber holding the water would stop once the ball floats up and turns off the vacuum and then the water would flow out. but I don't see the point as either one of two things will happen by my guess: 1. the vacuum is quickly re-created as soon as the water is low enough to allow the shop-vac to restart. or 2. the vacuum wouldn't be recreated as the rubber flap might not seal back up. just spitballing here.

[@vin461]

Add a little plastic cage on the inside down by the gasket and you can return the water directly back to the pond while keeping the debris in the vacuum.

[@DoItYourselfDad]

True, but I use this to vacuums out sludge, so it just gets dumped in the flower beds as fertilizer.

[@loverofgolf]

How is that any different than using a Wet/Dry Shop Vac with a discharge port already in it?

[@synaspora]

Would this work with a 6-foot deep swimming pool or is the additional pipe length too much for the shop vac to handle?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

Should work fine, the length of the pipe shouldn't really matter if its below the waterline,.

[@DaWahine79]

No filter needed for the vacuum? Will be trying this method for my small pond with a regular shop vac.

[@DoItYourselfDad]

Nope, no filter.

[@justodamian4065]

Nice! One question will it work if you leave the discharge line open?

[@justodamian4065]

I just read a post below & it sounds like it won't work. Maybe it will work with a shutoff valve closed half way. I don't know I will have to experiment. I'm also considering long hoses so I can water my plants with it, but I would think that a powerful vac is needed. Like I said I think I need to experiment to get the work the way I want it to, if that's even possible.

[@lindsaybailey4111]

Hi! What size did you use for the quarter-turn balls valves and PVC pipe?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

It's going to vary based on the size of your shop vac hose. I'd bring your hose with you to the hardware store to make sure you get a good fit.

[@wendymatsonmartinezpreferr5039]

I noticed you cut notches in the pvc -why? Also can u run the vac with the ball valve only partially open? Is there any way to reduce the suction using the ball valve (I’m afraid I will accidentally suction the fish)

[@mrfixitusa6165]

Partially closing the valve won't reduce vacuum pressure, it will just reduce volume\flow rate. Just for clarification sake, let's say you have 5lb of vac pressure and 10 gallons of water per minute, can flow through the pipe with valve full open. If you partially close the valve, you'll still have 5lb of vac pressure, you'll just reduce how many gallons per minute will drain out. To prevent sucking up the fish, put a screen\grill on the pipe end that is sucking up the water. IF a fish somehow manages to get sucked onto the end of the pipe (with the grill\screen on the end) immediately turn off the valve and all the suction power at the pipe end will stop, allowing the fish to swim off. (Don't run the vac long with the valve off though.) The notches in the PVC are to keep the end of the pipe from "locking on" to surfaces from the suction pressure. Even if the end of the pipe touches a flat hard surface, the notches still let water flow and it won't lock on.

[@Jamie_Phil]

Be nice to find out how to make a pond vac that drains the same time it sucks like the oase 4

[@jordpj26]

Just keep the lower valve open

[@DoItYourselfDad]

It won’t work with the lower valve open.

[@Jamie_Phil]

Mine wont work with the lower valve open

[@faribabahrami7530]

Looks great how come clear water is coming out. Did the debris sucked up just magically disappear?

[@heronaddict]

That's what I would like to know too. Where did all the leaf debris go ?

[@scottallen7268]

My guess is that is collected inside the vacuum around the drain hole just like it did around the suction end. To me it looked like it didnt suck up much of anything.

[@jonathanmarquis866]

@@scottallen7268 Yeah, didn't seem to do much more than you would get using a siphon. My guess is the old vacuum sucks at sucking. I bet a newer, more powerful shop-vac would do better

[@Ridewithme2323]

drilling through a stainless steel weld at Mach 10 might do that to ya 😅

[@DoItYourselfDad]

Sometimes you just gotta hold er wide.

[@petaleusa]

What size horsepower shop wet/dry vac would you suggest? Is 3 hp enough?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

3 hp should be plenty. I salvaged this one from the trash so Im not sure what the rating is.

[@bread-gz3rl]

I would strongly recommend doing this switch a shop vac that has a 2.5 inch hose if you have alot of leaves so you don't clog your hose. Also dont vacuum the fish🙃

[@lovedragonsrobertakistler3250]

Since the vacuum suction is gauged for a 1" hose I doubt that the 2.5" would work. To prevent clogging just dont hit big clumps all at once. Work into them.

[@pocillipora]

How many seconds do you have before the vac needs to be emptied?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

With this one I can run it for about a minute.

[@morewith]

what became of the debris? How did you keep it from draining out with the water? Thanks

[@DoItYourselfDad]

It drains out with the water.

[@buelah3]

What kind of an attachment would you use for gravel in the pond?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

Longer pipe with a larger diameter, it would allow water flow but not so much that the gravel would make it up the pipe.

[@fluentdogtraining5047]

Do you think this would work for a slate floored pond that has about 6” of mud in the bottom?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

It would take a lot of emptying, but it’ll work. I’ve used it for pulling mud out of my other container ponds.

[@Prano201]

Where I can I find a threaded PVC valve to attach to the bulk head for the drain?

[@moorechez67]

Google

[@GeorgeAusters]

So what's the difference between this and a wet vac?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

The drain valve and the in-line 1/4 turn valve on the suction side. If your vac already has a drain your half way there already.

[@catherinesanderson28]

Wouldn’t the motor cavitate if there is an occlusion with the valve shut off?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

The motor is never submerged.

[@catherinesanderson28]

DoItYourselfDad I was thinking more about the overwork on the motor because air flow is occluded. If I stick my hand on the end of the tube for an extended period, the motor sounds like it is overstressed.

[@kimmcamp]

What can you do if the bottom of your pond is pea gravel?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

Use a larger diameter pipe and keep it vertical as you vacuum. The gravel will pick up the gravel but it will settle back out of the pipe.

[@maryhawley5091]

can the output nozzle be opened to allow the tank to not fill and allow continuous use?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

No, if the output is open tank looses vacuum

[@high_fructose_corn_syrup]

If I have a shop vac with a hole in the bottom, can I just leave it open to continously drain?

[@theonlytalkinggoat]

No. A shop vac pressurizes the entire waste canister. If you open the valve, it will suck air from there, instead.

[@high_fructose_corn_syrup]

@@theonlytalkinggoat oh i guess that makes sense lol ty i almost drilled a hole in my shop vac hahahahaha

[@chasinggeckos8843]

So what’s keeping the debris from pool bottom in the vac. If all you are doing is sucking up and drawing back in. What am I missing?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

Sorry, I'm a little confused as to what you're asking?

[@chasinggeckos8843]

I guess what I am asking is, there seems to be no filter in the system to stop/collect all the debris from the pond. Water gets sucked into shop vac and then discharged right back into the ponds.

[@DoItYourselfDad]

@@chasinggeckos8843 It doesnt get dumped back into the pond, it gets collected in the shop vac, you can then drain it anywhere you want. since Im usually sucking sludge out of the the bottom of the pond I dump it in the planter beds (makes great fertilizer)

[@ReindeerD]

Would this work with sludge or mud?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

Yes, absolutely. I use it for sludge in the waterfall frequently.

[@debbiewebb1999]

If I wanted to recycle the water back into the pond how would I clean out the vacuum to rid it of harmful chemicals from it's previous life? Of course I would put it through a pond filter but this wouldn't remove soaps and other chemicals from the old vac.

[@DoItYourselfDad]

Honestly, I wouldn’t risk it.

[@UGotHookah]

What this work for a swimming pool because I bought some pool vacuums that were handheld they're not really cleaning that well I think this would be better what do you think I have some shop vacs I need something to clean the dirt off the bottom of my pool what do you advise

[@DoItYourselfDad]

It would, but it would take a long time. Have looked into pool robots?

[@Annpalekreyol]

I am trying to remove excess soda ash from a swimming pool

[@EC-ge3do]

good vid....can you make it drain at the same time as sucking ? i am a plumber and i sometimes work on live water pipes with my wet vac but i need it to drain, but there is no wet vac that exists like that only a big commercial one and i know there are pond vacs now that discharge at the same time but the flow rate is too slow... thanks alot

[@DoItYourselfDad]

Unfortionaly no, the way this is setup it can't drain and vacuum at the same time.

[@EC-ge3do]

@@DoItYourselfDad thanks for your reply

[@JasonMarkantes]

Could you add a 1 1/4" check valve or backflow valve? It would auto close when the vacuum starts, then drain when you switch it off. Not continuous but maybe slightly more convenient? I'm trying to do the same thing for our small fountain wet vac. Haven't found just the right parts yet.

[@juliamcgrath4479]

Why would one need to make the valve at the vacuum end? Couldn’t one just submerge the vacuum hose and leave the vacuum off until it’s in the right position at the bottom of the pond?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

It's not always that easy depending on where you are trying to get the nozzle, this method also allows you to quickly move the nozzle around without having to turn on and off the vacuum. Also, when you turn the vacuum off, anything that's in the hose will drain back down into your pond without the valve. That being said, you don't have to do it that way. I went a long time just using a regular shop vac, I've just found this a lot easier.

[@Gadadhara108]

Well that was a bust After spending $20 on the 1 1/2 inch pipe and another 20 on the valve it didn't work . My large shop didn't have the power to suck up the water /debris in a 3-4 foot deep pond.

[@andrewholmes8466]

can your koi fish stay in the pond?

[@DoItYourselfDad]

Yes

[@mattwitcomb9734]

Karcher

[@raghavshankara5601]

If you install a bottom drain there is no need of vacuuming

[@travish4276]

How exactly would you install a bottom drain? Seems like I'd have to redo the whole pond to do that

[@ninathomas6410]

Why not attach a hose, or just leave the drain open to so you don’t have to stop and dump the water out? You can just continually clean. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@ticelamont997]

Bc… it won’t have suction if air is coming in/out from another hole . Maybe after water accumulates and sits as a plug but Atleast initially, It needs to be closed 😁✌🏽✌🏽✌🏽

[@Volunteerballoons]

Great video... quick question - at the end we see you emptying the canister but all I see coming out is water (quite clear too). Where is all the debris you sucked up? Did that stay in the canister & then you have to empty the canister? Thanks for replying!

[@DoItYourselfDad]

If it's large debris like leaves some of that I have to get out of the canister manually. When I use this thing for sucking up the sludge out of the pond the stuff that comes out looks like mud.

[@Mydevineself]

Hey can you make a complete list of all the parts you bought from the hardware store to make this? I'm new to doing things on my own so it would be nice to not buy the wrong things. I really want to try this! Thanks :)