Shower Secrets

[Oldragbaggers]

Sailors have been taking cockpit showers using solar showers and such for years. But I think the favorite among most sailors is the simple garden sprayer. A 1 or 2 gallon plastic sprayer filled with warm water will provide a more than adequate shower. You can even use a small basin for the soapy washdown and just use the sprayer to rinse off. It will definitely git 'er done.

Becky

[Glenlivet]

The pressure cooker is designed to run at 15psi. I took out the rubber safety plug and installed an industrial pressure relief valve set to 15 psi, a schrader valve to pressurize it, a pressure gauge, and a dip tube so you pull the water from the bottom of the cooker. As I recall it costs about $25 bucks in parts to do it right. I weld up the lid a bit where I drill and tap the extra holes.
I got my pressure cooker at a garage sale for $5. They are also available on EBay.
If you get the lid to me , I can modify it for you.
Cheers, Gus

I'm intrigued by the pressure cooker shower water heater/general purpose pot idea and I have just that very pressure cooker I inherited from my mothers canning home industry.
I was wondering though, if there isn't a simpler solution to the water pressure drop issue... Seeing as the pressure cooker is limited to 15 pounds via the original rocker, why not just plumb the output from a cheap small 12 volt compressor to the cooker lid and when whatever volume of water you have filled gets to showering temp then just put the lid and rocker on, fire up the little compressor, and once the rocker starts it's wobbling hissing business, shower away? You'd have full 15 pounds right to the last drop.

The cookers release rocker should easily accommodate blowing off any extra of the low output volume of one of those little 12 volt compressors, and permit no more (or less) than 15 pounds above ambient to develop in the sealed cooker.
In any case if the rocker valve should somehow fail (and I don't know how, seeing it's just water in the cooker) the cookers safety popoff is already designed to blow long before the cooker would fail.

[eamarquardt]

The pressure cooker is designed to run at 15psi. I took out the rubber safety plug and installed an industrial pressure relief valve set to 15 psi, a schrader valve to pressurize it, a pressure gauge, and a dip tube so you pull the water from the bottom of the cooker. As I recall it costs about $25 bucks in parts to do it right. I weld up the lid a bit where I drill and tap the extra holes.
I got my pressure cooker at a garage sale for $5. They are also available on EBay.
If you get the lid to me , I can modify it for you.
Cheers, Gus

I'm intrigued by the pressure cooker shower water heater/general purpose pot idea and I have just that very pressure cooker I inherited from my mothers canning home industry.
I was wondering though, if there isn't a simpler solution to the water pressure drop issue... Seeing as the pressure cooker is limited to 15 pounds via the original rocker, why not just plumb the output from a cheap small 12 volt compressor to the cooker lid and when whatever volume of water you have filled gets to showering temp then just put the lid and rocker on, fire up the little compressor, and once the rocker starts it's wobbling hissing business, shower away? You'd have full 15 pounds right to the last drop.

The cookers release rocker should easily accommodate blowing off any extra of the low output volume of one of those little 12 volt compressors, and permit no more (or less) than 15 pounds above ambient to develop in the sealed cooker.
In any case if the rocker valve should somehow fail (and I don't know how, seeing it's just water in the cooker) the cookers safety popoff is already designed to blow long before the cooker would fail.

There's more than one way to skin a cat (metaphorically speaking). As long as your air compressor can't put out more air than the pressure relief valve can release your approach would be fine. In fact, your way is simpler, but, being paranoid, I'd worry about losing the relief valve weighted thingy. Also, since (due to my frazzled nerves) running compressors are really aggravating, the less the compressor runs, the happier I am. Since I'm familiar and comfortable with the other stuff, that's what I used. Everything is permanently attached and impossible to lose. I have, in fact, gathered some parts to allow me to fill up the cooker completely with water, attach the compressor, and do exactly what you suggest although I have a pressure switch that will cut the compressor out at 15psi. I picked up the switch years ago at a surplus store and figured one day I'd have a use for it. Now I do, ha.

I just want to remind folks, IMHO, that one should ALWAYS heat the water with the lid off, test for appropriate temperature, and then put the lid on and pressurize and shower. Burns HURT and no effort to avoid them is overkill.

As a plus the pressure cooker makes a good dishpan and you can reheat the dishwater at will. Multifunction!

Go for it and by all means "have it your way".
Cheers,

Gus

[Gerdo]

I use solar showers.
Hang it in a tree. And when out in the middle of nowhere? Have one of the most spiritual showers of your life!

[Wolffarmer]

Shower with a friend


or more




Randy

[CliffinGA]

I stopped at Bass pro today and just spent $29 and got the Zodi shower system (shower head, battery pack and pump) that instead of paying for their heating stuff, I have a big pot we take,a 5 gal bucket and 3 different stoves to heat the water with. Won't need it all the time but can use it to wash dishes also.

Cliff

[mkitchen]

We do a lot of trips that are away from campgrounds and I like to be able to shower at least every other day and if hiking or bicycling, every day. We bought a Zodi Extreme and we are very happy with it. It has it's own burner that uses a one pound propane canister and heats up water very fast. A three gallon fill can give us two showers or one with a shampoo.

Showers can and do use up you supply of water a lot faster but I have learned how much water to carry and we usually do ok.

[PaPa Smurf]

While working at the state prison farm there was one inmate assign to the barn, he would fill a old bath tub used to water the horse"s with water and lay a sheet of glass over it and let the sun warm it.. ... When to tub as removed he got a trash can and heated it the same, but use a old fish tank pump to make shower....

[gmajane]

I have been enjoying reading this thread. When we were growing up campgrounds didn't have showers....at least the ones we used didn't (1960's). Mom would give us a bar of soap and maybe shampoo and we would take off in the lake with bathing suits on and and wash up the best we could. It did the trick! Mountain streams were awfully cold, though.

[rowerwet]

a tire filler tank http://www.ebay.com/itm/9-Gallon-Air-Ta ... _981wt_648
hooked to the pressure cooker with an air regulator http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pneumatic-Press ... 1798wt_962
in line should take care of a whole pressure cooker of water with exact air pressure control at the regulator.

[rowerwet]

of course a 5 gal bucket of hot water and this would work http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAMP-SHOWER-PIC ... 629wt_1111

[Wolffarmer]

of course a 5 gal bucket of hot water and this would work http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAMP-SHOWER-PIC ... 629wt_1111

That looks like it might be handy. I am heating my 5 gal of water right now. The wiring in my house went on the fritz the first of march so I been doing the ole heat water on the stove thing. I lost my water heater, most of the lights and outlets. Cook stove still working and have heavy duty extension cords from the shop running the computers, fridge and pellet stove. Don't worry, they can handle much higher loads.
Randy

[canned o minimum]

I jus bought a solar bag shower kit at a yard sale.. haven't had ta us it yet, but can't wait to see how it works ! Paid a whoppin $1 fer it !

[Wolffarmer]

Good buy there. One advantage of a five gallon bucket of hot water and a metal coffee cup is you get a pretty good workout getting cleaned up.
Sweating with the oldies

Randy

Opps, that is Hot water, not hat water. now edited

[canned o minimum]

Not sure what kinda "blind" to use as a shower curtain, but .. HEY.. maybe sum Hoola Hoops with fabric loosely sewn on em...Stole this idea !