Planning to make outdoor shower with 55 gallon barrel

[Brettmm92]

As the title says, I'm very interested in an outdoor shower with water heated by sunlight. I have a nice black plastic 55 gallon barrel with a removable, locking lid and some space to put it. I'm willing to take some time and money to make this more than half assed. Does anyone have any ideas or inspiration? I also have a smaller, 8 gallon bucket but I'm thinking there wouldn't be enough water and a 55 gallon could retain heat better as it gets colder. This project has a blank slate so far but I'm hoping to eventually get it so it has one of those nice big "sunflower" like shower heads. I have never used one but I feel like showers with a pull string (like a ceiling fan) exist and would like to use that. The main question I have is what piece to look for to establish the plumbing on the barrel. Specifically, I'm going to make a hole in the barrel so the piece that connects to the barrel (and ends up becoming a showerhead) has to have two bigger pieces on the outside and inside of the barrel. For example, when you drill a hole for a bolt you sometimes use a washer on each end to compensate that the bolt is smaller than the hole. And a recommendation on materials would be great.

Thanks ahead for your time, all input is appreciated!

[GordonThree]

The tank in my truck is a "horizontal leg tank", so its flat on the bottom, and wider than it is tall. Picked it up from a Tractor Supply. It sits in the front of the bed, just behind the back window.

On the side, it has a 1" bulkhead which I attached a ball valve and 12v water pump. I use it to carry extra drinking water for boondocking or rustic camping. Keeping it covered with a tarp, it takes a long time to reach "air temp", filling it with ice cold well water at the start of a trip. The water pump has a 7-way trailer plug and receptacle, so it can either plug into the truck bed (5th wheel connector) or into the trailer cord (power comes from trailer battery bank)

Last year I got lax in treating the water and the algae grew in there pretty bad. This year, I painted the entire tank black with truck bed liner, and I've been treating it with chlorine every time I refill it, and extra dose when it's nearly empty. So far so good.

[Brettmm92]

Gordonthree, dang that's exactly what I was looking for, thanks. Bulkhead fitting and spring loaded outdoor shower. And I plan to put it in a makeshift tower but wanted to hook it up "semi-professionally" with a piece exactly like a bulkhead fitting that I could potentially undo in the future if need be. And it's good to hear that you've needed a tarp to prevent the water from heating too much, especially assuming your truck is in Michigan. I'd rather have the opportunity to control the heat than to not have enough to begin with. May I ask how your water tank is setup in your truck?

[GordonThree]

Brettmm92 wrote:
The main question I have is what piece to look for to establish the plumbing on the barrel. Specifically, I'm going to make a hole in the barrel so the piece that connects to the barrel (and ends up becoming a showerhead) has to have two bigger pieces on the outside and inside of the barrel. For example, when you drill a hole for a bolt you sometimes use a washer on each end to compensate that the bolt is smaller than the hole. And a recommendation on materials would be great.

Thanks ahead for your time, all input is appreciated!

Is this going to be stationary on a tower, or portable, on your RV roof somehow, or what?

You want something called a bulkhead fitting, like 1" should work in your application. Available at Home Depot, Lowes, etc, it's a piece of pipe that's threaded inside and out. It has a flange on one side and a large nut that compresses gasket material on either side of the barrel wall. From there you can thread in something like a hose bib type faucet, or one of those spring loaded outdoor shower type faucets like you sometimes find at a beach or public pool.

Just sitting in the Sun, your water will reach shower temperature in about a day, based on my own experience with a 65 gallon aux water tank I have in my truck. A tarp might be required to keep the water from becoming so warm that it becomes uncomfortable, or starts to deform the barrel.

Also consider microbial control. Untreated water just sitting in a barrel is going to grow algae and other microbes. Chlorine is an option to combat this, or livestock tank treatment like barley hay. A bundle of barley hay will last at least a season, it might be the better solution.

[Brettmm92]

gbopp, wow that is a very valuable resource. I'm grateful that you shared it. And I absolutely will share the project as it comes along, hopefully sooner than later 🙂

[gbopp]

Check Build it Solar to get some ideas.

Keep us updated on your project.