Ideas for compact sink/shower/hot water system

mrsa111

Observer
I'm planning out my water system, originally was going to go with two 20l jerry cans, one fresh water and one grey, and just run a small pump, maybe run a hose to be able to empty the grey water without having to remove the tank. That way i could cary additional jerry cans inside or on the bumper if i know ill be away from water for awhile.

Now im thinking it'd be really nice to have a way to heat water for a shower. probably run a hose to the rear hatch with a removable shower head to wash bikes and equipment.

I still want to keep it compact, reliable and simple. I will have a propane tank mounted under the van for the stove, but would prefer to reserve that for just the stove, if possible. Im not needing super hot water, just warm it up a little when im camped in colder areas.

Is running a long hose from the front of the van to the back (probably 9-11ft of hose) a potential issue for a small water pump?

Any advice would be appreciated, ive seen some super complicated setups and im trying to avoid that!
 

KLAKEBRONCO

Adventurer
I'll admit that I'm not getting to remote areas I'm just working on a "camping truck". Two things I figure I need based on this summers trips so far includes showering in primitive campgrounds. I've already picked up a 12v RV water pump. To that I'm attaching two sections of hose, one on each end and a "shower sprayer". I'm going to simply heat a medium size pan of water on the camp stove pour it into a bucket half full of cold water and that'll be my water source.
I'm going to pick up one of the shower enclosures available and run the sprayer into it.

I've considered many options and concluded this will be the fastest least most efficient way to have hot showers.
Trust me a water tank, hard wired pump and shower and water heat exchanger would sure be cool but I think it would be cooler to have than it would be practical to use
 

Scrapdaddy

Adventurer
Klakebronco,

Why do you say a heat exchanger and pump, hard mounted wouldn't be practical? I've got exactly that and we love it. I have two five gal. jerries of water and my wife uses @7 gals of it with me getting 3. We get back to camp after trail riding or exploring and stick the hose in a jerry. Easy! Here it is tucked up on the driver's side fender well.

Here's the hose connections and here's it working..
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3163.jpg
    IMG_3163.jpg
    287.1 KB · Views: 75
  • IMG_3112.jpg
    IMG_3112.jpg
    240.5 KB · Views: 64
  • IMG_3193.jpg
    IMG_3193.jpg
    414.5 KB · Views: 62

KLAKEBRONCO

Adventurer
Klakebronco,

Why do you say a heat exchanger and pump, hard mounted wouldn't be practical? I've got exactly that and we love it. I have two five gal. jerries of water and my wife uses @7 gals of it with me getting 3. We get back to camp after trail riding or exploring and stick the hose in a jerry. Easy! Here it is tucked up on the driver's side fender well.

Here's the hose connections and here's it working..

I guess I'm just thinking about an instance that we weren't able to take my truck when we went to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore because the rear axle had developed a problem. We had to take her Jeep.

How long does the truck need to run to heat the water?
 

mrsa111

Observer
Well now that i'm in the process of removing my rear AC/Heater unit. It looks like it'd be super simple to hook up a coolant heater, maybe a little complicated to plumb it in a way to blow hot air.
anyone know how well a coolant heater like the D5 would work as the main heater for the living area? compared to a normal diesel heater like the D2? I spend a lot of nights in freezing temps.
 

spressomon

Expedition Leader
Had a Webasto 2000 on my former Kimberley Kamper and it would keep the fabric tent Kamper comfy down to freezing unless: I was over ~5,000' and/or a significant wind was blowing.

Both Webasto and Espar have their ways/options for dealing with diesel efficiency/lack of at altitudes above ~5,000'.
 

whitenoise

Adventurer
Now im thinking it'd be really nice to have a way to heat water for a shower. .....

...

I still want to keep it compact, reliable and simple.

.....

Any advice would be appreciated, ive seen some super complicated setups and im trying to avoid that!

Typically you would want to setup your shower/bathroom area away from the cooking and sleeping areas. We use a Nemo Helio. Heating half a gallon or so of water on your existing stove and mixing it with water from the jerry can would fit your criteria the best....About 5 minutes worth of shower water and no heat exchangers, pumps, batteries, solar or any other clap-trap in sight....
 

chunko

Observer
Klakebronco,

Why do you say a heat exchanger and pump, hard mounted wouldn't be practical? I've got exactly that and we love it. I have two five gal. jerries of water and my wife uses @7 gals of it with me getting 3. We get back to camp after trail riding or exploring and stick the hose in a jerry. Easy! Here it is tucked up on the driver's side fender well.

Here's the hose connections and here's it working..

I just spent the last 4 hrs going through your 55's build thread- that thing is awesome!
 

F350joe

Well-known member
IMG_2612.jpg

Zoom in and you can see my set up. Instant propane water heater, water pump, bbq propane tank(easier to exchange than to fiil onboard propane), and a couple water jugs to haul and store water. If you use quick connects, set up takes just a couple minutes. I use soap that is biodegradable. an inflatable kiddy pool works to catch water and stows small.
 

mrsa111

Observer
Ok after doing a lot of searching around, I think i've decided on the route i want to go. I'll keep everything separate, shower, interior sink, and heated water. rather than trying to design one complete system. I think that'll be more versatile, reliable, and more winterproof. plus WAY easier for me to build.

I'm thinking ill use two scepter 5 gal. cans for the sink, one fresh and one designated for grey water. Ill use an electric pump, run it through a filter then to the sink. for the grey water can, i'd like to somehow plumb it so I can empty it without having to remove it, probably a hose running out the bottom of the van, I'll probably have to drill a hole at the low point of the can and add a valve. and also have some kind of overflow safety that would route that overflow through the same hose.
I think i'll have room to carry at least 1, maybe two more cans on the other side of the van, or on the rear bumper, so I can just rotate through 3 fresh water tanks on long trips. Will have to come up with some solution that makes swapping out the connections to the plumbing quick and easy.

For a shower, I think i'll just do the black PVC pipe on the roof idea. I like that when i dont need it, its hardly any weight up high. and should be warm enough in summer. and if I need it hotter I can just boil some water on my stove and mix it. I'll either add a valve to pressurize it, or use another pump to give it a little better flow for washing bikes/equipment.

Then for hot water for cooking, just keep it simple and use my stove.

I havent really seen a setup I like yet with scepter cans, anyone know of a setup out there like i'm describing that uses an electric pump/filter/faucet and two scepter tanks?
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
In Baja we used a 2 gal garden sprayer with longer hose courtesy of Kragen. Shortened up the wand a dab and that's it. A plastic bucket to wash dishes.
The nozzle is infinitely variable to conserve water. A coffee pot with boiling added to cooler water dials in the temp. Guaranteed to hit the nooks and crannies and under $40 and compact.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,529
Messages
2,875,555
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top