Where did you aquire the jug from? I'm looking for something similar and until now was going to settle with the air pressure method.

 

Over the years I've accumulated a number of 2.5 and 5 gallon Scepter fuel and water containers from various sources. I got several of them (including the hard-to-find 2.5 gallon size) from Princess Auto in Canada. Several times in the past they have had sales on the Scepter containers that were at unbelievable prices, including the shipping to California.

Princess does not currently list any of the water containers, and the pricing on the fuel containers right now is outrageous.

 

That’s brilliant. simple ans quality components will, as you say, outlast anything else.

 

Amazon has them. I got mine at Sportsman's Warehouse at about the same price a few years ago.

https://www.amazon.com/Liter-Heavy-Duty-Water-Container/dp/B001IV8IYA/ref=sr_1_13?dchild=1&keywords=5+gallon+water+container&qid=1619522832&sr=8-13

 

Amazon, eBay, and Craigslist, especially if you live anywhere near a large military base.

 

Uline also sells similar stuff (jugs, jerrycans and pumps):

Jars, Jugs and Bottles, Containers in Stock - ULINE

Great selection of jars, jugs and bottles in stock. Order by 6 pm for same day shipping. Huge Catalog! Over 43,000 products in stock. 14 locations for fast delivery of jars, jugs and bottles.

www.uline.com

 

We buy a lot of Uline stuff, but I can assure you that their 5 gallon poly containers are 'light-duty' and in a completely different class than the heavy-duty MIL-spec containers, they're more like something you'd find on the 'camping' aisle at Walmart or Big-5.

 

JAGMTE - Just a Guy Making Things Easier

Your source for all your Scepter Military Fuel Can and Scepter Military Water Can needs. We have some other stuff you may be interested in also.

jagmte.com

for fuel and water accessories

Scepter water cans are the worlds best water can in the world they are the most the durable water can on the market, manufactured for the Military and available to Civilians.

Scepter water can are the world’s best water containers hands down! Scepter water can manufactured for the military now in production for civilians.

www.lexingtoncontainercompany.com

for water containers

 

DAaaaannnng......makes me grateful that Princess Auto is 10 min away from me

 

Will it syphon once started? I could see that being useful but also hard to stop without pulling the dip tube.

Growing up we had a handheld rotary pump for potable water. I almost think it was a Coleman brand. I tried google to no avail.

The one I use is like this but it's not always practical to travel with a drill:

I usually have one of my small Makita drills and an impact. The hard part is holding the pump, the hoses, and the drill at the same time. It works but it's quite sloppy.

 

Will it syphon once started? I could see that being useful but also hard to stop without pulling the dip tube. (big snip)

No, there's no siphon function at all, it's a self-priming, double-acting piston pump with internal check valves.

The Whale hand pump was designed as a marine galley pump, typically installed in a smaller boat where you don't have a pressurized water system. You pull up on the knob and press it back down to dispense water, about an 8" stroke. It's a double-acting pump, so it discharges water on both the upstroke and the downstroke, about 1/4 cup per stroke.

I'll add a photo of the handle in the 'up' position so it's obvious how it works.

 

Lexington Container has the 2.5 gallon size, which is a lot easier to handle.

Scepter water cans are the worlds best water can in the world they are the most the durable water can on the market, manufactured for the Military and available to Civilians.

Scepter water can are the world’s best water containers hands down! Scepter water can manufactured for the military now in production for civilians.

www.lexingtoncontainercompany.com

 

Here's a cheaper option for 5 gallon military-spec water containers produced by LC Industries. Also, free shipping with purchase of 2 water containers.
| BuyLCI.com

 

The Scepter-style blow-molded fuel and water containers are nearly indestructible, and are used throughout the world by the US military.

I've been carrying one or more of the water containers for the last few years, but always wanted some easy way to dispense water without needing to siphon it out or tip the container. With a weight of over 42 lbs, manipulating a filled container in the back of an FJ is inconvenient, especially when fully loaded with camping gear, etc.

There are several different options for little submersible electric pumps, or pressurizing the tank with a bicycle pump or compressor, but all of them have design weaknesses that I didn't want to deal with.

I wanted a non-electric solution that didn't require batteries or any wires draped across the cargo area, and would allow the container to be removed from the vehicle and still have the dispensing function.

The air-pressurized scheme was a no-go because a special wrench is required to get the lid to seal tightly enough to retain pressure. More importantly, the container would need to be re-pressurized multiple times as water was withdrawn.

There are some online writeups about adapting a NZ-made Fynspray manual pump, but at over $125 the pump is quite expensive, and because the flat base is designed to be mounted on a countertop, it doesn't really fit correctly on the radiused face of the Scepter cap.

Because of these problems, I wanted to go with a simple, reliable, high-quality hand-operated mechanical pump that would work inside the vehicle as well as out. No wires, no need to constantly re-pressurize the container, just a reliable hand pump, and no parts sourced from the "C" country.

I ended up using an Irish-made Whale Mk-6 hand pump, (~ $60), something that's been used for 30 years in marine applications. The pump is secured in the water jug's lid using a collet-type, water-tight electrical cable feed-through. A segment of 1/2" diameter medical grade silicone tubing extends the pump inlet to the bottom of the container.

Not cheap, but functional and reliable, and should last as long as the FJ does. The pump can be rotated in the feed-through to position the spout over the top of the container for protection.

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Glad I stumbled onto this! I have the smaller 2.5gal. can but really want to put this together. I have located the Whale pump on Amazon, just wanted to know how easy is it to locate the electrical fittings you used. Any supply should carry them? Thanks!

 

I think I had to buy 5 of the feed-throughs to get the one I needed.

Let me see if I can find the remaining parts ... if I find them, I'll send you a PM.

 

Looking at the pics and looking at the lid on my Scepter can, will I need to drill out for the Whale MK2 pump barrel to fit through the larger threaded opening?

 

As for cans, what about wavian?

 

You will need to cut off the original threaded outlet spud, and use a hole saw to enlarge the opening to accept the feed-through.

I'll post another photo showing how the cap is modified.

 

Any more info on which fittings seemed to work best for mounting the Whale pump to the Scepter lid?

 

Great pump! I just did this. Had to troubleshoot a bit but here is the feed through: Cionyce 2 Pack NPT 1 Inch Cable Glands White Cord Grips Nylon Strain Relief Wire Glands Waterproof Cable Gland Connectors(White)

 

Lexington Container Company has the 5 gallon Scepter and you can buy lids separately along with a few other parts / adapters. They are located in Kentucky.

 

We did the conversion last year and it worked great testing at home. Got to camp and it stopped working. It pulls water on the draw, but does not push water out the spigot. Any ideas why? Cheap spigot parts? Error on assembly?