Suggestions for a 12V portable shower that can be used with a bucket or 5G Scepter can?

chickadee

Adventurer
Hello,

My husband and I have used many different options for showers for the road including:

Solar shower bags
Road Shower
Nemo Helio

We are looking for recommendations for a 12V pump / hot water option that can be used with a bucket or 5G Scepter of water.
What are you using?
Pros and cons?

Any information would be appreciated.
Thank you.
 

J!m

Active member
Boat demand pump and water saver shower head with a sliding valve on it. I had a 5-gallon water can (black plastic UK mil version) on my back door all day and the pump was mounted inside the door.

After driving all day, open the door, open the can, feed the hose in and plug the pump in. Instant hot shower since it was 110 and sunny every day in North Africa.

When I built my 110 I got fancy with a mounted 11-gallon custom tank and a stainless plate heat exchanger under the hood. I put garden hose connections on the side of the truck, color coded, and attach a cheap home shower valve with some washing machine hoses (also color coded). Now I can have a hot shower as long as the engine is hot. And adjust temp on the fly, just like home. It uses the same demand pump, but hard wired with a lighted switch and locally mounted fuse. It is powered of the ignition hot, because you’d really only use it with the engine on, and it avoids running the pump with the engine off. Like if you forget to turn it off...
 

chickadee

Adventurer
Hi Chickadee,

I have not used a pump that is for "HOT" water. What I use id for water up to 105 degrees F.

I have used a couple of different ones over the years.
Zodi - "D" size battery operated. Price about $30.00 This has worked well for myself and my groups. (This is not the heater just the pump)
Pros. It dose not need to be set-up close to the vehicle. The volume of water is plenty for washing and rinsing hair. The pump can be put in any water supply with about a 2.5" opening. I warm the water to shower temp. and pump it without any problems. I get at least 50+ showers before the batteries die.
Cons. I really do not have any.

The next one No Name https://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-A...527121&hash=item4d67e8ce24:g:6QkAAOSwSQFaElkn $17.59
This is the shower I use the most.
Pros. Dose not need separate batteries. I think that it is over 5 years old and still works.
Cons. Needs a battery pact or has to be close to a 12 volt power supply. I did loose the "C" clip of the flow controller years ago ( I just wrapped a copper wire around where the "C" clip was) it to keep from pushing the controller slide in to far).

Both of these the flow of water is just the correct amount for showering and conserving water. For myself I use a 3/4 of a gallon for a complete shower inc. hair. Ladies the amount of hair they have will mean that need additional water generally about 1.25 to 1.50 gal. for a shower.

Da Frenchman

Hi Frenchie!

Thank you for the suggestions. I will take a look at both options more closely. I did see that there was a 12V option for the Zodi pump as well.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

May our paths cross again soon.
Chickadee (AKA LeeWhay)
 

pluton

Adventurer
I have a Big Kahuna. A plastic dog food storage container with a 12V pump inside and a on-demand shower handle on a hose outside. Pour in cold water, heat a pot of hot water on the stove, dump in the hot, take shower. Works, hasn't failed, 6 years later.
 

shade

Well-known member
I'm probably going to go the simple route:

Add a Schrader valve and there's no pumping required. It's a reliable, vehicle independent system. Less finiky about performing at elevation, too. I may make something similar with an old Cornelius keg I already have.
 
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VikingVince

Explorer
Sponge showers still work...that's what I do. A plastic dishpan from Walmart, large mason's sponge from Home Depot, and a tea kettle to boil water (then add some cooler water)....all less than $20. Really works fine.
I spent $175 on the whole Zodi Extreme setup...what a pain...gotta keep pumping it (with considerable effort!) while showering to get good pressure and it takes a lot more propane/heat to get water up to temp in the tank. Also done the Zodi "D" battery 12 volt pump in hot water...disappointing pressure.
Sponge shower...easier, cheaper, no parts that can break, and feels just as good. :)
 
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shade

Well-known member
Sponge showers still work...that's what I do. A plastic dishpan from Walmart, large mason's sponge from Home Depot, and a tea kettle to boil water (then add some cooler water)....all less than $20. Really works fine.
I spent $175 on the whole Zodi Extreme setup...what a pain...gotta keep pumping it while showering to get good pressure and it takes a lot more propane/heat to get water up to temp. Also done the Zodi "D" battery 12 volt pump in hot water...disappointing pressure.
Sponge shower...easier, cheaper, and feels just as good. :)
Thanks for the Zodi info. I was wondering how effectively it was charged by its pump. It seems I'd always use my compressor to charge a modified one, so there wouldn't be a reason to buy one. I'm not interested in anything more complicated.

I'm probably going to go with a pressurized Corny keg since I already use one for drinking water, and it works very well. Finding or making a burner base should be easy.

Like you, I take a sponge bath or something similar if I want to be more than wet wipes clean when camping, but at least one of my fellow travelers prefers a closer approximation to a real shower every few days.
 

shade

Well-known member
Another option along the lines of a ’Corny Keg, is Class”A” fire extinguisher.
They are already set up with a Schrader and pressure gauge, 2.5 gal. 100psi.
But not as simple to fill as a Corny and have to fit a different hose & nozzle... I used one for a while, it worked fine.

I used to have free access to large numbers of them. Mostly used them as oilers for hard to fill gearboxes or a hotrodded drip torch.
Not a bad idea, but another downside is that they aren't food grade. With a well-kept Corny, the water should be potable, too.

I'll post up a Corny keg shower system when I have my burner figured out.
 

shade

Well-known member
@krick3tt Who makes that manual pump product? Looks very similar to Zodi Extreme
It looks like a Solo 465, which is no longer produced. Solo doesn't appear to produce any sprayers with SS tanks, but there are other options.

The price of a stainless steel tank sprayer makes one of these look like a bargain. I was going to use one of the old 5 gallon kegs I already have, but I like the smaller size for this use. 2.5 gallons should be enough for anyone traveling with me to get clean in the field, the size will make it easier to set up on a burner, and the model I linked comes with a bare base. I emailed them to see when they'll be in stock.
 

krick3tt

Adventurer
Dr Gil,
Shade has beat me to an answer.
I purchased that pump sprayer many years ago, replaced the wand with a push/pull spray head. Although the spray heads do not last forever they are easy to replace. I have since gotten a Waterport that I can secure to my Front Runner RR with a bracket that I made. Haven't used it yet as all of the places I have gone have only been less than three days duration and traveled by myself so no exposure to offend other travelers.
Have purchased 'Dude Shower' on the go body wipes for temporary relief.
I know there was a request for 12V appliance but since I prefer not to have to rely on my battery to power too many things I included a photo of the sprayer.
 

alia176

Explorer
I didn't read the entire thread but I did two separate trips that are four and five nights, consecutively, in May. I have a Helton heat exchanger built into the landcruiser but after dealing with a bucket, 12vdc pump, hoses and all the associated BS, I'm going with a simple setup from this point forward.

I will pour one gallon (or more) of room temp water into a solar shower bag, then add a large jet boil container of hot water. I'll design a simple deal to hang the shower bag about seven feet in the air (attached to the load bars) then enjoy a simple shower. This provides a nice water pressure and it's easy to control the water flow. If we've been wheeling all day, then the water bladder (for non-potable water) soaks up the floor heat and warms up the water to a decent temp. The addition of hot water from Jetboil simply makes the shower even more luxurious.

I think having a nice shower stall really helps out this experience when you are in mixed company or if it's breezy and it's GF approved!
 
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chickadee

Adventurer
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts.

I should have mentioned that we plan to be using this pretty regularly. We are on the road weeks / months at a time. When we are remote, with minimal water options, we like to shower at least every 4 days. Historically, we take 2-2.5G showers each.

After a lot of consideration / research, we decided to try out the Big Kahuna with the heater kit. After we use it for some time, I will let you all know how it does. The reason we chose this option is that we wanted a hot shower without using any fuel (propane or isobutane propane), a 12V pump, an electric heater, and most importantly, it fits in the back of our vehicle. Yes, we could boil water to add to a bucket, scepter, or many of the shower options out there, but since we have 360Ah of batteries and 420W of solar, this seems like a good, portable option for us. Time will tell...


Thanks again.
 

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