D.I.Y Shower Options

[Mcarpenito89]

I have had one of the propane instant hot water heaters and It was dismal at best. It constantly surged between cold and scalding water and it was messy. Then, in a very light freeze, maybe 30?, it busted inside somewhere. I've never had anything freeze in my climate but this wasn't even really cold AND you can't drain these things completely! It wasn't hooked up to water, it just had water trapped in it somewhere. I'd rather go with a real propane RV furnace that can be drained. It's big and bulky and requires a hole in your van but if you like steady water that you can rely on I see no better way.

PVC ideas for you. I've built a few.

IMG_2509 by Eric Arendale, on Flickr

IMG_2510 by Eric Arendale, on Flickr

IMG_2511 by Eric Arendale, on Flickr

IMG_2512 by Eric Arendale, on Flickr

IMG_2513 by Eric Arendale, on Flickr

IMG_2515 by Eric Arendale, on Flickr

This is about $40 of materials. The shower head is from a long arm plant watering attachment for a hose. The weird star pattern of tape on the shower head is my ghetto way of slowing down the water for a longer shower. It works well. I can get a couple of nice showers out of it. I also have a quick coupler with about 3' of hose and a sink sprayer on the end for washing hands and dishes.

Very interested in the PVC shower. Seems very affordable right now. Mind if I shoot you a pm to get some info?


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[86scotty]

Of course not. Glad to help.

 

[sierramare]

I've used one of these for over 15 years, originally marketed as the "Hot Man" back then. Except for some pump maintenance it has been flawless. Simple device that we get two showers from per fill. Available for $140 from Amazon. http://zodi.com/hot-showers/extreme-sc



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[boardrider247]

A simple method to get hot water for showering is with a flat plate heat exchanger plumbed into the heater core loop or engine cooling system. Using a thermostatic mixing valve (tempering valve) you can get consistent hot water with the engine running. Adding a coolant circulation pump will allow you to take hot showers anytime the engine block is warm, which will usually stay that way for hours after a drive.

A quick disconnect near the rear door(s) can be used for a shower wand or spray handle. Search for Cole Parmer disconnects, as they are designed for water. Having the tempering valve at the disconnect will allow easy water temp adjustment without a separate mixer valve.

Remember to use tubing rated for at least 180F on the water lines connected to the heat exchanger, as the water leaving it can reach that temperature. I suggest high temp marine braided vinyl hose, or PEX tubing.

Locating the shower hookup at the rear doors allows you to hang a curtain if needed from the doors themselves. A vinyl shower curtain is cheap and wont absorb water. Bungee cords, magnets, hooks, etc can be used to hang the curtain, or a pop up shower enclosure is also an option.

I would suggest avoiding mounting a shower head. Instead you want a handheld wand or sprayer. Unless you have unlimited water, or a very large tank, you will want to conserve, and a free flowing shower head is the opposite of that. Instead, being able to direct the spray where you want/need it, and turn it off at the wand, will cut your usage of water dramatically.

This is the method I went with for a shower. Works great.

20140701_160019 by Danny Knowlan, on Flickr

IMG_20140726_084542 by Danny Knowlan, on Flickr


IMG_20140730_194416 by Danny Knowlan, on Flickr

IMG_20140730_194543 by Danny Knowlan, on Flickr


2016-04-05_01-25-08 by Danny Knowlan, on Flickr

 

[Bbasso]

With an external water tank... freezing temps can cause some issues.

 

[malcolmzilla]

http://www.nemoequipment.com/product/?p=Helio%20Pressure%20Shower%20(Grey)

Not DIY, but simple and works well. Also packs up tight. Add 2 gallons water, heat a gallon on the campstove, add it, nice warm shower GTG. Two sweaty dudes can get a shower out of it. Consecutively that is, have not tried concurrently... :snorkel:

 

[boardrider247]

With an external water tank... freezing temps can cause some issues.

The temps I deal with internal or external makes no difference. Every fall my water system is winterized, only way around it would be to heat the van 24/7 from November through March and that isn't going to happen.

 

[goatherder]

Here's mine.

 

[Kyle Kelso]

I plan to make a PVC surf style shower. I first saw people with these in Costa Rica and on the west coast, and after coming off the beach it's awesome to be able to rinse off. With one of the little coil hoses, or maybe a soft expanding hose, you could probably set up a quick curtain with magets and fashion a great shower spot between the open back doors of the van.

(pic below is not me, stolen from the web. )

That's cool, I don't recall ever seeing something like this but had been thinking of building myself one out of PVC. A 7' long 6" PVC pipe should hold some 10 gallons or 40 liters and the black pipe should heat the water a bit. It would weigh close to 100 pounds though so rack weight limits and other stuff mounted on the roof would have to be taken into consideration. Your picture is definitely better looking than what I envisioned... haha

 

[temporarydweller]

About as cheap as they come. Kitchen faucet side sprayer and a 1 gallon weed sprayer.

 

[Paddy]

I don't want to haul around a lot of weight up high and be limited to late afternoons on summer days only for a hot shower. I've used the ecotemp/triton/camp chef etc propane units and they did give trouble, but were replaced under warranty repeatedly. So, if you do buy one get a good return policy on it. They do work amazingly when working though.
For now I may just use a big pot on the stove and try to find a way to pump it. KISS

 

[rruff]

What about the simple solar showers? Obviously you need sun but other than sun and the latency time to warm up is there a downside?

Yes! Keep it simple.

You can park in the shade and put the bag in the sun. Shower any place you can hang the bag.

I move with the seasons so it's always reasonably warm during the day. If I was camping in the cold I'd want a heated system of some kind.

 

[Accrete]

The thoughts i share are based on what we've found useful in our keep-it-simple lifestyle and the products were found/researched/approved by my wife.

My wife and i've done mainly the garden sprayer or bag-showers. We are currently happy with the simplicity of the Sea to Summit Pocket Shower. We pour in about a quart to 1/2 gallon of ambient temp water, then pour in about the same boiling water and shake bag, hang it from above (in or outside the van).

TMI Warning
Out on adventures, like home, we dry brush daily (info link at the Mercola health site) and do simple wet-towel wash for underarms, disposable baby wipes for the unmentionable areas. THEN, eeeks... we take water-showers about twice a week. Then splash on some dry baking soda (for those who want an over the counter replacement for underarm use check out "Pit Stop"). We've done this for years, AND we work our 9 to 5's with the public. We are always looking and smelling good for the peeps without use of cologne or perfumes.

Thom

 

[Overland_tundra]

Have you seen this ?


https://www.thewaterport.com very cool unit , 3.3 gallons just isn't enough.






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It doesnt heat up so you wont even want to use any extra water you have

 

[Tacoma_David]

I have a RinseKit and it has a heater so my showers are always warm and ready when i need them.