Content
An outdoor shower at a summer cottage is considered building number 2, since the first in importance is an outdoor toilet. At first glance, this simple structure has nothing complicated, but such a trifle as choosing and installing a plastic container for shower to the dacha will bring a lot of trouble. We will now try to figure out how to independently cope with all these nuances.
Heated or not
Before choosing a shower tank for a summer cottage, you need to decide on its functionality. The comfort of bathing depends on whether this plastic container is equipped with heating. On country shower houses, two types of tanks are used:
- Multifunctional and convenient to use is a heated shower tankpowered by electricity. Of course, this container can be used even without being connected to electricity, but this is the comfort of taking water procedures. The fact is that a heating element is installed inside the plastic container - a heating element. If the sun has not had time to heat the water, this problem can be easily solved with the help of electricity. It is convenient to install a heated tank if the shower will be used in early spring and late autumn. On hot summer days, the water inside the tank is heated by the sun, so during this period the heating is simply not turned on.
- Unheated plastic tank - This is a common container, for example, a barrel installed on the roof of a shower house. The water in the tank is heated by the sun. That is, in cloudy and rainy weather, you can only take a refreshing shower or even refuse to swim. It is appropriate to install unheated tanks if the dacha is visited very rarely, and then only in summer.
The main difference between these tanks is only the installed heating element. The shape, volume, and color of the product can be very different. It is important that any selected tank has a wide neck that is convenient for pouring water and is securely attached to the roof of the shower house.
Design features of plastic shower tanks
Plastic tanks for a shower in the country are especially popular with consumers for several reasons;
- For the manufacture of tanks, a special composition of plastic is used, which increases the service life of the product up to 30-50 years. At the same time, plastic summer shower tanks are distinguished by their moderate cost, light weight and ease of installation.
- Square shaped flat bins ideally cover outdoor showers instead of roofs. It is enough to assemble the shower box, and fix the tank on top instead of the roof.
- In the manufacture of shower tanks, many manufacturers use food grade polyethylene that does not decompose when exposed to UV rays. Environmentally friendly material ensures the safety of water even during long-term storage. Plastic under any conditions does not corrode, which cannot be said about metal.
When choosing a plastic container, you need to know that tanks without electric heating are most often produced with a volume of 100 to 200 liters. Round containers with heating in the form of a barrel are made with a volume of 50 to 130 liters of water. Heated flat tanks are typically rated for 200 liters of fluid. In any design, water is poured in buckets through a wide mouth or by a pump.
How to "tune" a regular tank is described in this video:
Shower tanks are usually made of solid polyethylene. However, there are universal models made of elastic polymer. Such containers are designed to store a large supply of water. They are installed in the country for a shower and drip irrigation. Such a container of water resembles a whipped pillow. On the walls there are two fittings for water injection and discharge. The lid is equipped with a special mechanism that allows oxygen to penetrate. That is, breathing occurs. If a shower or drip irrigation is not used for a long time, the water in the container does not stagnate.
An elastic container can hold from 200 to 350 liters of water and this, moreover, in an empty state, the product fits together like an inflatable mattress. Can you imagine a 350L barrel that fits in a travel bag? This one will fit. The elastic polymer has increased strength, does not lose its properties during heating, and restores its shape after filling the tank with water.
Features of the device of the heated plastic tank
If it is decided to build a heated shower for a summer cottage, then you can go in two ways: buy a ready-made tank with a heating element or install the heating element in the barrel yourself.
In the first case, arranging a shower will cost more, but there is a great benefit in this. Factory-made tanks, in addition to the heating element, are equipped with additional devices. It can be a water temperature sensor, overheating protection, a thermostat, etc. There are even portable tanks with a shower and heating. A tank filled with sensors will cost more, but the owner will not worry about a burned out heating element, boiling water or a molten tank. The system works on the principle of an electric boiler. It is enough to set the desired water temperature, and the automation will maintain it constantly.
In the second case, in the presence of an ordinary capacity, the owner is spent on the purchase of heating elements. The primitive device will act like a boiler. The temperature of the water must be constantly monitored. Left unattended, the included heating will result in boiling water, and even melting the tank.
Any design of a heated tank requires the mandatory availability of water. The included heating element in an empty tank will burn out in a couple of minutes.
All plastic heated tanks are equipped with a heating element with a capacity of 1 to 2 kW. This is enough to heat water up to 200 liters. For the heater to work, you will need to lay an electric cable and connect it through the machine after the electric meter. The rate of water heating depends on its volume, the power of the heating element and the outdoor temperature. In cold weather, the thin walls of the container are not able to retain heat. Large losses occur, which is accompanied by an increase in the time for heating the water and unnecessary consumption of electricity.
Basic requirements for a tank for a country shower
The color of the tank has already been discussed. Dark walls attract heat better and prevent water from blooming. But the volume of the product depends on the number of people living in the country. Although shower houses are usually installed compact in size, it is very dangerous to put a 200 or 300 liter tank on the roof. The racks of the booth simply cannot withstand a large mass of water. It is optimal to install a tank for 100 liters of water on a 1x1.2 m house. It will be enough for bathing five family members.
You can fill the container with water manually, from a water supply system or from a well. In the first case, a ladder should always be near the shower.The wider the neck of the tank, the easier it will be to fill in the water.
When pumping water from a well, you need a pump. A signal tube is removed from the top of the tank. The outflow of water from it makes the owner understand that it is time to turn off the pump. In addition, the signal tube prevents the tank from bursting due to excessive water pressure.
It is most convenient to fill the container from the water supply. If a sanitary valve is installed inside, water will automatically be added as it is consumed. The principle of operation is the same as in a toilet cistern. A signal tube is also useful here. Suddenly the valve will not work.
Sometimes summer residents resort to simple tricks to ensure quick water heating and reduce heat loss:
- Vegetable growers know how a greenhouse keeps the seedlings warm. A similar shelter made of film or polycarbonate can be built on the roof of the shower, and a container with water can be placed inside. The greenhouse will protect the tank from the cold wind, and will increase the water heating by 8aboutFROM.
- The northern side of the container is protected with any mirrored foil material.
- If a suction tube is installed inside the upper part of the tank, then the warm water from the top will be the first to enter the shower.
Any invention for keeping warm water is acceptable. The main thing is that they are safe for humans. If desired, the water can be heated with an ordinary boiler, but this does not always lead to good consequences.
Self-production of a plastic tank for a country shower
When the household already has a plastic container, for example, a barrel, it can be adapted to a shower instead of a tank. However, one must be prepared for the fact that it will have to be removed for the winter and put into a barn for storage. Such barrels are not intended for outdoor installation and will crack in the cold.
A cottage shower barrel designed for bulk products is ideal. It has a wide mouth with a lid, through which it is convenient to pour water. The re-equipment of the barrel begins with a tie-in of the nozzle for the watering can:
- A hole with a diameter of 15 mm is drilled in the center of the bottom of the barrel. Next, a piece is cut from the stainless pipe so that its length is enough to go through the roof of the shower house and go out 150 mm below the ceiling.
- A thread is cut at both ends of the cut pipe. If there is no threading tool at home, you will have to contact a turner or look for a ready-made nipple on the market.
- Using washers and nuts, one end of the pipe is fixed in the hole of the barrel, after which it is installed on the roof. Under the ceiling, a protruding second end of the threaded branch pipe turned out. A ball valve is screwed onto it and, using a threaded adapter, a conventional nozzle-watering can.
- On the roof, the barrel must be well reinforced. You can use metal strips or other tools at hand.
- Barrels for bulk products are usually produced in white. For a shower, this option is not suitable, and the walls will have to be painted with black paint. It is important that the paint contains no solvents and other additives that can melt the plastic.
This completes the homemade shower container. It remains to pour water, wait for it to warm up from the sun and you can swim.
The video shows a tank for a country shower:
Plastic tanks are the ideal solution for setting up a country shower. A more reliable alternative can only be a stainless steel container, but at current prices it will cost the summer resident a lot.
