To shower or not to shower?

[Nuvite-F]

Originally Posted by timzog

My renovation is a total bottom up. I am 6'2" and the shower in the original layout is way too small.

I'm also 6' 2", but the original shower is serviceable for me. The biggest annoyance is the curvature of the shell. (In two directions, no less, since the shower is at the extreme curb side back end of the trailer.) Kind of reminds me of the shower on a river cruise boat we toured on one time.

Good luck with your remodeling. Sounds like your best bet might be to find a 24 foot Caravelle! But not likely--they're not very common.
.

[ROBERT CROSS]

I've never "showered" in our shower, but I couldn't 'dock without it.

Large bucket of warm water, sitting on the ledge, well I won't go into details but you get the idea. It's the USMC version of the swabbie's shower.

Bob

[timzog]

Originally Posted by Nuvite-F

I'm also 6' 2", but the original shower is serviceable for me. The biggest annoyance is the curvature of the shell. (In two directions, no less, since the shower is at the extreme curb side back end of the trailer.) Kind of reminds me of the shower on a river cruise boat we toured on one time.

Good luck with your remodeling. Sounds like your best bet might be to find a 24 foot Caravelle! But not likely--they're not very common.
.

If my subfloor wasn't trashed I would have kept it the same for sure and lived with the curved shower roof. Since I have a clean slate I think it makes sense to put the toilet and sink into that space in the curbside back corner. With the Nature's Head toilet you can't stand up to pee anyway so there is no need for lots of headroom above the toilet. I think it also makes sense not to put the sink below the window too. This way there is a bit of space for a medicine cabinet and mirror above the sink. The standing room is then in the middle of the curve and I can stand there without hitting my head. Regarding the 24', I think all the Caravelles are rare, but I really love the 20'er and am willing to deal with the limitations in order to be able to use smaller sites and pull it with smaller TVs. what I want is the outside of the 20' and the inside of a 24'
Tim

[barts]

When we redid the bath in our 25' Tradewind (we had rear end separation starting, so out came the entire bathroom), we removed the rear closet that held the Univolt, and put a shower in the curbside. The toilet's on streetside, and the sink (made from an Ikea stainless bowl) is centered. The attached photo is during construction... Webspinner (Barbie) did the woodworking and epoxy on this project.... We'll get some newer photos up soon.

[timzog]

Originally Posted by barts

When we redid the bath in our 25' Tradewind (we had rear end separation starting, so out came the entire bathroom), we removed the rear closet that held the Univolt, and put a shower in the curbside. The toilet's on streetside, and the sink (made from an Ikea stainless bowl) is centered. The attached photo is during construction... Webspinner (Barbie) did the woodworking and epoxy on this project.... We'll get some newer photos up soon.

I really like the clean design of your bathroom and the stainless sink bowl is very cool. Here is the floorplan I've been leaning toward. I hope to someday have pictures of things being built instead of deconstruction.

[barts]

Originally Posted by timzog

I really like the clean design of your bathroom and the stainless sink bowl is very cool. Here is the floorplan I've been leaning toward. I hope to someday have pictures of things being built instead of deconstruction.
Attachment 145655

You'll get there; we're doing our in pieces so we can still use the trailer.

With a shower curtain to keep the sink and toilet dry during showers, your plan looks quite workable There should be enough room to change in the shower, but keeping one's towel and clothes dry is necessary.

- Bart

[timzog]

Thanks. I agree about the curtain. I wonder if I would also need to protect the interior of the window from water as well. Frosted glass would protect the world from me. I think there would be room to put a small shelf and towel rack above the toilet. I do have to keep reminding myself about the curved walls though since I am not good enough with Sketchup to build them into my model.

[Foiled Again]

I really liked the wet bath in my former trailer a 2005 CCD 22'. Space saving was the main benefit, but it was also easier to clean being almost entirely fiberglass.

The shower curtain keeps the throne, towels and toilet paper dry, and the bigger space made it easy to squeegee the walls and floor after use. Frankly the wet bath was more spacious in each of it's major functions than either side of my current split bath.

Cleaning the room was also a snap because the sprayer from the shower could rinse any offensive materials off the throne or floor (especially helpful after my young nephews had visited!) I think the same bath configuration is still used in the sport 23 today.

The fiberglass surround for that bath comes in two sections, top and bottom. The TOP would only fit airstreams with the current more squared curves on the segments, but I wonder if the bottom could be retrofitted into older units. (A spray on bedliner material could be used to waterproof the top half.) Just an idea for anyone renovating.

Paula

[Beezlbut]

Originally Posted by tphan

hi- you might want to look at what I did when I re-modeled my '72 Overlander. In short, I have a shower with a shower pan that slides completely out of the way when not in use, in front of the toilet. Check out my thread if interested, or PM me with any questions if you like. -tim

I was thinking of doing just that. Do you have any photos of your removable shower pan?

[Beezlbut]

So, I have a very similar problem. The previous owner took the shower and the head out of my 22' Safari. I have put in a shower head that allows me to shower outside. But I really think I want one inside for all sorts of reasons. My problem: As it is there is only one place to put the shower. That would be directly across from the door where there are two windows. Sorry, no diagram. Any suggestions?

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Beezlbut

So, I have a very similar problem. The previous owner took the shower and the head out of my 22' Safari. I have put in a shower head that allows me to shower outside. But I really think I want one inside for all sorts of reasons. My problem: As it is there is only one place to put the shower. That would be directly across from the door where there are two windows. Sorry, no diagram. Any suggestions?

Several ideas, not mutually exclusive (1 & 2 combine pretty well):
1 - Wraparound shower curtain that goes all the way around the stall, including by the windows. Well, all the way around except the shower head and the hot/cold taps. If you do this, you can leave a hole in the shower stall for the windows.
2 - Replace the windows with frosted glass, so no one can see in. Leave the windows operable, though, so they can be opened to vent the shower stall when you're done showering.
3 - Stay only at "clothing optional" RV parks; if everyone is naked anyway, while they're peeping in, you can peep out at them as well

4 - This is what they do on late-model Interstates like mine: Build the shower stall all the way to the ceiling, and don't worry about blocking the windows. Replace the windows with black glass (actually 90% gray tint) so that no one can tell from outside that the windows are blocked.

[JimmyT]

Bob - we're always boondocking too and have learned to live within the holding tank constraints except for that danged 18 gallons of black water capacity. So we want to replace the flusher with a Nature's Head composting toilet. See the "Green RV Life" site - we saw Cici and Brenda's rig this spring and like how the Nature's Head fits right in place of the "real" toilet. They empty it maybe twice a year. Sure beats black water.

[TouringDan]

JimmyT

I want to install a composting toilet in my TW because I only have one tank. If I do this I don't need a black water tank and I only have to deal with gray water. Isn't that a pleasant thought. I like the Airhead toilet over the Natures Head toilet because it seems to be a bit smaller and will fit the size constraints of the TW better. Why are you selecting the Natures Head over the Airhead toilet? Am I missing something? Do you have a link to the Green RV Life site?

Thanks, Dan

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by JimmyT

Bob - we're always boondocking too and have learned to live within the holding tank constraints except for that danged 18 gallons of black water capacity. So we want to replace the flusher with a Nature's Head composting toilet. See the "Green RV Life" site - we saw Cici and Brenda's rig this spring and like how the Nature's Head fits right in place of the "real" toilet. They empty it maybe twice a year. Sure beats black water.

Originally Posted by TouringDan

JimmyT

I want to install a composting toilet in my TW because I only have one tank. If I do this I don't need a black water tank and I only have to deal with gray water. Isn't that a pleasant thought. I like the Airhead toilet over the Natures Head toilet because it seems to be a bit smaller and will fit the size constraints of the TW better. Why are you selecting the Natures Head over the Airhead toilet? Am I missing something? Do you have a link to the Green RV Life site?

Thanks, Dan

At work, we looked into purchasing composting toilets when we considered creating campsites at one of our resource management areas in the Atchafalaya Basin. Checking with other Corps of Engineers districts, we learned that Fort Worth District had used them at some of their recreational areas. We learned from their experiences that composting toilets aren't necessarily all they're cracked up to be. If you can work out the potential problems, then that's great; I just want to let you know about some of those problems so you can be prepared.

Question: How do Cici & Brenda empty theirs twice a year? And where do they empty it? Typical "mobile" composting toilets are designed so that you remove the whole thing and then haul it off somewhere to empty it. So if it's large/bulky/heavy (especially when full) you're just trading one headache for another. Plus, since it's still legally human waste even when it's compost, where can you put it when you do empty it? For example, you can use it to fertilize flowers, but not to fertilize a food garden.

And where does the urine go? Some composting toilets have a drain to siphon off the urine (dry feces composts, wet feces ferments), so you still might need a black tank, though it can be much smaller. Other composting toilets cook off the urine by using an electric heater to evaporate liquid waste, meaning that you'll have a constant electrical load associated with the toilet, but you won't need a black tank at all.

Most composting toilets will have some sort of vent pipe, usually with an electric extractor fan, to help control odors, and that will mean a roof penetration in your bathroom for the toilet vent. High-end systems will include a filter in the vent system, made of either granular activated carbon or zeolite, which may need periodic replacement or cleaning.

The problems are NOT insurmountable, of course. Good luck to both of you!

[timzog]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

At work, we looked into purchasing composting toilets when we considered creating campsites at one of our resource management areas in the Atchafalaya Basin. Checking with other Corps of Engineers districts, we learned that Fort Worth District had used them at some of their recreational areas. We learned from their experiences that composting toilets aren't necessarily all they're cracked up to be. If you can work out the potential problems, then that's great; I just want to let you know about some of those problems so you can be prepared.

Question: How do Cici & Brenda empty theirs twice a year? And where do they empty it? Typical "mobile" composting toilets are designed so that you remove the whole thing and then haul it off somewhere to empty it. So if it's large/bulky/heavy (especially when full) you're just trading one headache for another. Plus, since it's still legally human waste even when it's compost, where can you put it when you do empty it? For example, you can use it to fertilize flowers, but not to fertilize a food garden.

And where does the urine go? Some composting toilets have a drain to siphon off the urine (dry feces composts, wet feces ferments), so you still might need a black tank, though it can be much smaller. Other composting toilets cook off the urine by using an electric heater to evaporate liquid waste, meaning that you'll have a constant electrical load associated with the toilet, but you won't need a black tank at all.

Most composting toilets will have some sort of vent pipe, usually with an electric extractor fan, to help control odors, and that will mean a roof penetration in your bathroom for the toilet vent. High-end systems will include a filter in the vent system, made of either granular activated carbon or zeolite, which may need periodic replacement or cleaning.

The problems are NOT insurmountable, of course. Good luck to both of you!

The Nature's Head toilet separates the urine into a few gallon tank at the front of the unit. The urine obviously needs to be dumped more often than the solid waste which goes into the main hopper. The separation of wastes seems to resolve a lot of the issues with normal composting toilets since the poop doesn't stay really wet and can thus break down aerobically which is MUCH less smelly than when it breaks does anaerobically.

[Len n Jeanne]

Just came across this thread, so 2c from owners of a 16' Bambi with a tiny wet bath.

Yes! The wet bath shower is worth it if you camp a lot in public campgrounds with no showers. Especially if you can park so that your AS is slanted ever-so-slightly towards the floor drain. Otherwise, a certain amount of post-shower bailing-out may be required. An outside shower (which you can do with our unit) seems impractical, either because of nearby fellow campers or mosquitoes.

The procedure is to get the shower curtain and everything necessary set up in advance, inside (shampoo) and just next to (towel) the loo. Then take in a plastic basin, which goes on the (closed) toilet lid. Assuming you have a European-style removable shower head, remove it from its bracket so you can spray yourself most efficiently. As the shower goes on, while you are getting the water temperature properly adjusted, spray any surplus water into the basin so it is not wasted. Get wet, turn off the shower, and soap up. When it's time to rinse off, do a partial sponge-bath using the saved warm water in the basin. Rinse off completely with a little more shower spray. Dress, then wipe up the loo interior.

This procedure doesn't use much water, and the leftover water in the basin can be disposed of elsewhere if there is a concern about filling up the waste-water tank.

A shower is less advisable on a cold, rainy day, as it just takes the loo too long to dry out; but it is so welcome on a hot day when a shower is wanted most.