Model Specific question: 2003 Winnie Mini 24v outside shower

Our 2005 Itasca's outside shower is an actual shower head on the end of a white shower hose fed by hot and cold valves for temperature control. This is contained within the largest outside storage cabinet in the back on the passenger side. There is an angled shower head holding bracket on the wall to hold the shower head - just like the one in the inside shower stall wall - with a pump ON/OFF switch on the wall right beside the shower head holding bracket.

I do have to occasionally tighten the screws that hold the shower head holding bracket to the wall, but so far everything's pretty much stayed put and worked that way for about 9 years.

My '03 324V has the outdoor shower exactly as described by pnichols but I think the shower head holder is mounted on the storage compartment door. I only use it to fill a pot for boiling crabs.

Don't know whether this is any help, but here are pictures of the outside shower install in our 2003 Minnie 24F.

pauldub wrote:
I only use it to fill a pot for boiling crabs.

That's an outstanding use of you outside shower. :B

Another possible use .... but one I haven't tried yet .... is for easy refilling of your fresh water tank from a container when drycamping if the fresh water tank's outside filling port is right next to the storage cabinet containing the shower head (as is the case with our Itasca): We often carry somewhat heavy backup drycamping water containers inside the RV and don't want to lift them up to - and hold them up to - the outside fresh water tank filling port. Our Itasca has a winterization liquid suction hose plumbed and valved into the fresh water pump/fresh water system - all of this is of course inside the coach - under the main rear bed. I think one could just move the backup water container over to where this hose comes out by the bed - or attach an extension hose to this winterization hose so moving of the backup water container was not even required and 1) put the winterization suction hose into the container, 2) stick the outside shower head into the outside fresh water filling port, 3) turn on the water pump and walla, 4) let the RV's water pump draw from the backup water container inside ... as the outside shower head refills the fresh water tank through the fresh water port outside.

Do any of you think that this would work or has anyone ever tried this? We don't winterize, so I've never used the system for it that came with the RV. :h

pnichols wrote:

pauldub wrote:
I only use it to fill a pot for boiling crabs.

That's an outstanding use of you outside shower. :B

Another possible use .... but one I haven't tried yet .... is for easy refilling of your fresh water tank from a container when drycamping if the fresh water tank's outside filling port is right next to the storage cabinet containing the shower head (as is the case with our Itasca): We often carry somewhat heavy backup drycamping water containers inside the RV and don't want to lift them up to - and hold them up to - the outside fresh water tank filling port. Our Itasca has a winterization liquid suction hose plumbed and valved into the fresh water pump/fresh water system - all of this is of course inside the coach - under the main rear bed. I think one could just move the backup water container over to where this hose comes out by the bed - or attach an extension hose to this winterization hose so moving of the backup water container was not even required and 1) put the winterization suction hose into the container, 2) stick the outside shower head into the outside fresh water filling port, 3) turn on the water pump and walla, 4) let the RV's water pump draw from the backup water container inside ... as the outside shower head refills the fresh water tank through the fresh water port outside.

Do any of you think that this would work or has anyone ever tried this? We don't winterize, so I've never used the system for it that came with the RV. :h

It took me a couple of reads to figure out what you were suggesting. It ought to work in theory, but there may be a more direct way of doing things. If you set the system up for winterization and open the valve to fill the RV tank from city water, I think it ought to pump water into the tank directly without requiring a trip through the outside shower. At the very least, it would be relatively easy to add a bit of plumbing to make that possible.

(At first, I thought you were suggesting that you fill the RV tank by pumping water from the shower into an external container and sucking it back with the winterization system. That obviously doesn't work; circulating water doesn't make it multiply! But that wasn't your idea, just my misreading of it.)

DrewE wrote:
... If you set the system up for winterization and open the valve to fill the RV tank from city water, ...

I don't have an accessible valve for filling the freshwater tank from city water. I just have on outside hose fitting for this.

There must be a one-way valve inline with this outside hose fitting - or something similar - to route water to the tank from this outside hose fitting whenever water under pressure (from a hose) is attached to it while at the same time preventing pressurized water from the water pump system ever coming out this hose fitting.

I think the way that the built-in winterization system works is it routes fluid that the water pump picks up - from a container I supply - into all of the plumbing in the RV except for the freshwater tank itself ... because the freshwater tank itself can be completely emptied via a valve in it's drain pipe to the outside. If I'm right about this, then why can't the water pump also be used to pick up potable water from a container inside the RV that I supply and then pressurize the internal plumbing system with this new potable water - which includes the outside shower plumbing that is near the fresh water tank's gravity filling outlet? Hence, then, add this water to the fresh water tank - conveniently using the outside shower until my container of backup potable water is empty?

I'm just trying to use our RV's existing pump and built-in plumbing to refill the fresh water tank from a heavy container carried inside the coach when drycamping - without designing, buying, and rigging up additional 12V pumps, tubing, and containers to accomplish the same thing - or without having to carry a heavy container outside, lifting it up to the gravity fill port, and then holding it up there until it's emptied into the fresh water tank. I try use the RV's systems in as many multiple ways as possible to keep things simple, convenient, and inexpensive.

Wow,

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate it. My outdoor shower does not look anything like the one pictured. I have some good ideas now and look forward to making it usable as soon as I can. I will use it for showering off sandy people, fishing rods and other stuff that needs outdoor cleaning before coming inside.

Thanks to all