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Old 12-18-2016, 04:53 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Cutting floor for shower drop

I am thinking about cutting the floor and making a step down for the shower being that I have about 18 inches of free space under my bus and Im not a small feller. I talked to a few bus mechanics and they didnt see a problem with it and I was wondering if anyone else decided to go that route? Im trying to find different ways to drain it to the grey tank.
Thanks

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Old 12-18-2016, 05:17 PM   #2
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I'm curious about this as well and have researched it a little, a few things to think about:

It will be a very cold shower pan if you don't insulate well under the bus.
Usually you want your gray water tank up as high as possible tucked under the skirt of the bus. If you have a shower lower than the top of the tank plus the required p trap curve youd have to position your tank maybe 6 or 8 inches below the bottom of the shower.

If these two things can be overcome and you have something sturdy enough to mount it to then I can't see any other problem with it.

Working on my bus now, I think I may have to bite the bullet and do a roof raise. I'm 6'4", thhe roof is currently 6'6" but I'm going to be adding at least 2 inches of insulation to the floor plus wood floors. And worse yet, my 12 year old will probably be taller than me in about 3 or 4 years. He already wears the same size shoe as me [emoji31]. So I think I really need to figure the easiest way to roof raise which will make the shower pan in the floor less important.

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Old 12-18-2016, 05:24 PM   #3
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If you don't want to have the gray water any lower you could set up some sort of automatic bilge pump below the p trap maybe... Would use more electricity but could work. I'd think a tank laying down sideways so it's wider instead of taller would work though. Maintenance on a pump to drain out the water could be a pain. I know my wife sheds like a collie and I don't know of any pump that would handle that well.

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Old 12-18-2016, 06:04 PM   #4
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If you don't want to have the gray water any lower you could set up some sort of automatic bilge pump below the p trap maybe... Would use more electricity but could work. I'd think a tank laying down sideways so it's wider instead of taller would work though. Maintenance on a pump to drain out the water could be a pain. I know my wife sheds like a collie and I don't know of any pump that would handle that well.

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Old 12-18-2016, 06:09 PM   #5
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That's a brave man that puts that in writing
Haha. It's more of a test to see if she actually reads these things.

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Old 12-18-2016, 06:59 PM   #6
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I both dropped the shower (wet toilet combo) through the floor and used a small; 6 gallon grey water tank with a lift pump to the regular grey tank. The pump is accessible through the original filler/pour spout and is operated by a switch in the shower stall. The important thing is to use a "P" trap for odor and a screen in the drain for hair. So far no problems. Because my bus is so short I also cut a hole in the roof for more headroom. I used 2" of foam to insulate under the floor and in the roof. As can be seen in the final picture, the front wall of the bath made a perfect place to hang the TV/DVD thingy.
Jack
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Old 12-18-2016, 07:22 PM   #7
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Ol Trunt, that is an amazing job! Thank you so much for the response!

Adventure Bus, I was thinking of a small bilge pump too, but the 6 gallon tank that Ol Tunt has described might be my best bet. Even thought the bilge pump to me sounds like an easier idea.
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Old 12-18-2016, 07:26 PM   #8
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Ya. Pretty smart 6 gallons with a lift pump you wouldn't need a pump powerful enough to keep up with a full shower just enough to not get more than 6 gallons behind. Genius.

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Old 12-18-2016, 07:27 PM   #9
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Yeah I am REALLY happy that someone else did this! I am stoked to actually be able to do it to mine!
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Old 12-18-2016, 10:30 PM   #10
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Nice work ol Trunt, AND a skylight? sweet!
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Old 12-19-2016, 04:00 AM   #11
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Ok, what about using a blue 30gal polypropylene tank? I think it'd work and also fit behind my skirt easier!





Wait a minute..... I got this!!!
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Old 12-19-2016, 04:17 AM   #12
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Too much coffee at bedtime






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ProMaster Camper Van Conversion -- Plumbing





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Old 12-19-2016, 11:18 AM   #13
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I went to here: ProMaster Camper Van Conversion -- Plumbing. Must be fun to hack up a clean new truck like that--$30K or something like that? My guess is that the drain apparatus needn't have been installed. The latex paint coated plywood tank will become self draining in short order.
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Old 12-23-2016, 03:40 AM   #14
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An option that I do not recallseeing here is poly-ethylene tanks. It has been a few years since Ilast bought any, but they are used in most travel trailers and motorhomes for not just black & grey water but also potable water. They are reasonably inexpensive (used to be at least) and generally easy to fix in case of a tank rupture.
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Old 03-15-2017, 10:30 AM   #15
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That's what I have, 3 poly tanks to hold potable, grey and black. I am still considering a drop but leaning more towards a step in, only because my fiance isn't as adventurous as I am about cutting floors. So I figure I will do as the boss says and be happy in the long run Thank yall for your input and advice! I will more than likely do it in the future when shes working.....
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Old 03-19-2017, 01:09 AM   #16
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Thank you for sharing those photos, ol trunt. They have inspired me.
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Old 03-19-2017, 10:01 AM   #17
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The old insulation issue, always trying to get your best R factor to keep that nice comfy temp. Here's a link that might head you in the right direction to not raising that roof. I research products like this all the time. Jetson Green - Ultra-Thin Super Insulation with Aerogel....... Being a general contractor for over 25 years and involved in product sales of all kinds of new tech building products is really going to pay off when I build my conversion.
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Old 03-19-2017, 12:27 PM   #18
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Also make sure your drain hookup is on the left side towards the back, RV parks are universally set up for that location and most dump locations are set up for left side drains
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Old 03-19-2017, 01:03 PM   #19
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Also make sure your drain hookup is on the left side towards the back, RV parks are universally set up for that location and most dump locations are set up for left side drains
I actually wondered about that.
What about shore power and water hook ups?
Are they in a standard location as well?
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Old 04-01-2017, 07:07 PM   #20
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im going to raise the roof instead 16 inches
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