Shower pan

[Diesel Dan]

I'm curious what other people have used as low-cost alternatives to a shower pan. So far all I've thought of is a stock tank of some sort. Basically a really large bucket with short walls. Something like this: http://www.tractorsupply.com/livestock/ ... al-2229846. I figure it could also be used as a small tub for washing/soaking or whatever. Anyone have other ideas?

[lornaschinske]

We acquired a shower pan from ALBQ CaigsList ($20) It's a standard 32X32 fiberglass one like what Lowes/Homedepot sells and in great shape. I watched Freecycle and CraigsList for several months before finding it. I know what I need and watch the listings pretty much daily. It's not luck. You can always post a WANTED ad as well. We couldn't put anything else in there for $20.

[Diesel Dan]

Smitty I've been thinking along the same lines as you, except I will have a 30 gal grey water tank (plastic barrel). So I'll cut a drain hole in the bottom of the stock tank and through the floor. I'm thinking of getting a 6 gallon electric water heater I've seen for $200. So when we are plugged into shore, we can take showers and have enough water for several people. If we are boondocking I'll just heat up water on the propane stove and take a bucket bath with a 5 gallon bucket or run the generator if I really want to splurge. Not sure yet what I'm going to do about a water pump for when we are not plugged in to shore. I have an 115v AC clearwater pump, but it's not "on-demand" so I would have to throw a switch to activate it. I really don't feel like spending another $150 on a 12v on-demand pump though.

[lornaschinske]

I don't know how well this would work for adults... We used to camp in a pop-up that had no shower. When my kids were little, they didn't take showers. Or rather they played too much in the shower. So I used those big Rubbermaid totes as bathtubs for the kids. I washed them outside (summer in SC was hot) so dumping wasn't too much of a problem.

[roach711]

How about one of those plastic laundry tubs? They're about 2' x 2' and could be cut down a bit in the front for stepping in/out. The drain is already cast in.

If you have a bit more space, Home Depot has a nice 32x32 fiberglass pan for $89.00 (E.L. Mustee 3232m).

[Diesel Dan]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I don't think I have space for a full shower pan, so that probably won't work... although I should measure one more time to be sure. Smitty, while I like the simplicity of your design, and originally was thinking along those lines, I've now had to accept the reality that with a family of 5 people and a wife who "needs" a "real" shower in the morning, I may have to go with a standard water heater and pump. I do plan to have a hand-held shower head with an on/off valve that can be passed through the window and have an auxillary mounting bracket outside so we can shower outside at the beach or whatever as an alternative to whatever indoor shower setup I settle on.

[somewhereinusa]

Years ago I put a shower in a VERY small travel trailer(about 6x7) that worked very nice. Since I was always parked in a field somewhere and didn't go to any kine of park I drained directly onto the ground under the trailer. I purchased one of these http://www.tractorsupply.com/livesto...-small-6010003 and installed a small drain in the bottom with about 3 inches of pipe sticking down. Then cut a hole in floor of trailer so that drain in tub would stick down through hole(mine was pretty much in the middle of the only space big enough to stand up in) making a removable shower pan. I got some of the aluminum bendable curtain track and rollers for it from a surplus RV store( It's kind of like a mini I beam) I bent this into a spiral that ended in a small closet, with a full circle above the spot where the tub sat. This trailer did have a small sink with a very small water tank, but it did have a connection for outside water hose.I got a RV water tank about 4inx5ftx4ft and put it and a cheap RV waterpump in the bed of the pick up. With a RV water heater I got for free from a junked trailer I had a portable shower that worked really well.
I used a regular garden hose sprayer for the shower head. If you take a Navy 45 second shower this setup works well. I hope the explanation makes sense. Sorry no pictures this was about 30 years ago.

[TygerCub]

If you have a big-box hardware store like Lowes, or Home Depot, look in the cement/masonry section for their flat motar mixing trays. The largest one I found that is suitable for a shower base is 2' x 3' and roughly 6" deep. Plenty of room to sit right up next to a wheel well. The curve of the 2' side even snugs up to the well real-purty-like.

[Diesel Dan]

Originally Posted by Dr LuLu

...DD: what are you plans for drains? Water proofing? I checked out shower drains and they all seem to be about two inches deep or so... I'll be going through the steel bus, 1" polyiso insulation, 5/8" plywood, pan of some sorts... hardibacker?? So probably closer to three inches? I'm worried about leaks and rotting around the shower...

I haven't looked into drains yet, but I'll raise the shower up if I have to accomodate drain dimensions. I plan to have a sitting shower anyway since I'm too tall to really stand comfortably for a shower in the bus. For water proofing walls I was planning to just use shower curtains to contain the shower because I have a window right there that I don't want to lose. But the more I think about it, the more I think I will also cover the walls with some sort of waterproof laminate and caulk the joints, just as a safety backup in case the curtain opens up during a shower or something like that. The flooring in that part of my bus will be waterproof anyway (pickup truck spray-in bed liner probably) since it is a utility area.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by Dr LuLu

... I'll have it drain directly into the 40gal grey water tank that is almost directly below it. No p trap... but will probably have a cap for the drain to keep the odors from coming back in.

PUT THE P-TRAP IN!!! you have no idea how bad a gray tank can smell. A cap will not keep the odors out.

If you are going to be in freezing weather, then you can do what we do. I keep a gallon or so of that pink RV anti-freeze and dump a bit into the shower drain after the last shower of the evening. I have yet to have ou tanks freeze. In TN/NC mountain winters, we ran some heat tape around the crappy RV gate valves to keep them thawed out (both black & gray) plus built a temp box out of foam board (it was thick... perhaps 2") with an old waterbed heater under the tanks. A similar box with a incandescent light bulb will also work to keep things thawed out. But if you are going to be in freezing weather, then you need to really set up for it right from the start. BTW, those crappy gate valves froze up on us in S GA (I75 Exit101) and we had to replace them when they thawed out. Had to drive almost up to Macon to buy new ones... crappy valves. We will NOT have those valves on our bus! As for the "draining into a bucket"... why don't you just set up with a bayonette connector and drain into a 4 WHEELED blue tote (I have a two wheeled 30 gal tote.... oh my back!)? Much easier to tote it to the dump station for those places that don't allow dumping on the ground (which you can't do in most Southeastern campgrounds, parks & forests).


Is this strange? I think of where I am based on Interstate exits and US/State highways. I'm not in Socorro... I'm at I25 Exit 149. I wonder what that says about me?

[wmah]

Originally Posted by SteveA

How did everyone set up a shower. Im thinking of cutting a hole in the floor and sinking my shower about 5 inches so that I can stand up in it. Im 6'2" and the outside edge of the ceiling is maybe 5'10".
So I guess my real question is are taller people just settling for a short shower or is there an easy fix Im missing

I'm not as tall but I have a shower chair in the shower stall, so I sit down in there.
I remember the grandparents older class c rv and the toilet was in the shower stall. That is where i got the idea of just sitting in there, I didn't put my toilet in there though. I also use the shower stall to store small fold up tables and folding chairs.

[Hvbuzz]

I've been looking for a shower pan too. This weekend I bought a 24"x24" laundry sink from Menards for $34. However, I had it placed in the bus yesterday and I am not convinced that is what I want to do now. So, I think I will take it back and look for a regular shower pan. I'm pretty sure a 24"x32" is the size I want, 32x32 I think is more space than I'm willing to give up. I found this one, http://www.jazzsales.com/index.php?rout ... uct_id=173 any thoughts? For $62 it seems to be the cheapest one I can find, not sure how much shipping would be yet. I haven't asked at the big retail stores, but I'm assuming 24x32 is pretty much a Rv size? Anybody know?

Nate

[mrblank]

I've been thinking about this lately too. My plan is to make the steps leading up into the bus my shower area! I'm going to hang a curtain loop above the doorway so that the shower curtain hangs down in the stairwell, then I'll just have a drain in the bottom step to allow the water to run out the bottom...

[Diesel Dan]

Originally Posted by mrblank

I've been thinking about this lately too. My plan is to make the steps leading up into the bus my shower area! I'm going to hang a curtain loop above the doorway so that the shower curtain hangs down in the stairwell, then I'll just have a drain in the bottom step to allow the water to run out the bottom...

That sounds like a very efficient use of space! Although, unless you plan on modifying the materials on the steps you may be inviting rust into an already rust-prone area.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by Iceni John

... I know that most RV-specific plumbing is not necessarily the finest quality, but what else can one use for the 3" dump valves?

PVC BALL VALVES!!!!! We have used them in weather that freezes.with no problems. I'm sure they will freeze up because the "ball" has a hole thru it and when turned off it traps some liquid inside the "hole". But our valves will be inside a heated box along with the tank. We've torn our gate valves apart on our Class C once for the black tank (rubber inside the valve messed up... yuk) and the grey valves twice, not counting when we replaced the valves. You can buy ball valves up to 4" (we have found them that large in ACE). They were very popular on the farms down in Cordele where they had the big overhead irrigation systems (water was pumped out of the river for the cotton and watermelons crops). We will plumb in a permanent black tank macerator (with a bypass) and drop all drains down to 1 1/2" to 2". We used to tent camp (7 years) and then in a pop-up (19 years) with a portipotti. When you are dumping a portipotti, you can't help but notice the "size" of stuff flowing out into wherever you are dumping it (we generally dumped into a toilet). This is why we believe we would have no problems using a 1 1/2" to 2" drain line/hose for our black tank.

http://www.homedepot.com/Plumbing/h_...atalogId=10053

... I wonder what a psychoanalyst would make of this obsession with matters excremental that most of us converters spend way too much time thinking about?

Converters seem to spend less time on Black water matters (and Toilet Paper) than the RVer's do. RVer's devote a lot of time to what is the best TP to use, to use chems or not, how often to dump... and that's not taking into account the "grey water issues" and they do have issues with grey water dumping. They would "kill" Mr Blank for dumping grey water out his front door. Which I wouldn't advise anyway. Some states (mostly eastern) will kick you off the land (I'm talking public campgrounds and dispersed camping) and will add your name to a list to prohibit you from camping on their lands in your lifetime. Southeastern campgrounds/lands are used year rounds and used heavily. Unless in a severe drought (like the last one that lasted 7 years) you cannot dump grey water on the ground (shower water is grey water) and even in a drought you can only dribble it out onto a tree or shrub if the rangers say.

BTW, this is similar to our shower pan (we found ours - used - for $25 on Craigslist and we were offered one for free last week. I don't think anyone here lives anywhere near us so we turned it down). The 32X32 will be okay but our current shower (we have a 27X48 with EVERYTHING in it combo bathroom) is small and very tight on space... "Elbow" space is 27X36.. floor space is 27X14. David complains but he uses it (no choice). Before you decide on a very small shower, mock up the size and take a pretend shower. Don't forget to pretend to wash your feet and drop the soap while you are at it!

http://www.homedepot.com/Bath-Shower...atalogId=10053

This is what we will be using on the sinks and shower for the "P"traps. We had one in our pop up and we liked it (the big odd shaped part is the "p" trap... it's more like a air admittance valve but for water... we will try to find other uses for the rest of the fittings). I've seen them cheaper on amazon than what the link below has but you need to watch the shipping. Or you can buy a European one (cost $25 plus shipping) that uses the same technology but it's NEW and EUROPEAN so the RV lot like it. Me, I'm cheap and I've also had a lot of experience with the Camco one (19 years)

http://www.dyersonline.com/camco-fle...per-drain.html
http://www.amazon.com/Camco-37420-Fl.../dp/B000EDUTPO

[lornaschinske]

In our pop-up, the top 1/3 of the galley cabinet flipped over (hinged) and traveled up-side down. The side walls (solid) folded down to the interior while the roof/road cover was cranked down. So the drain lines had to be flexible. This drain set up is often marketed to van conversions. The drain line is just "bilge pump" hose like sold in Home Depot and Lowes in the "Cut by the foot" hoses in the plumbing section.

The ball valves: some are slip joint (glued in place) then there are the ones with threaded ends. There is also one kind with a compression type fitting. I rarely see the last kind but the first two are pretty common.

[Hvbuzz]

Well, I bought the shower pan I linked to earier^^. Placed order on sat. and it showed up at my door about 1pm this afternoon. I think it will work perfect, just what I was looking for, 24"x32".

[lornaschinske]

Have you gotten a tape on that? Unless you stretched a picture, that looks like a 32X32. Optical illusion?

Make sure you put plenty of support under the floor and edges of the pan. Those things aren't the sturdiest in the world (I know, I have one). Flip the pan and use a can (or two) of Great Foam in the hollow parts, and in the support frame, especially at the corners to give it more support there.Then set it back down in the framed support. The curved corners will chip out if you drop something, like the hand-held shower head (yep, I did that).