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10-07-2017, 08:17 PM
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#1
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Rivets?
1992 29' Excella
2010 22' Interstate
Van By The River
, Georgia
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,363
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Interstate Shower Head / Faucet / Mixing Valve
We just purchased a used 2010 Interstate. Upon closer inspection I see several drawbacks with the combination sink faucet / shower head. I'm wondering how other Interstate owners deal with the issues mentioned below.
1) The faucet is somewhat like a kitchen sink in that it has a rubber "button" that switches from a stream of water to a spray of water. The button doesn't remain in the spray setting - it has to be reset (button pushed) to spray every time the mixing valve is turned on.
2) Why am I turning the mixing valve on and off so often you might ask. Because I don't want to waste water between wetting down, lathering and rinsing cycles. So each time I turn off the spray the faucet returns to stream mode. So... why is there not a better way to temporarily turn off the water at the spray nozzle? An on/off valve would really make taking a Navy shower much more simple.
3) Are there any alternate brands/models of shower heads that also include the faucet and mixing valve? If anyone has upgraded or otherwise changed the fixture please let me know what you replaced the original with.
4) I am not going to use the shower house. Much of our "camping" is not in a campground so using the shower house is not an option and I don't like public showers for a number of reasons. We bought a self-contained RV for a variety of reasons and taking a shower in the RV is one of those reasons. We're simply looking for ideas on conserving fresh water as well as minimizing gray water accumulation.
Thanks.
__________________
Lucius and Danielle
1992 29' Excella Classic / 2010 Interstate
2005 Chevrolet Suburban K2500 8.1L
2018 GMC Sierra K1500 SLT, 6.2L, Max Trailering
Got a cooped-up feeling, gotta get out of town, got those Airstream campin' blues...
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10-07-2017, 08:32 PM
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#2
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Figment of My Imagination
2012 Interstate Coach
From All Over
, More Than Anywhere Else
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,868
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nvestysly
1) The faucet is somewhat like a kitchen sink in that it has a rubber "button" that switches from a stream of water to a spray of water. The button doesn't remain in the spray setting - it has to be reset (button pushed) to spray every time the mixing valve is turned on.
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Mine stays in the setting I put it in on my 2012 Interstate. I leave it in spray mode almost all the time. I've never had the problem you describe.
Quote:
3) Are there any alternate brands/models of shower heads that also include the faucet and mixing valve? If anyone has upgraded or otherwise changed the fixture please let me know what you replaced the original with.
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You said it yourself, it's like a kitchen faucet. I noticed the same thing myself only a few days ago. My goddaughter's family has a kitchen faucet that almost a twin of my Airstream Interstate's bathroom faucet/shower, except it's white. So a trip to Home Depot to look at kitchen faucets should solve your problem.
__________________
I thought getting old would take longer!
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10-08-2017, 06:11 AM
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#3
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Rivet Master
2013 Interstate Coach
Waterloo
, Iowa
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 1,598
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I wondered what the button was supposed to do - mine does nothing. Mine is stuck in the spray mode - which sounds to be the better mode to have it stuck in.
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10-08-2017, 07:29 AM
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#4
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Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
Normal
, Illinois
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 18,065
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Yep, replacing the head sounds like the solution....my hand held in both the Interstate have levers which stop the flow of water, which I use when showering in the Interstate.
Maggie
__________________
🏡 🚐 Cherish and appreciate those you love. This moment could be your last.🌹🐚
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10-08-2017, 08:18 AM
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#5
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2 Rivet Member
2015 Interstate Grand Tour
Anywhere USA
, USA
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 90
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
I wondered what the button was supposed to do - mine does nothing. Mine is stuck in the spray mode - which sounds to be the better mode to have it stuck in.
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Mine is also stuck in the spray mode, a good condition for conserving water taking showers.
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10-08-2017, 11:08 AM
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#6
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Tampatomgirl
1990 34' Excella
Zephyrhills
, Florida
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 102
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I have an older Airstream. My shower head has an on/off switch. I'm sure there are new ones on the market that you could purchase.
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10-08-2017, 03:35 PM
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#7
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Rivets?
1992 29' Excella
2010 22' Interstate
Van By The River
, Georgia
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,363
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I was able to find an online supplier who sells the combination bathroom sink faucet / shower fixture. It can probably be purchased from Airstream too. So for those of you who are "stuck" in spray or stream mode or for people like me whose wand always defaults to stream maybe this is the answer.
__________________
Lucius and Danielle
1992 29' Excella Classic / 2010 Interstate
2005 Chevrolet Suburban K2500 8.1L
2018 GMC Sierra K1500 SLT, 6.2L, Max Trailering
Got a cooped-up feeling, gotta get out of town, got those Airstream campin' blues...
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10-08-2017, 03:43 PM
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#8
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Rivets?
1992 29' Excella
2010 22' Interstate
Van By The River
, Georgia
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,363
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On the Other Hand...
...maybe this Moen single-hole kitchen faucet is something to consider. Some of the dimension are similar to the original equipment found in the Interstate however, the Moen unit is overall taller than original.
But look at the 6th bullet point under features - the Moen product has a pause feature that permits the water flow to be turned off without the need to "turn off" the faucet. Sounds pretty promising and the MSRP is not significantly higher than the faucet provided by Airstream.
__________________
Lucius and Danielle
1992 29' Excella Classic / 2010 Interstate
2005 Chevrolet Suburban K2500 8.1L
2018 GMC Sierra K1500 SLT, 6.2L, Max Trailering
Got a cooped-up feeling, gotta get out of town, got those Airstream campin' blues...
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10-08-2017, 06:52 PM
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#9
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2 Rivet Member
1967 17' Caravel
Stayton
, Oregon
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 21
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We just got home from Camping World. They have options. After a couple years of searching for a piece to reconnect our shower hose in our 67 Caravel we gave up and are replacing the whole thing. Camping World has one that says it has a pause setting on the shower head and one that says it has an off position on the shower head. Also oxegeneting for less water usage.
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10-09-2017, 10:16 AM
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#10
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3 Rivet Member
2005 22' Interstate
san clemente
, California
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 237
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Hi L and D
I had the CW oxygenating sprayer but it does not shut off entirely. Changed to a gun/lever type spray head , only about 1 to 2 inches diameter that can also be used as a bidet sprayer; much like a bidet toilet seat. Say CLEAN in more ways than one.
Congratulations on joining the INTERSTATE group. It's a great looking machine and now a new home away from home.. Also suggest a teakwood pad for the floor of the head in case of any water dripping or leaks. AEW
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10-19-2017, 07:42 AM
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#11
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Rivets?
1992 29' Excella
2010 22' Interstate
Van By The River
, Georgia
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,363
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Found a solution for now...
Our first shower in the Interstate, with the factory shower/faucet head was less than satisfactory - difficult to control flow of water, temperature was erratic because of the need to turn the faucet on & off.
I removed the factory shower/faucet head and replaced it with the outdoor shower head. What an improvement! Now the faucet can be easily used to wash hands and brush teeth and it's great for showering too.
The lever on the head of the outdoor shower can be locked into the ON position for routine sink duties and put into the OFF position for showering. From the off position a partial push of the lever allows water to flow for wetting down and rinsing. In between the water turns off completely.
I'll put a few pictures in the next post.
__________________
Lucius and Danielle
1992 29' Excella Classic / 2010 Interstate
2005 Chevrolet Suburban K2500 8.1L
2018 GMC Sierra K1500 SLT, 6.2L, Max Trailering
Got a cooped-up feeling, gotta get out of town, got those Airstream campin' blues...
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10-19-2017, 07:47 AM
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#12
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Rivets?
1992 29' Excella
2010 22' Interstate
Van By The River
, Georgia
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,363
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Lever down and locked for sink mode
Lever up (no flow) for shower mode
Push lever partially down for wetting and rinsing in shower.
I'll have to look at the Airstream parts list to see if the outdoor shower head can be purchased separately. Let me know if anyone has deatails on the head by itself.
__________________
Lucius and Danielle
1992 29' Excella Classic / 2010 Interstate
2005 Chevrolet Suburban K2500 8.1L
2018 GMC Sierra K1500 SLT, 6.2L, Max Trailering
Got a cooped-up feeling, gotta get out of town, got those Airstream campin' blues...
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10-19-2017, 09:03 AM
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#13
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Figment of My Imagination
2012 Interstate Coach
From All Over
, More Than Anywhere Else
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,868
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nvestysly
I'll have to look at the Airstream parts list to see if the outdoor shower head can be purchased separately. Let me know if anyone has details on the head by itself.
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I didn't bother. Way back in 2014 I just got a shower-hose-to-garden-hose adapter ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1), and use an ordinary garden hose sprayer on the outdoor shower hose.
__________________
I thought getting old would take longer!
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10-19-2017, 02:51 PM
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#14
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4 Rivet Member
2014 Interstate Ext. Coach
Camas
, Washington
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 288
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nvestysly
Found a solution for now...
Our first shower in the Interstate, with the factory shower/faucet head was less than satisfactory - difficult to control flow of water, temperature was erratic because of the need to turn the faucet on & off.
I removed the factory shower/faucet head and replaced it with the outdoor shower head. What an improvement! Now the faucet can be easily used to wash hands and brush teeth and it's great for showering too.
The lever on the head of the outdoor shower can be locked into the ON position for routine sink duties and put into the OFF position for showering. From the off position a partial push of the lever allows water to flow for wetting down and rinsing. In between the water turns off completely.
I'll put a few pictures in the next post.
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I like it a lot, is there a part number and if available in chrome?
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10-19-2017, 05:12 PM
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#15
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Contributing Member
2018 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Austin (Hays County)
, Texas
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,164
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My used 2014.5 came with an outside shower hose, but no outside shower head. I would be interested in finding a source for the head.
BTW, I find the outside shower is great for filling the fresh water tank when hooked up to water at a campground. I plug in the hose to the shower, stick the hose end in the fresh water inlet, and turn on the cold at the shower.
This is a lot more convenient than my former 3 Airstream trailers, all of which had the fresh water inlet on the curb side. That meant dragging a hose around the trailer or hooking a hose to the faucet in the adjacent site.
__________________
John W. Irwin
2018 Interstate GT, "Sabre-Dog V"
WBCCI #9632
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10-23-2017, 05:37 PM
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#16
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Rivets?
1992 29' Excella
2010 22' Interstate
Van By The River
, Georgia
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,363
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We were in a Camping World today and noticed a replacement head is available for the outside shower. About $15. See the pictures below.
I'm not particularly interested in actually replacing the head on the outside shower as much as I'm interested in using this type of head for the inside shower. For instance, I will likely use one of these heads in our trailer shower.
We've determined the Navy shower method with this head really conserves water. We've both taken six showers in the Interstate and the fresh tank still registers 1/3 full and the gray and black are only on 2/3. We should be able to make seven days before "dumping!" We can't go that long in our trailer and the tanks in the trailer are twice as large as those in the Interstate.
__________________
Lucius and Danielle
1992 29' Excella Classic / 2010 Interstate
2005 Chevrolet Suburban K2500 8.1L
2018 GMC Sierra K1500 SLT, 6.2L, Max Trailering
Got a cooped-up feeling, gotta get out of town, got those Airstream campin' blues...
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