I thought it would be cool to have a dunk tank for a school carnival and neighborhood block party. After doing a little research, I found that "traditional" dunk tanks are a bit dangerous to use, quite large to store, cumbersome to transport and expensive to purchase.

So I came up with an idea to have the water dump on top of a person, rather than the person fall into the water. This contraption hangs from a standard basketball hoop. When a target is hit, a small weight (I use a bottle of water) is knocked off a shelf and causes the tank to flush. A "victim" sits under the tank and get a soft shower.

The tank can either be filled with a garden hose (fills and shuts off automatically!) or with a pump. I usually use the pump and have an inflatable kids pool to catch and recycle the water. I've used this dump tank at several events and it is a bit hit with the kids and adults.

All of the materials can be purchased at a local hardware store. Total cost is about $70.

• Wastebasket (around 20 quarts with a flat, sturdy bottom) - $10
• Toilet Flush Valve - $10-20 (fill valve optional)
• Metal toilet lever - $3
• 4 Rope clips - $3
• 4 Spring hooks - $10
• 4 pieces 2' long chain - $8
• 2 metal tie straps- $2
• 2 Aluminum extension bars - $8
• Colander - $3

The dump tank is designed to hang from a basketball hoop. Strong chain and metal clips hold the tank securely.

Drill holes in the metal tie straps to match the rope clips Connect chain to rope clips, using the tie straps as reinforcement in the back Tighten nuts.

Cut a hole in the wastebasket for the Flush valve, and the optional fill valve. The fill valve is only needed if you wish to fill the dump tank with a water hose and have it stop filling automatically (like a toilet).

Use a 2.5" hole Cutter for the flush valve. Locate hole off to one side. Use a 7/8" bit for the fill valve.

Early prototypes of the dump tank just had the flash valve at the bottom, but the water came out unevenly, and it looked a bit ugly. A colander gives a nice shower-like spray. Mounting the colander directly to the wastebasket may cause leaks. Instead, create a wooden mounting plate made out of thin plywood (3/8" thick is fine).

• Cut mounting plate to extend beyond wastebasket.
• Cut holes to match ones on the wastebasket.

Cut a hole for the flush lever. If the hole for the flush valve is on the left side, the flush lever should be on the right side, or vice-versa.

Use a 7/8" bit for the flush lever hole. Cut a slit on the side of the wastebasket by the handle. This slit is for the extension arm used to Flush the tank.

Insert the flush valve though the hole in the wastebasket and mounting plate. Tighten the ring Nut to hold securely in place. Repeat for fill valve.

Use a short metal piece as support backing. Drill holes through mounting plate, colander and support piece. Use short bolts to hold colander in place.

The extension bar is used to flush the tank. Attached to the end of the extension bar is a string with a target, when hit, causes the flush lever to go down. A counterweight is required so the flush valve stays closed.

Drill hole in aluminum extension bar. Attach to metal toilet lever. Install counterweight. Example uses a 2 lb. fishing weight. Connect to basketball hoop using spring hooks.

There are several ways to fill the dunk tank. Of course you can do this manually. If the fill valve is used, a garden hose can connect with a hose adapter. The tank will fill and shut off automatically!

There are times when a garden hose is not handy. Or when drainage for lots of water is poor. An alternative is to use a marine bilge pump (about $50) to fill the tank, and use an inflatable children's swim pool to catch and recycle the water

One way to create a target is to use a 2' X6' piece of plywood. Add legs and cut a hole in the center. Behind the hole is a shelf and a hinged door. Paint the door to contrast the target.

When a person throws an object (juggling bags or bean bags seem to work the best) and hits the target, a weight will be pushed off the shelf and flush the tank.