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In the summer, even when resting, and not working, the opportunity to wash is necessary in the country. The easiest way to organize this is on the street, and not in the house. You can make a portable – mobile shower. This is a great first time option. But I want something more solid. To do this, build a summer shower in the country. Although it is stationary, it is lightweight.
Portable summer
Let’s start with the simplest models, which do not even require cubicles or large capacity devices. There are mobile showers that work on the principle of a foot pump. The source of water is any container that you put next to you – a bucket, a basin, a tank – whatever you have. You lower the end of the hose connected to the foot pump into it, which most often looks like a rug.
A hose with a watering can is connected to the outlet of this “pump”. To get a stream of water, trample on the mat alternately pressing the pump pads. We trampled – the water went.
What is good about this option is that you can carry it with you. It’s warm outside – wash on the lawn. It got colder – they went into the house, put a trough, washed themselves there. You can also take this shower on a hike – it fits in a standard package. Another plus is that you can regulate the temperature of the water yourself: if you pour it warmer, you wash yourself in warm water. If you want to freshen up, take a bucket of cooler water. A good option for a shower for summer use.
Summer stationary shower in the country
When installing a stationary shower, the first question arises: where to drain the water. If there is already a drain pit for the toilet, you can lay the pipeline there. But this solution is not the best if you are using bacteria or waste treatment products in the pit. In this case, a certain humidity is required, and with a shower it will be clearly more than normal.
For the shower, it is better to make a separate drain hole. If the soil has normal drainage capacity, it is enough to dig a hole about 60 * 60 * 60 cm nearby, fill it with expanded clay, or you can use broken bricks. This should be enough for the average water consumption. If your family belongs to the category of “waterfowl” or the water goes badly, make the hole bigger.
On sandy soils, you may encounter another nuisance: sand can crumble. Then the walls can be strengthened with a net by driving pegs on the sides. Another option is to sheathe the walls with boards (as in the photo). But this is if the board is in the remnants.
Base
Whatever the summer shower, it usually weighs a little. Therefore, the basis for it is not made too serious: there is no point in burying money. Most often, small foundation blocks are used, which are set according to the level. The shower in the country is raised above ground level by 20 cm or so. This is enough so that the treated wood (if it is used as a frame) does not rot.
If you are going to cook the frame from metal, you can put it in general on a paving slab or slab set to the level. If desired, you can cast the columns yourself: put the formwork, lay the reinforcement and pour concrete.
frame
The dimensions of the soul are chosen arbitrarily: there are no standards here. In addition, the shower cabin is often only one of the parts. In another, they arrange, for example, a locker room or a room for a water heater (electric or wood-burning – according to the conditions). Someone plans to take the other half under the pantry or store inventory. So a country shower is not always just a booth “for washing.”
If, however, a light structure is planned, in which they will only be washed, and, moreover, the simplest option is with a curtain instead of a door, you can take the minimum dimensions: a square with a side length of about 90 cm (drawing below), the height of the racks excluding the tank is 2,2 m or higher (if the family is tall).
But such a width is far from convenient: it is too crowded even for people of average build. It is more comfortable with a minimum width of 100 cm, and preferably 120 cm. This frame is assembled from metal or wooden blocks.
Of metal
The metal frame for the shower is boiled from a corner with a thickness of at least 4-5 mm. The width of the shelf is chosen depending on the planned load. The frame is usually loaded with water tanks and sheathing. If you plan to put a plastic square container of 100 liters on top, and cover the walls with a film, impregnated cloth or something equally light, you can take the section to a minimum. If you plan, for example, two 200 liter barrels, and sheathe the shower cubicle in the country house on both sides with clapboard, the load will be completely different. And here large sections are required.
Another metal frame for a country shower can be made from a profiled pipe. The wall thickness for the racks is 3 mm, 2 mm is also suitable for strapping. It has a rectangular or square section, which greatly facilitates the fastening of the crate and sheathing. To attach something to a corner, it is often necessary to first screw the bars to it, and attach the rest of the strapping to the bar. The piping can be fastened directly to the profiled pipe – with bolts or screws with pre-drilled holes.
The metal frame is best welded. If there is no apparatus, you can make a collapsible frame on bolted joints. Craftsmen do it this way: they cut pipes of the required length, take thick mounting angles and assemble the frame with bolts.
In case you are planning to learn how to weld metal, the welding technique for beginners is described here, the choice of welding machine is here.
Of wood
A wooden frame for an outdoor shower is assembled from a bar. For the lower trim, as a rule, a pine beam 100 * 100 mm or 150 * 100 mm is used. Racks can be set to a smaller section. Again, it depends on the load. If the tank on the roof is voluminous, make racks from weaving. If they hold only the roof (water is heated in titanium nearby) or a very small tank, then 50 * 50 is enough.
You can attach the bars in different ways. If correct, you need to cut a spike and a groove. If in a quick way, you can dock directly, reinforcing the connections with corners.
Having set the racks, they immediately make the upper harness. It already definitely goes 50 * 50 mm or 50 * 40 mm. They also make intermediate strapping. There may be one, two, or even three. If you are going to sheathe the shower with clapboard, imitation of a beam, it is better to fasten the crossbars more often: it will be possible to more tightly fit not quite even lumber. The quality of wood materials sold on the market is, to put it mildly, low. We have to correct the jambs of geometry due to force.
The construction of a frame from a bar is shown in the video
Sheathing
You can fit the frame with any material:
- Oilcloth or film. Short-lived, but fast and cheap. Enough for the season. You can even use an old banner (they are given almost for free in advertising agencies).
- Impregnated fabrics. The option is very easy and inexpensive. You can use the material that is taken on awnings, tents.
Budget shower upholstery – fabric and film - Lumber. Lining, timber imitations, block house, etc. One point: do not buy a raw lining or block house if you need to mount it right away. After a year, it will dry out significantly, due to which cracks will appear. Sometimes the shrinkage is so significant that the planks pop out of the grooves. Have natural ventilation. Although, if done according to the principle of a braided fence (as in the photo), you can use a regular board.
The walls of this summer shower are made according to the principle of a wicker fence - Slate. Can put asbestos and polymer. Although everyone knows that asbestos is harmful, they still make sheathing out of it.
- Professional sheet. If there are scraps left after making the fence from corrugated board, you can adapt them.
Shower in the country from a professional sheet - Polycarbonate. If the translucency of this material does not bother you, you can use it. Only sections will need to be sealed, otherwise dust / moisture will get into the cells, algae will settle. Polycarbonate, of course, will cease to be transparent, but will acquire a grayish-green tint, which is unlikely to please you.
You can use any other fence that comes to your mind and will perform its functions. For example, in one summer cottage, the shower sheathing was woven. By type of weave.
shower tank
As a tank for a summer shower, use any suitable container that is on the farm. Most often – this is a barrel – metal or plastic. If there is nothing suitable, you can buy a container. They are available in a large assortment: plastic, metal – from ferrous metal and stainless steel.
Not everyone likes plastic ones, since water heats up worse in them. For the southern regions, this is not scary – there is already enough heat, but for the Middle Strip, it can be critical. Although in this region, most of the summer, water even in black metal barrels requires heating. On the other hand, plastic containers are inexpensive, light, there are square flat shapes, which means they fit well on the shower frame and there is no need to invent a method of attachment.
In a metal barrel, water will heat up faster, especially if it is painted black. But if it is made of ordinary metal, there will be a lot of rust by the end of the season. So much that it will be noticeable on the body. This is the main disadvantage of such tanks. Much better than stainless steel. If finances allow, allow yourself one.
Summer shower tray
There are two options for a country shower device: when the septic tank (drain hole) is located directly under the shower stall. Then you can simply make a pouring floor: lay boards with a gap of 3-5 mm. A simple option that works great on sandy and sandy soils. In this case, the water leaves very quickly, without stagnation anywhere, therefore such a device does not cause any inconvenience.
But this option is only suitable if you plan to use the shower only in warm weather. And spring-autumn will not go – it will be cold, as it will blow from below.
If a normal drain is required or you need to divert the drains to the side (drain pit away from the building), you need to make a pallet in the shower. The easiest case is to buy ready-made. Then, during the construction and selection of frame sizes, you will have to focus on the size of the pallet: under it you need bars to which it is attached. They also connect it as standard: they put a siphon with a flexible hose, as in a bathroom.
If the pallet is plastic, just bars around the perimeter will not be enough: support is required under it, otherwise it “walks” too much. This foundation is usually laid out of bricks. You can bind them with a solution. Just remember to leave room for the drain hose.
In some cases, they try to make a more solid drain: without using a finished pallet. In this case, a concrete slab is poured. To do this, they dig a pit of the required size, with a depth of about 30-40 cm. A layer of gravel 15-20 cm thick is laid on the bottom. Already at this stage, a mortgage is installed – a drain pipe and a drain grate. They put up formwork. It can be non-removable – made of brick. Crushed stone is rammed, everything is poured with concrete (grade M 250). A week (at a temperature of + 17 ° C and above) is waiting for the base to gain strength. After you can continue work: put the frame and continue construction.
Tank filling and water heating
Filling the shower tank with water is usually not a problem. Sometimes they carry water in buckets – if you want to wash, you will carry it. Not very convenient, of course, but it happens … If there is water supply in the country, they fill it with a hose, install a supply pipe with a valve. It is necessary to add water – open the tap, the tank is full – closed.
How to autofill a tank
The most advanced do automatic filling. Then the water supply is opened / closed by a float system similar to the one in the tank. Only in the event of a breakdown, it is necessary to provide for the drainage of excess water. And, preferably, when leaving the cottage, shut off the supply tap. And then you can turn your own and neighbor’s cottage into a swamp.
An exemplary scheme for the implementation of auto-filling the tank is shown in the figure above. Please note: water is drawn into the shower close to the surface: this is usually where the warmest water is located. Only this pipe is placed at the opposite end from the cold water inlet, otherwise the water will still be cold.
Two pipes go to the sewer: one overflow (mustard color). With its help, the tank will not overflow in the event of a breakdown of the float mechanism. The second drain into the sewer for a complete drain (brown). It will come in handy during the conservation of the system – draining for the winter, therefore a crane is installed on it.
Organization of heating
The easiest option is to use solar energy. Yes, it heats water through the walls of the tank. But the water column is too large for it to warm up quickly. Therefore, people come up with various installations for solar water heating.
As mentioned above, in the tank the warmest water is at the top. And the traditional feed comes from the bottom. That is, we take the coldest water. In order for the warmest water to enter the watering can, a hose is attached to it, and it is attached to a piece of foam that I let float. So the water intake is from above.
To speed up the heating of the water, they make a “coil” (in the photo above, this is the right figure). At the bottom of the water tank and above, two pipes are welded in one of its walls. A black rubber hose is connected to them, which is folded in rings in the sun. If there is no air from the hose, the movement of water will be quite active.
If the sun is not enough for you, but you can bring electricity to the soul, you can use heating elements (wet). We need them with a thermostat so that you can set the desired temperature. They are usually used in storage water heaters, so you can find them.
When you pull the power line to the shower, do not forget to install an automatic device with an RCD. This is the minimum that will ensure your safety.
Building a shower in the country: a photo report
It was decided to use a fence at the far end of the site as one of the walls of the shower. It was decided to do a shower with a locker room – it’s much more convenient.
The soils are sandy, the water drains very quickly, so only one tire was buried for draining. Shower tests have shown that no more is needed. Much more water was poured than in my barrel, but no puddles were observed.
Three more were added to the existing pole (from the fence). We used a round pipe (it has been lying in a barn for a long time). Holes 70-80 cm deep were dug under the pillars. Pillars were installed in them, covered with rubble. The rubble was rammed and filled with concrete.
Then the frame was welded. A rectangular pipe 60 * 30 mm was used. It’s a bit too much for this design, but they used what was: the remains of the construction of the fence.
Having welded the floor frame, and having indicated its level, they formed a drain. They reported the missing height with a brick (battle, remnants). Everything was filled with concrete, forming a drain into the tire.
Leveled the floor and in the second half, left to set. Started working on wood. Purchased aspen board. She was first treated with a skin fixed on a grinder. After impregnated with a protective composition.
While the impregnation dries, we continue to cook the metal frame for the shower. The middle piping was welded from the same profile pipes. Then it was used as a scaffold for working at height. Already dried boards were placed on the strapping pipes. From this pedestal, the upper harness was cooked.
The frame is almost ready. It remains to weld the frame under the barrel at the top.
Above the shower area, a reinforcement of the upper strapping in the middle was added. Two corners are also welded on. The thickness of the metal is about 6 mm, the width of the shelf is 8 cm. The distance between them is less than the diameter: so that the barrel rests sideways on them.
The metal used is old, so it’s covered in rust. She was cleaned off by a grinder. Then the frame of the shower was painted three times with rust paint. It was chosen in blue, as it was planned to sheathe the shower with blue polycarbonate.
Polycarbonate was mounted on self-tapping screws. During installation, neither special nor ordinary washers were used. This is a violation of technology, which can lead to the fact that in sunny weather it will crack. This material has a large thermal expansion, which is enhanced, since in this case it is fixed on a metal frame.
How to properly mount polycarbonate, read here.
The barrel in the barn has been washed. Pipes are welded to it. One is for filling water, the second is for connecting a watering can. After that, the barrel was painted black.