Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am thinking about installing a home made pvc pipe water tank on my teardrop roof rack for shower or dish washing. It would be a 6 inch pipe (maybe 2 manifolded together) capped on both sides about 5 feet long. Garden hose fitting tapped on the top for filling. Garden hose tapped on the bottom for using water. Gravity from the elevated tank would provide a trickle of water. Maybe I could also compressed air tap it on the top for attaching an air pressure hose from my vehicle on board air system when I want good water pressure... Like a super soaker water gun....

HEY! My teardrop would be a super soaker water canon at teardrop gatherings!

It should get good solar gain for water heating.

Anybody done this before? Have a plan or sketch?

Try this one. Not DIY though.

http://www.roadshower.com

I have never had much luck with solar showers getting heated up. I went with a 1.5 gallon plastic sprayer and added a longer hose and shower head to it. I can heat water and pour it in if I want a warm shower or I can use it without heated water for the dishes, rinse feet, rinse kayak etc. etc. it is portable and easy to clean, fill etc. Those road showers look cool but pricey at $299. I got less than $25 dollars in my yard sprayer with shower head.

Good luck with whatever you decide to buy or make.

Dan

Just ran a little math on your idea.
6" x60" cylinder has a volume of 7.34396
7.34396 x 8.35, weight of 1 gal. of water = 61.32207 lbs. per cylinder x 2 = 122.64414 lbs. on the roof of your TD

Probably going to have an effect on your CG and how the TD tows.

Olddog1 wrote:Just ran a little math on your idea.
6" x60" cylinder has a volume of 7.34396
7.34396 x 8.35, weight of 1 gal. of water = 61.32207 lbs. per cylinder x 2 = 122.64414 lbs. on the roof of your TD

Probably going to have an effect on your CG and how the TD tows.

7 gallons? 122 lb? For the double barrel. Thanks!

I built my teardrop roof and roof rack very healthy. They can take it. I was thinking about putting the tubes long dimension same as the trailer. My roof rack is 1/3 rear of the axle 2/3 forward, so that will increase my tongue weight some. My tongue weight is 280 lb, 15% of the total teardrop weight, and I would rather not make it any heavier.

I could put the tubes cross ways on the back of the rack. That would put all of the weight on the trailer axle and nothing new on the tongue. Maybe lighten the tongue by a few lbs.

Another option is to put it under they galley. Nice space for it there, but I would be giving up the solar heat for just a water tank. I would need the water pump or air pressure for sure there too.

Lots to think about...

Saw a guy at the beach this year with a set up like you mentioned, large dia PVC mounted to the roof rack on his van, with a Y on the aft end the top of the y had a screw off cap for filling, the bottom of the y had a reducer to a brass ball valve, below that was a hose quick connect, the hose was off a camp shower bag with the nozzel on the end. He told me after a day in the sun the water was warm enough for him but not his wife. I suggested he paint the pipe black.
He said it was nice to wash off the salt after surfing.

Homemade hotwater tank teardrop camper: http://youtu.be/WDNMXLt9PzM


I built one out of pvc for my teardrop. It works great. The video shows it in action.

rowerwet wrote:Saw a guy at the beach this year with a set up like you mentioned, large dia PVC mounted to the roof rack on his van, with a Y on the aft end the top of the y had a screw off cap for filling, the bottom of the y had a reducer to a brass ball valve, below that was a hose quick connect, the hose was off a camp shower bag with the nozzel on the end. He told me after a day in the sun the water was warm enough for him but not his wife. I suggested he paint the pipe black.
He said it was nice to wash off the salt after surfing.

I seem to recall a post somewhere in this forum showing that idea. But I cannot find it. I am a surf fisherman and have seen that concept on the beach. I always wanted to do it, but never got around to it,

If you read TOWline there is a guy that built one in the Great Gadget section.
http://teardroptrailers.org/uploads/3/1 ... line46.pdf

It's quite commonly done here in Australia, in fact a friend of mine has the same thing.

....

H.A. wrote:PVC can be a great way to go.
One thing, (of course cheap is subjective,,,)
Unless you have access to useful scraps or surplus, Its not going to be cheap.
6" Sch 40 is about 10$ per foot and you might have to buy a 10 or 20' minimum. Its fittings, caps & whatnot start around 10-12$ each.

Yes it is pretty expensive cost me about 40 bucks for the one I have on my truck to carry straight edges ect