Sunken shower pan and grate, no curb?

[rebar]

Has anyone done this or given it any thought? No bathroom walls, just a curtain.. Mount the valve and shower head in a cabinet if you don't like the look.

It might be labor intensive, but the rewards of not having a shower curb and the extra floor space might be worth it..

I can bend up and solder a 1" deep sheet metal pan, either raise the rest of the floor, or drop the floor joists in the shower pan area and then build some sort of a grate (teak maybe) the depth of the pan to make the shower floor level with the trailer floor.. Drop the front of the trailer a little to create fall for the water to find its way to the drain soldered in the very front, piped to a hepvO drain p-trap. I could cover the plywood with kerdi and then linoleum I have laying around.

Could it be done? Any potential drawbacks other than my GF making me leave when she showers?

[rkanz]

I think it’s a great idea. I have seen this done in vans. Here is one example.
https://sportsmobile.com/baths/

Rialto motorhomes have a pull out shower with a pan.

Curtain track. https://www.sailrite.com/All-Hardware/A ... popularity


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[KennethW]

Just thinking on the top of my head. How about for the curb. Use a fun noodle with a plastic spline glued into it. You can insert the spline between the grate and the floor with the fun noodle forming the curb.
To shower open a full length door on the wall with the shower head behind it.
lift up the hinged floor panel or (move a rug and no floor panel?).
Insert the fun noodle curb.
and fold out the curtain from inside of the door.
If in a corner of the trailer the walls of the trailer would form two walls and the door would form the third. The curtain, noodle, and shower stuff would be stored behind the door. The shower would take up about 4" x 28"+

[troubleScottie]

Your idea for the shower pan itself is stylish -- teak floored shower. One could extend the teak minus the pan to a larger area.

Assuming the floor joists can tolerate the reduction in size -- as you are standing on them, you should be OK. Lots of TD only have 1" floors over a steel frame. Removing the flooring does reduce the structural integrity.

Assuming you have clearance for the drain pipes, etc. You might want to go to a box store and dry fit the pipes and measure. I was surprised at how much the space/length fitting take up. I was surprised when attempting to modify a shower drain on standard 10" joists.


I am not sure if a shower with no lip/threshold will work. I am not sure why the threshold is a problem eg multi-purpose that section of floor.

One, you cannot depend on the trailer being slanted or if you slant it enough, it might uncomfortable for everything else. One could add bubble levels and adjust stabilizers, etc. One could expect to setup incorrectly and have water every where. Some sites might slant, but in the wrong direction.

Two, containing the flow of water needs an enclosure. A door eg glass door closes to the top of the threshold; a curtain should go below the threshold. The above example for the Sprinter has a 2-4" threshold. The noodle approach most likely is too low/short to be effective. A curtain to the floor with no threshold is just a flood waiting to happen.

Three, you will most likely need to waterproof the inside of the trailer, at least the floor. Linoleum is good in the middle of the floor. However the edges will be an issue. Even running the linoleum up the wall might leave one or more spots which are potential leaks. Maybe you can fuse pieces together to make an inside or outside corners. Other materials might be better at creating a sealed edge eg ceramic tile and grout. Maybe caulk could be used on the edges. The new vinyl floor planks are surprisingly liquid resistant.

[Ottsville]

How about a drop down fabric shower stall from the ceiling with a fabric floor and a drain through the floor? Some of the overland rigs use something similar, often in a wet bath, but you could make something like that work.

[rebar]

Thanks.

A curb or threshold takes up super valuable floor space. With no walls you would be tripping on them. The absents of, or not having a curb is not a problem if the shower pan is larger, or extends maybe 8" further than a low hung curtain. I'm not talking about a little 32x32 pan here. I'm talking about something two or three times that size. Maybe 5'x4'.

The pitch issue is more of a concern and the only way to truly provide it would be to pitch the pan and grate. Doable. But front to back leveling is usually easy. It's side to side which is more difficult, or just time consuming for some but I carry a jack and jack stands etc for this purpose. Lifting the grate and using a squeegee to push left over water to the drain after your shower wouldn't be difficult either..

Water proofing the wooden floor where it meets the pan wouldn't be needed since the low curtain would drain water 8" away. Then use solid surface shower walls overlapping the pan. Or some other waterproof wall system. Solder a short sweep 1 1/2" elbow off the pan to a hepvO and no need for a p trap. But also no room for any gray tank worth mentioning.

How about a drop down fabric shower stall from the ceiling with a fabric floor and a drain through the floor? Some of the overland rigs use something similar, often in a wet bath, but you could make something like that work.

Interesting Ottsville, never heard of it.. Do you have a link or picture?

..

[Ottsville]

I was thinking of something like this:
https://www.caravancampingsales.com.au/ ... paz-57872/



But placed inside and with a drain in it and a permanent drain in the floor with a removable cover.

[Iconfabul8]

Maybe you could design something like this:


Or this:
Shower in a drawer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZnPU6gW5YI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXA-plgwkXk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TetI5DT4qGE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpbTPLekkpY

[McDave]

Or this....


Or this....


McDave

[McDave]

Here is some more fodder....

https://www.vidaxl.com/e/8718475855262/ ... den-shower
and..

https://www.vidaxl.com/e/8718475871293/ ... 925-gallon

McDave

[rebar]

Or this....


McDave

Aww man.. Your making me miss my old featherlite.. That's cool though, flip down shower base..

[CoventryKid]

Rebar: Hi!

I'm not sure whether this is something you might want to consider.

I converted our CT in 2015 without a shower - campground showers were good enough at the time. However, on a trip the following year to the east coast, the temperatures began to climb. We knew we needed some sort of shower in the trailer, but where to put it and how?

Over a period of a few weeks, an idea gelled. When we got to our old neighborhood in Nova Scotia, I got some drapery track, a couple of shower curtain liners, a storage tote and a hand-held shower and put this together.



I situated the shower at the front of our trailer:


Here are some closeup pictures.

Shower head in place:


Hose attached to kitchen faucet:


Shower curtains stored above entry door:


Shower track from kitchen


This has worked well for us for a couple of years now. I like that, other than the I-beam on the ceiling and the visible stored shower curtain, no floor space is dedicated to the shower. It's simple to set up and we don't have to gather all our shower "stuff" and go to the campground showers only to find we've forgotten something back in the trailer.

Hope this helps.

[NO David!]

So, this may not be for you, but I've always liked how this company did their shower options in the vans.
https://www.outsidevan.com/option/full-stainless-enclosured-shower-removable-shower-pan/

[EZDog]

I was in a Handicap room a few weeks ago in a Hotel and the shower there was curb-less.

All was well until I took a shower!

I imagine that you will need a pit of even small depth or the entire rig will be pretty wet based solely on that experience?

I plan to not stay in that room again.

[rebar]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.. This has to be one of the more challenging, expensive and time consuming idea's Ive thought about and looks like I'd be the guinea pig if I try..

I was in a Handicap room a few weeks ago in a Hotel and the shower there was curb-less.

All was well until I took a shower!

I imagine that you will need a pit of even small depth or the entire rig will be pretty wet based solely on that experience?

I plan to not stay in that room again.

Can I ask EZDog. If there was a curb-less "sunken shower pan and grate" in the hotel instead of the fiberglass/acrylic pan, and the pan and grate extended 8" further away from the curtain.. Would the floor have gotten wet?

I'm betting that any water that splash's under the curtain of a curb-less shower, wont make it farther than 8" and drip down into the pan.