A point to remember, sleeping bags should be stored in an uncompressed manner (generally a large cotten laundry bag works well) to keep the insulation from permanently becomming compressed, and the bag loosing it's loft, and hence its insulation value. I have seen this happen with keeping it in its waterproof stuff sack for too long.

Panzerboy:

Let's do the instructions in public in case others want to salvage old refrigerator compressors.

The compressor is the big black hermetically sealed steel can usually located at the bottom back of an old refrigerator. It has at least 2 metal tube emenating from it which are the discharge and suction tubes. There will be electrical wires connected to a relay assembly usually mounted behind a cover directly on the compressor.

First and foremost,if all the tubes are intact with no obvious cuts or breaks, and the evaporator (That is usually the aluminum freezer section on small refrigerators, and a coil type aluminum array of tubes, fins, with a small fan in the freezer section of a larger refrigerator.) has not been punctured with a steak knife some YAHOO tried to defrost it with, leave it alone. Breaking into a sealed system without the credentials required by the EPA is a felony violation with a $25,000 first time fine.

ANOTHER VERY SERIOUS CONCERN FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT SMOKE IS THAT R12 REFRIGERANT BECOMES A DEADLY NERVE GAS IF IT PASSES THROUGH A FLAME, EVEN A CIGARETTE. I personally believe that is the reason it was outlawed, and not because of green house effect that it contributes to.

If you can get a refrigerator that has been punctured, the refrigerant is gone and you can safely remove the compressor, its vibration bushings, the relay (which should be mounted on the compressor, but may be on the frame.(this is especially true if it has been serviced and had a generic relay installed with a capacitor for better kick starting.)), and the electrical cord.

The suction side of the compressor has tubing that is slightly larger in diameter than the discharge side. Solder a barbed hose fitting to the suction side, attach a 48 inch long 3/8" or smaller diameter hose that is designed to be used for suction so that it does not collapse when drawing vacumn. Wire an on/off switch to the hot (The smaller prong on a 3-prong wire.) wire and attach that wire to the one of the "hot line" connections on the relay (There should be a schematic on the relay or a L1, which is "HOT, and a L2 which is neutral identifier on the relay connection.), and attach the ground wire (Never work without a ground!) to the frame holding the starter assembly on the compressor.

Attach an appropriate piece of metal tubing or a football inflator needle to the 48 inch long hose (The bigger the metal tubing going into the bag, the faster the vacumn, but consider your need to seal around the protrusion.), hit the switch and watch it work. When your vacumn needs are met, seal and remove the tubing.

Once you are sure the system works, you can use the anti-vibration grommets to mount it on a wooden platform, attach a carrying handle, and you are good to go.

Good luck!

Bountyhunter

If you don't want to go to the trouble of removing or risk the fines of improper removal. Stop by an appliance repair company and you could pick one up for nothing or next to it. Tell them that it is part of a science project for your son and they might even feel sorry for you and wire it up.

RayW:

Tried that route when I first started taking HVAC in Milwaukee Area Technical College back in 1982. Didn't work for me because the shops only kept compressors that worked which they could resell or mount on used non working refrigerators.

They all wanted cash for what they had.

Bountyhunter

Hate it when that happens. I have not scavenged a compressor this way but i have managed to aquire a few other spare parts. My vacuum pump is not for ac work it is a medical pump and i found it cheap at a pawn shop, bought it mainly for bleeding brakes.

RayW:

I have one of those hand operated vacumn pumps (The good brass one, not the cheap plastic one.) which I bought for bleeding brakes, and have never been able to do a good job with it.

The way I bleed brakes now is with a soda bottle and a length of hose.

Put some brake fluid in the bottle, dunk the hose so it stays immersed under the fluid. Run the other end of the hose to the bleed nipple (Different diameter hose for different bleed nipples.), and crack the bleed seat just enough to allow the fluid to bleed out under pressure. Get in the car and push the brake pedal down slowly to the floor and let it come up by itself. Do this until the resistance feels a little greater (It will still go to the floor because the valve is open.) Get back under the car and seat the bleed valve tight, and do the same to all the other lines, remembering to fill the brake reservoir as you bleed fluid out.

The hose being immersed in brake fluid will not be able to allow air back in when the pedal moves back up and air in the line will be expelled out or float back through the lines to the reservoir.

One car I did this with had the safety valve that blocks off the two diagonal brakes from losing fluid if one of them leaks. I had to find the instructions to reset that, and they were to merely slam on the brake pedal very hard while staitonary, and it reset.

Have no experience with ABS and can not give any comments on how to bleed them.

Bountyhunter

has anyone here tried to vacuum seal their own water?

by making a block of ice then sealing it?

if anyone has done this does it stay fresh?
assuming you used filtered water not tap.

Yes, I've tried.
Tasted nasty after 1 wk. But I guess "taste" has nothing to do with survival. I did not put any preservative in the water, so I have no idea what the bacteria count had evolved to.
So, for me, I decided this was an idea not worth doing.

NY RAT:

It has been a long time since high school, but I remember the glass of water in the bell jar demonstration we had in science class. When you draw a vacumn in an area that has water in it, you lower the temperature required to boil the water so that the water will actually boil at whatever the room temperature is.

We never tried it with ice, but the same thing would occur and that the ice would start to melt and the water created would start to boil, and you could never draw a vacumn until all the water, formerly ice, boiled out of the container.

Bountyhunter

Bounty, never tried one of the hand vacuum pumps. Know a few people that have one and most say that it is a little slow. I have been told that if you put some teflon tape around the bleed screw threads you get much less air leaking making the vacuum more efficient. I have done brake bleeding with just the hose and the bottle and it works.

The catch jar on my vacuum will hold over a quart so it has a constant supply of vacuum, and when i flush the brake system i usually run about a quart through the lines. And when i am doing this by myself the vacuum makes it easy, attach the hose, flip the switch, open the bleed screw, and keep adding fluid to the master cylinder.

The differential valves in most non-abs cars is reset by slamming on the brakes, if nothing else you know you did a good brake job. Also if you are doing a non-ABS pickup there is a proportioning valve located on one of the frame rails under the bed, as more weight is added to the back of the truck the valve allows more pressure to the rear brakes to help you stop easier. There is usually a bleed screw on top of this valve.

ABS system on most cars can be bled with your method or a vacuum pump, vacuum bleeding is the recomended method, but make sure the car is off and don't let the master cylinder run out. If air gets into some of the valves it can be a real pain to get out. Some of the complicated ABS systems require actuating some of the electric valves to properly bleed and flush, stay away from these.