Ford Transit USA Forum banner

Shower designs

21K views 35 replies 20 participants last post by  vancrafters 
#1 ·
I’d love to hear from some of you Transit builders with showers. I’ve found some impressive examples on this site. As some have pointed out, with the exception of the bed, the placement of the shower really determines the rest of the design.
@Inkog describes his shower design in great detail (photos below are from his build thread). I want to do the same thing in the same location. My concern is with the size of the available shower pans and my size. 24 x 36 seems to be the standard RV shower pan, but as Inkog noted:

“It's tight for my 6' 220lb frame, but certainly doable. The shower door and tapering rear wall give me about 22" depth at shoulder height . . . I don't think you could go any smaller for avg. size folks. A 28" deep pan would be ideal for me.”
https://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/camper-vans-conversions/70294-silver-dragon-wagon-18.html

I have about 20 more pounds and broad shoulders, so worry about squeezing into such tight quarters. I searched for a 26-inch or 28-inch wide pans and haven’t been able to find any. From 24 x 36 they seem to jump to 32 x 32, which might work for a shower, but probably not very good if you want to include the Nature’s Head as I do.

For solutions I’ve thought about going with a shower curtain instead of a door, which might allow my shoulders to push past the sides of the shower pan. I like the looks of a door much better. I also wonder if you could add a 2 or 3-inch wide board along the side of the pan on the door side to extend the door for a bit more shoulder room. This might increase the possibility of leaks unless it was covered somehow.
 

Attachments

See less See more
2
#5 ·
That's an interesting option, especially for those who remove or fold up a bed often for multiple uses. I'm looking for something more permanent. As I have tried to design this build my goals have changed a bit -- wonder if that happens to everyone who attempts this. My original thought was to have a small bench seat with nature's head inside and then utilize an outdoor shower using the back doors of the van and a curtain. This would be great for weekend adventures, but I do a lot of cross-country trips (Pennsylvania to Seattle area) and am thinking about a setup that would be comfortable for spending the night in a Walmart or Cabelas parking lot, Ford dealer :), etc. Don't actually care as much about the shower as having private potty space. If you're going to give up the space in the van for that, you might as well include a shower.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the kind words. I'm stoked people are getting something out of my build.

You might consider one of these extendable curtain rods:

https://www.rvpartsnation.com/rv-plumbing/rv-shower/rv-shower-doors/extend-a-shower/

I planned on going that route in addition to the door, but it turned out to be unnecessary for me. It would be nice to a have few extra inches, but in reality you're only in there a few minutes.
 

Attachments

#6 ·
#7 ·
Orton has a good solution that is a closet that converts into a shower/bathroom. No wasted space for the 99.9% of the time when you're NOT showering. I think the 45-60 seconds it takes to remove boxes and clothes to use it as a shower is worth the extra space. Then the only big space and wallet killer is the water storage, water heating, waste water storage, and pumping system. And the electric system to power it all.
 
#8 ·
Some thoughts about a inside shower:

1. Huge waste of space if the space is not normally used for another purpose. Mine holds the portapotti, two storage bins and has a shelf to double the counter space. Just remove stuff to convert it to a shower.

2. If you use a spray nozzle then a door or curtain is needed. If you do a Navy shower and use a full flow on/off nozzle a door or curtain is not required. I just put a bath towel down on the floor outside the shower when showering to catch the very little overspray.

3. Any welding shop can make a 14 ga. SS shower pan whatever dimensions you want. They also can locate the drain to miss the frame rail under the floor. I used a 1" OD SS tube for the drain and 1" ID rubber hose for the drain piping.

4. The pan does not require a trap so it can be mounted on the floor. If the gray water tank is under the floor just locate the drain entry on the bottom of the tank. The drain pipe path creates a "trap". I also put a rubber stopper in the drain hole so I so not drop something down the hole.

5. A Sous Vide machine in an Igloo cooler is simple method of heating the shower water electrically. The machine can be set to whatever temperature you want for a shower. All the water in the cooler is at the correct shower water temperature so no plumbing or hot/cold water mixing is required. A 12 volt DC submersible pump is used to get the water out of the tank to the nozzle.

https://www.ortontransit.info/shower

https://www.ortontransit.info/shower-water

The most interesting comments on the U-Tube build video have been about the "stupid" shower method. People do not seem top be able to handle showering using a different method than what we do in a home. The van shower is not like a shower at home but you do get clean.
 
#9 ·
That vanupgrades setup is an insanely expensive version of mine, which cost less than $100 and weighs about five pounds. Their price is simply unjustifiable for what you get.

https://msnomersvan.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/the-shower/

We are presently on an extended trip in Alaska and have used the shower numerous times.
 
#13 ·
That vanupgrades setup is an insanely expensive version of mine, which cost less than $100 and weighs about five pounds. Their price is simply unjustifiable for what you get.
Our setup is similar except we hang two shower curtains from the ceiling (the cheapest we could find), clip them together, and tuck them into a 18 qt. Sterilite dish basin (slightly larger than the famous TURD for the air filter nightmare). The basin is also used for washing dishes and other things. The shower curtains are stored under the seat, so it takes up zero room except when in use. The setup is fast, works great, and pretty much all the water ends up in the basin. We have electric hot water. Wet-wash-rinse and we use less than 2 gallons per person. With the 130 WB, space is too valuable for a dedicated shower stall.
 
#10 ·
$850 for $250 worth of parts?! Where can I find suckers lazy enough for me to bundle some stuff and triple charge them?!
 
#12 ·
What about ventilation?

Here is another question for the forum veterans. One thing I like about this site is that the members are fearless when it comes to cutting gaping holes in shiny brand new vans. Matt Ford should just offer a free angle grinder with each purchase;). Our members also like to engineer the coolest electrical systems, LED lighting, bluetooth doodads, ventilation systems for inverters and fridges, etc. With that being the case, why haven't I seen a shower setup with a ventilation fan or small window? How about designing a small fan to pull moisture from the bath area and vent it out the bottom of the van?
 
#14 ·
Here is another question for the forum veterans. One thing I like about this site is that the members are fearless when it comes to cutting gaping holes in shiny brand new vans. Matt Ford should just offer a free angle grinder with each purchase<img src="http://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/images/smilies/tango_face_wink.png" border="0" alt="" title="Wink" class="inlineimg" />. Our members also like to engineer the coolest electrical systems, LED lighting, bluetooth doodads, ventilation systems for inverters and fridges, etc. With that being the case, why haven't I seen a shower setup with a ventilation fan or small window? How about designing a small fan to pull moisture from the bath area and vent it out the bottom of the van?
I've seen a van that put a vent coming from their heater at the bottom of the shower and a small fan at the top as exhaust. That way the shower acts as a drying room for wet gear as well.

That said if you already have a Maxxair or Fantastic fan in the main space having the fan in the shower room is redundant I think.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Search amazon for 'Helios 48x48x80 grow tent' $85+Prime You'll find a (mostly) pre-assembled, 2 person, Mylar shower that can easily be resized and then collapsed and stored to the size of a pillow, if desired. Search youtube for the same tent to watch an owner clean it and NOT spray through it.

Hang it, think about it, apply some MsNomer engineering and enjoy it.

For the shower/plumbing components, search Northern Tool for their 12v, 16 gal, ATV mount tree sprayer (26 gal option available). You'll want the 35' hose model for the correct sprayer and onboard van wash option. Your local hose shop can T/Y off a suitable hose length for your dedicated shower application. Hein's seat warming battery keeper can be configured to warm the water, when necessary.

Alternatively, the vanupgrade $850 UNPLUMBED solution equates to 57 truck stop showers.
 
#21 ·
My shower is a 24" x 32" pan, it includes the AirHead composting toilet, and a Natuilus retracting shower door. Shower head is over the toilet, so that it points at you when you stand in the shower pan facing the toilet. I'm 6' 190lbs. Its tight (especially if you drop the soap) but works and there is nothing better in my mind than washing off all the dirt, bug spray and suncreen I accumulate during the day out playing before I crawl into bed.

Some think its a waste of space, to me its absolutely essential for my enjoyment.
 
#23 ·
It's funny how you perceive things differently when you are trying to solve a design issue and thinking about small bathrooms. I flew to Seattle yesterday and when I used the plane's bathroom, my first thought was -- I wish I had a tape measure. They solved the space problem by curving the wall away from the back of the toilet so the floor space (shower pan) was very minimal, yet there was upper body room (sort of). Maybe angling the shower walls out a few inches at the bottom would get the job done.
 
#28 ·
I had to cut out a sizable piece of the wall metal and raise the toilet base above the shower pan to line it up with the exterior van wall. I scribed "Starboard" to fit the door to the exterior wall curves. If I had installed the toilet toward the front of the enclosure facing the other way it would almost fit without removing any interior metal. The C402 is reversible but it looks like a lot of work. https://pantherrvproducts.com/how-to-reverse-a-c402-cassette-toilet/ With the toilet about flush (no pun intended) with the inside wall the water fill access is a little tight but doable or could be modified.
 

Attachments

#29 ·
Jeff,
Great pictures and cudos for your instalation. I'm glad I'm not the only gutsy person going for a cassette toilet. My layout is flipped from yours and a little further back in the van. I decided to go with a C223-CS as I thought it would give me a bit more flexability in the installation. I'm going to mold in place a shower pan out of fiberglass because of the van frame. Since I built a fiberglass sailboat, it should be not too hard a job. I'll post some pictures on my Shiny build as I go along. Thanks! Marty
 
#34 ·
I was originally considering a fully enclosed toilet shower but ultimately decided against it for several reasons . . . the main one being I wanted the space to be as open as possible and didn't want a full height closet / shower. So I decided to house my toilet / shower in part under a section of the kitchen counter. A section of the kitchen counter will either be removable or will tilt upwards on hinges to reveal a composting toilet. When I want a shower I will attach a curtain to the roof of the van. It will all pack back under the counter when I'm finished. This allows me to keep the space open and airy while still having the ability to take a shower when I want to. I haven't figured out all of the logistics yet, but my plan it to locate it just inside the sliding door. Shower head will be on a long extension so I could potentially shower outside as well if I ever wanted to.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top