Some used demos of this portable propane fired camping shower setup are being sold on ebay in couple days. The ones on ebay are the low end version. At the companies website are wide range of portable showers. Rather expensive full retail at company's website, but take a look as it might give some doityourselfers some ideas. www.zodi.com

-- Hermit John (hermit@hilltop_homestead.zzn.com), February 11, 2002

Answers

Response to Zodi shower

John, I just heat up my shower water on the wood stove. Then I pour it into a garden sprayer. I pump pressure into the spayer and viola I have a hot pressure shower. When I first bought the garden sprayer I removed the spray wand that came with it. I replaced the wand with a dish rinsing sprayer nozzle. This set up works great and costs about 20 bucks. --Happy trails, Cabin Fever

-- cabin fever (cabinfever_mn@yahoo.com), February 11, 2002.

Response to Zodi shower

Cabin Fever what a wonderful Idea! We are hoping to move to a small cabin and trying to feel clean and rinsed in a small washtub was by biggest 'dilemma'(nice hot showers,my one big decadence!). but this sounds great and builds muscle instead of an electric bill! Wahoo..

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), February 11, 2002.

Response to Zodi shower

Novina, during warm weather I shower outside. But during the rest of the year, I shower sitting down in a plastic tub next to my woodstove. My "tub" is sold as a cement mixing trough at most large buidling supply stores. Dimensions are about 30" by 40" and 12" high. It costs about 12 bucks. --Happy trails, CF

-- Cabin Fever (cabinfever_mn@yahoo.com), February 11, 2002.

Response to Zodi shower

Thanks again as that was the next step. we hadn't found one we liked yet. that sounds good.

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), February 11, 2002.

Response to Zodi shower

CabinFever, sounds like you have already figured it out. One of their shower designs is basically a 2.5 gal stainless tank sprayer mounted over a propane burner. I assume they have a relief valve to prevent explosions. Their other showers are basically a small pump that pushes water through an instant burner type deal simular to a tankless water heater sold for inside use. I was just surprised that this setup was commercially available and thought people might like to take a look.

I used to use a homemade all scrounged shower setup. I cut bottom off leaky small electric water heater tank, inverted it and welded angle iron legs to raise it off ground. Ran a steel line from this to a drain pump off old automatic washer belt driven by a scavenged lawnmower engine. Output of this pump went to a crude outdoor shower stall raised off the ground for drainage. My showerhead was old rinse hose from kitchen sink. Built wood fire under the open water heater tank to heat the water. Worked very well although rather than open fire under tank, sure I could have built a little stove setup with flue for better efficiency and safety in heating the water. I may redo this design for my own use again as I'd like to get away from propane altogether except maybe for my little two burner stove. This time I would still build heater unit outside albeit with a closed stove and flue, but I would have pump(with electric motor) and showerstall inside. A system like mine had lot of advantages, especially in winter. There were no freezeups and no pressurized cold water continually diluting the hot water as I used the hot water. If I heated 10 gallon of water, I got to use 10 gallon of hot water. Only thing, one had to be careful size of fire. Only took a small fire. One wanted fire to go out before showering. If it burned too long, water got very hot toward end of shower. I might install one of those safety valves that prevents scalding if not too pricey.

-- HermitJohn (Hermit@hilltop_homestead.zzn.com), February 11, 2002.

One of the back issues of The Backwoodsman magazine had a similar setup to Cabin Fever, except they wrapped the wood stove exhaust with coiled copper pipe, sweated a funnel on the top end, and put a small valve closure (hose bibb) on the bottom end. As long as you remembered to fill that pipe, free hot water.

-- j.r. guerra in s. tx. (jrguerra@boultinghousesimpson.com), February 12, 2002.