My so called "luxury" camper come with decent kitchen faucet, but cheap bathroom and outside shower valves.
Hated those things and they come some freeze damages so was on the market for good replacement.
Lately found thermostatically controlled kitchen faucet with diverter and shower, so that was exactly what I was looking for.
Model number DE-002
Had small issue with ebay seller who send it with no shower hose and stop answering my email, so will not recommend him.
Here is the old faucet that was pretty annoying to use and was wasting lot of water for adjustments.
Here is new faucet on the bench. It come with backflow preventive valves, but I did not install them as they would prevent winterizing.
Enlarging holes
Hooking up under the sink. I cut the pex and install threaded adapters where the faucet hoses attached to. Did not want to spend $60 on crimping tool, so used hose clamps on pex
Final look. The 2nd hole come very handy for soap dispenser. The dispenser bottle would not fit on it becouse of P-trap, but the dispenser come with long tubing that will suck the soap from bottle standing under the sink.
Now I set the temperature on right knob and forget it.
Open flow with left knob and will wait for warm water to come. No more going back and forth for flow and temperature adjustment. That can save quite some water.
Now outside shower. Bought that valve on ebay.
Cutting bigger hole for new valve
Attaching hoses to new valve. I was able to flex the pex enough to attach original fittings to new valve
Final look. That valve has plug in hose and temperature adjustment by turning single handle. It come with sink sprayer, but the hose will accommodate any standard shower.
I can store the hose in the compartment, but for sanitary reason will probably take it inside. Still have to figure out how to plug the other hole.
Hated those things and they come some freeze damages so was on the market for good replacement.
Lately found thermostatically controlled kitchen faucet with diverter and shower, so that was exactly what I was looking for.
Model number DE-002
Had small issue with ebay seller who send it with no shower hose and stop answering my email, so will not recommend him.
Here is the old faucet that was pretty annoying to use and was wasting lot of water for adjustments.
Here is new faucet on the bench. It come with backflow preventive valves, but I did not install them as they would prevent winterizing.
Enlarging holes
Hooking up under the sink. I cut the pex and install threaded adapters where the faucet hoses attached to. Did not want to spend $60 on crimping tool, so used hose clamps on pex
Final look. The 2nd hole come very handy for soap dispenser. The dispenser bottle would not fit on it becouse of P-trap, but the dispenser come with long tubing that will suck the soap from bottle standing under the sink.
Now I set the temperature on right knob and forget it.
Open flow with left knob and will wait for warm water to come. No more going back and forth for flow and temperature adjustment. That can save quite some water.
Now outside shower. Bought that valve on ebay.
Cutting bigger hole for new valve
Attaching hoses to new valve. I was able to flex the pex enough to attach original fittings to new valve
Final look. That valve has plug in hose and temperature adjustment by turning single handle. It come with sink sprayer, but the hose will accommodate any standard shower.
I can store the hose in the compartment, but for sanitary reason will probably take it inside. Still have to figure out how to plug the other hole.
More review.
We sold our CA house and live in the camper now.
Having no meter on electricity I put electric element in water heater and set the thermostat pretty high for long showers.
So now I can stand under shower for several minutes, or take showers back to back with DW and no worry about temperatures fluctuation or burning yourself.
JUST LOVE IT
We sold our CA house and live in the camper now.
Having no meter on electricity I put electric element in water heater and set the thermostat pretty high for long showers.
So now I can stand under shower for several minutes, or take showers back to back with DW and no worry about temperatures fluctuation or burning yourself.
JUST LOVE IT
Thanks for the info on this, I tried to tag along, but having issues. Here is my experience.
Spout came damaged when received.
Seller shipped me the shower hose for replacement (wrong part)
Seller then shipped me an entire new assembly so swapped out the spout
Both spouts were leaking at multiple locations
Spout has a wierd brass piece and several o rings
Removed brass piece to find one of the o-rings defective
The second spout also had the same problem.
Fixed the leak on the top half but still getting small drips on the bottom connection. Any ideas how to fix? There are 3 o rings that seal and I also used pipe dope.
Was a bit tricky getting everything installed because northwood doesn't give you any access panels in the wet bath. All the access is through the wardrobe and I also had to remove my oven to gain access to my water lines.
Spout came damaged when received.
Seller shipped me the shower hose for replacement (wrong part)
Seller then shipped me an entire new assembly so swapped out the spout
Both spouts were leaking at multiple locations
Spout has a wierd brass piece and several o rings
Removed brass piece to find one of the o-rings defective
The second spout also had the same problem.
Fixed the leak on the top half but still getting small drips on the bottom connection. Any ideas how to fix? There are 3 o rings that seal and I also used pipe dope.
Was a bit tricky getting everything installed because northwood doesn't give you any access panels in the wet bath. All the access is through the wardrobe and I also had to remove my oven to gain access to my water lines.
Isn't it nice Eric?
I grew up with C so it never did bother me, but the idea is to "set and forget" the temperature. Maybe with minimal adjustment between his and her liking ๐
I notice you made hose loops under the sink. That will create some winterizing issues as well as additional second of waiting for hot water.
You can cut the pex closer to the floor and make it straight.
For cutting you can buy plastic pipe cutter at HD, or hose cutter at automotive place for about $10. They make smooth cut in couple of seconds.
Happy camping and showering.
I grew up with C so it never did bother me, but the idea is to "set and forget" the temperature. Maybe with minimal adjustment between his and her liking ๐
I notice you made hose loops under the sink. That will create some winterizing issues as well as additional second of waiting for hot water.
You can cut the pex closer to the floor and make it straight.
For cutting you can buy plastic pipe cutter at HD, or hose cutter at automotive place for about $10. They make smooth cut in couple of seconds.
Happy camping and showering.
Howdy Kayteg1! I love your idea. I blatantly copied your project in my Lance truck camper.
I found the faucet from a place called "Duda Energy". Prompt shipping, a little over $100.
I did not use the handheld wand or feed line which came with it. The handheld does not have the on/off like the stock camper one does, and I thought the metal line would bang on and wear the side of the shower stall while traveling.
I did have to drill out the hole ever so slightly. I took my hole saw and cut a hole in a piece of scrap wood. I used that to center it over the existing hole since I could not utilize the pilot bit. It was really close already. I tool off maybe 1/16" all the way around. I could have done it with a file for what it was worth.
After the initial install and test I was disappointed as I couldn't figure out the temp controls. The faucet came with a cool schematic, but no install instructions. I looked at the schematic and realized the hot & cold are not the way I thought they would be, so I switched the lines. Simple solutions are the best. ๐
As you can see from the picture, I have a loop on the wall which holds the handheld feed line. I could have made it work, but the angle would have pinched the line a bit. You would think the local Ace hardware would have a 1/2" 90 degree M-F fitting, but nope! Amazon to the rescue - $11 and they even delivered it on Labor Day. Not that bad, considering Ace wanted $8 for a stainless F-F elbow which I needed to add a $3 1" M-M fitting.
I tried to put in the included backflow devices. One went in no problem. The 2nd leaked no matter what I did. I gave up and took it out. Yes, I did install the included rubber screen washers.
I have never worked with the PEX plumbing lines before. The 'Sharkbite' fittings are actually pretty slick. All I had to do was cut the PEX line and square it up. There is probably an expensive tool for that, but I just used a utility knife. Then I used a handy grinding stone to file the end nice and even. The fittings just press fit on the PEX and are leak free.
The only other problem I had was the shower fitting on the new faucet assembly. I took it to Ace and could not find anything that would take more than one turn of threads. Finally I looked closely at the fitting. The threads were only partially cut! Starting about 2nd turns in they got flat on top, not sharp like normal threads. So I did buy a fitting from Ace which I oiled and used to work back and forth on the fitting until the threads cut in. I got three turns out of it, and some teflon tape sealed it up fine. No worries if it drips a bit as this fitting will only be under pressure when the valve is turned and the shower head is off.
I found the soap pump on Amazon for $20. The bottle does rub up against the black drain pipe a bit. It is a plastic bottle, so it has some give. Easy to fill as the pump just lifts out from the top. I thought it would be a kludge to fill the bottle and install it, but that is not how it is designed. Leave it alone once it is in.
Aside from including directions, the only other thing that would make this better is a swap out ring to change it over to Fahrenheit. I understand the Celsius numbers, but I would rather not have to do the conversion in my head. I guess I will just have to remember that 36-38 = a nice temperature.
Thanks again Kayteg1 for the inspiration!
-Eric
I found the faucet from a place called "Duda Energy". Prompt shipping, a little over $100.
I did not use the handheld wand or feed line which came with it. The handheld does not have the on/off like the stock camper one does, and I thought the metal line would bang on and wear the side of the shower stall while traveling.
I did have to drill out the hole ever so slightly. I took my hole saw and cut a hole in a piece of scrap wood. I used that to center it over the existing hole since I could not utilize the pilot bit. It was really close already. I tool off maybe 1/16" all the way around. I could have done it with a file for what it was worth.
After the initial install and test I was disappointed as I couldn't figure out the temp controls. The faucet came with a cool schematic, but no install instructions. I looked at the schematic and realized the hot & cold are not the way I thought they would be, so I switched the lines. Simple solutions are the best. ๐
As you can see from the picture, I have a loop on the wall which holds the handheld feed line. I could have made it work, but the angle would have pinched the line a bit. You would think the local Ace hardware would have a 1/2" 90 degree M-F fitting, but nope! Amazon to the rescue - $11 and they even delivered it on Labor Day. Not that bad, considering Ace wanted $8 for a stainless F-F elbow which I needed to add a $3 1" M-M fitting.
I tried to put in the included backflow devices. One went in no problem. The 2nd leaked no matter what I did. I gave up and took it out. Yes, I did install the included rubber screen washers.
I have never worked with the PEX plumbing lines before. The 'Sharkbite' fittings are actually pretty slick. All I had to do was cut the PEX line and square it up. There is probably an expensive tool for that, but I just used a utility knife. Then I used a handy grinding stone to file the end nice and even. The fittings just press fit on the PEX and are leak free.
The only other problem I had was the shower fitting on the new faucet assembly. I took it to Ace and could not find anything that would take more than one turn of threads. Finally I looked closely at the fitting. The threads were only partially cut! Starting about 2nd turns in they got flat on top, not sharp like normal threads. So I did buy a fitting from Ace which I oiled and used to work back and forth on the fitting until the threads cut in. I got three turns out of it, and some teflon tape sealed it up fine. No worries if it drips a bit as this fitting will only be under pressure when the valve is turned and the shower head is off.
I found the soap pump on Amazon for $20. The bottle does rub up against the black drain pipe a bit. It is a plastic bottle, so it has some give. Easy to fill as the pump just lifts out from the top. I thought it would be a kludge to fill the bottle and install it, but that is not how it is designed. Leave it alone once it is in.
Aside from including directions, the only other thing that would make this better is a swap out ring to change it over to Fahrenheit. I understand the Celsius numbers, but I would rather not have to do the conversion in my head. I guess I will just have to remember that 36-38 = a nice temperature.
Thanks again Kayteg1 for the inspiration!
-Eric
Unfortunately I don't have model for external shower and there is nothing written on it.
I bought it on ebay from seller who does not offer any items at this time, so have no idea where it come from.
Now thinking about it, all those holes in outside shower allow for the air to enter the camper as the door has no gasket.
Under the sink cabinet has sealed door, but I don't like the idea about cold air circulating under my sink and shower, so will seal the upper holes that were used for original hose. You can see under the sink how I sealed gap to electrical cord compartment for the same reason.
The sink holes covers are design for bigger holes and might not hold too well vertically, but I might give it a try. If not, caulk will work.
For hose clamps on pex, I do have 150psi city water pressure, what always work well for testing RV plumbing.
I bought it on ebay from seller who does not offer any items at this time, so have no idea where it come from.
Now thinking about it, all those holes in outside shower allow for the air to enter the camper as the door has no gasket.
Under the sink cabinet has sealed door, but I don't like the idea about cold air circulating under my sink and shower, so will seal the upper holes that were used for original hose. You can see under the sink how I sealed gap to electrical cord compartment for the same reason.
The sink holes covers are design for bigger holes and might not hold too well vertically, but I might give it a try. If not, caulk will work.
For hose clamps on pex, I do have 150psi city water pressure, what always work well for testing RV plumbing.
