Very tidy packaging! You might want to add a strap on top of the water jugs because they will jump up and down as you drive. Also, since you have 120V water heater inside your shower, is the circuit GFCI to prevent electrocution if leaks occur down the road?
Ok.. first.. GREAT job. I bought it all and have it laid out with a bit more room. So, I'm going to have a bunch of questions, but the first will be: Is there a need for an accumulator anywhere in there to regulate the flow of the water into the shower head from the pump? I was planning on adding one to my setup but since you've actually tested everything and got it working, I'll trust you.
I prototyped with an accumulator and it didn't seem necessary. I have found the pump cycles on and off at low water flow rates. The accumulator may help with that. You might want to experiment with and without the accumulator. Let me know if you find that it is needed for your installation and I will probably add one to my setup. I switched from a 3gpm to a 5gpm pump to deliver enough flow rate for a great shower. The water flows through the faucet if you want to reduce the flow rate. The stronger pump will extend the usable life of the water filter since it can deliver more pressure.
An update on the accumulator. When the filter got dirty the back pressure would turn off the pump, causing it to oscillate on and off. I retrofitted with an accumulator to "solve" this problem. The pump still turns off but the cycle time is much longer.
The accumulator is inline between the pump and the cartridge filter. With a few plumbing fittings I was able to put it between the existing pump location and the shower wall. Tight fit but works. If I had planned for it I would have made a cleaner installation.
The switches in the shower are located there because while using the wet bath you need to use most of them, for example to turn on the fan after going to the bathroom, or switching between fresh water and recirculating water after filling the shower pan. All of the switches are only connected to 12V so not really a safety hazard. Remember to turn off the pump when not in use to avoid a disaster if a leak develops while driving.
Hi Pete, thanks again for these, really big help. If you were to get a bigger basin, would you get a conjoined shower wand basin set? I've tried looking online and can't find any
Yes I would get a sink faucet set with a shower wand. It makes the installation so much simpler and gives temperature adjustability in addition to a place to brush teeth and shave.
@@fivepoundpete Thanks, have you seen any bigger sets online? I've tried looking on a few sites but have come up dry. I reckon a bigger one would be a good idea as well especially for shaving
Question is. I heard that the problem with recirculating showers is the soap that can clog filters. Can you use it with all the water, like tap or the same water that you use to wash dishes?
Soap can clog the filters. We use glycerin based soap (Dr. Bonner's) to minimize this problem but it does not eliminate the problem. Still we get 4 or more showers from each filter. We use tap water in our shower and to wash dishes.
The 12V to the UV filter goes through the flow switch which was placed down stream of the filter to only turns on the UV filter after there was water flowing thru it. I placed another switch before the filter that has an LED so I could turn off the filter during maintenance and to see when the filter was powered on.
We don't plan to cook in the van and haven't decided if we need a kitchen sink. If we do I will install a second smaller pump just for the kitchen sink.
Thank you very much Pete, really getting a lot out of your videos. Can't wait for the full van tour.
Glad you like them! The van is not done and I'll post a full van tour later.
INCREDIBLE work! Thanks for sharing! Subscribed!
Thanks for subscribing.
Thank you Pete, nice build!
Glad you like it
Very tidy packaging! You might want to add a strap on top of the water jugs because they will jump up and down as you drive. Also, since you have 120V water heater inside your shower, is the circuit GFCI to prevent electrocution if leaks occur down the road?
Good idea about strapping down the water jugs.
The water heater has a dedicated line that is GFCI protected.
Ok.. first.. GREAT job. I bought it all and have it laid out with a bit more room. So, I'm going to have a bunch of questions, but the first will be: Is there a need for an accumulator anywhere in there to regulate the flow of the water into the shower head from the pump? I was planning on adding one to my setup but since you've actually tested everything and got it working, I'll trust you.
I prototyped with an accumulator and it didn't seem necessary. I have found the pump cycles on and off at low water flow rates. The accumulator may help with that. You might want to experiment with and without the accumulator. Let me know if you find that it is needed for your installation and I will probably add one to my setup.
I switched from a 3gpm to a 5gpm pump to deliver enough flow rate for a great shower. The water flows through the faucet if you want to reduce the flow rate. The stronger pump will extend the usable life of the water filter since it can deliver more pressure.
An update on the accumulator. When the filter got dirty the back pressure would turn off the pump, causing it to oscillate on and off. I retrofitted with an accumulator to "solve" this problem. The pump still turns off but the cycle time is much longer.
@@fivepoundpete OUTSTANDING.. Thank you for the update. Where in the loop did you put it?
The accumulator is inline between the pump and the cartridge filter. With a few plumbing fittings I was able to put it between the existing pump location and the shower wall. Tight fit but works. If I had planned for it I would have made a cleaner installation.
Great job! I simply can't understand why you put electrical switches in the shower.
The switches in the shower are located there because while using the wet bath you need to use most of them, for example to turn on the fan after going to the bathroom, or switching between fresh water and recirculating water after filling the shower pan. All of the switches are only connected to 12V so not really a safety hazard.
Remember to turn off the pump when not in use to avoid a disaster if a leak develops while driving.
Hi Pete, thanks again for these, really big help. If you were to get a bigger basin, would you get a conjoined shower wand basin set? I've tried looking online and can't find any
Yes I would get a sink faucet set with a shower wand. It makes the installation so much simpler and gives temperature adjustability in addition to a place to brush teeth and shave.
@@fivepoundpete Thanks, have you seen any bigger sets online? I've tried looking on a few sites but have come up dry. I reckon a bigger one would be a good idea as well especially for shaving
I found several standalone sinks that would work. I would just buy the faucet I used separately.
Question is. I heard that the problem with recirculating showers is the soap that can clog filters. Can you use it with all the water, like tap or the same water that you use to wash dishes?
Soap can clog the filters. We use glycerin based soap (Dr. Bonner's) to minimize this problem but it does not eliminate the problem. Still we get 4 or more showers from each filter. We use tap water in our shower and to wash dishes.
Hey Five Pound Pete how did you wire up the HSH Flo switch?
The 12V to the UV filter goes through the flow switch which was placed down stream of the filter to only turns on the UV filter after there was water flowing thru it. I placed another switch before the filter that has an LED so I could turn off the filter during maintenance and to see when the filter was powered on.
Pete do you have another pump for the kitchen sink ?
We don't plan to cook in the van and haven't decided if we need a kitchen sink. If we do I will install a second smaller pump just for the kitchen sink.