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Aveallc
Member
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# Posted: 23 Feb 2011 05:19am
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Hello,
I'm new to the site but have read many of its articles. I have a small cabin in southern Iowa with no power or water source. I use a generator and haul water to it. I would like to install or build a shower house for next yrs hunting season. I want to have a fresh water storage tank buried below frost line and somehow be able to pump it into the shower house and drain the lines when we are not there. We have lp gas onsite. I have access to backhoe. Looking for ideas on most cost efficient way to do this. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2011 02:08pm - Edited by: rayyy
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Howdy Avealic.If you can get your hands on two plastic barrels,you can bury one up to the rim or a couple inches left above grade.Build your shower building over it leaving it in the corner.get yourself a sure flo 12 volt RV water pump.(JC Whitney)Hook the inlet to a 4 foot hose,dropping that into the barrel.hook the outlet to an L5 portable on demand (20 lbs LP gas) water heater.(Ebay)the output of that to the hot water side of your faucet to your shower .Also a line to the cold water side of the shower faucet.It will give you 55 gallons of hot water on demand.I know it's easier said then done.You'll need a charged up 12 volt battery to run the pump.Somthing to charge the battery,be it your truck or solar or your generator.If your setup is in freezing temps,you'll have to pull the pump and heater and take it indoors when not in use.You can hall the barrel of fresh water up there on your truck,sifon it out to your barried tank.(gravatationaly).If you use 1/2 the water or more befor you leave it for the winter,it shouldn't hurt anything.
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MikeOnBike
Member
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2011 02:13pm
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MtnDon used a underground cistern. His write up might be of interest.
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=2335.msg94915#msg94915
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2011 10:38pm
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You could try burying a plastic tank {i would gess 25 gal. per man per week} put a 110 v submersiable pump in it {50$} plumb that to your shower shelter with a garden hose >> buy a used propane water heater from a used trailer parts place[50$] that will heat the water + heat the shelter .. put in a set of taps unhook the garden hose when not in use ,, hook the tank to a eve trought if you have one.. i have one that hooks to my place for three seasons only[piic]
rain water all we need
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how it works
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Aveallc
Member
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2011 07:44am
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Thanks Just,
Can you expand a little bit more on your filter system with the gravel and cloth filter. How much gravel and what do you use for the cloth filter. Where is it placed. How much bleach. I noticed your barrel is out in the snow. How do you keep it from freezing?
Thanks so much
Vance.
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2011 09:36am
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4 in of gravel ,for filter cloth i used a 100% polyester my wife gave me from her stash, but you could use some fiberglass if you con find some bleach 1\4 cup a week make sure it is simple cloren bleach
i have a tap in the top of the bottom tank were i add the cloren into the filterd water it is very clean ,.we empty the system every fall after deer season, don't use in winter but if it were under ground i can't see way you could not !!
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2011 07:46pm
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i gess i was'ent clear 4 in of gravel in the bottom of the 1\2 barrel then the cloth then the swimming pool filter sand 50 lb.. then the window screen to keep out the big stuff.. i have a 12 v . trailer pump but i am not sure it would suck out of a buryed tank !!
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Aveallc
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 09:23am
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thank you Just. Couple more questions. Not familiar wiith swimming pool filters. What type? Also just put 50lbs of sand(any specaial kind) on top of the filter and rock.
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Aveallc
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 09:25am
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Me again Just. can you explain the process for attaching the 2 tanks together. What size hole and pipe from one to the other?
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squirrel
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 10:45am
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since we are not planning on have power at our cabin I will need to use natural methods for any system I install. I was thinking of installing a large container or 2 (maybe a 275 gallon contain if needed on the slope behind our cabin hopeful gravity will help with the flow I have propane and was thinking of maybe a tankless water heater We have a set of falls above the cabin but it tends to go dry an mid summer if we are in drought but the lower creek continues to flow from under ground stream so i thought a container would be the best thought and the elevation of the slope would be a good idea but i have no clue really just a thought I would appreciate any help thanx
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 04:43pm
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Aveallc
any kind of course clean sand will do morter sand from the lumber yard or swimming pool sand from a pool store . iused lake Erie beech sand..!!
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 05:02pm
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Aveallc
bottom tank is blaced up side down ,threads at the bottom ..
attach hose to small hole ,plug large hole !!
cut top tank in half , discard bottom half , plug small hole i n other half , put a 2 in. hose fitting in large hole , place half tank on water tank and mark were there needs to be a hole cut to allow the 2 in. fitting to extend into the bottom tank, cut hole and place half tank on water tank ...then posision the two tanks in there perminant spot !!
then put in the 4 in. grevel ,, the filter cloth ,,,the 50 lb. of sand ,and the window screen ,, let it rain , hook up up your pump !!!
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 05:07pm
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squirrel
as long as your water supply is above the top tank'' and your taps are below the bottom tank you will not need a pump..!!
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hebegbz
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 11:03pm
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Here's what I do.
I have a 300gal blue plastic tank on a trailer that I tow to the well that is about 1/2 mile away. The trailer is parked next to my cabin and connected with a garden hose quick connect to a short length of 3/4" water line that runs through the side of the cabin and under my kitchen sink. There it connects to a 12v variable speed pump that maintains water pressure in my system.
The system runs the water through an on demand propane water heater hanging on the outside of my cabin. The water heater uses the pressure of the water to spin an ignitor to light the heater whenever you turn on the hot water faucet or the shower.
I installed an actual full sized shower from home depot with a super saver shower head and viola.
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Aveallc
Member
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# Posted: 2 Mar 2011 07:00am
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Thanks for the great idea Hebegbz.
My one concern would be for winter when in Iowa that water would freeze and break the tank. Are you in an area that doesn't get cold or do you have a solution to that problem.
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MikeOnBike
Member
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# Posted: 2 Mar 2011 12:29pm - Edited by: MikeOnBike
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We are going to upgrade from the solar shower we have been using. It didn't work that well in early spring and late fall. Just not enough sun and if we didn't use it before dusk it cooled off too quickly.
The plan is to put in one of the tankless hotwater heaters (Eccotemp L5) and run it off of a 20lb bottle and use a 12v RV pump to pressurize (SHURflo 4008). Sounds like we should get about 18-20hrs of showers off of one bottle. That will give everyone a reliable shower after a hard day's work. I'll install a 12v RV battery to run the pump and attach a small solar panel to keep the battery topped off.
It will still be outside but I will place it at the end of the deck attached to the shed we will build this spring. I'll store water in 55gal. plastic barrels behind the shed.
Oops, sorry for hijack, though I was posting in "Share Your Shower'. Too many tabs open in my browser.
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hebegbz
Member
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# Posted: 2 Mar 2011 02:49pm
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Mike,
Make sure your install it so that it can easily be removed for security, or in case of freezing.
Also, I highly recommend the Shurflo 5900 series pumps. I have been using mine for over two years and they work very well.
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MikeOnBike
Member
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# Posted: 2 Mar 2011 06:06pm
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hebegbz,
The 5900 series looks really nice but it is twice my budget. The whole shower idea came up after we had committed our building resources for the year. I have a mile of fence to build, a second shed, and some spring development. That pretty well taps our $5000 budget.
The shower will be pretty modular. I'll use garden hose with quick disconnects. I'll use the garden hose, pump and an extra barrel to get water at the spring and transport it up to my shed. Then I'll use the pump to transfer the water to the storage barrels behind the shed.
The spring water is potable so I won't have to filter anything like Just and Aveallc.
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lucky ducky
Member
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# Posted: 3 Mar 2011 10:00am
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I made my shower in a previous cabin like this. Build a shelf in the bathroom for a 5 gallon bucket. In the bucket, I put a small bilge pump from a boat. The pump take a 3/4 inch hose, which is connected to a shower head. The pump is connected to a 12 volt battery, and I put a switch in the shower. Warm your water on the stove and pour in the bucket. Jump in the shower, turn on the switch and the bilge pump starts up and you have a nice refreshing shower. You may have to drill a bigger hole in the shower head to help with the pressure.
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hebegbz
Member
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# Posted: 3 Mar 2011 02:35pm
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"My one concern would be for winter when in Iowa that water would freeze and break the tank. Are you in an area that doesn't get cold or do you have a solution to that problem."
FYI, for you folks who live where it freezes.
My on demand heater is a "Bosch" brand and even though it doesn't need any electricity at all to operate normally, it does have an electrical cord on it to power several heaters inside the system to prevent freezing. Unfortunatlely, I turn my power off at 10pm, so I just take it off wall and bring it inside when there is danger of freezing. If you set it up right, it takes less than 2minutes.
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hebegbz
Member
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# Posted: 3 Mar 2011 11:59pm
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Here's a couple of pics of the water heater hook-up on the back of my cabin, and the way the water comes in under the kitchen sink.
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