NOTE: This is a post regarding the reasons that we won't be offering a kit OR plans on a DIY washer. I'm afraid there has been a miscommunication. We will NOT be offering a kit or plans.
Being preppers, as a whole, we are a group of do-it-yourselfer's. That is part and parcel with the self-reliance game - not being dependent on someone else.
After exploring the idea of making his own version of the James Washer, Sir Knight was inundated with requests to sell a kit so that folks could save on shipping and build their own washer to his specifications. At first, he thought this was an idea worth looking into. He began by researching barrels, the main component for his washing machine. When he first started thinking about an alternative to the James Washer, Sir Knight figured he would pick up used barrels from one of our local suppliers (he is always thinking of way to keep the costs low). When he began to research barrels (in three different sizes), he learned that not all barrels are created equally. They have different thicknesses, have different configurations, bung placement etc. The more he looked at barrels, the more he realized that he would have to use a standardized barrel in order to make his design work.
He ended up finding a barrel he liked (new) that was reasonably priced and built like a brick out-house. It comes in black (I told him that blue barrels were kind of like blue tarps - they had redneck written all over them!) and is configured to accommodate Sir Knights design.
Ultimately, the problem with offering a kit is that every person will have a slightly different barrel. Some will have a flat bottom, some will be rounded. Some will be taller and narrower and some will be shorter and rounder. That being said, a universal parts kit won't fit. There is no way to account for all of the differences in barrel manufacturing. Sir Knight would rather lower his price and offer a complete washer than sell kits that wouldn't work.
Interestingly, we have found that shipping may not be as expensive as you may think. We believe that a complete washer will be in the $30 to $40 dollar range to ship (more, of course, for the larger models).
I just wanted to let you know that we did hear you and take your ideas into consideration. If there was a better way, we would be more than open to the suggestion.
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| Here are some other uses for those 55 gallon barrels you have laying around! |
