check out the new remote control Jockey Wheel SmartBar Canegrowers rearview170 Cobb Grill Skid Row Recovery Gear Caravan Industry Association of Australia
Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Click here for the Grey Nomads website -> The Grey Nomads Forum -> The Grey Nomads - General -> Hot Water Appliances ? External shower for small caravans.
Post Info TOPIC: Hot Water Appliances ? External shower for small caravans.
Ole Grizzly


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 286
Date:
Hot Water Appliances ? External shower for small caravans.
Permalink  

Am somewhat confused, flustered and now not up to speed with what is available on market as retro-fit water heaters.

Suburban, gas or gas/elec, gas fitter certification, fitment and mega $$$$$

Companion Aqua Cube, portable, bit fiddly and require gravity or pressured water, gas (canister or bottle connection) plus ignition source.

Coleman on Demand....much same as above.

Small instantaneous units....all are ventilated so safe enough for this ole bloke.

Anyone had success with similar units for shower tent use ?



-- Edited by Ole Grizzly on Tuesday 24th of January 2017 09:31:17 AM

__________________
Kalangadoo with a wheel barrow & water bag
Bagmaker


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 348
Date:
Hot Water Appliances ? For small caravans.
Permalink  

Sure Grizzly, had an ebay special hooked up to gas bottle and within toilet style tent for a few years. Excellent. A bit cool if you like really hot ( I use really hot, clean water for a skin condition) but can be metered down in pressure to suit. Or recycled in a bucket to pre-heat. Ours supplied with townwater bladder. Most family thought it marvellous. Hooked into van supply using side tap to pump water.
Other folks in our camp use straight (Murray) river water through same system but you only get 3 years or so before the heater blocks up from silt. Remote battery and bilge pump in container or direct suction dipped is popular. Not a bad $ ratio.

__________________
Ole Grizzly


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 286
Date:
Permalink  

Thanks for the rapid response 'Bagmaker'

Seems I really need to study internet sites to learn (ouch) ease of operation and longevity of these units.

Be great to link it to A frame gas bottle and 12v van water pressure pump. Then a nice long hose to shower rose.

Back to 'drawing board', but am sure I'll get there eventually.

Thanks again.

__________________
Kalangadoo with a wheel barrow & water bag
Dougwe


Chief one feather

Status: Offline
Posts: 17339
Date:
Permalink  

Dennis, give the instantanious one a massive wide birth mate. I have one and it is nothing like a house one. Rubbish. Luke warm water only, if that. I have spoken to the suppliers and done what they said and still no good. I am about to try something else soon with the assistance of a local young plumber I have got to know here at Greens Lake, Nth VIC.

__________________

Live Life On Your Terms

DOUG  Chief One Feather  (Losing feathers with age)

TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy

DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV  (with some changes)

 
macka17


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 3066
Date:
Permalink  

Depends which one you get.
Ours throws out real HOT water at other end of van.
As long as you have a decent water pump.
(Those little $40 units a waste of time and money).
and turn DOWN the water flow.

535 van. Heater outside front door in front of.
Shower tent\shower set up on side of van. other side rear.
with T Piece to sink mixer tap.
Showers, Washes dishes, fine.
It's the one a few camping parks are using for showers outside.

__________________
Ole Grizzly


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 286
Date:
Permalink  

Thanks Chief......have a sore head now with 'door banging'.

Where to next....wait for your 'Greens' plumber ideas?  Be interesting to read later.

 

Macka wrote an interesting reply, but my being not very technical doesn't allow grey matter to form a mental picture...lol

Not sure which unit you are using Macka, but result is hot...like that.  Can you give me a pic and more info please.

 

Gosh, these Forums are priceless.....love it.     Thanks.



__________________
Kalangadoo with a wheel barrow & water bag
Dougwe


Chief one feather

Status: Offline
Posts: 17339
Date:
Permalink  

Dennis, I was going by your subject heading "For small caravans" but then noticed after I posted my reply that you said "Similar untits for shower tent use".

Mine is in my caravan not a shower tent. That said, I spose it could be in a shower tent, inside my aluminium tent crysmile

 

 

Keep Safe on the roads and out there. 



__________________

Live Life On Your Terms

DOUG  Chief One Feather  (Losing feathers with age)

TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy

DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV  (with some changes)

 
Ole Grizzly


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 286
Date:
Permalink  

oops....apologies....will have to try to edit heading....Thanks Chief.



__________________
Kalangadoo with a wheel barrow & water bag
madaboutled


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 848
Date:
RE: Hot Water Appliances ? External shower for small caravans.
Permalink  

Prior to having the motorhome we had a 16 foot caravan and for showers we used a shower tent. We heated the water the water with solar bags layed out in the sun for a few hours.  When the water was warm enough we just poured all of it into a 40Lt Plastic Container (heavy duty black plastic with removable lid) that we could stand in and used a $30 12 volt bildge pump from BCF , added a power lead with a waterproof inline switch & placed the in pump in the water.

If the water wasn't hot enough we'd add a jug or two of water heated from the stove. Using this method allowed for a reasonable 5 minute shower and in 5 years of travelling was most acceptable to us. The beauty of this simple set up is that all the shower gear could be stored back in the container. The empty water was emptied ussualy onto the base of a thirsty tree.

That was back then.... These days there's more and more camping areas (free and paid) that insist on grey water retention, so this type of set up isn't permissable in those camps.



__________________

Steve, Di & Ziggy We named our Motorhome "Roadworx" because on the road works "On The Road Again"
Ford Transit with 302 Windsor V8 conversion, C4 Auto, 9 Inch Ford Diff All Lighting L.E.D., 260 Amp/h AGM, 530 Watt Solar + Kipor Backup Gen.
macka17


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 3066
Date:
Permalink  

HOTTAP.
Used by a few camping parks for their showers.

Some reckon not hot enuff. ME. I can't hold hand under it.
I'm happy.

Layout.
Front Kitchen with sink. door at front nearside.

Heater mounted on external wall . In front of door.
Near side of van.
Piping goes under and across front of van to T piece,
with one line up to H.Water tap in sink.
Other line along side (under) to rear offside of van
where shower tent frame mounts on ext of van with tap on end,
Mounted under side edge of floor.

Shower unit clips onto that
and mounts on little bracket at top of tent frame.

Plus Porta Potti kept in there when not showering.
Neat. Tidy. efficient little External bathroom. Private.
AND Cheap.

Real cheap??.
Shower bag on roof of car.
Stand under in jocks if anybody else around.

Cold clime.
Showerbag. Same.
but boil kettle and heat up contents first.

Caravan Park. Use theirs.

Water pump. Bucket. Kettle, shower head with hose..
The list goes on.
I never go on a fishing trip without a coupla shower bags
kettle, stove, cup.
.

__________________
hako


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 2534
Date:
Permalink  

We simply use a flannel and a bowl of hot water inside the popup ensuite - heat the water by whatever means available. Used this for 3 months 50/50 with caravan parks doing the lap and found it pretty easy once you get into the habit. This method costs nothing and is trouble free!
The Hottap that Macka uses seems pretty good but they do seem to have quite a few quality control problems, however I'd buy one if we ever get sick of the flannel method. The reviews for Hottap are in the link:
http://www.productreview.com.au/p/joolca-hottap.html

 

Good Luck.



__________________

Denis

Ex balloon chaser and mercury measurer.

Toowoomba.
PeterD


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 4711
Date:
Permalink  

Ole Grizzly wrote:
Anyone had success with similar units for shower tent use ?

 I used one you could look at whilst staying at Left of Field CP, National Park, Tasmania. Adrian was using these as the council would not let him put a shower block in the park.

Adrians showers 2.jpg

The equipment he had is the HOTTAP Portable Heater equipment.  Adrian had 240 V models but the ones in that page look like 12 V models. You can see a heater in the background without its cover.

Being an Australian company they are fully compliant with the relevant regs. There are cheaper models but I would suggest asking for the Australian approval numbers before committing yourself.

11 IN 1 Outdoor Portable Gas Water Heater for Showers (I don't see a water switch on the hand piece.)

Rio Grande Instant Portable Gas Hot Water Heater LPG Gas Camp Shower

.



Attachments
__________________

PeterD
Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top
Retired radio and electronics technician.
NSW Central Coast.

 
Hylife


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 637
Date:
Permalink  

hako wrote:

We simply use a flannel and a bowl of hot water inside the popup ensuite - heat the water by whatever means available. Used this for 3 months 50/50 with caravan parks doing the lap and found it pretty easy once you get into the habit. This method costs nothing and is trouble free! .................

 

 

Same here, but as we don't have a bathroom in our van, we often use the kitchen sink and place the towel on the floor, because we do tend to splash about a bit.

Have a $20 battery powered (rechargeable) submersible pump for the hair which is always done first so one has nice shampoo water for the rest.

Carry a 20 litre white paint bucket (Bunnings $11 ) for using river water and tip in a full kettle of hot seems about the right mix, and they also make perfect washing machines. Whilst you are driving around, slosh slosh.

rechargeable-camping-showerImageMain-515e7042d59-7afb-415d-959f-3b5093e26ff3.jpg

 



__________________
Sarge9


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 150
Date:
Permalink  


Ole Grizzly; I too went down this long and winding road, got the bright fluorescent green shower tent (it was cheap???) and after all my research went for the Joolca HOTTAP: I am a very happy camper, I bought the accessory pack version so I could use it other than with the van, it shoots water from the shower head at least three metres if you want it to.

Hot enough to not want my hand in the water and with plenty of flow. I am mounting mine on the rear bumper (in a box) the shower tent will then stand alongside. The caravan gas will be run under the van to the unit and the water will be connected to the van pump/supply. It comes with enough delivery hose to wash a horse, I think there is enough to wash the horse while it is doing laps... so I will shorten the hose to a more suitable length. And the accessory pack.... I lift the unit from the van and put it in the ute and with a small gas bottle fire it all up alongside some different water supply, including lake or river.

Very happy with the unit, not as cheap as some similar evilbay units (there seems to be a different brand that comes as three cloned variations and without the same heat gains).
Hottap claim a greater heat increase from ambient temperature than the other mobs. (that is why people have to run water through a bucket or use solar bag water)

Good luck with your choice.

Sarge. (pink and squeaky clean)

__________________
Lancelot Link


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 303
Date:
Permalink  

I've an outside shower on my van. Hot weather, no shower tent, just a pair of shorts and a quick spray down to cool me down, it is great. Only problem has been the people who want to release the beached whale back to the sea!

__________________
Ole Grizzly


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 286
Date:
Permalink  

Many thanks to everyone with great replies to my query. All making this Forum wonderful.

Reckon after doing the sums, ease of installation/assembly and not forgetting them $$$$$, a Joolca just might be the ant's pants.

Gosh, hot water shower, privacy of popup tent, portable potty combination should allow me to slip an extra cold beer out of esky before she finishes.

Once again, thanks for responding.

              Cheers

 



__________________
Kalangadoo with a wheel barrow & water bag
Dougwe


Chief one feather

Status: Offline
Posts: 17339
Date:
Permalink  

Just remember the 'shower scene' in the movie Mash, OG biggrinbiggrin You could end up with a lot of ladies sitting around in their deck chairs mate.

 

Mr 'Hot Lips' biggrin

 



__________________

Live Life On Your Terms

DOUG  Chief One Feather  (Losing feathers with age)

TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy

DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV  (with some changes)

 
macka17


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 3066
Date:
Permalink  

Yea Doug.

THAT was then.
THIS (with all it's wrinkles and rolls.) Is NOW.

Like me, I think he'd be safe. I lookedin the mirror today.
Yikes.., is THAT. ME.

They wouldn't have deck chairs,
More like running shoes. And NOT towards me hey.

__________________
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.
Click here for the Grey Nomads website -> The Grey Nomads Forum -> The Grey Nomads - General -> Hot Water Appliances ? External shower for small caravans.
Tweet this page Post to Digg Post to Del.icio.us
Purchase Grey Nomad bumper stickers Read our daily column, the Nomad News The Grey Nomad's Guidebook