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Even a periodic visit to the dacha will become more comfortable with the presence of hot water, because after all the work in the garden is completed, it is pleasant to take a warm shower. When a family goes out of town to live for the whole summer, the relevance of water heating increases. You can solve the problem with hot water supply by installing a water heater for a summer shower in the country, operating from different sources of energy.
Variety of water heaters
When choosing a water heater for a house and a summer residence, one must first of all pay attention to what source of energy it works from. The second important point is to choose the right product according to the method of heating water. A water heater for a summer residence can be selected instantaneous or storage. The comfort of using the device, as well as energy savings, depends on these important nuances.
Electric water heaters
The most popular and demanded for a shower in the country are water heaters powered by electricity. A prerequisite for using the device is the presence of an electrical network. Today, rarely any dacha does not have electricity. In extreme cases, the owners acquire portable power generators.
An electric water heater is inexpensive and you can connect it yourself. It is optimal to use a storage type of device for a shower. It is any container with a heating element installed inside - a heating element. Often, such water heaters for the dacha in the shower are made on their own, but they are unsafe. It is better to buy a factory-made shower tank with a built-in heater and safety automatics.
Among the electric models, there are flow-through water heaters. They are rarely put in the shower in the country. First, it requires constant water pressure from a pump or plumbing. Secondly, flow-through models are equipped with powerful heating elements. In addition to the high consumption of electricity, not every suburban wiring is able to withstand the load.
Gas fired water heaters
In second place are gas water heaters for flow-through type cottages. Their choice is due to the presence of a gas pipeline. The device is also capable of operating from a bottle of liquefied gas, but such heating of water will be expensive. The principle of operation is based on the flow of water through a coil - heat exchanger. A gas burner is installed below. As soon as the water consumption begins, the automation ignites the fire and hot water immediately appears at the exit. In general, this is an ordinary gas water heater. The disadvantage of using a water heater is the presence of constant water pressure.
You can find a storage gas water heater on sale, but it is usually produced in large dimensions and does not go to shower needs.
Wood fired water heaters
Now wood-burning water heaters are gradually becoming a thing of the past. They are remembered by people of the 60s – 70s of the last century. It was difficult to swim without such a boiler before.The unit consists of a storage tank installed on a cast iron furnace. A metal chimney runs through the tank. When burning wood, the water is heated by the hot smoke coming out through the chimney.
Modern wood-fired water heaters have changed a bit, but the principle of their operation has remained the same. A wood-burning water heater in the shower today is rarely used by anyone, except that the dacha is located far in the wilderness, where there is no electricity or gas.
Mobile water heaters
On a rare visit to the dacha, the owners prefer to take with them a portable water heater powered by electricity. You can even swim with it in the garden, and it is not necessary to build a shower, the main thing is to be able to connect to electricity and running water. The basis of the device is the same instantaneous water heater, which requires the presence of water pressure and electricity. Summer residents call such a product a mobile shower. This is due to the fact that the water heater is equipped with a mixer, from which a hose with a watering can departs. You can bring it with you to the dacha, swim and take it home.
A good summer cottage option is a bulk water heater, powered by the mains. In principle, this is the same storage tank with a heating element. However, the capacity of the tank rarely exceeds 20 liters. Due to its small dimensions, the device is mobile. It can be installed in the shower, bathed and picked up when leaving home. The use of a bulk water heater is justified in the country without a central water supply and the absence of a well with a pump. Water is poured into the container with a bucket.
DIY shower water heater options
Having decided to make a shower on your own in the country, why not try to make a device for heating water with your own hands. The easiest way is to insert a heating element inside the water tank, which is what many summer residents do. This does not require much intelligence. And how to make water heating in the absence of electricity? We will now consider this using two examples.
Making a wood-fired boiler
A built-in shower for a summer residence far from civilization can be heated with a wood-fired boiler. More precisely, this invention can be called titanium. The structure consists of a storage tank for water installed on the firebox. Install the boiler on the street near the shower stall. You can heat titanium with wood, coal, briquettes and, in general, anything that burns.
To make a boiler, you will need a welding machine, two large gas cylinders and a metal pipe with a diameter of 80-100 mm. Condensate is drained from old cylinders through open valves, the upper part is cut off with a grinder and burned over a large fire. The fire will destroy the unpleasant smell of liquefied gas. After cooling, the cylinders inside are washed clean. A valve is unscrewed from a cut off lid, after which the top of one of the cylinders is welded with it.
In the sealed cylinder, a hole is cut at the ends for the chimney and a metal pipe is inserted inside, passing it through the container. The pipe is scalded along the ends of the cylinder so that on one side it is flush, and on the other side it protrudes about 1 m. The length of the chimney protrusion is selected individually according to the height of the shower stall. From the bottom of the cylinder, a fitting for supplying cold water under pressure is welded, and a fitting for the outlet of hot water is welded on top.
The storage tank is ready, now we need to make a firebox. In the second cylinder with a cut off end, a door is cut out for loading firewood, and at the bottom there is a blower. Grizzlies are welded inside, but you can make them removable. A welded storage device with a long chimney outlet is installed on the finished firebox, after which the two cylinders are welded together. The result is a long barrel, divided in the middle by the bottom into a firebox and a storage tank. Now it remains to connect the water supply to the lower fitting of the tank, and from the upper outlet make a pipe drain into the tank on the shower stall. If desired, the tank can be omitted, and the upper outlet of the hot water pipe can be immediately completed with a watering can.
Using solar energy to heat water
The simplest water heater for a shower will come from an old refrigerator. The water will be heated in the coil by solar energy. For work, you will need to remove the freon heat exchanger from the refrigerator, prepare the bars for the frame and foil.
The manufacture of a water heater begins with the assembly of the frame. A rectangular frame is knocked down from the bars. Rubber is nailed on one side. A reflector and a heat exchanger from the refrigerator are laid inside the frame from foil. The coil is fixed to a wooden frame, and the whole thing is covered with glass. It turned out to be a kind of solar battery.
A PVC hose is connected to the inlet and outlet of the coil. On the one hand, cold water will be supplied, and on the other, hot water will exit.
The finished solar collector is installed in a sunny location. PVC pipes are connected to the storage tank on the shower. It turns out a closed system. Cold water from the tank will flow into the heat exchanger, and hot water will be squeezed out into the tank.
Inside the storage tank, a simple device must be made that allows only hot water to enter the watering can. In terms of its physical state, it is always on top, so a float is made of foam. A piece of flexible hose connected to a watering can is attached to it.
In the video presented, you can see an example of making a water heater:
A few tips for choosing water heaters
A few of our tips will help you choose the best water heater for your shower:
- First, you need to consider all sources of energy resources, and choose the cheapest one. It is already worth picking up the device for him.
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The volume of the storage tank is selected on the basis that one person needs 15 to 40 liters of water for bathing. Typically, for a family of three, a 100 liter tank is installed per shower.
- The heating time of the water depends on its quantity and the power of the heater. If you need to quickly get hot water, it is better to give preference to flow models. The storage containers will take longer to heat up.
- Before purchasing a device, it is important to consider its installation. You will have to choose between installing the water heater yourself and attracting specialists.
Having foreseen all the nuances in advance, it will turn out to choose the optimal type of water heater for the shower.
