DIY Plumbing Project: The Cloth Diaper Sprayer

So I'm going to do it:  I'm going the cloth diaper route with baby #2.  I've got my supply of prefolds, covers, pocket diapers, liners, reusable wipes, the whole lot. I'm feeling pretty good about it, too. I'll be sure to report how it's working for me once baby gets here. 

Anyway, as I was researching cloth diapering, one recommendation was to get a diaper sprayer. The hose of the sprayer just attaches to the toilet's water supply so you can spray everything off the soiled diaper into the toilet. When I was convincing my husband to try cloth diapering, getting a sprayer was one of the things that finally got him to concede: "Well, if this will keep me from having to stick my hand in the toilet..."

Diaper sprayers cost anywhere from $40 to $60, plus shipping (if you buy online). The reviews of the sprayers were mixed, depending on the brand. There was one, manufactured by a cloth diaper company, that only had 1-star reviews on Amazon, saying it leaked terribly. A few of the other sprayers had similar complaints. As I was figuring out which one to buy, I found a website that suggested making your own diaper sprayer for less.  Could it be done? Would doing it yourself be worth the savings? The answer is YES! Not only did we make our diaper sprayer for less than the ones that you can buy online (it cost $33.76, to be exact), but it also only took about 20 minutes, from start to finish, to construct and attach.

{Of all the instructions we looked at on various sites, the tutorial that stood out as the easiest was on the blog, Gidget Goes Home. So the parts and instructions are adapted from their tutorial. Gotta give credit where it's due, after all.}

We found all the parts necessary for the project at Home Depot, all of it (except one part --see explanation below in the supply list) in the same plumbing aisle. I'm proud to say that I found all the parts by myself. Is it weird that I find pride in that?  Here's what you need:

{Clockwise from top left}

• Ice-Maker Supply Line (also called 'filter connector splicer')  -- 1/4" OD Compression x 12"
• Kitchen Sink Spray Hose & Head Assembly
• Teflon tape (optional)
• Ander-Lign Compression Connector -- 1/4" OD x 1/4" MIP w/insert (it will have all these measurements on the outside of the bag)
• Adapt-a-Valve T-fitting  -- 3/8" x 3/8" x 1/4" (again, all of ths is right on the bag)
• 1/4" Full Port Ball Valve  (This serves as a shut-off valve and it's the part that wasn't in the plumbing aisle with everything else. I found it in the section with the air compressor supplies.)

After I brought home all the parts, my ever-obliging (and, might I add, handsome) husband put them together.

On one end of the ice-maker supply line, he attached the t-fitting. On the other end, the compression connector, then the full port ball valve. Don't attach the compression parts too tightly because it can shred the washers and cause leaks at the connections.  See below for a close-up of the order of parts (FYI: there will be a couple little parts of the compression connector that you won't use):

Attach the sprayer hose to the valve and the sprayer is fully assembled.

Note: As I mentioned in the supply list, the Teflon tape is optional, but my husband thinks it's a good idea to use it since there are so many connections. This will help combat any leakiness. He used it on all the connecting areas. The tape only costs about a buck and doesn't take that much more time to put on, so it's worth considering.

Now that it's all assembled, it's time to attach it.

First, turn off the water supply to your toilet by turning the knob. Very important. I took this staged picture after everything was all done because I forgot to take a picture while the husband was doing it. Also, it's a good idea to put a towel under the area where you'll be working, just in case.

With a crescent wrench, unscrew the toilet supply line. From what I've read, you have to have flexible supply lines for this whole project to work. If yours are rigid, you can replace them with the flexible ones. The flexible ones seem to be the norm, though. Also, please excuse this blurry picture. I was trying to take pictures over my husband's shoulder.

Install the t-fitting on the end of the tube to the area.  Re-attach toilet supply line by screwing it onto the other end of  the t-fitting.

A quick aside about the ball port valve:

Since the sprayer will be under constant pressure from the water supply, the ball port valve serves as a shut-off valve for the sprayer.  When you want to spray, push the red lever so that it's in-line with the tube. To shut off the water supply, pull the red lever away from the water line, so that it's pointing out.

That's it. Now just spray away!