Can anyone help me shower!

Because many campsites are restricting facilities, I may well have to use the shower in the van for the first time. 

For some reason I have got it into my head that it will cause leaks. I have nothing to base this on other than how unlucky I generally am.  At the coffee mornings the girls ask “so what’s happened this week then Sally”   

I know that some of you use the van facilities regularly, so are there any cleaning or drying tips after the shower. That’s the cubicle, not me!!!  Do you always use the curtain, should the walls be dried off, just dry the plastics, etc.  Or just leave the roof vent open and leave it. 

Any help would be appreciated because what seems a silly question to some is a puzzle to others. 

Sally

Although we never use the shower, too much hassle cleaning it, there is a good trick which works v well on Warwick and, even Sussex Duos.

Open bathroom roof vent, just one side so its sloping.

Close all heater outlets except bathroom

Fire up heating to max (5), all heat will now pass through bathroom and out (vertically, heat rises) through roof vent.

Got totally soaked last yr, literally had to wring out clothes, did the above, bone dry an hour later!!!

Take plenty of microfibre cloths and wipe down the walls and floor with them after showering then, as Ian says, open the roof vent and blow air through - can be cold air as well if the weather is too warm to put the heater on ( as if !) 

Make sure the plugs are out of ALL the floor drains before you shower- from bitter experience.
A towelling bath mat is useful to stand on afterwards and quickly absorbs excess water. 


For what it is worth, some years ago I went into the bathroom intending to wash my hands, put in the sink plug, turned on the tap and then discovered the pump was not on. I went out of the bathroom to turn it on, got distracted by a neighbour and then started to get lunch ready at the kitchen sink. Later- much later- a neighbour came round to alert us to the fact that water was flowing from the bottom of the van in vast quantities. 

The washbasin had filled up, overflowed, the floor plugs were in and the water had gone over the top of the plastic shower tray area and outside through the walls. I hadn't heard the pump going as the site grass was being cut nearby.

Anyway, if it reassures you, despite everything being soaked, it all dried out and in the 5 damp tests since there has never been any suspicion of damp in that area. After that the amount you spray on the walls during a shower seems trivial !

Love the title Sally!!
A few years ago I might have been able to help you, but I'm far too old and past it now! 

It's not a silly question if you don't know the answer, so don't bother about that!

I'd suggest you use the curtain to keep the toilet seat and the rest of the compartment dry.

As for drying and cleaning the shower cubicle, we don't bother any longer. Just leave it to dry (with the roof light open as Ian suggests) and clean it when you get home. In the summer it will dry out fairly quickly, and if you adjust the heater in winter (again as Ian suggests) all will be well.

It's your own dirt (as my mother used to say) so you won't come to much harm. 

Dave


P.S. Just seen Quilter's post.

We never use the plugs in the shower tray plugholes. You can get a smell from them if the waste water tank begins to fester (as it will!) but the easy way to prevent that is to pour a pint or so of water, with a spot of disinfectant if you like, down each plughole. This forms a stench trap in the pipework and prevents the nasty niffs.

When you move on, the water on the pipes gets sloshed into the tank, so do this on arrival at a new site. It only takes a minute, and saves the problem Quilter had when her tray overflowed.

I'm visiting my son in Hereford next weekend.
Would you like to do a trial run with me watching to make sure everything goes OK?  

nuevoboy wrote:I'm visiting my son in Hereford next weekend.
Would you like to do a trial run with me watching to make sure everything goes OK?  

As long as you help clean it afterwards. 

As Quilter suggests, microfibre cloth to wipe dry after with ventilation for short period. We justify this method so as to avoid any build up of dry water marks on the shower by-folding door. Sally, I'm assuming you are solo camping so you'll have sufficient hot water for shower purposes?

Everything has been said above. We always use the onboard shower. To save having to adjust the temperature all the time get a trigger shower head if you haven't already got one. Use the curtain to protect as much as you can, saves a lot of wiping down. It does soon dry out with rooflight open or heater outlet open depending on time of year. You'll soon get into a routine.

Thank you to everyone for your input. I’m definitely going to try it in my next trip. Then cleaning the bathroom before cooking tea. It’ll be just like home. 

Many thanks
Sally

Little tip from me. We wipe our shower down quickly after use, as it’s the loo as well. Buy one of those small compact squeegee towels, and keep it for this purpose. It can easily be washed, and it absorbs a lot of water. Sports shops sell them, or online.

Paulmold wrote:Everything has been said above. We always use the onboard shower. To save having to adjust the temperature all the time get a trigger shower head if you haven't already got one. Use the curtain to protect as much as you can, saves a lot of wiping down. It does soon dry out with rooflight open or heater outlet open depending on time of year. You'll soon get into a routine.

Or one of these if you think it would be preferable. About £6 or 7 from Amazon.

Good point from Paul. You can waste quite a drop of water getting the temperature adjusted, then you turn it off to lather yourself, and it's either freezing or scalding when you turn it back on to rinse. It's almost impossible to avoid altering the mixer tap setting - specially if you bodge it with your bum!! 

We always use the curtain, keeps water off the toilet etc and it also on our van stops the carpet from getting wet by the shower door. Saying that we had hooked an extra curtain along the long wall and it covers the toilet, otherwise it won't.

Never bother to wipe it down after use, just let it dry on it's own, do dry out and wipe floor otherwise you get wet feet next time going to the toilet, or is that normal for a man.  Maybe if we remember give it a clean when we get home, that's us.
---------
Richard

Interested to see your photo, Gromit.

On your recommendation of a few years ago I bought one of those lever valves. As you say, it saves much water (and cursing) because once you've found the ideal position for the mixer tap, there's no need to touch that again: turn off with the lever valve and the next time you need the shower to run just open it and the mix will be as desired. 

I inserted my lever valve at the other end of the flexible pipe, next to the shower head, for convenience. I also changed the shower head for a trigger one.  All works well.

But needless to say, my wife and I differ as to choice of water temperature and as to our showering techniques, mine being more economical with the water!

Cymro

Dave: please would you put a link to your original post where you gave more details of fitting your lever valve ?

( I’ve tried Search but got no-where)

Thanks

Sally I would say beware if the hot air outlet is anywhere near the water  'fall '  I have viewed 2 (under 5 years old )    A/s  Van's, recently   one a Warwick xl  both displayed staining and swelling of the wallboard surrounding the vent outlet in the shower area. This is caused by the hot air  vent outlet not being sealed to the wallboard and water finds it's way behind and into the untreated end grain of the hole in the wood shower wall panel ' blowing'  the finish. Removal or loosening of the vent and some mastic applied behind will stop this happening. 
        I dont know why A/s dont use the thin 1- 2 mm  smooth pvc  panels available now to line the complete shower area and make them waterproof and easily wipe dry / hygienic  board instead of outdated wallboard with a textured finish that harbours germs and encourages mould unless you are careful with drying after use. I relined our Kemerton in white pvc for under £40 and it looked superb .

My U Quilter wrote:Dave: please would you put a link to your original post where you gave more details of fitting your lever valve ?

( I’ve tried Search but got no-where)

Thanks

Won’t steal Gromit’s thunder but it couldn’t be easier to fit the lever valve, whether at shower head or at tap outlet. Just unscreW the pipe (May need to catch contents) and screw on valve and then screw other end of valve back to shower head or tap. Even I could do it!!
Cymru

Quilter wrote:Dave: please would you put a link to your original post where you gave more details of fitting your lever valve ?

( I’ve tried Search but got no-where)

Thanks

Found this one - is it what you were looking for?

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The link is broken, but if you put "Shower shut off valve" into Amazon, you will get plenty to choose from.

Gromit wrote:Found this one - is it what you were looking for?

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The link is broken, but if you put "Shower shut off valve" into Amazon, you will get plenty to choose from.

Thanks Dave. That’s it.

On the subject of showers, I've been meaning to ask about this patch of missing wallpaper to the side of my bathroom window. I'm not sure what's underneath. It looks like plywood but it feels waterproof to the touch - maybe it's the original adhesive or maybe a previous owner has gone over it with something.

I've been wondering whether I should repair it if I'm going to use the shower. Any thoughts please?

Bears repeating I think...a useful addition to the shower is a washing up bowl. Stand in it while you shower and a) afterwards you can empty the water straight into the drain/ bushes rather than having to empty the tank and b) you can use the water in the bowl to wash your feet or rinse off missed bits at leisure when you have turned off the shower, so saving water. Less chance of water running into the dry half of the shower room too.

Make sure you get a bowl big enough to stand in !

When i was on the road i'd never bother wiping the shower down as it would dry quicker than i could do it just from leaving the roof vent open and driving along. 

On my last tour the hose spigot snapped off and i didn't bother looking for a replacement until i got back home. Found one on ebay described as "stainless steel" which at just £1.50 i very much doubted but at that price it was worth a punt. Imagine my surprise when it arrived and sure enough was stainless steel! THE cheapest m/home accessory i'd ever bought!

We don’t use the shower in our Warwick Duo. It’s obvious the previous owners never did too. If we did I would anticipate the chipboard door lasting less than a week the gaps around the toilet would leak water into the van floor. There is no chance at all of us ever risking it. 
I have used a plastic bag camping shower hanging by the door catch out of the back door of the van. So far, not been arrested for exposure. I tend to smell like a horse, according to the spouse. That’s what you get for marrying someone from Ilkley, unmitigated criticism. It does mean that I shower every day so I have lots of experience of making do. 
When they open again try gyms and leisure centres. Other folk use truck stop showers but I have not had to yet. If you use a leisure centre ask for the dry side changing rooms as they are less tricky than swimming pool changing rooms. I have been charged for zero to £3 but I have only ever paid £3 once.

Likewise, we don't even have our hose/head assy, curtain etc in the shower. We endured a rattle which simply couldn't be traced, was the bloody shower hose (unused).
We do have a 4 string extending washing line in the bathroom "roof" which we use to dry things, such as towels etc using my technique as described above

If SHWBO is a Yorkie, I'm amazed you're allowed to use WATER at all!!! Do you have to drink it first before using it in the outdoor shower??

At risk of being even thicker than ever, can anyone tell me where I could purchase a trigger shower head as suggested above?   I have looked on B&Q but they appear to be normal shower heads.   
Sorry for being dense.  Sue