Trash-Vac!!

This is a little project I came up with to solve the issue of trapped air under the bag. A simpler solution would be to drill a few holes in the bottom, but where's the fun in that?? Now my kid LOVES to take out the trash for me!

When the button is pressed, the fan sucks all the air out and creates a nice fit for the bag inside the can.

My initial prototype was built with spare parts I had laying around and cost $0 to make, but I wanted to get a little "fancy" and added a switch.

Time to Build:

Approximately 1 hour if you have all the parts and tools ready to go.

Parts List / Cost:

Trash Can......................$12

Computer Fan................$15

Momentary Switch.........$5

AC/DC Adapter..............$10

1/2 inch pipe strap..........$0.20

Total Cost: $42.20



Attention: As with anything, SAFETY FIRST. Use caution when doing this project. Always use the safest practices / guidelines when doing anything related to this instructable.

The only real important thing to note with these parts is the AC/DC adapter should have the same voltage as the fan and approximately the same current.

Here I use a 12 volt / 3 amp fan and adapter so there should be no issues.

The hardware and wire I already had laying around but I recommend using a wire gauge (thickness) that is slightly larger than that on the fan. Smaller wires may not be able to support the load current and could potentially get hot. Bigger is the cooler (temp) and safer option.

Here I placed the fan on the inside and traced around it. This helps to get a properly sized cutout.

It's a little tricky to mark the inside of the trash can but I didn't want to leave markings on the outside.

I used a plastic container lid, approximately the same diameter as the fan, to get a more precise cutout. You'll notice, though, the square sides cut off a portion of the circle. Play it conservatively and cut a small hole and gradually increase the size until you have a good fit. If the cutout is too big then you won't have the proper seal needed to work.

A few tools can be used to cut the hole, depending on what the trashcan is made out of. I used a combination of a rotary tool and a utility knife. Just note that a rotary tool will melt the plastic and cause a hot mess if you're not careful with it.

Again, cut small and work your way out.

Place the fan over the hole to make minor adjustments.

Leave a little bit of a lip to provide a proper seal over the fan.

Position the fan on the exterior and secure it with tape.

Drill the first hole and place a nail in it to keep that position fixed in place.

Drill the remaining 3 holes the same way, always inserting a nail afterwards to hold things still.

Mount the fan on the inside with the airflow directed out of the can. The airflow direction is indicated by an arrow on the side of the fan.

Strip the insulation off the wires and screw them onto the switch. For this switch it doesn't matter which one goes where.

Tie a knot in the wire and add on a rubber boot.

(I don't know where I got the boot from. It was in my box of assorted screws and parts. It just happened to work perfectly with this project. I'm thinking it came off a TV coax cable...?)

Find a good placement for the switch and drill 2 more holes using the pipe strap as a guide.

A smaller 3rd hole is then drilled just below allowing for the wire to poke inside the trashcan.

2 bolts were then used to fasten the switch in place.

This 1/2 inch pipe strap also came from my assorted junk box and provided a nice solution to mounting the switch.
Originally I was going to mount the switch flat on the side but realized the back end of it would poke into the bag.

To reduce objects poking into the trashcan I cutoff the extra length of each bolt and filed them smooth, removing any sharp edges.

Drill a hole at the base of the trash, just big enough for the outlet plug to poke through.

With black as negative and red as positive, screw in the black wire from the fan to the negative post of the power input.

The positive wire from the fan should then be connected to the red wire leading to the switch..

The black wire coming from the switch should then be connected to the positive post of the power input.

In the photos above I created a wiring schematic of how I connected everything.

Note: My fan had a third (blue) wire which is not needed. I clamped on an insulated cover to keep it out of the way.

Here I used duct tape to hold all the wires down and out of the way.

Last thing is to plug it in and try it out!!

If you followed all these steps correctly you should have no troubles.

If you don't have a good enough seal around your fan you can use a silicon caulking to close up any gaps and improve the performance.

Overall this was a fun, simple project that has impressed all my family and friends. My daughter won't even let me replace the trash bag without letting her push the button. And though my wife objects to all of my projects, I've noticed she doesn't ask me to take out the trash nearly as much as she used to!!

If you enjoyed this project please vote for me in the competition!

Good Luck!!!