The Kid wash - Cheaper than a pool

When my neighbor showed me some plans for a "Kids Wash" I knew I had to make it. I found the original plans on-line at Disney Family Fun Center and with a few personal tweaks to fit my needs I had the kid wash up and running in time for the 4th of July.

When I started to build the kid wash, I printed the plans off in black & white, which if you look at the plans do not work if you cannot see the different colors that indicate the length of the cuts and the amount. It made it a bit more confusing then it needed to be. One of the problem that I had with the original design was the gate. For some reason I didn't understand the idea of how it worked, and when I did figure it out, I didn't like the way it worked.  The second thing I didn't like was how unstable it was. I was able to fix that with two extra cross joints and 2 more pieces of 2 1/2 ft. PVC pipe and lastly I wanted to spread the water out more (we need to make sure the kids get wet) by adding drip system sprayers instead of just holes. The extra cross pieces go between the first arch (where the gate would be) and the 2nd arch.  You can see the difference in the below pictures, and the one at the top.

 

Materials needed for the modified Kid
Wash:

Quantity	Item	Cost	Total Cost
10	10-foot lengths of 3/4 inch PVC pipe	$1.97	$19.70
4	3/4 crosses	$1.70	$6.80
4	3/4 caps	$0.35	$1.40
7	3/4 90-degree elbows	$0.34	$2.38
11	3/4 T's	$0.33	$3.63
1	3/4-inch slip female hose adapter	$1.47	$1.47
			$35.38*

* Cost based on prices at local hardware store.

For the gate (Optional):

Quantity	Item	Cost	Total Cost
1	1-inch to 3/4-inch T	$0.88	$0.88
1	3/4 inch T	$0.33	$0.33
1	3/4 inch straight fitting (female coupler)	$0.24	$0.24
1	3-foot 3/4 PVC pipe (part of 10 bundle)	$0	$0
			$1.45*

* Cost based on prices at local hardware store.

**As an update to this, I ended up removing the gate. It was always in the way and it really served no purpose.

Image from http://familyfun.go.com

Fun Details (Optional): These are items are pretty much just for looks for when you are showing off your new cool kids car wash.  The kids  will pretty much destroy them shortly after they are installed.

• 1 pool noodle
• craft foam
• permanent markers
• string
• 3 large sponges
• about 40 feet of nylon lawn chair webbing
• paper
• fasteners
• adhesive-backed Velcro

At the annual impromptu family Fourth of July party I setup the finished product for all of the kids to play in and let's just say we didn't hear from the kids for most of the day.  I would call that a success.

** Update: I ended up gluing the side pieces together because the water pressure kept popping the joints apart.  I didn't glue the top bars (that connect the sides) so I could still take it apart. I just lean it on the side of the garage during the winter.

My kids played in the Kids Car wash all summer long, and it was a great way for them to beat the heat.  The neighbor kids always loved to come over and use it as well. For the price I spent on building it I would say I got my money's worth.