Date:         Mon, 6 Feb 2023 01:47:15 +0000
Reply-To:     Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Vanagon Hot Shower on Demand
In-Reply-To:  <CACvdLxPKH5WT=KgO0BYfHuHRE9Nb3CrezUwiHyBfWTRAuw6BTA@mail.gmail.com>
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 For me, it was an evolution.  It all started with me and my cousin doing Mountain Bike riding in the western Sierras in the early 90's.  Sure, we got all sweaty.  No fun getting into sleeping bag after all that.  I figured....there has got to be a better way.  I thought...all you need is a metal vessel....fill it with water...heat up on Coleman stove; and, add some kind of propulsion unit to aggressively force hot water through some plastic tubing and into a shower nozzle.  And I exactly did that!  It worked perfectly.  Except, I chose a steel 5 gallon gas tank, which of course rusted like crazy.  Also, I chose a 12VDC submersible pump from Grainger; problem with that....it was intended for intermittent use; it rusted and froze.  I rethunk.  So next attempt was an aluminum 20 quart stock pot from Costco, and a 12VDC Marine Bilge pump, I started with 800 GPH unit, but have moved up to 1100 GPH pump.  Oh my!  All systems are go now!  Then I got the crazy idea of using Vanagon to source hot water.  I deleted Rear Heater long ago; I used the plumbing and fittings, including a 20 foot piece of 1/4" copper tubing, wrapped around a paint spray can to form a heat exchanger device inside of Aluminum stock pot.  I used a simple Ball Valve to turn on/off flow to copper tubing; this involved a companion to run back and turn it off and on.  I used a standard BBQ grill thermometer from Walmart to monitor temperature; I used old wiring from rear heater to make this happen.  Readout on dash.  Next, I lost my companion to run back and turn Ball Valve off and on.  So, via Amazon, I got one of those motorized valves, and I found a switch (old Rear Window defogger switch) which fit the 3rd unused position on dashboard; yes, with a tip of switch, hot engine coolant goes into copper tubing, heating up water in Stock Pot, all monitored by BBQ Thermometer.  Oh...you want to get even more crazy?!!  Using 3D Solidworks, I came up with a delightful design of a Shower Curtain, like a giant funnel into a RubberMaid plastic bin.  I know at this point, all you guys are  collapsing in fatigue!  I hear ya.  If I were reading this thing, I would have given up by Sentence #2.  Yes, it was a 30 year process.  It was filled with errors.  But now....I wouldn't leave home without it.  Absolutely...there are easier solutions to the Hot Water Shower issue.  But mine is the finest.
And of course, I can do it the old school way...pot of water on Coleman stove...in the middle of nowhere....it's so fun to see your breath in the cold morning air....and you are as clean as a whistle!