Hot water in your van

MrNoodly · Mar 6, 2013

Presto, there you go, hot water. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">

wrcsixeight · Mar 7, 2013

I like it. I don't really understand some people's requirement for hot water for washing dishes.  I know it works better, but I would never go through the effort of making it just to wash dishes, but that is me. Hot water for showering is another matter.  A good screw top sunshower is my friend. Rests on my black dash during the sunny days, and when that does not get it warm enough. I heat water in my main cooking pot, and transfer it into the bag with a coffee cup, and refill the pot with the shower bag, until I get 105f+ degrees.  Can do this in as little as 10 minutes, but this wastes propane, so I do it at a more leisurely pace when time is not a factor.

SirJoey · Mar 7, 2013

I have that very same solar shower, but haven't used it yet.  Hoping to use it some this summer. How do U like yours? Was it a decent purchase? Would U buy it again? <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">

dieselcruiserhead · Mar 7, 2013

solar showers work awesome.  They actually get a little too hot at times they work so well... this said if its dark etc.    if you are driving a lot these go a long way:   http://cruiseroutfitters.com/helton.html

wrcsixeight · Mar 7, 2013

SirJoey. This shower bag is by far the best one available, that I have found anyway, but it is not perfect. Replace the hollow plastic tube with a 3/4"  hardwood dowell before hanging, I stained and varnished mine, because I was staining and varnishing something else for $$$.  The original plastic hollow tube will bend in the heat and put all the stress on the edges of the bag, stretching it out, and beginning the tear, where every bag I have owned has failed.  This one made it 3.75 years before the tear traveled across the length of the bag. The silver layer is two layers. I made two slits in it, inserted the dowell through here, and imagine I'll get another year out of it easy.  I did try re enforcing the tear zone, parallel with the dowell, but did not do it with the bag full of water hanging, so it was not effective enough. Extending the shower nozzle makes it much more user friendly.  I used a 90 degree brass barbed fitting to do so.  I slammed the shower nozzle in my Van door.  I found I like it better as a stream rather than diffused shower pattern, but it still drips if held below the bag in the closed position. The nozzle leaks, rig up a good way to hold it higher than the water level in the bag. The rubber gasket in the cap can fall out when refilling.  Be aware of this, the bag is useless without the specific rubber cap gasket, and I imagine finding a replacement, or making one, is not easy. After 4 years with a lot of use, mine started leaking where the nozzle exits the bag.  I drizzled on several layers of Loc-tite vinyl and plastic and fabric adhesive around the perimeter, inside and out. Saved me from buying another of this same brand/model.  I've owned three other models of sunshower.  This one is by far the best.

Mouldy · Mar 8, 2013

I had a black pvc solar shower from Seattle Sports that was different from the <a href="http://www.rei.com/product/850731/seattle-sports-sun-shower-25-gal" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">new designs</a> they have out now. It functioned great, the durability was suspect though. The handle tore out within two months of every other day use. The new design has a totally different handle and it seems like it would be more durable than the last design. Follow 68's advice. Sounds like he's a solar shower wizard!

MrNoodly · Mar 8, 2013

I'm thinking of having someone construct an aluminum tank that's about 8 feet long, a foot and a half wide and three or four inches thick to mount to the roof rack. Add a fill hole and a drain spout, and paint it black. Maybe there would be a way to attach a shower head that swings out between the open back doors. Hang a curtain between the doors if I need privacy.

wagoneer · Mar 8, 2013

Has anyone tried tubing on the roof? perhaps too hot. I have a lot of copper pipe saved from my plumbing days putting copper in my house and perhaps can feed into a waterbag with a shower head .Out in the desert/woods no need for a curtain get wet soup up rinse off. Dr Bronners lavender soap is great.

SirJoey · Mar 8, 2013

Thanx for all the good info on the shower, WRC!  I expect to be putting mine to use within a couple months! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">

Ballenxj · Mar 8, 2013

When I was in my motor home I had 50' of garden hose coiled up outside in the sun. Timing was everything as it was too hot mid day, but just right in the evening. I had a 10 gallon water heater, but used the hose to save propane. -Bruce

Simran · Mar 8, 2013

I have a little butane stove that will boil water so fast you can't walk away from it. That is all I use. BTW, that idea is spot on and extremely simple Kudo's mate! gus

wrcsixeight · Mar 8, 2013

I used to see a local surfer round these parts with a 5" diameter 10 foot long PVC pipe he attached to the side of his rooftop cargo carrier on a late '90's Toyota 4 runner. It had a shower nozzle on it, and appeared to work nicely, though I don't know how hot the water got. I later talked to the guy when I saw he had removed it.  I asked why, and he said he had to do an avoidance maneuver on the highway with the tank filled and he felt like he was going up on two wheels, left turns were unpleasant, and filling it was a chore. The large liquid laundry soap containers are a favorite method for rinsing off after a surf round these parts.  They fill them with hot water from the tap at home and wrap them with towels to retain the heat.  Not really applicable to Van dwelling though

Margrreet · Mar 10, 2013

Re: the guy with the 5" pipe on the roof, if he'd mounted it in the center of the roof, turns wouldn't make that much difference, as long as it was full or empty. Sloshing might be unnerving otherwise. But it's not a bad idea--5" interior diameter pipe holds about a gallon per foot. Paint it black and you'd need to mix it with cold water or you'd scald yourself. (I love PVC pipe!) Re: copper in plain view in an urban environment wouldn't last long. Too many druggie scrappers running around loose.