SOLAR SHOWER

[jmmy6767]

Hey, anybody with ant pics of solar showers out there?   I want to build one .   I don't have any drawings yet, just ideas.  I have seen some that use coiled up garden hose layed out on a roof, or some type of cover above the shower.  Would you really get any good pressure, gravity fed coming out of a garden hose?   I was thinking about building a platform  (plywood)   with a grid of pvc pipe painted black. Any advice  would be appreciated.   Thanks, jimmy

[Don_Papenburg]

I have just left the garden hose out in the sun on the lawn. an hour or two will do .   There is enough water in a 50' hose to take a short shower . Enough to get a good bit of dirt /dust off .  when the temp starts to cool stop the shower quickly.

[moonhill]

You may have fun looking at this site.  It has plans for the DIY'ers.

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm

Tim

[iffy]

Here's mine.
 



And here's my son's copy
 

[jmmy6767]

           Thanks, for the info. guys    I  like the barrels.   If I were going to go that route I would have to stand the barrels upright, with mosquito screen.  No water suply unless I was to pump from my pond.   

[tyb525]

Have you considered cold showers?

[jmmy6767]

Well, I have taken a few of those.   Not my usual choice though.   I will keep the idea in mind . 

[iffy]

My son spent one summer in a cabin in Colorado with no running water. They did the cistern thing with barrels above ground. They dumped all the roof drains into a series of barrels that were all connected together with plumbing at the bottom. They built a shower enclosure downhill from the cabin and just ran a hose out of the bottom of one of the barrels to the shower enclosure and put a valve and sprinkler head on it. 'course it's gotta rain once in a while and the sun needs to shine. Painting the barrels black helps. Showering right after a rain can be pretty quick and refreshing.

[maple flats]

Years ago, when I was a scoutmaster, we camped a few times at a wilderness, limited facilities camp. Not far from the main lodge they had a shower set up. They had a well and pump at or near the lodge and then ran black plastic pipe for water to many locations on the 5000 acre property, but all were on the 1000-1200 acres closest to the lodge. The shower they had about 8 or 10- 55 gal barrels, each plumbed in series. The water went in the first one low, exited high, entered the next low, exit high and so forth until it went thru every barrel. The sun shined on them and in the after noon or evening you could take a shower with all of the hot water you needed. Those who showered earlier had to add cold water, but later showers used mostly the hot. Even with up to 15 scouts and 2 leaders showering the last ones were still quite comfortable. If the night was cool, early showers were not done. I believe the barrels were painted flat black or another dark color and I'm sure they were drained before freezing weather. The barrels were all in a rack about 8' high, laid down flat and the one fitting used was the smaller bung, the other was welded into the other end of the barrel. The scouts would climb up to feel the tank temps to feel how the cooler water was progressing thru the system. We never ran out of hot enough water, except one time we got to it and someone had left the water running for who knows how long. That time the showers were barely warm towards the end but were still not cold.

[GaryinMississippi]

When I want to take a solar shower, I just stand out in the sunshine and let those rays rain down on me. 

[rbarshaw]

I have used a black 5 Gal. bucket hung from a tree with a shower head off it thru a valve. Fill it in the morning, it's warm by evening, wet down, turn water off, soap up, rinse off. Careful use would do two adults.