External shower point - easy to fit?

[Guigsy]

I do a fair amount of mountain biking where I tend to get very muddy. I was thinking it might be handy to have an external shower point to hose off the bike and give myself a quick rinse before I make the inside of the van really filthy. Has anyone got an external shower? Are they useful?

Has anyone DIY'd fitting themselves? Any particular pitfalls I need to be aware of?

What brands do people recommend? I see quite a lot of Bullfinch stuff when I search?

All the ones I've seen so far seem to not have a microswitch. I've got a fairly modern German motorhome (a 2020 Geist). Is my plumbing likely to need a microswitch to activate the pump? I've not had a dig behind anything to find out yet. If I do, I guess I'd need to wire in an on-off switch?

My van is pretty compact and doesn't have a proper garage, so I can't fit the shower point in there. But most of the plumbing appears to run down the left side of the van. The Truma heater is easily accessible under one of the lounge seats, so I'm assuming there's good access to plumbing down there. And there's a small service locker. I've not decided whether I try to put the shower point inside the service locker, or dare to drill holes in the outside of the van yet.

 

[Tombola]

A bit basic, but does the window open in you shower room, stick your shower head out of it that when needed and rig up a little bracket.
Or even more basic,,, these, I used to wash down my whole van once with 5 buckets and I do the dogs with it. The pressure is really good.
Amazon product ASIN B085W679N1

 

[SpeedyDux]

My PVC has an external shower as standard.

Never had the courage to get naked and try this out at least not on any CMC sites. You could ask mikebeaches if he has tried his ...

 

[Burgo]

15l solar shower bags work a treat if it's sunny Just fill one up and hang iit up / lay it down in full sun and 4 hours later its nearly boiling.

 

[Guigsy]

I was hoping to use the shower point to blast off the worst of the mud before I used the inside shower. I care more about getting good pressure than it being warm really. The reason for a pre-rinse is I'm pretty sure that once the grit goes down the plughole, it'll be stuck in the grey waste tank forever...

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[Lenny HB]

I fitted one in the garage (I Know you said you can't do that) but any locker will do.
Occasionly wash the bike but main use is filling the washing machine.

Lenny's Modding the new Gin Palace

Hi Lenny, what a great post, I've read front to back several times and picked up loads of tips, just 2 questions concerning the fridge set up, 1) did the wiring for the external fans come with the fans or controller 2) could you post the link where you brought the internal fan and PCB controller...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[Lenny HB]

I was hoping to use the shower point to blast off the worst of the mud before I used the inside shower. I care more about getting good pressure than it being warm really. The reason for a pre-rinse is I'm pretty sure that once the grit goes down the plughole, it'll be stuck in the grey waste tank forever...

The pressure on my garage shower is a bit naff. I've changed the shower hose to a large bore one, and recently fitted a Sureflo pump. Still not that good & I don't know why.

 

[Guigsy]

I fitted one in the garage (I Know you said you can't do that) but any locker will do.
Occasionly wash the bike but main use is filling the washing machine.

Lenny's Modding the new Gin Palace

Hi Lenny, what a great post, I've read front to back several times and picked up loads of tips, just 2 questions concerning the fridge set up, 1) did the wiring for the external fans come with the fans or controller 2) could you post the link where you brought the internal fan and PCB controller...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Geist is a sub-sub-brand to Hymer. So is it likely that I'll need a switch too?

If so, would it be sensible to put a toggle switch in the locker next to the outlet to turn the pump on and off?

 

[mikebeaches]

My PVC has an external shower as standard.

Never had the courage to get naked and try this out at least not on any CMC sites. You could ask mikebeaches if he has tried his ...

Yes, our Rapido has an external shower point in the back. To be honest, we haven't ever used it, and I'd forgotten it was there in truth.

Get naked for an outdoor shower on a CMC site? Probably not, though I have sunbathed in the buff discreetly a few times at a couple of C&CC sites... amongst others.

Edited to add, just mentioned this post to Mrs mikebeaches and she says she's up for it.

And in the past, we've regularly used outdoor solar showers au naturel - they work a treat!

 

[donkey]

I Fitted a Bullfinch to previous van. I placed it just inside a side locker that had close access to hot & cold plumbing.
Worked great, however, whenever the hose attachment was removed a quantity of water drained out of the fitting. I used a nappy arrangement to ensure the water did no damage.
Geoff

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[Lenny HB]

Geist is a sub-sub-brand to Hymer. So is it likely that I'll need a switch too?

If so, would it be sensible to put a toggle switch in the locker next to the outlet to turn the pump on and off?

As I said I changed to a Shureflo pump so don't use the tap switches now. The shower head does have an off position.

 

[Insider]

Bullfinch inside/outside - I went for a halfway house approach. Situated inside but completely accessible outside. My system is pressure activated so I didn't have to worry about a microswitch but I imagine you could wire in a switch as well if you require it.

 

[phil1946]

I do the same as Tombola but bought a longer shower hose from ebay - works well, less than £5 and 2 minutes to fix without any change to the 'van.

 

[dalspa]

Why not get a Hozelock (or equivalent) portable shower - works just like a normal garden sprayer. Put in cold water and add a kettle or two of hot water. We have been using one for years and rarely use our on board shower hose, especially when we are off grid and rationing water.

 

[the1andonly]

Yet another try this instead.
We sometimes take an aqua roll ( other containers available) and whale pump to fill tank when stationry /tied up add appropriate fittings and squirt away.

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[Wikky]

I have an external shower in the Rapido which uses a Sureflow pump ( no microswitches). Had the mh 4 years and just tried out the external shower recently to clean off my walking boots. I have to say it's probably ok as a shower but doesn't have much force. If it was me I think I would go for a rechargeable pressure washer and a suitable container of water.
I've seen these washers advertised in the CAMC mag.....sorry I've mentioned CAMC. It would save you messing with your van.

 

[Two on Tour]

I recently fitted a Bullfinch shower point, but as there was not a suitable position on the outside of our van to access the water pipes to connect to internally, I mounted ours just inside one of our lockers, and yes, easy to fit.

 

[SpeedyDux]

I have an external shower in the Rapido which uses a Sureflow pump ( no microswitches). Had the mh 4 years and just tried out the external shower recently to clean off my walking boots. I have to say it's probably ok as a shower but doesn't have much force. If it was me I think I would go for a rechargeable pressure washer and a suitable container of water.
I've seen these washers advertised in the CAMC mag.....sorry I've mentioned CAMC. It would save you messing with your van.

The Ryobi one being advertised in the current CMC magazine is quite similar to the cordless Worx Hydroshot, which I use a lot (either with the 1.5 litre bottle attachment or from a bucket). If you already have Ryobi power tools you might get it cheaper as a bare unit without the battery and charger.

Edit - the use of a cordless power washer as an external shower for anything except a dog is a bit mind-boggling.

 

[IRHP]

For a quick cheap solution buy a new long shower hose a straight through joining piece and head with a trigger and stick it out of a window. What you are doing is extending the length of your existing hose. Connect it up each time you want to use it or leave it connected if you use it a lot . It won't matter whether it has a micro switch or pressure activated pump.

 

[Al-Di]

Bullfinch inside/outside - I went for a halfway house approach. Situated inside but completely accessible outside. My system is pressure activated so I didn't have to worry about a microswitch but I imagine you could wire in a switch as well if you require it.

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How do you get the fittings apart please, as I need to change my outside shower fitting as its cracked and leaking(probably not drained down in winter)

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[Two on Tour]

How do you get the fittings apart please, as I need to change my outside shower fitting as its cracked and leaking(probably not drained down in winter)

Push the ring arrowed on the fitting back into the fitting and while holding the ring back, pull the fitting off the pipe. It may need a bit of pulling to part the two.