: Lo and behold, I found an old vacuum by the dumpster the other day and, as if
: it were a swimsuit model, I started wondering what was underneath... I
: honestly don't think I will get around to rigging this for foot power but
: a rotary footpump would presumably look something like this. This impeller
: spins clockwise and generates suction through the center hole (right).
: That's a bearing on the far left; otherwise I stripped away most of the
: other components. This is from an old upright vacuum. Ideally you would
: use something from a small wet/dry vac which would likely have a slightly
: different shape for liquid. Then you would need some type of flywheel to
: generate a decent rpm.

: Chip
: www.ChipSandresky.com

Hey Chip -
I don't think a wet/dry vac would have any different impeller shape because even when vacuuming wet it is designed to use a moving column of air to carry the water with it and the motor speed would stay the same. The parts would probably be more resistant to corrosion or rust, though. The impellers from bilge pumps are much smaller to handle the greater mass and intertia of the water and also because an electric motor is driving it. I would use what you have to see how it works hooked up to some sort of pedal/flywheel arrangement as you suggested. Maybe gear it up or down depending on the resistance to the motor (your legs?).

Looks like the makings of some fun in the workshop!!