A while ago I posted something about how to bleed your brakes if you don't have any friends around to push the pedal for you....or if you just don't have any friends...
Changed some rear brake lines today and of course nobody was around (yes, I do have friends) so I did it this way, which honestly is a lot easier than opening and closing the bleeder and yelling back and forth at each other. I know there's things you can buy to do a lot of it for you, but I don't have one and... there's other things I'd sooner buy anyway. So here's how it's done.
After you open the bleeders and let it just gravity bleed a little, you hook that hose up to the bleeder. That black rubber piece at the end fits the bleeder real good, has to fit nice and tight so it can't suck air back from outside the line, and so you don't get brake fluid all over your driveway.
You have to loop the line up over something (I used a bungie cord to hold it up), that way air bubbles will go up and brake fluid will fall back down. So when it sucks back, it won't suck air, it sucks brake fluid.
Now work the pedal down and up slowly 6 or 10 times, get out, close the bleeder and move on to the next wheel (furthest to closest).
I'm sure somebody will come up with a reason why it's not as good as something else but... it works like a charm, and my brake pedal is rock - hard.
The other good thing is you can take a water bottle, drill a hole in the cap slightly smaller than the line, force it in and... no mess. zero. nothing.
So, just thought I'd pass this on, I can remember a few times waiting for somebody to come home or drop by so I can bleed my brakes and drive my truck and I happened on this. Somebody else thought it up, but the water bottle part is mine. Hope it helps someone.

 

Good idea, I'll try it some time. I always mess around trying to get a vacuum pump to seal.

 

Hope it's not too late to chime in but, wanting to preserve my marriage, I find this method encouraging. I will offer only one caveat and perhaps one modification.

Caveat: Only unscrew the bleeder screw as much is needed to get flow. The further out the screw sits, the more air that can enter through the threads.


Mod: Find a way (pole, weight, etc) to hold down the pedal on the last downstroke for each corner. This will ensure air is not taken in on what would be the final upstroke.

 

I just bought a break bleeder tool... no friends

 

This method is great been using it for years.
@mijotu: you wouldn't need a weight on the last stroke as there is no way for air to be introduced back into the system as long as the tube is submerged in fluid.

 

I appreciate your extending the discussion, Triton54HD. While I contend that some air can and will enter the caliper upon upstroke due to entry at the threads, or at a less than perfect connection to the drain hose—either with a sufficiently-filled drain hose—I do not know if this breach would be enough to have any impact on performance or otherwise be noticeable during operation.

My view is that there is an advantageous ratio between ingress and egress of fluid, such that X units enter upon upstroke while, say, 4X units exit upon each downstroke of the pedal. Using the OP's suggestion regarding the vertical position of the drain hose, the fluid level could provide enough fluid immersion to prevent back flow of outside air; hence, the initial gravity bleeding. (I do not agree that all air will rise from the fluid, however; the liquid is viscous enough to trap air bubbles that would join for the ride back in. But, with enough repetition, those bubbles will become fewer and farther between, rendering them to near zero.)

Having a "locked" final downstroke would appear, at least in my mind, to control for any such variables. Seems far from necessary based on anecdotal evidence, but it is worthy of consideration, especially if one questions his or her competency or the efficacy of the method. Oh, since I'll be performing it solo (I did have friends before this post, but they might find me too erudite for their tastes now) this very week, I will have an opportunity to video the process as it occurs otherwise out of view. That should serve to strengthen the argument for the lonely bleeding technique as well as any insights as to how it can be improved, if at all!

 

Just used this method a few weeks ago. Works like a charm and your neighbors don't come out of their houses wondering why there are two guys yelling at each other next door.

 

Found this Chris Fix video which shows how to do this. Pretty nifty!

 

Or, you could go to the auto parts store and buy some self bleeder screws, which are about 4 or 5 dollars. They have a spring loaded check valve inside that open when you press on the brake pedal and close when you let off. All you have to do is loosen a little when you're ready to bleed that corner, and tighten them up afterwards. I put them on all my trucks.
I believe they're in the HELP section.

 

As I said at the top, people will have opinions on why it's not as good as something else. I suppose the point about possible air entry through the threads is valid, but I haven't found it to be an issue.
I suppose if you wanted to get super fussy you could pull the bleeders and put thread tape on them ? But really it just works fine without all the fuss. And my kids are glad not to have to do the pump the pedal - again - again - again thing