Hot water on tap

[Love my Wee Belter]

Hi,
A question for Ocean 6.1 owners...
Has anyone installed a water heater in their Cali for washing up etc?
The ones I have seen are for use outside presumably because of venting issues and I wondered if there is a unit you can install under the sink?

 

[Calimili]

Slightly adapting this one, to get water from the tap instead of the shower outlet…

CaliHotShower

Die CaliHotShower Niederdruckboiler ist speziell für den mobilen Einsatz konstruiert und kann überall an der bestehenden Tauchpumpe in Ihrem Camper angeschlossen werden. Kaltes Wasser vom Wassertank wird im Kleinboiler mit 12V aufgeheizt. Kalt Duschen muss nicht sein! Die CaliHotShower ist zum...

www.calisolar.ch

 

[ejmoore]

We just boil the kettle.

 

[Edsr]

There are a few threads on here but think this one has the link to the German website with a how-to. It uses a 12v water heater that's enough for the sink. You then upgrade the tap to an identical-looking one that has a hot/cold adjustment (or fit a separate mixer by drilling the sink unit).

It takes up a lot of space though, costs a lot of money, and means messing with the pipework quite a bit.

Hot water system

My question is what about hot water? I don’t pick my ‘New to me’ Cali up until next Friday and having been used to hot water on tap got me thinking. Is there a way of having a system fitted? I’m sure the motorhome I have at present, an Autosleeper Sandhurst, has a system that works off either...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[Edsr]

Slightly adapting this one, to get water from the tap instead of the shower outlet…

CaliHotShower

Die CaliHotShower Niederdruckboiler ist speziell für den mobilen Einsatz konstruiert und kann überall an der bestehenden Tauchpumpe in Ihrem Camper angeschlossen werden. Kaltes Wasser vom Wassertank wird im Kleinboiler mit 12V aufgeheizt. Kalt Duschen muss nicht sein! Die CaliHotShower ist zum...

www.calisolar.ch

That's a new one on me...

I can't believe I have not seen that as I have been researching options for showering off grid (we have young kids and like parking at the beach) so I got one of these which works perfectly either off a tap, or using a 12v pump for £120

https://www.therange.co.uk/leisure/...ZR5zuFxlRih6udrTE6EIFm3EcaAnsSEALw_wcB#272391

I'm in the process of fabricating an aluminium housing for it, and the pump, in a single case that hangs off the nearside awning rail, and plugs into cadac bottle, 12v in boot, and water from either the onboard tank or from a container on the ground. Using a 12v pump with a pressure switch is great as the supplied shower head has an on-off valve on it, so the pump cuts out when you shut the shower head off, and cuts back in when you open it. Have successfully used this with a 20 collapsible water container and 12v pump which does two half decent showers per container - better than any motorhome or caravan shower I have used. You can either hang the shower head off the awning rail or poke it though the top of a shower tent. Adding an underslung 70L water tank is the long-term plan... will post up some photos when it's finished.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

This also looks very good.

 

[Off-The-Beaton-Track]

I got one of these along with a small shower/toilet tent for washing. It's really quite compact and the gas canisters are readily available. I've given it a quick try at home and will give it a proper test next week with at least a 7 day trip planned to some pretty basic campsites.

 

[brooodie]

I got one of these along with a small shower/toilet tent for washing. It's really quite compact and the gas canisters are readily available. I've given it a quick try at home and will give it a proper test next week with at least a 7 day trip planned to some pretty basic campsites.

This is the neatest version of this type of unit that I've seen. Can't find it for sale in Europe/UK though which is a shame. (seems quite pricy though at over 500 AUD! would cost a fortune to have one shipped here by the time taxes paid etc.)

 

[pcevanrulo]

The Elgena KB-6 12 volt boiler fits in your bottom cupboard. easy to install and 12V ​

If you install a 2 way tap, you can have cold aswell as hot water.

 

[pluc99]

I got one of these along with a small shower/toilet tent for washing. It's really quite compact and the gas canisters are readily available. I've given it a quick try at home and will give it a proper test next week with at least a 7 day trip planned to some pretty basic campsites. View attachment 84984

You're lucky! In all my research, this is by far the best solution I could find, not only for showering but also to place on a picnic table for washing up.
I would have to arrange for someone in Oz or NZ to buy one and arrange for shipping, but that is only the first problem. What's stopping me at this point (apart from still waiting for the camper to be delivered <sigh>) is the propane canister that screws directly onto the unit. I'm not sure that I can source/adapt one that would work over here. I don't like the idea of connecting a separate tank and regulator/tube, which in my mind would turn a perfect solution into a fiddle.

 

[pluc99]

The Elgena KB-6 12 volt boiler fits in your bottom cupboard. easy to install and 12V ​

If you install a 2 way tap, you can have cold aswell as hot water.

I believe this is basically the same technology as the shower in the euro box described above with a 3 l 12V boiler as well as the thread in the german cali forum. It takes about 45 minutes and 16 Amps to heat the water, by my calculation around 36Ah, close to 25% of an Ocean's total, more given that you're not supposed to use 100%.

 

[pcevanrulo]

I believe this is basically the same technology as the shower in the euro box described above with a 3 l 12V boiler as well as the thread in the german cali forum. It takes about 45 minutes and 16 Amps to heat the water, by my calculation around 36Ah, close to 25% of an Ocean's total, more given that you're not supposed to use 100%.

But a lot cheaper. It costs around 180eu

 

[pluc99]

But a lot cheaper. It costs around 180eu

As opposed to 800 eur? I won't disagree with you there. It can also be installed cleanly in a compact corner of the right hand cupboard but doesn't connect to the shower.
Neither solution is convincing me.

 

[Off-The-Beaton-Track]

You're lucky! In all my research, this is by far the best solution I could find, not only for showering but also to place on a picnic table for washing up.
I would have to arrange for someone in Oz or NZ to buy one and arrange for shipping, but that is only the first problem. What's stopping me at this point (apart from still waiting for the camper to be delivered <sigh>) is the propane canister that screws directly onto the unit. I'm not sure that I can source/adapt one that would work over here. I don't like the idea of connecting a separate tank and regulator/tube, which in my mind would turn a perfect solution into a fiddle.

This is an extremely rare situation where we in the Antipodes can source something that isn't available to Europeans. Normally it is the other way around with all these amazing aftermarket gadgets that we just cannot get our hands on here. I have lusted after a number of things on this forum that are out of reach. The gas canisters are really readily available in our large homeware sheds like Mitre10 and Bunnings so I don't have that issue. I did find the price tag of NZ$600 (£300) pretty hard to swallow but many of our Department of Conservation camp sites are very basic in regards to amenities. They do make up for that by their often incredible locations. All the best with your search for a hot water solution.

 

[Off-The-Beaton-Track]

This is the neatest version of this type of unit that I've seen. Can't find it for sale in Europe/UK though which is a shame. (seems quite pricy though at over 500 AUD! would cost a fortune to have one shipped here by the time taxes paid etc.)

In regards to paying a fortune for shipping, this is how much I can expect to pay for postage of a small £14 travel adapter to NZ broodie!

 

[brooodie]

In regards to paying a fortune for shipping, this is how much I can expect to pay for postage of a small £14 travel adapter to NZ broodie!
View attachment 85023

Can you not just get it shipped from china for pennies? Have a look on Aliexpress. I increasingly find that all sorts of tat I'd usually buy on Amazon or ebay is available direct from the source for half the price.

 

[Her Outdoors]

We have a kettle, a toilet tent and one of these…

Portable Pocket Shower | Sea to Summit

LIFETIME GUARANTEE. The Pocket Shower provides about an 8-minute shower. It is made of the same high-quality, wear-resistant, waterproof fabric as our Lightweight Dry Sacks and features the same roll-top closure. Built into the base is a compact showerhead that operates with an easy-to-use...

www.seatosummit.co.uk

 

[Doorbundle]

That's a new one on me...

I can't believe I have not seen that as I have been researching options for showering off grid (we have young kids and like parking at the beach) so I got one of these which works perfectly either off a tap, or using a 12v pump for £120

https://www.therange.co.uk/leisure/...ZR5zuFxlRih6udrTE6EIFm3EcaAnsSEALw_wcB#272391

I'm in the process of fabricating an aluminium housing for it, and the pump, in a single case that hangs off the nearside awning rail, and plugs into cadac bottle, 12v in boot, and water from either the onboard tank or from a container on the ground. Using a 12v pump with a pressure switch is great as the supplied shower head has an on-off valve on it, so the pump cuts out when you shut the shower head off, and cuts back in when you open it. Have successfully used this with a 20 collapsible water container and 12v pump which does two half decent showers per container - better than any motorhome or caravan shower I have used. You can either hang the shower head off the awning rail or poke it though the top of a shower tent. Adding an underslung 70L water tank is the long-term plan... will post up some photos when it's finished.

Hi Edsr,
Will the Ecotemp shower work off a Camping Gaz 907 bottle / regulator?
Cheers,
Db.

 

[Edsr]

Hi Edsr,
Will the Ecotemp shower work off a Camping Gaz 907 bottle / regulator?
Cheers,
Db.

Yes it will. To be clear though the heater comes with instructions that say it uses LPG (propane) but runs fine on a 907 (Butane). The primary difference between butane and propane being slightly different storage/operating temperatures. IIRC Propane has a lower operating temperature (I.e you can use it at freezing temperatures). Both burn around the same though so can be used without issue.

 

[Doorbundle]

Yes it will. To be clear though the heater comes with instructions that say it uses LPG (propane) but runs fine on a 907 (Butane). The primary difference between butane and propane being slightly different storage/operating temperatures. IIRC Propane has a lower operating temperature (I.e you can use it at freezing temperatures). Both burn around the same though so can be used without issue.

Thanks Edsr,
If Campingaz 907 butane is ok, would the standard 907 regulator provide sufficient gas pressure / volume to run the shower?
Does anyone else have experience of their use of these units with Butane?
I'm interested but wary as I've seen some 'mixed' reviews elsewhere.

 

[ddgp]

Did anyone adapted one of those Elgena boilers to the showers system too?