Plumbing is driving me crazy.
For days now, I have been trying to design my shower system. What I want is an internal shower, external shower extension with a water re-use capability.
I am at the stage of shower design, not because it is a much-needed element of
my van build, but because the positioning on the bed and rear garage
bulkhead is dependent on the location of the shower. As the available space is
quite constrained, I need to be absolutely certain of its placement and
dimensions.
My troubles started because I bought a prefabricated fibreglass shower module. It was the right price, so I bought it as a spur of the moment decision. There is a lot what one can do in the next step up in price of over a thousand dollars. It seemed to be just right: the unit is 1850 high, 900 wide and 770 deep, it had a 250mm deep ledge to stop water splashing out from the foot well.
Now, the problem starts here. The maximum door entry height is 1700mm. On the diagonal of the side the length is around 2000mm ie the shower unit will not go in should I try lie it down and then lift it. This means I have to cut it down to 1700mm. Not insurmountable, I have in my mind that I can cut it to a height of 1700mm, get a H section seal and join the upper half.
All good in the imagination, but is it possible without making a hatchet job of it ? Considering I have hand tools to do it: multi-tool, jigsaw, hand saw or grinder. I will need a create a good cutting guide to work from.
Maybe a H joiner seal is not a good approach either. Creating a flanged
join with seal is a more solid construction. How do that with a minimum of
fuss ? ( Side note: it involved quite a bit of searching and forum questions
before I could find the H seal I was interested in. Clark Rubber to the
rescue.)
I wanted a prefabricated unit as the alternative is a bespoke
unit. If I make one, I can foresee issues with sealing the corners,
choosing the correct materials. It would not be easy to remove a built-in
shower either, should I need to. It is not a cheaper exercise either
when you add up the costs.
Some have suggested a tub with a shower curtain even an "EverShower". The trouble here is that I wish to hang up my wet gear should I need to. I
plan to be on the road kiteboarding and packrafting, things will be wet
and not necessarily have time to dry. A solid walled shower unit is
required.
I made a full scale model of the shower at 1700 high, with a 110mm cap, using the 20mm Foilboard. A new discovery adds more impediments to the project. Where I plan to place the shower has the drain directly over a cross-beam and adjacent to the chassis.
What are the options here ? Fill the drain hole and create a new one: I can
see a bodge job here trying to match gel coat colour. I went under the
vehicle a few more times and feel that the number of cables and brake lines
and other fixtures would make tank installation and other plumbing fixtures a
headache regardless. VW Crafters were not designed with RV conversions in
mind.
So: no boring of holes in the floor.
You might note that the wheel well takes out about 200mm. Yes, you can get
moulded shower units to go over them, but something is always not quite right.
If I had a Mercedes Sprinter, I'd have a better chance. My intent is to put
the associated plumbing fixtures in that space and perhaps a cupboard area for
long items that need to be out of the way.
I figured I can do something is say, a 70mm gap. (I have plenty of 70 x 35mm
pine). The shower can rest on a pine base and the water drain out into a tank
using a pump. If I do this, the shower will stand 1770mm, leaving 60mm of
space to the ceiling. I could probably deal with that by creating a
collar for the shower to fit in. The standing height will be 1810 - 70 =
1740mm. It means I will be showering slightly hunched as I am 1760mm
high : I can live with that.
Some of the ideas I had:
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Make a sump using 100 x 50 PVC guttering and the existing shower waste. Put
a bilge pump on the end.
I actually purchased the materials to start this and stopped when I found the other two solutions. The reason I stopped was working out how to clear all the water to stop slushing and hair filter and cleaning.
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Wirquin Pro Slim Extra Flat Low Profile Shower Trap
This is a waste with a 25mm water-trap, suited for a 90mm diameter shower tray. This unit looked promising, but I would have to bore a bigger hole in my shower floor. The waste would no longer be recessed. The drawings are inadequate for me to make a proper decision on its suitability. Reviewers complained of mould build up and filter clogging (I am sure that this would be an issue with any drainage solution anyway - cleaning is necessary regardless. The ease of cleaning is more of a prime consideration. How easy is it to remove the one-way valve to clean it ?). -
See
Amazon Reviews
(mostly good) Fitting issues seem to prevail.
"
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Whale Shower Waste.
Whale make an IC and non-IC version . The IC has a sensor to tell the pump to switch on when water is present. I felt the non-IC is OK for my needs as I am happy to have the drainage pump switch on at the same time as the shower pump or do it manually.
What perplexes me is that these wastes are not interchangeable. One has a 19mm outlet and the other 22mm. Of course the non-IC is the 22mm outlet. 22mm is not a standard size. The marine plumbing world is stupidly stuck to imperial measurements - in USA/UK centric countries anyway; so most are 1/2", 3/4", 1" and so on. The automotive industry has 5/8", so where does 22mm fit - oh, yes it is 7/8" - sheesh !
Last night I spent some time drawing up what I want to do.
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It looks complicated. Basically I have a cold water system, a hot water system and a shower / grey water system. The idea is that I will fill the shower tank with warm water and recirculate it whilst showering.
To get me up and running, I need the parts for the drainage. I also need to make the frame to hold the shower in place (tomorrow's blog with luck ).
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