On Board Hot Water Shower... Suggestions??

Hi All,

Wanted to get your thoughts on which is the best type of hot water
exchanger to install for an on board shower kit for my Syncro.

I've looked into it a bit and there only seems to be two main ones to
choose from, Twine and Glind with Helton making a heat exchanger.

I have a 55 litre water tank so I'd like to also like to option of
being able to run a hose from a bucket or another fresh water source.
Any advice that you can offer from what you have or your own
research/experience gratefully accepted. Also, I wouldn't mind finding
a reliable mechanic to install it. I'm living in Richmond but happy to
travel for the right service.

Many thanks for your help.

Regards,


Ronnie
Ronnie,
 
Not sure how far you want to go with such an installation but there are a range of options. 
 
For two years, I lived in a boatshed on the Hawkesbury River.  It had 240V power, a water tank and nothing else.  For two years, I showered using a camping hang-up bush shower, which consisted of a sturdy plastic bag and a hand-held shower rose.  I boiled a jug, poured it into the bag, added cold to suit, and showered.  Even I was surprised at how well it worked.  And tank water leaves tap water for dead any day.  Given that most people on tour have a gas burner, that is the simplest option and certainly the cheapest.
 
At the other end of the scale is the Trakka setup on the T3.  There are two tanks, one on each side under the vehicle.  One is cold water and the other is hot.  The heat is supplied from the engine cooling system via a metal pipe that runs through the tank as a heat exchanger.  This provides the shower mounted at the rear and the sink inside, both actuated by microswitched taps.  When a tap is cracked open, it closes the microswitch, which operates the water supply pump.
 
You can buy simple 12V pump systems which operate out of a bucket and supply a hang-up shower head.  No installation involved and the hot water comes from boiling on the gas burner.  If you use a gal bucket, you can do the boiling in the bucket from the outset.
 
There are self-contained, gas fired systems which work well but I have to ask if there is a cost efficient outcome when compared with the type of hang-up bag that I used for two years.
 
Les
 
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2007 9:50 PM
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] On Board Hot Water Shower... Suggestions??

Hi All,

Wanted to get your thoughts on which is the best type of hot water
exchanger to install for an on board shower kit for my Syncro.

I've looked into it a bit and there only seems to be two main ones to
choose from, Twine and Glind with Helton making a heat exchanger.

I have a 55 litre water tank so I'd like to also like to option of
being able to run a hose from a bucket or another fresh water source.
Any advice that you can offer from what you have or your own
research/experience gratefully accepted. Also, I wouldn't mind finding
a reliable mechanic to install it. I'm living in Richmond but happy to
travel for the right service.

Many thanks for your help.

Regards,

Ronnie