theksmith 3,687 Posted October 9, 2010 one of these could come in real handy on the trail: http://store.zeckhausen.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3748&zmae=froogle&zmam=86451217&zmas=29&zmac=65&zmap=FC.121.99 how did you know that was my next project! ;) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 3,687 Posted October 11, 2010 here's the original plumbing schematic sketch if anyone needed that: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 3,687 Posted October 12, 2010 i played with the little flow control valve that i got today (haven't gotten the new showerhead yet). with my pump you can restrict the opening about half way before the pump starts to pulse on and off trying to figure out what to do. attempting less flow than that results in a pulsing on/off cycling pump. the fix for that issue would be a "variable speed pump", Shurflo calls it there "Extreme" series, Flojet also has a version. these variable speed pumps cost at least twice what the basic "Classic" pump that I got costs, but use computer controlled flow monitoring instead of just a basic pressure switch to adjust their speed and therefore the flow... i.e. you can turn a faucet on to just a trickle and not get a chattering/pulsing issue. hopefully the new shower head lets just the right flow thru to be minimal but not create this pulsing condition. if it doesn't work, the cheap solution would be to step down to the smaller "Agua King" pump that only does 1 GPM, or the kewler solution is to step up to one of the "Extreme" series variable speed pumps. we'll see what, if anything, needs to happen when the new showerhead comes. just wanted to mention the whole variable speed pump thing in case anyone is building there own system and wants the best you can get... i didn't know about how this would be useful before. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ob1jeeper 464 Posted October 12, 2010 i played with the little flow control valve that i got today (haven't gotten the new showerhead yet). with my pump you can restrict the opening about half way before the pump starts to pulse on and off trying to figure out what to do. attempting less flow than that results in a pulsing on/off cycling pump. the fix for that issue would be a "variable speed pump", Shurflo calls it there "Extreme" series, Flojet also has a version. these variable speed pumps cost at least twice what the basic "Classic" pump that I got costs, but use computer controlled flow monitoring instead of just a basic pressure switch to adjust their speed and therefore the flow... i.e. you can turn a faucet on to just a trickle and not get a chattering/pulsing issue. hopefully the new shower head lets just the right flow thru to be minimal but not create this pulsing condition. if it doesn't work, the cheap solution would be to step down to the smaller "Agua King" pump that only does 1 GPM, or the kewler solution is to step up to one of the "Extreme" series variable speed pumps. we'll see what, if anything, needs to happen when the new showerhead comes. just wanted to mention the whole variable speed pump thing in case anyone is building there own system and wants the best you can get... i didn't know about how this would be useful before. Kris, IF your shower head does not have sufficient flow, you could install a valved recirculation line, and adjust it to bleed off just enough outlet flow, and return that to either the pump inlet, or your supply water tank source to keep the flow up to the point the pump is not turning on/off/on rapidly... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 3,687 Posted October 14, 2010 the new showerhead works excellent, good spray and doesn't cause the pump to cycle. the only thing is that it's laughably large (i'll get a pic)... that's the trouble with buying things on the net, without reference to a known object in the picture you don't always understand exactly what you're getting. i would recommend to anyone else doing this to just go the simple route that many others have and use a cheap kitchen sprayer! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ob1jeeper 464 Posted October 15, 2010 the new showerhead works excellent, good spray and doesn't cause the pump to cycle. the only thing is that it's laughably large (i'll get a pic)... that's the trouble with buying things on the net, without reference to a known object in the picture you don't always understand exactly what you're getting. i would recommend to anyone else doing this to just go the simple route that many others have and use a cheap kitchen sprayer! I did something similar a few years ago on my boat, for washing down the decks, taking a warm shower (when the lake water is too cold for a pansy like me), and with the flip of a valve lever to get nearly 180-190 deg water for washing dishes... There are literally TONS of stuff for this type of setup available for the marine market... Google wash-down pumps or systems... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 3,687 Posted October 27, 2010 used the shower while camping for first time this past week. one hose popped loose after first person had a shower, put it back on and tightened the hose clamp better and it was fine for 2 more showers. i need to replace the braided clear PVC on the hot water side with heater hose or something else that can stand up to the high heat - the pvc is not rated for more than 140* and so it's getting too soft (which is why the hose clamp was not staying tight). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rubicontrail.net 1 Posted October 31, 2010 You may want to look at using some PEX plumbing. This is garden hose-like tubing that is used in new house construction instead of using copper for long runs (they still use copper for the short runs). It is rated at about 220F at 80PSI. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 3,687 Posted October 31, 2010 You may want to look at using some PEX plumbing. This is garden hose-like tubing that is used in new house construction instead of using copper for long runs (they still use copper for the short runs). It is rated at about 220F at 80PSI. I had indeed heard of PEX, but when i asked about it at home depot, the guy showed me some fairly hard plasticy tube that look like you could only do probably a 4 foot radius bend with. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ob1jeeper 464 Posted November 1, 2010 I had indeed heard of PEX, but when i asked about it at home depot, the guy showed me some fairly hard plasticy tube that look like you could only do probably a 4 foot radius bend with.That's the stuff... FWIW: rigid PEX tubing is not easily bent/shaped, nor is it very vibration resistant. There is some smaller dia PEX tubing available which is generally used for things like under-sink filtration systems, home-sized reverse osmosis systems, refrigerator ice-makers, etc. which you may find more suitable, however their small diameters are not going to carry a large volume of water, AND they are subject to being kinked fairly easily, which damages the tubing. On my boat wash-down & heated water shower system, for the spray head and hose, I used a 25ft coiled polyurethane hose and a standard garden sprayer with multiple spray settings... Both are good for water temps up to 125deg (at 75 psi), both of which is more than your gonna want to be showering with. For the "under-hood" plumbing, I used clear reinforced tygon tubing/hose, which is available at most any hardware store.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
