Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (July 2007, week 2)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Wed, 11 Jul 2007 01:13:44 +0000
Reply-To:     Trvlr2001@COMCAST.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "John C..." <Trvlr2001@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Hot showers/vans.

You can actually squeek out a bath with a 1 gallon milk jug. Done it many a time. Colder the better !!! I chant "damn that's Hot" !!! :o) JC...

-------------- Original message -------------- From: Troy Delnicki <colorworks@GCI.NET>

> Hi Mike: > > >We used to do the solar shower thing, and I've also been known to use > >public or fee showers on the road. For in-camp showering I've got a nice > >little rig that I'm using these days. I have a Zodi Hot Tap shower > >heater which sits atop your normal 1lb bottle of propane. It has a > >submersible pump and a battery pack. The pump sits in the water > >reservoir. With the pump started, the heater lit, and the nozzle in the > >reservoir, hot water recirculates through the heater and it warms up > >quickly. Can easily get too hot for me. > > Yes, I am familiar with these little contraptions, and they work almost > identically to the Coleman hot water on demand. The Coleman has a battery > that can be charged either via a 120 volt or a 12 volt plug-in (I also > have a spare battery, but it's good for up to 40 gallons) within about > five seconds (no kidding) the water is at 100°. It will actually put out > 160° water, but at a much lower flow rate. The one drawback to this system > is the rise or temperature increase differential the unit is capable of. I > like to camp close to rivers here in Alaska, and the water is COLD, like > 40°, maybe 50° if you're lucky. Combine that with a long hose, and the > flow rate goes way way down. It appears the Zodi has a dual burner/bottle > system that may overcome this. see: > http://www.hotcampshowers.com/products51784.html > Not sure of the range in terms of hose length and pressure. I guess this > is not a problem if you stick with a 5 gallon reservoir bag. The Coleman > delivery tends to get kind of sporadic sucking up/delivering the last > gallon, as it uses a collapsible bag, although I guess this could easily > be remedied by going to a bucket. More stuff to carry > > These are a couple of reasons I was looking at a vehicle mounted system, > not to mention the space they take up. The Zodi does appear to be smaller > than the Coleman. Do you happen to have any dimensions? > > > >The idea is to pick up the nozzle to wet yourself, then return it to the > >reservoir when soaping, then pick it back up and rinse off. This > >conserves water, but I don't like showering one-handed so I mount the > >nozzle on one of Zodi's Shower Poles, which lets a fellow use both hands > >for soaping and scrubbing and rinsing, and I put a 3-way valve in the > >line feeding the nozzle so that when water from the nozzle is not needed > >the water is diverted back into the reservoir. > > If you divert the water, I'm assuming that's heated water, and would think > it would get too hot if it recirculates? I guess you could turn the > temperature down, but can you turn it down enough? When I tried doing this > with my Coleman, the water simply got too hot. > > > >For privacy we use one of these: > > > >http://www.campausa.com/shower_enclosure.htm > > > >and the heater sits outside for safety. There is an opening in one wall > >near the floor for the hoses. It sets up and breaks down quickly. If > >there is wind it has tie points for guy lines. It has stood up to some > >strong wind gusts w/o damage. It has a snap-in floor but I dislike > >standing in the muddy soapy puddle (just fussy, I guess) so a Cabela's > >Shower Deck > > > >http://tinyurl.com/34c8b4 > > > >provides a nice floor and a handy carrying case for shower items. > > > >The whole thing breaks down into three small packages: the hardshell > >water reservoir carries the heater, pump, hoses, and battery pack. Its > >lid snaps off and becomes a base for the propane bottle. The shower pole > >goes into the enclosure's storage bag, and the little shower deck closes > >up fairly small. > > > >-- > >Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott > >71 Type 2: the Wonderbus > >84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") > >74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano > >KG6RCR


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.