# How do you shower off grid?



## roadless

The solar shower didn't work very well this weekend, brr.. I was thinking about setting up a shower shed close to our cabin. We have propane, no well but are near a creek. Any ideas?


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## Cyngbaeld

I always just heat a gallon or so on the stove and pour it over my head with a cup. If you don't have a shower set up, then a tub in front of the woodstove works good, especially for children.


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## mpillow

Heat the water and fill solar shower :shrug: 

We have some old galvanized laundry tubs (2ft sq) w/ hose plugs in the bottom...we used to fill w/ heated water and attach short hose and spray head...the tub was on an elevated pallet under a window for filling and shower "stall" under pallet....a piece of tin to keep tub covered and warmth in....running water and reg. shower inside now at camp


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## roadless

Thanks for the ideas. I just bought a old galvanized tub at a tag sale.( just seeing it gave me fond memories of my grandma giving me a bath under the apple tree on her farm) Unfortunately I don't have a woodstove (yet) I wonder, could I heat the water in the tub or would there be a problem with fumes?


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## PyroDon

there is a stove top on demand typewater heater for camping . 
its basicly copper coils heated by a propane camp stove mightbe something to look into


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## Al. Countryboy

As a kid my grandfather had a 55 gal. drum painted black that was inclosed behind his shop. I decided to build one a few years back to shower off after working out side. Mine was simular to my grandfathers except that I enclosed the barrel with glass. The water was always cool at the bottom when the barrel was full, but nice and warm at the top. I always had a very nice warn shower when the barrel only had maybe 10 gallons of water. I decided to attach a hose on the inside of the tank and put a float at the end of the hose where the water coming out of the shower head would be coming off the top of the tank. This made a big difference in the temp. of my shower water. We used it for a number of years until the timbers were unsafe and was afraid the grandkids might get hurt. I would think that a more flat container for the water storage would much better than a barrel. Look at how hot the temp. of water in a hose pipe will get in the summer on a sunny day.


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## marvella

take a sponge bath every day instead. a lot easier and takes a lot less water. important if you are carrying water.


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## Ozarkguy

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A yard sprayer works great. Get the black one with a pump handle.


Fill up with water, put in direct sunlight for a few hours, and you've got hot water with pump pressure.  


gotta love those hills.....

Ozarkguy









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## vicker

In warm weather we have the tree shower. Cold weather means bucket baths (bucket and cup) a couple times a week sponge baths. You will be surprised at how GREAT it feels to stand out in the yard and take a bucket bath, and that last bit left in the bucket poured over your head for the final rinse ahhhhhh  Sometimes we heat water up and pour it in the washtup, and sometimes we heat it directly in the tub. We now, also, have a 50 gal black plastic watering tub, bought from Southen States. Its good for a long soak.


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## jnap31

Cyngbaeld said:


> I always just heat a gallon or so on the stove and pour it over my head with a cup. If you don't have a shower set up, then a tub in front of the woodstove works good, especially for children.


Me to, IN the summer I got it out of the well and put the bucket in teh sun to heat up first.


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## Ozarkguy

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"...50 gal black plastic watering tub, bought from Southen States."


Does Southern States? have a website, and do you have a link for it?


Thanks,

Ozarkguy









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## bee

my mom was raised in Fl. and tells me thier water was heated by the sun. They had black hose/pipe on the roof filled with water and the sun heated it. The smaller diameter the faster the heat.I'm thinking water heat box; goes something like this: make flat wooden box side walls about 4" high,paint bottom and sides black,drill hole thru sides in both ends to run hose in and out,put hose in tight side to side zig-zag(no kinks)Black hose best..to increase effiency cover with clear glass..you are limited in size only by the weight your roof will bear. I'm not a plummer but I bet there are gravity systems that would feed the heated water into an insulated holding tank/and or circulate thru a hot water heat system...oh yeah, south side of roof best, then east,west,north least desireable.


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## Guest

I was without electricity once for an extended period of time.

I had some black 5 gallon buckets. In the summer I filled them with water, put the lids (also black) on them, and kept them sitting in the sun. I always had plenty of hot water.

That didn't work so well in the winter.


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## bee

Ozarkguy.. www.southernstates.com


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## vicker

You should be able to get them through any feed and seed store or farm supply. Tractor Supply has them also.


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## ChuckinVA

PyroDon said:


> there is a stove top on demand typewater heater for camping .
> its basicly copper coils heated by a propane camp stove mightbe something to look into


Probably not what PD was talking about but may be a solution although pricey.

[http://www.basspro.com/servlet/cata...=50149&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults]


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## bare

You can make a dandy 12v shower with a cheap $20 submersible pump with a hose long enough to go from a bucket to a hanger, then add a small water-saver shower head. All you have to do is heat your container of water to whatever temperature you like, stick the pump in and take a nice regular, pressurized shower. 

I made one years ago, cost about $25 for everything and it still works great.


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## big rockpile

I took a 5 gallon bucket,put a Shower head on it,put warm water in it,hung it up,took my Shower.

big rockpile


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## Ozarkguy

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Thanks for the ideas and links, folks. 


The sprayer I used was an old garden sprayer. I think it held 2 gallons (plenty enough for a shower). Got it in a flea market for 10 bucks and being black, sitting it in the sun for awhile actually sometimes made the water TOO hot :flame: and had to cool it down with some cold water added. The pump sprayer was what I really liked. Like having water pressure out in the middle of nowhere!  


Ozarkguy









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## IDgoats

DW and i spent summer in travel trailer with four girls three yrs. ago and we just bought plastic stock tank and filled with water covered with visqueen/spelling wrapped bungee cord around top to seal by evening it was great.


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## suburbanite

Is there any way to rig reflectors like a solar oven to enhance the solar shower heating during the cold months?

Also, have you thought about looking at the designs for solar pool heaters? I'm thinking that water has a high heat capacity--once it is hot it stays hot for a long time--and if you can get a decent sized insulated tank--maybe someone's still-intact but energy inefficient and discarded hot-water heater?--then you might make a mini version of a pool heater (with wind power if a pump is required?) to make and store hot water when weather permits, for use on those chilly mornings when you can't really 'make' hot water by a solar method. This kind of rig might also serve as a heat source inside your cabin, if you put the tank in the cabin then any heat it looses will be heating the cabin up too.


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## Bearfootfarm

12 volt boat bilge pumps make great showers. Get one about 300 GPH and some 1/2" PVC pipe for the plumbing. Put a ball valve in the line to control the flow and any 12 volt power source will run it.


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## Guest

suburbanite said:


> Is there any way to rig reflectors like a solar oven to enhance the solar shower heating during the cold months?
> 
> Also, have you thought about looking at the designs for solar pool heaters? I'm thinking that water has a high heat capacity--once it is hot it stays hot for a long time--and if you can get a decent sized insulated tank--maybe someone's still-intact but energy inefficient and discarded hot-water heater?--then you might make a mini version of a pool heater (with wind power if a pump is required?) to make and store hot water when weather permits, for use on those chilly mornings when you can't really 'make' hot water by a solar method. This kind of rig might also serve as a heat source inside your cabin, if you put the tank in the cabin then any heat it looses will be heating the cabin up too.


 Interesting idea!!


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## Lisa in WA

In the 18 months before we had a working bathroom, we heated water on the stove and took baths in a tub in the kitchen. Oh, I miss heating that water and hauling that tub outside to dump over the side of the porch...NOT!


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## suburbanite

ladycat, I made a minor edit for clarity, changing 'tank' to 'heater' in one spot, I hope you can change your quote of me to reflect that; I suspect I'm on a lot of ignore lists after the row in 'country families' forum about family-size decisions, so your quote may be those folks' only chance to see that idea.


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## Guest

suburbanite, I changed it


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## Esteban29304

I have a metal garden sprinkler can, about 3 gallons, set up for hurricane season. Painted it flat black & sit out in the sun. When ready for a shower, I have a chain & hook to suspend it, & a rope tied around the end of the spout. Just pull it down, lather , rinse. I can take 2 showers gfrom 3 gallons of water. Can be heated sitting on a woodstove, campfire, etc


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## deaconjim

If grid doens't come off in the shower, you may have to soak in a tub.


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## suburbanite

thanks ladycat. 

deaconjim--wiseguy....


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## Ozarkguy

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How do you shower off grid? 













Naked! :dance: :dance: :dance:  















.


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## roadless

Wow, you guys have great ideas...and funny too, thanks!


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## jnap31

suburbanite said:


> I suspect I'm on a lot of ignore lists after the row in 'country families' forum about family-size decisions, so your quote may be those folks' only chance to see that idea.


Could I have a link? I missed it and have been searching to no avail


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## Cabin Fever

I vote for the garden sprayer shower. I converted a garden sprayer with a dish rinsing sprayer. Just warm up some water and pour it in. @ gallons is plenty of water for a garden sprayer shower. In the winter, we'd sit in one of those concrete mixing plastic troughs (~$15) in front of the woodstove while we showered. Here's a photo of Wind In Her Hair taking a graden sprayer shower...don't tell her I posted this!


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## Erika123

If you would like to make good use of the sun, it is very doable without costing a lots amount of money. See this Solar Panels and System. Hardy Solar Home Stezader 4 kW off grid energy generator system.1,500 Watt off grid Solar Panel System.
_________________
 off grid


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## Windy in Kansas

suburbanite said:


> Is there any way to rig reflectors like a solar oven to enhance the solar shower heating during the cold months?


YES! Here is a link to the book you want. It gives explicit directions for making correct mirrors for any size of tank. The mirrors being of solar reflective mylar such as sold on Ebay.

http://foxyurl.com/pFJ Hope that url shortening software works properly.

I found the library book to be so good that I bought a copy for my home reference library. There is companion book for the solar heating of air. Keisling is the author or co-author and the books were published by Rodale.

Rodale Institute built the units and kept tweaking the design until that had the best they could come up with for home built units.

I've not yet built one but fully understand how the mirror design could be the best there are. Sort of a soft W or two U(s) beside each other other and the tank rests on the middle peak. All direct and bounced light reflects back to the tank for maximum warming. 

Get an ILL of the book and to see if you want a copy for yourself. I recommend both.


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## FYFSheep

Al. Countryboy said:


> As a kid my grandfather had a 55 gal. drum painted black that was inclosed behind his shop.


Awesome idea. Thanks for sharing!


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## RideBarefoot

If you've got propane source, a Zodi works quite well


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## wy_white_wolf

Our off grid shower. When the sun doesn't get it warm enough, then we heat water on the propane stove to add to it.










Sorry guys but DW wouldn't demostrate it in action for you. 



.


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## Jim-mi

I've showered off lots of grime but never had to shower off a grid.

scratching my head about how you got a grid on you in the first place.

is it painfull . . . .??


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## MELOC

showering on the grid could be an exhilerating experience.


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## fantasymaker

The KEY to the black drum Idea is it lay it on its side,it will heat the water more evenly and is easyer to pumb.


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## fantasymaker

Cabin Fever said:


> . Here's a photo of Wind In Her Hair taking a graden sprayer shower...don't tell her I posted this!
> 
> ]


WOW and BOY are you in truble!


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## TnAndy

We shower the same way....grid or not. Get in shower, turn on gravity fed spring water, which runs thru a propane water heater. 

Propane runs out ?

No problem.....got a wood fired water heater ready to tie into the house system.

Who needs the grid......


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## gracie

I'm not off grid, but try to be frugal in every way. My husband bought me one of those old clawfoot bathtubs off of our local trading post. We built a small platform to sit it on in the backyard. I fill it each night and let the sun heat it the next day. That's my bath under the stars. My college age son was home this summer to camp out with some friends he brought from college. He told me later one guy asked him Why do you have a bathtub in your backyard. He said To take a bath in, My son looked at it kinda like a duh moment. He said what does he think you do with a bathtub mom? My son just thinks it's normal that we have use it in the back yard. We hardly ever have to turn our hot water on. I fill several gallon jugs with water and sit those in a car we not longer drive and they heat up each day. We use those to wash dishes with. It has cut about 50. off our electric bill.


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## gracie

I will try to get a picture of my tub when my batteries charge for the camera. we don't have any enclosure around it. It's just me, hubby , the animals, and the neighbors are a long way off. I do like wy_white_wolf 's enclosure for his shower though.


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## jefferson

Shower? I don't need no stinking shower. Did I say stinking?


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