# Solar Showers



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

Like these Cheap Ones £7.49 for two

Or these Gelert ones £5 plus post

Anyone tried these please?

TM


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## stu7771 (Jul 22, 2011)

Yep last year

First time they got really hot and thought it worked great. Next few times what ever we did they never seemed to get hot enough. We were out in Europe from April till November. Within a couple of weeks the hangers had broken.

Sue


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## steco1958 (Mar 5, 2009)

Used them years ago when proper camping, just ensure the bag is in full sun and out of cooling winds.


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## Camdoon (Sep 21, 2012)

Have one and they are a bit of a novelty if you are having a shower but they are handy for washing off hands without having to jump in and out of van.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Bus*

We are thinking of them for days out in our Minibus (not motorhome).

Have seen these too! Look Stronger but expensive


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## 91502 (May 1, 2005)

If they sun is out they work great, we always lay them flat on the ground to heat up then hang on the ladder to use.
You have to remember to lay them the right way up to heat though, if they are upside down they barely warm.
It is printed on them which way, I seem to think it is black side down.

James


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Hi, been using these for years, they work fine for us, be careful in really strong sunshine as they can get very hot.

We always cut the tubing down to a few inches from the tap as it keeps kinking and stops the flow with the standard length pipe.

We've always bought the ones similar to the Gelert one with the tube that slots through the top. Dirt cheap, so nothing to lose if they fail.

We also occasionally use a watering can with a solar shower spout on the end as a back up, saves messing around putting the big one up.

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopict-131949-shower.html

Pete


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

teemyob said:


> Anyone tried these please?
> 
> TM


We have two that we bought to use in Morocco. They have pros and cons. Chief con is that, with 20 litres of hot water in the bag, lifting it up to a height where you can have a shower is not easy ! Finding somewhere solid enough, and high enough to use as a shower is not easy. The bags, when full, are quite awkward to handle. When full and hot they are even less easy. We pulled the handle off one of them when we tried to suspend it; it was not strong enough to do this. The tap was awkward to use and needed two hands to turn on- and off- so it went through water quite quickly.

They did heat up quickly enough in Morocco and were a good source of hot water for washing clothes, people and pots. This was when we put the bag onto a table or the van bonnet. We only tried showering once for the reasons given above.

I reckon they are an excellent thing but need re-engineering to make them more user-friendly. A lemonade bottle or a plastic water container with handle in a black polythene bag would have much the same effect and be easier to handle.

If you are in one place all day then no problem with heating them up but we did not trust their strength /seals enough to leave them on the dash or somewhere while on the move.

G


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

The BLACK side should face the sun to absorb the heat. We had one years ago but the lack of temperature control is a major problem. Do not doubt that you can be scalded when enough heat has been absorbed.
They got very floppy when hot and heavy to lift.
If a mixture of cold water could be added, then they could be viable.

Alan


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## Geriatricbackpacker (Aug 21, 2012)

We have used the Gelart type and the trick for us is not to try and shower under them as the temperature can be a bit hit and miss. We pour the water into a bucket (watering can would work well) and then pour the water from there when we shower. We used it in Portugal and had free hot water for days, in France it wasn't quite so good despite the temperatures being pretty much the same.
We take it with us to India as we sometimes stay in beach huts and they don't have any hot water. The solar shower is a great in these circumstances but it is difficult to hold high enough (or find something strong enough to support its weight) so once again we tip it into a bucket and use a jug...luxury!
Ours has started to split on the handle as they are flimsy and are expected to support 20 kilos. We bought one from Ebay and a silly low price so it owes us nothing.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*these*

Anyone tried one of >These?<<<< Click

I could take a 20 litre drum of water in the back of the bus!

TM


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

*Re: these*



teemyob said:


> Anyone tried one of >These?<<<< Click
> 
> I could take a 20 litre drum of water in the back of the bus!
> 
> TM


Got a similar one when Maplin used to sell them. A few selfbuilders used them in their vans as it is a really good shower head with good pressure. We just use ours for washing the muck off the dogs.

You could get large bottles of pop in black (well dark anyway) bottles. If they are still available, fill them with water and lay them on the dash in the sun. They get really hot and could be easily transferred into a solar shower bag (or anything else that takes your fancy).


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

Thanks 747

We are off to Spain next month. We will not be in the motorhome, but in the Minibus.

When we go to the beach in the afternoon, we often stay late and have an evening meal on the Seafront.

Nothing worse than having sand in your bits and dried salt!.

Very often the showers are off. So we take bottles of water and leave them in the van. But it is a bit hit n miss.

Hence the reason for looking at these.

Thanks.

TM


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## dalspa (Jul 1, 2008)

Many years ago I bought a (new) Hozelock shower at a car boot sale for £5 - just like a garden sprayer but got a lockable shower head. Initially used it externally to cool off after energetic summer bike rides - strap it to the bike rack and let the sun warm up the water a bit before use. 
Just had a month in France and when not on sites we used it all the time. I would fill it in the morning to allow the water to warm up a bit, and then boil the kettle and top it up just before use. We could both get an adequate shower out of the 5ltr shower with minimal water and gas useage - to heat up the 12ltr Truma boiler just for a shower seemed a waste. Had a Gaslow kit delivered today so gas won't be an issue when we return to France soon for another month - but we will still tend to use our Hozelock! I did buy a black plastic camping shower many years ago and have never used it but having read this thread I may take it with me to try to heat the water via the sun and then pour it into the Hozelock. I did, once, try wrapping a black bin liner bag around the clear Hozelock cylinder but it wasn't that efficient in heating the water.
I did see an article in the Daily Mail a couple of weeks ago about camping gear and it had the Hozelock shower in it - at £50!

DavidL


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

Bought two in the end!

One of these Hozelocks

One of these too!


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## mikebeaches (Oct 18, 2008)

teemyob said:


> Bought two in the end!
> One of these Hozelocks
> One of these too!


Hi Trev - all looks like good kit. However, be careful not to put too much pressure in the Hozelock water container.

We have one that's almost identical (slightly older) and I've had to replace the handle twice because the plastic has split under too much pressure. The design might have been improved, but it looks very similar to ours.

We've used solar water heaters for years and tried all sorts of ways for showering. These days we just heat the water up in the sun then pour it into a plastic watering can - which we carry on board in any case, for topping up the fresh water tank. If the water is too hot, just add some cold, and then take in turns to hold the watering can up for each other to shower.

Mike


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## slippers (Mar 12, 2009)

I've tried the shower bags but they are unwieldy. 

Now using 6 litre supermarket bottle placed on a towel and black bag on the dashboard for a while. Then stand in a squashy builders bucket and use a jug. 

Be warned, a hot bottle can warp the dash so make sure you protect it with a towel. Ask me how I know...


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

teemyob said:


> Like these Cheap Ones £7.49 for two
> 
> Or these Gelert ones £5 plus post
> 
> ...


We had the first one in your link - all OK but the water can get VERY hot indeed - care is needed

Low water pressure of course, but so what? It's free!

we use black pop bottles, filled with water, to get hot washing up water from the sun's energy

Russell


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## ned (Dec 12, 2006)

*Solar shower*

Hi,

We used one of these pumps when we had the boat. Great piece of kit but don't forget to take the batts out when you are not using it. They tend to oxidise as the plastic case condenses on the inside. We used it with the solar shower. Heat the water up. Pour into bucket add cold water to taste and then have a much more controllable flow for your shower. We also used it for washing the dog ,sandy feet (grandchildren) and other muck removing. Come to think of it I still got it at the back of the garage. Must dig it out.

Cheers.........Nedt


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