Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 11:15:20 -0500
Reply-To: mcneely4@COX.NET
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
Subject: Re: Hot Water Shower Contraption for Vanagons
In-Reply-To: <383217.85944.qm@web83608.mail.sp1.yahoo.com>
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Very interesting, and sounds nice. I just use a solar shower (plastic bag with a shower head attached, black on one side). Last trip, I put it in the luggage rack, properly secured, while driving. Had a hot shower for myself and wife when we got to camp. Liked it really well. Leaving this afternoon for a weekend on the creek, will do the same thing. Of course, this won't work in cloudy, cool weather, but sunny cool weather, works fine. In hot weather, we just bathe in the creek, or with cool creek water (if available). Privacy concerns? Wear a bathing suit if other people are about.
After you posted on this before, I gave it some thought. Decided that for us, the solar shower is fine. If the weather is cloudy/cool we just skip the shower anyway, if just out a couple of nights.
DMc
---- Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET> wrote:
> Back in January, I commented on my Vanagon shower....I've finally posted some photos. Check them out at http://picasaweb.google.com/richkoerner/VanagonShower?authkey=Gv1sRgCLy895SWoseFBg&feat=directlink
>
> And here's the post from January with minor rewrite.....
>
> I don't
need a rear heater here in San Diego, but I do need hot water for my
showers. I
removed the rear heater, but I suppose you could just as well "T" into
the lines. I used brass reducing barbs for the 1/2" heater hose to the
rear heater to get it down to 1/4" inside diameter hose, which is then
clamped onto a 15 foot length of 1/4" OD copper tubing, which I of
course coiled into a cylindrical shape (by using a spray paint can as a
form). The copper coil drops down in my tank, in my case a 5 gallon
aluminum stock pot (like for making spaghetti or something). I also
have a ball-valve in line to turn the coolant flow on and off. To finish
the masterpiece, I got a digital meat thermometer from WalMart; the
probe goes in the tank, the digital readout/alarm goes up in front so I
can watch it while I drive. (I utilized the unused wiring for the
rear heater fan for my wiring for the "extension" between the probe and
the digital display.) So 5 gallons of water in the aluminum pot (could
be plastic, could be smaller or larger, could be rectangular, but mine
is aluminum so I can also heat up the water for my shower on the Coleman
stove outside the van. But 5 gallons of water goes from about 60
degrees F to 120 degrees F in about 10-12 minutes of driving down the
freeway; so I usually open the stopcock to start heating my water about a
half-hour before I reach the campground. The digital readout on the
meat thermometer beeps when I hit 110 degrees, that's where I like to
set it. If I overshoot a little that's OK, have had it as high as 130
degrees F. Depending on van interior temps, it SLOWLY cools off, but
since it's under the rear seat, it holds it's temperature for quite a
while, at least an hour or so.
>
> By the way, to complete the
"shower" part of it, I have a 12VDC 800GPH Rule Bildge Pump, like for
boats. Got electric power, fuse, indicator light, and switch connected
to the pump. The pump is semi-permanently mounted inside the aluminum
pot, and can easily withstand shower-temp water, wouldn't want to go too
high on that though. On the output side of the bildge pump is a
reducer for a 6 foot length of 3/8" Tygon plastic tubing, and a cheap
plastic showerhead, with appropriate number of holes plugged with epoxy
so that I get strong flow but not too much; definitely WAY more than a
gravity fed solar shower, great for thoroughly rinsing out shampoo. I
get about 4.2 minutes of continuous flow with shower nozzle held at
shoulder height, enough for showers for two if you turn it on and off in
cycles.
>
> And to take showers INSIDE the Vanagon, I made a giant
rectangular "funnel" out of blue plastic Walmart tarp, (cut and glued
with contact cement) suspended on the interior of the Vanagon with
bungee cords. You actually sit inside the "funnel" or shower curtain or
whatever you want to call it, and the water splashes down into a
Rubbermaid tub. I have a remote switch for the pump to turn it on and
off at will. Since I don't have a pop-top, I take showers sitting down,
works just fine. Of course, I do have curtains all around 360 degrees,
and a roof vent to let the steam out. But I've taken hot showers at
McDonalds, WalMart, rest stops, what have you...total stealth and total
bliss. Oh, the gray water gets dumped out at the next suitable
location, and the shower curtain "funnel" with bungees stores in the
Rubbermaid tub (in the back of the van when driving and on the floor
where the ice chest sits at night, the ice chest goes on top of the tub so no lost interior floor space).
>
> Yeah, some of the above
technical description might be a little challenge to imagine, but
believe me, it all works great, have taken hundreds of showers outside
the van and at least 25 or more inside the van. Free hot water!
Endless supply!
>
> I think you guys would get a kick out of rigging
up your own system, the above description should give you ideas, and
I'll have to figure out how to post pictures and a writeup. Useful for
only hot water or with the shower "option".
>
> Rich
> 85 Vanagon
with a clean guy inside
> San Diego
--
David McNeely
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