RV FEATURE
DIY WASHING MACHINE
A WASHING MACHINE MADE FROM SCRAP PARTS? WHY NOT?
WORDS AND IMAGES: MAX TAYLOR
Okay, it’s not pretty. But it works. More or less.
Cleaning out the backyard shed, I found offcuts
of aluminium tubing, an old windscreen
wiper motor and some other bits and pieces.
What could I do with them? I asked myself.
And so began my effort at building my own
washing machine for when I go caravanning with
the family. Yes, I know a bucket and plunger
works just as well, but where’s the fun in that?
The aluminium tubing became the frame of
the washing machine. The tubing clicks together
with black joiners from Bunnings. I mounted
an offcut of timber to one end of the frame,
which became the base for the windscreen
wiper motor.
Now, because I wanted to be able to easily
disassemble the washing machine for transport
– the idea was for all of the constituent
components to fit into the washing machine’s
tub – I used wingnuts to mount the timber.
On the other end of the aluminium frame
sits the tub. Again, there’s an offcut of timber
wingnutted to the frame, with a 4in lazy
Susan bearing screwed to this piece of timber.
Yet another piece of wood is secured to
the bearing, creating a turntable
on which the washing
machine’s tub sits.
With me so far?
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THE MOTOR
The windscreen wiper motor – originally from
a Commodore – has a long arm that moves in
an elliptical motion when the motor receives
power. I used a hose clamp to attach this arm
to the lazy Susan turntable. As the arm cycles,
it moves the turntable back and forth, agitating
the washing machine’s bucket.
The motor is powered by a 100Ah deep-cycle
battery that’s tied down in the back of my
4WD. The battery is charged by a 120W solar
panel mounted to the roof rack. I rigged up
a couple of wires, which connect to the solar
regulator, and even wired in a switch.
How well does it work? I hear you ask. Well,
the motor isn’t quite powerful enough to
properly agitate a large load of clothes, but it
gives a small load a basic clean. Better yet, it
requires none of the manual effort of a bucket
and plunger. Better still, I made it myself with
parts that would otherwise have gone on the
nature strip at hard rubbish time.
If you’ve ever been touched by the DIY bug,
you’ll understand that feeling.