Making An Under-Car Snow Washer-Offer (archive)

With all the snow lots of us are having and it packing up on the bottom and wheel wells of our cars, I decided to share my home-made under-car washer�s parts and assembly with you folks. As many areas have salt on the roads to melt ice, washing that off our car�s underside should help. A home-made washer is cheaper than a car wash but works best if you have a water faucet in your garage. Outside faucet�s can be a nuisance to use. Plus, washing off your car�s under side just before putting it in the garage keeps the dirty salty snow pack from melting off and dropping onto your garage floor.

To make an under-car washer, you�ll need these half-inch PVC (Sch. 40) parts whose total cost should be less than $6.00:

1 five-foot length of pipe (to reach under your car).
1 cap (to cap the end).
1 ball valve (to turn the washer on and off).
1 half-inch female pipe to PVC adaptor (to attach the hose adaptor to the pipe).
1 garden hose to half-inch male pipe thread adaptor (to attach a hose to the washer).
1 small can of cement (to glue all the stuff together).

Here�s what you do; you should read through these steps first before actually doing them:

1. Cut about 2 inches off one end of the pipe.

2. Starting about 1 inch from one end of the pipe, drill a straight row of 10 one-eighths inch holes a half-inch apart, then clean out the residue from drilling the holes.

3. Cement the cap on the pipe at the end with the holes.

4. Cement the other end of the pipe into one end of the valve, then quickly align the valve handle with the holes at the other end.

5. Cement on the other end of the valve to one end of the 2-inch piece of pipe.

6. Cement the female pipe to PVC adaptor to the other end of the 2-inch piece.

7. Thread the hose adaptor into the female PVC adaptor.

8. Turn the washer�s valve off, then connect a hose to the washer and a water faucet.

9. Hold the washer firmly, then open the valve. If you car�s under side is dirty, then put the washer under your car and wash it out. If the car�s not dirty, then drive it through snow and slush before washing off its bottom.

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