Exterior Shower Installation

[cobra82]

I own a 2409T unit and want to add an exterior shower so the wife doesn't spend so much time inside? My hot water tank is located on the front left side of the unit and I need to make a cut out on the lower section opposite side so I can inset a prefabed hot/cold shower arrangment with a nozzle where the showeree will be standing under the canopy. Do any of you have experience doing something like this? I'll be splicing into a hot and cold water line somewhere and would like to utilize all the great experience forum offers.
Thanks

 

[Papa-HILO]

shower

I've never done that before because my Hi Lo came with an exterior shower. It is a standard exterior shower that you could get from any camping supplier. You'll just need to splice into a hot and cold water line insert a T and then run your lines to the shower unit. My unit has pex tubing with crimped joints. Any hardware store carries these. I would remind you that all the plumbing on a Hi Lo runs inside the trailer. This keeps them from being exposed to freezing temps under and outside the camper. Look for a path to keep your plumbing inside and not exposed.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[cobra82]

Exterior Shower

Thanks Papa. Need to make sure the unsulation characteristics stay in sinc!

 

[Wrascal]

None of this matters if you don't first get Momma Cobras' prior approval. She may be hesitate to use your outdoor modification.

 

[retiredcamper47]

cobra, You will have to allow room inside the trailer for the shower hose to be pushed back into from the outside. Remember, the hose is 3 to 4 feet long. My exterior shower is located behind my wardrobe. Most of the exterior showers I have seen are located on the street side not on the awning side.

Bob

 

[cobra82]

exterior shower

Mrs. Cobra does enjoy camping--as long as the shower and a/c work! I went to ebay and bought self contained shower unit that looks like a 11"x6" lockable glove box. The hot and cold shower faucet controls are inside the "box" along with a plastic nozzle/shower head and 6 ' of hose. Really high quality for $39. Ha! It's designed to be screwed to the camper exterior wall. The backside has two threaded connections which are hooked up to a hot/cold water supply. The only thing that moves later is the shower nozzle/head. My kitchen sink and clothes closet are both located on the right side housing the canopy. I am hoping to connect it there and not have lines that require moving. Hope to do it tomorrow!.

 

[renoites]

pic's of install.
wanted to do this also.

 

[Garry-HILO]

Mrs. Cobra does enjoy camping--as long as the shower and a/c work! I went to ebay and bought self contained shower unit that looks like a 11"x6" lockable glove box. The hot and cold shower faucet controls are inside the "box" along with a plastic nozzle/shower head and 6 ' of hose. Really high quality for $39. Ha! It's designed to be screwed to the camper exterior wall. The backside has two threaded connections which are hooked up to a hot/cold water supply. The only thing that moves later is the shower nozzle/head. My kitchen sink and clothes closet are both located on the right side housing the canopy. I am hoping to connect it there and not have lines that require moving. Hope to do it tomorrow!.

Good luck with that project Cobra and to each his own. We had an outdoor shower on our 1999 21T Tow Lite which was on the passenger side, at the back of the trailer, which is where the bathroom was located. During the several years we had the trailer we used the outside shower on just a couple occasions. If it is used "sans" swimming suit, etc, unless you are at a nudist camp, you need a privacy screen. In addition, you need someplace to put the clothes you are taking off, and since you are taking a shower to get clean, you probably need a place for the clean clothes you are putting on. And of course, there are the bare feet that need to be kept clean. And then there can be restrictions in some of the National Parks that do not allow any type of water disposal within the campground because of bears being attracted to the nice fragrance of a bath soap.

 

[cobra82]

OK--I'm not smart enough to know how to post photos to this site, but I did get an exterior shower installed! After two attempts to get a schematic through the HiLo suppliers, I decided not to chance cutting a hole in the side of my camper. My first thought was to cut through the rear wall where my sink is located and plumb a hot and cold line from the two sink lines--but my 2009 unit most probably has beams there for strength. After crawling under the unit, I decided to buy 2--1/2" Sea Tech "T" fittings and slide them over the two tubes extending through my floor from the factory. (designed to be used to drain the pipes for winter) I then stuck about 6-8" of flexible 1/2" tubing--found at any ACE store--on one end of the "T", then capped it with a Sea TEch shut off valve. The Sea TEch fittings cost about $6 each. On the other end of the "T" fitting, I connected sections of white 1/2" Pex pipe purchased at Lowes for $28 per 100'. I ran it both hot and cold lines with insulation through the open rectangular channel welded to the axle just inside my wheels, back along the undercarriage above the sewer drains, then attached them with plastic ties as I bent them toward the center of the rear bumper, where my spare tire bracket is bolted on. Previously, I took the spare tire off and welded a metal "T" bracket on top using 2" electrical unistrut channel, which houses spring nuts used to screw the shower box on to. A ten foot bar of unistrut costs $20, and the spring nuts and 1/4" bolts are cheap at any electrical supply place. The top member of my strut is 18" wide and the middle "T" portion is 18" tall. I can "tack" weld good enough to hold it in place and a can of black Rustoleum will make it match the existing spare tire bracket I welded it on top of. I attached the 1/2" Pex tubing with two female 1/2" Sea TEch elbows and drilled two 1/4" holes in the plastic shower box I purchased from Good Sams for $40. It comes with a key to open and close the lid. Mine is held in place by a piece of wire and the spare kept in the HILO. I can send photos to anyone wanting to do something similar if I have your cell number. E-mail me at cole@pdq.net. My pex is also insulated with gray foam purchased from Lowes and I can drain it easily by keeping my inside valves open and controlling it with the ones I added to the flex tubing. It works for me!

 

[Garry-HILO]

OK--I'm not smart enough to know how to post photos to this site, but I did get an exterior shower installed! After two attempts to get a schematic through the HiLo suppliers, I decided not to chance cutting a hole in the side of my camper. My first thought was to cut through the rear wall where my sink is located and plumb a hot and cold line from the two sink lines--but my 2009 unit most probably has beams there for strength. After crawling under the unit, I decided to buy 2--1/2" Sea Tech "T" fittings and slide them over the two tubes extending through my floor from the factory. (designed to be used to drain the pipes for winter) I then stuck about 6-8" of flexible 1/2" tubing--found at any ACE store--on one end of the "T", then capped it with a Sea TEch shut off valve. The Sea TEch fittings cost about $6 each. On the other end of the "T" fitting, I connected sections of white 1/2" Pex pipe purchased at Lowes for $28 per 100'. I ran it both hot and cold lines with insulation through the open rectangular channel welded to the axle just inside my wheels, back along the undercarriage above the sewer drains, then attached them with plastic ties as I bent them toward the center of the rear bumper, where my spare tire bracket is bolted on. Previously, I took the spare tire off and welded a metal "T" bracket on top using 2" electrical unistrut channel, which houses spring nuts used to screw the shower box on to. A ten foot bar of unistrut costs $20, and the spring nuts and 1/4" bolts are cheap at any electrical supply place. The top member of my strut is 18" wide and the middle "T" portion is 18" tall. I can "tack" weld good enough to hold it in place and a can of black Rustoleum will make it match the existing spare tire bracket I welded it on top of. I attached the 1/2" Pex tubing with two female 1/2" Sea TEch elbows and drilled two 1/4" holes in the plastic shower box I purchased from Good Sams for $40. It comes with a key to open and close the lid. Mine is held in place by a piece of wire and the spare kept in the HILO. I can send photos to anyone wanting to do something similar if I have your cell number. E-mail me at cole@pdq.net. My pex is also insulated with gray foam purchased from Lowes and I can drain it easily by keeping my inside valves open and controlling it with the ones I added to the flex tubing. It works for me!

Glad to hear you were able to complete the job to your satisfaction. Before you submit a posting, if you look below the "Submit Reply", you will see additional options which include attaching files. (doc, jpg, etc)

 

[Rebel Bob]

I used the same shower box on my 98 24td towlite.However I simply cut a hole in the lower wall at the tub location and placed tee's in the water lines present there. So all plumbing is internal and protected from weather. I also screwed several flag pole holders to the upper trailer side. Two at a level for a shower curtain to hang from a piece of conduit I bent to fit and also two lower where a small table can plug in to hold clothes and such.We made a small pallet from 2x2 pvc trim which can be found at HD to stand on and keep the feet from getting muddy.Some have been seen wearing flip flops as well.Any way it works great for us and there was no problem cutting the hole there was just enough room between to wall studs for the box.

 

[Tracy Tribe]

Outdoor shower install

I was about to put it on the back under sink then my wife said let's try it in the drop down Shelf. Lo and behold it worked great never should have doubted it. Pretty easy install did it in the dark with a skill saw pre-drilling corners. Move the electrical over but actually more convenient since we put our table up just under awning. Hooking up hot and cold with new T and flex pipe under bathroom sink. Two elbows and two T's and two six foot pieces of piping is all I needed other than outdoor sink kit. Disassembly and reassembly was just square head screws measure twice don't be scared. Hope this helps. This is my first post on Forum but might show off inverter and solar charger also did all 4 lift cables after one broke in the field. Happy camping Friends