On Board Hot Water for Shower

[happygu]

I have fitted these units to 3 x 3litre patrols,the pump will fit in front of the radiator core and behind the grill or if you dont have abs there is space in front of the fire wall on lhs where abs normally is.
The heat exchanger will fit on top of the relays on the drivers side,simply put a strip of aluminium or steel strip above the relays and attach the heat exchanger to that with 2 large hose clamps.
hope this helps.

Pepper,

I have seen one where they mounted the heat exchanger just above the Passenger side chassis rail, which would also end up below the second battery tray. Looks like one of the best spots I have seen to keep the hoses short and prevent too many airlocks.

I have seen them mounted along the Firewall up high, but although it looks really neat, I don't necessarily like this idea due to the fact it is higher than the radiator cap, which then also has the potential to form an airlock..... don't want any cracked head issues.....

Mic

[Cuppa]

That doesn't look too bad Cuppa....I presume it gets too hot to touch on the outside.

Mic

Not so Mic, because of the insulation around it. I also have both of ours mounted inside 'boxes' with additional insulation around the tank. In the Patrol this 'box' is made from 7mm ply & you feel no heat on it's surface. It has a little hatch I open to access the tempering valve. It is noticeably warmer inside the box, like a good airing cupboard. Btw I fibbed, it's a 22 litre, not 25.

Pics of the calorifier & it's box during early construction phase. Diagram shows how I connected the calorifier connected in parallel into the engine's heater system. The tap 'C' has proven unnecessary.

Cuppa

[happygu]

Not so Mic, because of the insulation around it. I also have both of ours mounted inside 'boxes' with additional insulation around the tank. In the Patrol this 'box' is made from 7mm ply & you feel no heat on it's surface. It has a little hatch I open to access the tempering valve. It is noticeably warmer inside the box, like a good airing cupboard. Btw I fibbed, it's a 22 litre, not 25.

Pics of the calorifier & it's box during early construction phase

That looks really neat, but a little larger than I thought......I don't have that much room in the wagon.

[Cuppa]

They do a 10 litre model which is half the size, no bigger than a Coleman heater, but certainly bigger than a Glind.

Height 250mm, Width 250mm and Length 600mm

But yeah, not quite so easy in a wagon.

[BillsGU]

Thanks Bill,

I take it that you find the inconvenience of having to put the unit somewhere in the back of the car, more convenient than the old fixed unit you had....

Mic

Everything is a compromise Mick. I have room for the Coleman system so it is not an issue. Others with larger families may not have enough space. To me - I'd rather make a bit of room to carry the heater than to have the car sitting at idle (sometimes for over an hour depending on how many want a shower).

[BillsGU]

The fixed unit we have used before in a 3Litre Patrol was way too hot, and we found it difficult to get it cold enough for the kids

Mic

With the one I had - it was connected in series with the car heater. The water temperature could be adjusted by adjusting the heater control on the dash.

[Dominator]

With the one I had - it was connected in series with the car heater. The water temperature could be adjusted by adjusting the heater control on the dash.

I connected mine in parallel. So if you want really hot leave the heater off if you want it cooler turn the heater on and it will by pass the shower. That was the theory anyway. I have found the engine slightly above idle is the perfect temp anyway.

[Stropp]

I just have a cheap setup, bit of mucking around but cheap, I have a stainless bucket to heat the water in on a gas stove, idea is heat it to desired temp then I have a bilge pump with a marine starter button on the end cap of a 50mm poly pipe and then to the battery, the water outlet on the bilge pump goes thru a hose to the shower head which I put thru the window. Drop the bilge pump into the warm water stand on the starter button and away you go. May sound a bit complex but it cost me about $40 for the whole setup, cheap and easy to use even if the hot water is not on tap.

[happygu]

I just have a cheap setup, bit of mucking around but cheap, I have a stainless bucket to heat the water in on a gas stove, idea is heat it to desired temp then I have a bilge pump with a marine starter button on the end cap of a 50mm poly pipe and then to the battery, the water outlet on the bilge pump goes thru a hose to the shower head which I put thru the window. Drop the bilge pump into the warm water stand on the starter button and away you go. May sound a bit complex but it cost me about $40 for the whole setup, cheap and easy to use even if the hot water is not on tap.

Stropp,

You don't have cold water over there anyway, so you hardly need it warmed up

I like the thinking.... I was looking at mounting a 12V pump under the bonnet anyway for a water tank, and I could just plumb in an extra pipe in from pre-heated water source and pipe out to shower head and one way valve to the water tank to prevent backflow, then in essence I only have to carry a couple of length of hose, and a shower tent. I just need to work out if I want to go the extra step and plumb in a heat exchanger as well.



Mic

[happygu]

I connected mine in parallel. So if you want really hot leave the heater off if you want it cooler turn the heater on and it will by pass the shower. That was the theory anyway. I have found the engine slightly above idle is the perfect temp anyway.

Dominator,

That is one problem with the 3 Litre as opposed to the old 4.2- no manual throttle lock, only the pre-heat switch, so you can't have it just above idle....