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DanielB · 12-09-2010, 07:49 PM

I have a 74 Excella that is going to have the interior totally redone.
Half of the existing shower stall is over the wheel well and is a seat.. like it is a sit down shower.

I don't want to sit down when I take a shower, and I don't want to take a shower with the water coming at me sideways. So I was thinking of an overhead shower nozzle.. maybe piped up through the ribs of the shell and attached overhead. Anybody ever do that?

Jim Foster · 12-09-2010, 07:58 PM

Why not use a hand held shower head with a flexible hose and put the wall mount for it wherever you choose? It can connect to your existing outlet.

Dave Park · 12-09-2010, 09:05 PM

Pex will easily make the curve, and gives you a LOT of flexibility on where you put your shower head if you're replacing the entire stall. I would suggest though that you do not run the pex up in the outer wall between the ribs, but in a side wall. It'll be more freeze-resistant, and warm up a bit more quickly in winter

(I say this with respect to a mistake I previously made. You know the saying about experience being the lesson that comes after the mistake, or somesuch!)

slowmover · 12-09-2010, 10:06 PM

And I thought this was going to be about extra-strength deodorant plus corn starch dry shampoo. . . .

DanielB · 12-10-2010, 04:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Foster

Why not use a hand held shower head with a flexible hose and put the wall mount for it wherever you choose? It can connect to your existing outlet.

Hey Jim.. One, there is no existing outlet. I'm starting from scratch. Two, I had that setup in a motorhome that I had and didn't like it because the showerhead was head high or lower and I had to go through contortions to get showered off.. either that or sit down.

The idea is to have the shower head directly overhead.. maybe with a chain on it to open and close the stream of water, that that would work a lot better.

wasagachris · 12-10-2010, 07:09 AM

Daniel I'm not sure what's missing on your a/s. It originally came with the hand held wand on a flexible hose. It certainly is possible to do what you are thinking of, but if you ever have a plumbing problem getting access to the pipe would be difficult to say the least. Once you bury the pipe inside the wall and then put the shower stall over that how much would you have to remove to repair the pipe and connections? I personally enjoy the sit down benefit of the shower. It's one of the things I miss after I stopped full timing in mine.

Aage · 12-10-2010, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanielB

The idea is to have the shower head directly overhead.. maybe with a chain on it to open and close the stream of water, that that would work a lot better.

That might work if you are less than 5'8" tall. Otherwise, yer scalp'll be rubbin' up on the schprinkler, and you'll be wishing you could sit down..!

tphan · 12-10-2010, 03:13 PM

I suppose you could also surface-mount the Pex tubing and have the shower head wherever you want it. You can get little on/off valves that attach to the shower head inlet side, that would allow you to shut off the flow between sudsing up and rinsing.
I also like the flexible hose method already mentioned here, which is what I did. I have a holder for the shower head up high, and also at about waist height. Have fun with your remodel! -tim

BigAl · 12-10-2010, 03:23 PM

I'm 6'3" and no matter what I think of there is no way to get under the showerhead like at home.
I mounted a hand held shower on one of those adjustable height poles and it works fine.
If I put a shower head in the ceiling it would hit me in the head if I stood up straight
Also when you first turn on the shower the water is cold!!! and you are under it. Not nice.
With the hand held shower option you can hold it in a pail until the flow is hot and then shower. The water in the pail can be used to flush toilet or wash dishes or be thrown out in the bushes so as to not fill your holding tank.
To me that is the best reason for keeping a hand held shower.
Al

DanielB · 12-10-2010, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wasagachris

Daniel I'm not sure what's missing on your a/s. It originally came with the hand held wand on a flexible hose. It certainly is possible to do what you are thinking of, but if you ever have a plumbing problem getting access to the pipe would be difficult to say the least. Once you bury the pipe inside the wall and then put the shower stall over that how much would you have to remove to repair the pipe and connections? I personally enjoy the sit down benefit of the shower. It's one of the things I miss after I stopped full timing in mine.

I have all of the junk that came out of the trailer, I just don't particularly like the setup. Maybe the sitting down thing I can get used to. When I was doing it before it just struck me as unsanitary. Maybe that is just my imagination.

Having access to the pipe if something goes wrong never occurred to me. I mean, that's how it is in houses.

DanielB · 12-10-2010, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigAl

I'm 6'3" and no matter what I think of there is no way to get under the showerhead like at home.
I mounted a hand held shower on one of those adjustable height poles and it works fine.
If I put a shower head in the ceiling it would hit me in the head if I stood up straight
Also when you first turn on the shower the water is cold!!! and you are under it. Not nice.
With the hand held shower option you can hold it in a pail until the flow is hot and then shower. The water in the pail can be used to flush toilet or wash dishes or be thrown out in the bushes so as to not fill your holding tank.
To me that is the best reason for keeping a hand held shower.
Al

This is kinda my point. I want to enjoy taking a shower. I don't want to go through anything like this...

vswingfield · 12-10-2010, 04:53 PM

Why do you have to sit down? Why don't you stand in the other half?

If you mounted on of the hand shower handle holders up high on the wall by the door into the shower, it would be practically over your head anyway.

DanielB · 12-10-2010, 04:57 PM

OK.. my shower at home, the head is high enough so that, say, I am all soapy, all that I have to do is spin around and I can rinse off from head to toe.

With the shower head mounted at face level or so, I have to go through all sorts of work and some gymnastics moves to get rinsed off.

Jim Foster · 12-10-2010, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanielB

Having access to the pipe if something goes wrong never occurred to me. I mean, that's how it is in houses.

Ah, yes, but houses seldom go down the road and get subject to bouncing and vibration.

If putting plumbing inside the walls of an Airstream was the hot setup, I'm sure the factory would do all of the plumbing, like they do the electrical, before the inside skin is installed.

It's really best to keep plumbing where you can get to it.

wasagachris · 12-10-2010, 05:10 PM

Daniel
Having access to the pipe if something goes wrong never occurred to me. I mean, that's how it is in houses.
Yes but in a house if something goes wrong you can just cut open the sheetrock. fix it and then patch the sheetrock. You can't very easily do that with aluminium walls.

GeocamperAS · 12-10-2010, 05:26 PM

I also am doing a different layout than original. I bought a non-step shower pan from RV Parts and Motorhome Parts Online Outlet They had many shapes and sizes to choose from.
One thing I had to keep in mind was location. Non-wheel well, and didn't want to move or cover up and windows. I also did not want to move the refrigerator vent. As it turned out I found one that will fit between the wheel well and the refrigerator.
It will not be in the bathroom with the toilet and sink. But I looked at 2010 AS's and some are that way. I figured if I needed the privacy because others were in the camper when I stepped out, I could hang a curtain from side to side and make them stay up front.

DanielB · 12-10-2010, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Foster

Ah, yes, but houses seldom go down the road and get subject to bouncing and vibration.

If putting plumbing inside the walls of an Airstream was the hot setup, I'm sure the factory would do all of the plumbing, like they do the electrical, before the inside skin is installed.

It's really best to keep plumbing where you can get to it.

Understood, I mean running a pipe up through the exterior wall wouldn't be the thing to do.. run it up through a thinly constructed interior wall and where the one connection would be at the shower head have access there.

The biggest issue, I think is the height. because the exterior wall is curved (and lower) that would not address the height issue. Closer to the interior there is more height, but I don't want the shower in the middle of the trailer either.

DanielB · 12-10-2010, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiger

I also am doing a different layout than original. I bought a non-step shower pan from RV Parts and Motorhome Parts Online Outlet They had many shapes and sizes to choose from.
One thing I had to keep in mind was location. Non-wheel well, and didn't want to move or cover up and windows. I also did not want to move the refrigerator vent. As it turned out I found one that will fit between the wheel well and the refrigerator.
It will not be in the bathroom with the toilet and sink. But I looked at 2010 AS's and some are that way. I figured if I needed the privacy because others were in the camper when I stepped out, I could hang a curtain from side to side and make them stay up front.

Good stuff. Thanks.

Another thing is the original pan sits up on a platform. Argh! I'd like to lose that platform, have the pan sit right on the floor.

Jim Foster · 12-10-2010, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanielB

Good stuff. Thanks.

Another thing is the original pan sits up on a platform. Argh! I'd like to lose that platform, have the pan sit right on the floor.

What's under that platform?

wasagachris · 12-10-2010, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Foster

What's under that platform?

The platform is necessary to allow space for the trap and pipeing for the shower drain. As it is there still need to be a hole in the floor for clearance of the pipes.