Has anybody rigged up there van so as they can use local water in their shower etc? Instead of using the water in your tanks you conserve that water, which you know to be good quality for vital purposes like cooking, coffee and cleaning teeth etc. This way the water in our 80 lt tank can last us a number of weeks. This is very useful when free camping for long periods of time. The set up is very low cost, I would say under $25 and will allow your existing pressure pump to draw water from a bucket, drum or jerry can. Maybe even directly from a creek if you are close enough although I have not tested this.
The only other option is not to shower as this is the largest single user of your precious water. Don't think the missus will go along with that though.
We use a $29 12v shower with a bucket of water - use those black solar bags to heat the water, leave it out all day, warm as toast by mid-late afternoon. We set it up in our inside shower cubicle, as we have a 12v point nearby. Easy as. Water from dams, creeks etc. no problem.
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
Have a care how you route the untreated water; if you are using the same pump, and presumably some of the same pipework, as is used for treated water then bacteria from the untreated water may well be temporarily trapped in the pump/pipework only to be later released into the treated water.
Using river water or the like to shower is a good idea but I would use an outside shower with water heated on the fire and a small submersible pump.
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"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
Install an isolating ball valve in between your tank and if possible, within half a meter of your pump, then install a T piece after the valve, then install a male snap on hose fitting in the T piece. Make up a blank fitting out of a female snap on hose fitting which will be used to seal off the male fitting that you have just installed in your T piece. Now with the valve in the open position you can use the water from your tank as normal, turn the valve off, remove the blank and install a short bit of hose in its place, you can now suck out of that bucket etc which you have filled up from the creek and enjoy a wonderfull long shower Without using your precious water. Hope this is hel
Yes Mike, I understand your concerns, but there are always hazards to be considered no matter what we do. I like to keep things as simple as possible especially if only staying for one night. A simple flush of the lines would probably use about half a lt of water considering the relatively short pipelines in your van and you don't have to carry all that extra stuff with you not to mention setting up, especially for a one night stand.
We use the $29 shower, because it is cheap and replaceable, can also be pulled apart and cleaned out - we put the bucket on the floor, fill with the warm water, plug in shower, hang it over the door, it then fits in the bracket the shower (on a cable thingy) fits in - just like a real shower, but different.
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
Yes Mike, I understand your concerns, but there are always hazards to be considered no matter what we do. I like to keep things as simple as possible especially if only staying for one night. A simple flush of the lines would probably use about half a lt of water considering the relatively short pipelines in your van
Plus the 19 litres of water in your hot water system. You should be able to have two showers with that amount of flushing water.
There is no way i would be putting dodgy water through my vans system. I would prefer to carry the $30 electric pump shower, i already have the bucket in the van.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
Just use one of these
https://www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/camping-toilets-showers/toilet-chemicals-accessories/oztrail-canvas-shower-bucket/p/90035739?gclid=Cj0KEQjwv_fKBRCG8a3ao-OQuZ8BEiQAvpHp6B7GX4S85DcGarP3pW5LNprn93-tK8Z6q1j1idJO1tEaAlWO8P8HAQ
Sorry, link did not work.
Just hang the Oztrail Canvas Shower Bucket anywhere, fill it with warm water & you'll be delighted with the slice of luxury it provides!
Features:
20 litre capacity - enough for a good wash
Turn the brass shower rose on & off with a twist
Collapses & folds away
Easy to carry & store
100% waterproof/leakproof
Don,t be a Puss. Have you ever lived, worked or travelled extensively in the outback? if so, your water will, at some stage, have come from a questionable source. Harden up, get that emmune system working, use it or lose it. A little bit of creek water never hurt anybody. I,m not telling you to drink it, just bath in it.
Don,t be a Puss. Have you ever lived, worked or travelled extensively in the outback? if so, your water will, at some stage, have come from a questionable source. Harden up, get that emmune system working, use it or lose it. A little bit of creek water never hurt anybody. I,m not telling you to drink it, just bath in it.
I'm not telling you not to use it for non culinary purposes. I'm just telling you not to put the water through your vans plumbing system if you do not have separate drinking and general purpose systems. If you put it through your vans system you will end up drinking it.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
I'm rather afraid I am when it comes to botulism, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and the like.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterborne_diseases
>I,m not telling you to drink it, just bath in it.
In the bush I always shower in water from creeks and dams but I don't mix it with my drinking water and I try not to get it into my mouth and eyes. In the High Country I regularly drink the water from creeks but I don't from the dams in the Golden Triangle. My immune system is fine thanks but it won't be if I subject it to the diseases above.
The problem with your suggestion is that you *will* be mixing untreated water with drinking water. It is *not possible* to reliably flush out a clean water system with any amount of fresh water let alone the 500ml you mentioned, it can only be done chemically. The e-coli bacteria, which is the most common cause of gastroenteritis, is one two thousands of a millimetre long - a single drop of bad water will contain thousands of them.
Doing what you suggest is not a risk - it produces an absolute certainty of becoming sick from bad water, the only variables are how long, how often and how badly you will be sick.
Edit: omitted word inserted.
-- Edited by Mike Harding on Friday 7th of July 2017 05:36:24 PM
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"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
Just use one of these https://www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/camping-toilets-showers/toilet-chemicals-accessories/oztrail-canvas-shower-bucket/p/90035739?gclid=Cj0KEQjwv_fKBRCG8a3ao-OQuZ8BEiQAvpHp6B7GX4S85DcGarP3pW5LNprn93-tK8Z6q1j1idJO1tEaAlWO8P8HAQ
Used the army version of these many times. Yes they certainly work well & economically too.
Peter , I also use one of these but I half fill with water and top up with boiled water from kettle - I think they are a bit cheeky in stating inbuilt thermometer - It is only a guide chart printed on bag which is pretty iffy anyways.
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Possum; AKA:- Ali El-Aziz Mohamed Gundawiathan
Sent from my imperial66 typewriter using carrier pigeon, message sticks and smoke signals.
Found that canvas portable shower to be an excellent water harvesting implement when it rains and you are bush camped. Fit a snap fitting in place of the shower head, connect a water grade hose and let it feed into the tanks. Just make sure the awning is tilted towards the rear.
As I/we do not travel full time, to keep any stomach bugs at bay, we purchase drinking water in bottles, and only use tank water for showing and cooking
When traveling on my own, I never bother to use the built in hot water system, but a bucket with a 12 volt or cordless shower pump
We installed a surflo pressure pump under the rear of our van and using a simple connector and short section of hose are now able to heat water over a fire in a drum to 45 degs and run the water through the pump and then through a tee piece up the cold water side of the shower. Being a pressure pump the cold tap in the shower starts and stops the pump. I have installed one way valves to prevent water going back into our drinking water tanks and also to prevent water being pumped out when using our drinking water to shower. To operate all we do is turn off the van pump. I also installed a separate switch for the second pump and a stone guard to prevent external damage. You certainly don't have to be quite as fugal as when using your drinking water.
I wouldnt run any untreated water through the internal system
I rigged up a 12v pump with 40m of power wire from the battery and water hose back to the van
Put the free end into the creek, to the pump, then through 2 x 0.5 micron filters and then up to the van tanks. Add a bit of chlorine to the tank to kill bugs.
Fill your drinking water containers with the lid off to allow the chlorine to dissipate
