DIY 12V shower

Barb LeeContributor - September 21, 2021

Gear

During our last extended power outage (8 days, February ice storm), we used a little Zodi camp shower that uses four D-Cell batteries.  It put out a pathetic little dribble of water.  We later got the bright idea to build a better shower.

This unit consists of a 1gpm RV demand water pump, an RV handheld shower head with on-off button (the RV pump turns off when the button on the shower head is pushed off (there is an extension hose attached), a 3/8″ uptake hose with filter, an on/off switch and a plug that fits a corresponding socket on the battery.  We have a big deep cycle battery that we got to maintain tropical fish life support (no longer have the fish).  The little filter on the uptake hose was pilfered from a small drip irrigation filter, the open end was sealed with a little plastic wrap and an o-ring.  The uptake hose is dropped in a bucket of warm water and clipped onto the side of the bucket so it won’t fall out.  All contained in an old tackle box.

The pump delivers a very refreshing shower, of just the right pressure!

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Solar showers work fine for me – no batteries as all…..

 

I’m sorry if this is a noobish question, but what does a solar shower look like?

 

A solar shower is a 5 gallon black plastic bag that’s warmed in the sun and hung up in a tree or something.  Works great in 30 degree weather with thick clouds.  Of course you could just pour warm water into it, but I’d have nowhere to hang it in the house.  Of course a bucket of warm water with a saucepan to pour the water over your head works too.

 

Actually, there are several models.  The one I have used most often, up to two weeks at a time when doing field work, is a clear plastic bag, 2 1/2 gallons capacity.  A brief spritz to get you wet, soap and scrub, and then a nice rinse.  It’s minimalist, but it works – either solar heating or some kind of stove when cloudy.  i have also used a smaller hand held unit, just over a gallon capacity.  It also does the job.  All save batteries for more critical usage.

 

Dogpatch – That is super cool! I want to make one now. Where do you find the RV pump and shower head?

 

This is the pump https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CDXEGN4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and I think this is the shower head (ordinary, not RV specific) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WD6T5ZP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1  The pump has 3/8″ barbed fittings, so a 3/8″ vinyl hose is on the intake side and a very short piece of that on the outflow side to slide onto the pump, with a 3/8″ x 1/2″ (I think) brass barbed fitting to receive the shower hose.

 

Good evening Dogpatch,

Nice pictures and clear info…..

I’ve got a battery powered shower here but do not use it.

Am nearly transitioned away from all electric powered appliances.

I do like a modified solar shower; just warm water to wash with during winter weather.

 

Ditto here, Bob. I have a solar shower that I have modified slightly by swapping out the shower rose it came with to something a bit bigger. It doesn’t get hot but you can either fill it with hot water or have a tolerably warm shower.

I also keep a couple large containers of water in my greenhouse as a heat sink for passive overnight heating, by the afternoon, that’s hot enough to shower with. 

OP has come up with a neat 12v alternative.

 

Good morning Jenny,

Well received.

I like that greenhouse heat sink method.

“Where one can live, one can live well.” Anon.

 

Good morning Bob. I’m afraid I can’t take credit for the water heatsink idea. I remember my grandad using the same method in his greenhouse I can even remember grandma kicking him out to the greenhouse for a wash when he’d had a hard day working the horses. She wouldn’t let him in the house until he smelled of soap!

Anyhoo, I believe the Victorians also used this method, I recall a large water tank in a walled garden greenhouse at Wrest Park Gardens.

 

Victorians had thermo syphon central heating, based on the fact hot water rises, cold sinks, , entire coal fired central heating without a pump.

 

Good morning Jenny,

You can get much credit for the idea using similiar application as other fields.  Here’s an example:

“If you copy from an author, it’s called plagerism”.  If you copy from 3 or more authors, it’s called research”.  Anon.

Not too much is new under the sun.

 

Neat, I love improvisation.