DIY Shower

[CuriousRambler]

I've got to mow the lawn, beyond that I think I'll start sketching things up and putting out some phone calls, see if I can't return anything promising.

 

[Dectek]

How about a 5 gallon Stainless steel cylinder that already has inport and outlet fittings. A dip tube to the bottom for the outlet... a pressure releif valve @ approx 120-135psi. Can be cascaded as easily as it is to hook up one tank.
All of this is prefab and the the use of a scuba reg and an adapter to hook up a regulator that can be adjusted 0-100 psi you are off and running. add in the sprayer head of your choosing and you are off.
All this can be yours for free in some areas of the country.
I will let you ponder this and I will look around for a photo or two.

 

[costi]

How about a 5 gallon Stainless steel cylinder that already has inport and outlet fittings. A dip tube to the bottom for the outlet... a pressure releif valve @ approx 120-135psi. Can be cascaded as easily as it is to hook up one tank.
All of this is prefab and the the use of a scuba reg and an adapter to hook up a regulator that can be adjusted 0-100 psi you are off and running. add in the sprayer head of your choosing and you are off.
All this can be yours for free in some areas of the country.
I will let you ponder this and I will look around for a photo or two.

Well.....you''ve got my attention! The main reason I haven't mentioned a stainless steel holding tank is that I have figured that it would need to be manufactured and would cause a cost issue (I have been leaning towards plastic only because that is what has been available to me). If you know of a source, I would greatly appreciate you sharing it with me (us)! Bob

 

[mike_s]

how about a 10 gallon portable air tank, fill it with water. if you need more, couple two together for 20 gallons. It fits the price range at about $35 bucks each. rated for 125-200psi depending on what you buy. already equipped for filling it with air. you could always put ballcock valve on it for filling with water.

I bought mine at walmart but can't find it on their website.
here's a similar one. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=94399-33680-W-1010A&lpage=none or http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40057

 

[CuriousRambler]

Mike, I think that's about the best choice yet, cheap but strong. I just wonder how thick those are and if it would be safe to drill other holes in them without sacrificing too much strength.

 

[billtodive]

Home hot water heater pressure and temperature (TP) relief valves are (in my part of the country) are sold in standard 75psi setting, non- adjustable. Pressure regulator contactors for well pumps, when adjustable, have a range of 10-70 psi.

That TP relief valve might be really handy should you have a first stage failure; unless you want to have an alternate air source hanging there to free-flow, but that won't happen untill the pressure gets well above the 100psi max for many plumbing parts.

FWIW, <40 psi in a coffee can half filled with water will send 1/2 x 2 inch metal strips about 40 feet, and still embed 1/4-1/2 inch into a pine 2 by 4 pile.

Or so I heard at age 12.

 

[billtodive]

PS. Drilling and tapping an air tank will likely weaken it considerably.
Just my scarred body's 2 cents worth......

 

[mike_s]

more thoughts on the air tank... i'm not sure how you could drill a hole and get the bolt/washer inside it to screw it down since it doesn't have an acess panel in it... (the bolt/washer will be bigger than the hole)

my air compressor has a bleed valve on the bottom of it to drain condensation, but i'm sure they have a stronger area there also.


so... on to my "next solution" for a tank. I've got a 15 or 20 gallon water heater that stands about 30" high and is about 18" in diameter that someone gave me once....

If wanter tanks over-pressure valves are set to blow at 135psi before the water heaters do, then use this tank as the "holding" tank and you can easily pressurize it up to 135psi. anyway, it'd have all the required fittings already and also a drain at the bottom that you could hook a hose pipe up to, or just drain to reduce the weight quickly. how's that?
Another cool feature of this is that is uses 120v 1300 or 1500w heating elements. so you can simply put a plug on it and then "plug it in" with a 12 gauge extention cord and let the water "heat up" at home in the back of your pickup truck before you leave on your dive. When you leave, unplug it and then it'll still be plenty warm after being gone for 4 hours of 2 tank diving for example.

here's an example of one. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?acti...uctId=140403-000000135-E1F20US015V&lpage=none

just an idea....

 

[costi]

more thoughts on the air tank... i'm not sure how you could drill a hole and get the bolt/washer inside it to screw it down since it doesn't have an acess panel in it... (the bolt/washer will be bigger than the hole)

my air compressor has a bleed valve on the bottom of it to drain condensation, but i'm sure they have a stronger area there also.


so... on to my "next solution" for a tank. I've got a 15 or 20 gallon water heater that stands about 30" high and is about 18" in diameter that someone gave me once....

If wanter tanks over-pressure valves are set to blow at 135psi before the water heaters do, then use this tank as the "holding" tank and you can easily pressurize it up to 135psi. anyway, it'd have all the required fittings already and also a drain at the bottom that you could hook a hose pipe up to, or just drain to reduce the weight quickly. how's that?
Another cool feature of this is that is uses 120v 1300 or 1500w heating elements. so you can simply put a plug on it and then "plug it in" with a 12 gauge extention cord and let the water "heat up" at home in the back of your pickup truck before you leave on your dive. When you leave, unplug it and then it'll still be plenty warm after being gone for 4 hours of 2 tank diving for example.

here's an example of one. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?acti...uctId=140403-000000135-E1F20US015V&lpage=none

just an idea....

Mike,
I like the idea of the expansion tank, I wonder if the fill could be brazed on? I think they are made of brass so the metals may be compatible for that. There may be a rubber o ring inside that may need to be removed so it doesn't melt.
As far as pressure goes, I.m not thinking(and I may be wrong), that we are talking about high pressure here. But I haven't done tests on it. I'll be surprised if we need over 50 lb of pressure to make this unit operate as a shower.
I have a small water heater down at the "shed" also that I've been eyeing...hmmm.

 

[CuriousRambler]

That's strange. We own a plumbing company and I've only ever seen water heater valves preset at 135. Boiler valves are considerably lower, like I said. I did a quick search and it's definitely not hard to find overpressure valves, but I didn't see many prices posted. The thought crossed my mind to have a pressure releif valve that's set low, to about 35psi or so, and hook your spray hose onto that. That way you have a minimum 35psi coming down the line, but I'm not sure if they'd flow good enough to get an actual "shower" in.

The full on water heater isn't a bad idea, but it's kind of bulky and takes all the fun out of the project I have an old water heater that we replaced laying out back waiting to go to the dump, I'll see if I can figure out how to rip the tank out of that and see what there is to work with.