Shower stuff

[SimmAus]

Hi

Has anyone fitted a hot water shower unit to their vehicle? The type that sits under bonnet inline with the vehicle heating system.

I gather they are quite a mission to fit yourself, which I'm not looking to do, just looking for views on the units performance.

SWMBO gets a bit sensitive to the outdoor life sometimes, I'm thinking a nice warm shower may fix things...

Any views on these things?
Cheers

[Tombie]

I would not for the life of me touch the cooling system!

Look at Coleman or equiv.

[mike_ie]

I run one - heat exchanger is bolted to the chassis rail under the passenger footwell, coolant hoses are teed off the heater lines. Input and output water fitting at the back of the vehicle for water source/shower nozzle respectively. Have had many's the hot shower using it, you can even control how hot your shower is with the heater controls.

If you want an easier more portable solution though, the Coleman hot water heater is the way to go though - check out the video here:

Complete Camp Shower System w/ Coleman Hot Water On Demand - YouTube

[SimmAus]

Cheers, That guy's systems looks pretty smart, cheaper than the piranha system I was looking at.

[connock]

A two lt coke bottle with holes punched in the bottom and someone standing on B/bar for ease has worked for me and would be the cheepest by far ;) Just go a bit further away from the track than I did, woops

connock

[mike_ie]

A two lt coke bottle with holes punched in the bottom and someone standing on B/bar for ease has worked for me and would be the cheepest by far ;) Just go a bit further away from the track than I did, woops

connock

Agreed - considering the warm weather, I took most of my showers from one of those solar bags hanging from a tree branch. In the colder weather I certainly appreciated the hot water though - winter time in Tasmania comes to mind....

[CaverD3]

You could get an OEM FBH. Fits in under the bonnet and you can pump water through that.

[jboot51]

I've got a GLIND hot water unit installed on the firewall of my '95 130.
Been installed for 15 years now without an issue.

[Tote]

I've got a Coleman unit and am generally happy with it. It does take up more space than an installed heat exchanger type though.
Regards,
Tote

[Nick S]

On my manual 1990 RRC I've got an auto radiator so I just plumbed a small sureflow pump to circulate water from a bucket through the left hand (unused) side tank on the radiator to a small hand held shower head. Just get the car up to 80C, turn it off and its great. All you need is water, a bucket and two hoses, one to suck the water out of the bucket and one for the shower head. I hang the bucket off the bullbar so I can put the shower bit back into it to recirculate the water.
Nick

[Judo]

What engines are you doing this with? I was thinking about building one for my TDI but it would only work if you had been driving immediately before as far as I could tell. The coolant temp doesn't even get warm at idle.

A petrol engine might be different?

Or is this why you connect it to the heater and not near the radiator?

[jboot51]

This is the Glind hot water unit attached to my firewall
57263

And my pump, filter and water taps.
57264

Hasn't had an issue in 15 years.

[Datt]

I run one - heat exchanger is bolted to the chassis rail under the passenger footwell, coolant hoses are teed off the heater lines. Input and output water fitting at the back of the vehicle for water source/shower nozzle respectively. Have had many's the hot shower using it, you can even control how hot your shower is with the heater controls.

Hi Mike,

What vehicle do you run your heat exchanger in?

I have a Glind in the shed that I didn't get round to bolting onto my D2. I now have a D4 (3.0) and would also like to know if it's been done before. Watching with interest.

Matt.

[fatnold]

, you can even control how hot your shower is with the heater controls.

So the climate control temp setting has an effect on the water temp???
I put a heat exchange in my D4 (in series with heater hoses) and it never really gets as hot as I would like. (The one I put in my D1 was scalding hot.)
Are you saying all I need to do is adjust the climate control temp???

[mike_ie]

Hi Mike,

What vehicle do you run your heat exchanger in?

I have a Glind in the shed that I didn't get round to bolting onto my D2. I now have a D4 (3.0) and would also like to know if it's been done before. Watching with interest.

Matt.

I ran mine in a 300tdi for three years, and had no problems. It's being bolted to a 4BD1 as we speak.








So the climate control temp setting has an effect on the water temp???
I put a heat exchange in my D4 (in series with heater hoses) and it never really gets as hot as I would like. (The one I put in my D1 was scalding hot.)
Are you saying all I need to do is adjust the climate control temp???

Mine is plumbed in parallel with the heater matrix, so yes, the heater controls can be used to control water temp. Less hot water to the heater = more hot water to the heat exchanger. I actually run a second heat exchange on the same system for WVO and there's plenty of heat to go round.

[Benz]

I have a Bushranger hot water shower.

Had it fitted to my little suzuki a few years back where it was plumbed in series with the heater.
It worked very well on the little petrol motor.

I now have it plumbed up on my Td5 defender like so
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/members-rides/45589d1333784233-touring-defender-making-20120406_171904.jpg

It works even better in the defender :)

you do have to take the car for a drive first to make it work (was the same in the Suzuki)
In fact if you use the shower straight after you have been for a drive, getting it up to full working temp, it's too hot!
we have found the best way is after going for a drive let it sit at camp for 5 - 10mins (turned off) and then fire the car back up and have a shower.

This is just enough time go get the shower tent out and organize your change of clothes.

The kit also comes with a very nice Johnson 12Lpm pump which we have used as the pump to fill and empty our water tank

[bh1]

It has been some time since this thread has been addressed. I have just purchased a Disco 4 (MY12) and have a Bushranger hot water system removed from my old vehicle which I want to install on the Disco.

Has anyone with a Disco 4 fitted a similar unit?
Any suggestions as to where the heat exchange unit and water pump could be located?
Where is the best spot to cut into the coolant circulation lines to feed through the exchange?
Thanks
bh1

[Tombie]

Nowhere...

You've got to have a screw loose to even consider tampering with the cooling system on one of these..

And from cold start you'll never get warm water out of it at idle / fast idle (which btw cause engine wear increases)