Hello!
For those who don’t know me,
my name is Eric!
In this video about van conversion,
I will explain how I did my solar shower system,
including specific features
to be used with a vehicle.
What I will show you is not a video
«see what I just made!»
It is a real field tested shower system
that has been on the roof of my van for years.
It has traveled North and South
and from coast to coast
in the United States and Canada,
in desert heat as well as Canada’s ice and snow,
without any problem!
First thing to say is that a solar shower is a must to me.
It provides…
an extra tank of water
a self heating system
the same washing comfort as home
hardware requires no storage space
hardware requires no drying to avoid mold
water capacity for multiple showers
no hassle compared to camp gear.
To learn more about the importance
of body hygiene to enjoy van life,
I invite you to look at my video «Avoid misery».
To build that awesome van equipment,
I used only those basic tools,
and elbow oil as my father used to say.
The first problem to solve,
is to not accidentally lose the solar shower system while driving!
In the traffic, when you have to brake hard,
you do not want to send a torpedo to the car in front of you !
The second problem to solve is
how to attach such a cylinder that crosses a roof rack
made of two transversal bars ...?!
The third problem is to be sure not to exceed
the weight capacity of your roof rack and of your vehicle...
The forth problem is how to fix a faucet to an ABS cap....?
The fifth problem is how to get water pressure...?
About the first problem of not loosing
the shower tube while braking hard,
consider this…
When braking, water will move in the cylinder.
The water will move upfront,
and hit the front cap of the tube,
and then will flow towards the back,
hit the rear,
and back and forth until stabilizing.
When the solar shower is not full,
there is more room for that phenomenon to happen.
What we want,
is to reduce those impulses and destabilizations.
They are hard on everything that hold the water tube. »
Here’s what I did to avoid this!
I divided the tube in 3 sections,
and I separated those sections with 2 water restriction disks,
to slow down the water velocity when braking.
I placed those disks with their slots at 90 degrees,
to slow the water velocity even more.
As restriction disks,
I simply used floor drain covers!
With a simple manual metal saw,
I cut the tube part of it to obtain a simple disk.
It is important to choose a hole pattern
that will allow the water to reach
the bottom of the corner as low as possible.
Otherwise you won’t be able to use
all the water contained in the tube...
That disk is simply added between 2 tube sections.
It is captive in the middle of the coupling assembly sleeve.
I used ABS material and ABS glue to assemble it all.
It is very easy.
At the front end of the tube,
I put a removable cap rather than a permanently glued cap.
Both will work,
but when you plan to cross country borders,
it is preferable to choose a system
that allow custom officers to take a look inside the tube...
For the back end of the tube,
I did the same, by putting a removable cap.
Also, at that extremity,
I used an angle fitting to create
a low bottom point to fix the faucet.
Effectively, to use all the water in the tube,
the faucet must be lower than the bottom of the cylinder.
That way, you can use all the water capacity of the tube.
Also,
to avoid the tube to be launched like a torpedo,
I planned it such as to position
the edges of the coupling assembly sleeve
to act as stoppers on the roof rack.
I did this for both rack bars.
This is a very efficient way to block any upfront movements!
How to attach that cylinder set to two cross bars...?!
I simply used 2 stainless steel hose clamps,
with pieces of wood to avoid the rolling movements.
Third problem is not to exceed the weight capacity of the vehicle
and the roof rack...
This one is easy to solve!
Everything is written in the user manual of the vehicle,
and in the roof rack manual.
You won’t be surprised to find out
that an added crossbar rack can be stronger
to the original transversal rack of the vehicle.
The best way to learn,
and be sure about specific vehicle
and roof rack weight capacity,
is too take a short ride to your local vehicle rack store
and ask a few questions.
Those guys are qualified and will know about this.
How to install a faucet to an ABS cap...?
I simply used a washing machine faucet
that I sealed with silicone.
I drilled a simple hole.
Inserted the faucet.
Then fix it to the cover with a simple nut on the inside.
After I stuffed plenty of silicone on both side to perfectly seal it.
How to get water pressure...?
I simply installed a truck air tank valve
at the top of the water filling cover.
I installed it with the same technic
as I did for the washing machine faucet.
I sealed it with silicone from the inside.
You can find this kind of valve
at your local automotive parts store.
I have tried different alternatives
and this is definitely the best way to do this!
Filling the tube with water...
To fill the shower tube with water,
I put an opening at the top.
I simply carry an adjustable wrench
to loosen and tighten the cover.
Putting the system under pressure...
I simply use a small air compressor to put pressure.
It is important to put less pressure
than the maximum pressure capacity
of the tube and its components.
I never put much more than 30psi in my system.
Now the only thing missing is a shower cabinet!
Firstly,
I would like to say that I am not a fan of a shower tents
and pop up shower tents for a few reasons…
I have camped hundreds of nights,
may be more than a thousand, in tents.
If there is something that I hate when tenting,
it’s waiting for the tent to dry before storing it!
You do not want it to develop mold
or deteriorate by storing it wet.
With a shower tent,
you do not only completely soak it with water,
but you do this on the inside of the tent,
making it an extra challenge to dry off.
Those tents are costly compare to my solution.
The pop up ones are very bulky to store.
As a subscriber mentioned,
If the sun is out while you use it,
people can cast your shadow.
Which is not good for Van Lifers reputation.
I will explain my shower cabinet
and why I prefer my solution in a coming video....
I invite you to subscribe not to miss it,
and also to not miss plenty of interesting videos
for enthusiastic van Lifers.
Give me some feedback!
It is much more interesting for me.
I also appreciate very much knowing from which state
or country you have just watch my video.
I much enjoy feeling the aspect of sharing
with people from everywhere.
Stay tuned my fellow Van Lifers!
I you have not seen my van tour, go see it!
See ya!