Installing a Joolca Hottap | Van Plumbing | DIY Sprinter Van Conversion UK

I decided not to install a full shower in my van. Not only would it take up a lot of space (that I don’t have), I’m also very wary of leaks and sorting where the grey water would filter out. It would also create a lot of moisture in the van.
Despite this, I still wanted to have something in place to allow me to clean myself, so I opted for a small portable shower unit placed at the rear of the van so I could shower out the back.
After being bombarded with Instagram ads, I gave in and purchased a ‪@Joolca‬ Hottap. It was extremely easy to set up - it simply has a water-in, water-out and a gas-in, and that’s it!
The unit is intended to be used outside as it requires ventilation, so I made sure to mount it right at the back of the van and will only use it with the rear doors wide open.
If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below.
www.greenhorncountryclub.co.uk/post/joolca-hottap
Materials used:
Shower Unit - www.joolca.co.uk/products/hot...
Mounting Bracket - www.joolca.co.uk/products/qui...
12mm Water Pipe - amzn.eu/d/6Mrzvti
Ball Valve - www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394023700114
20mm Pipe Clips - amzn.eu/d/013SVlz
12mm Jubilee Clips x4 - www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281955639394
Hose Barb Fitting Female - www.ebay.co.uk/itm/402349942736
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TOTAL: £334.98
You can now see a full breakdown of costs here: www.greenhorncountryclub.co.u...
More content at: www.greenhorncountryclub.co.uk
Follow on Instagram: bit.ly/3sEasQG
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:34 - Unboxing
3:22 - Wall mount
4:33 - Mounting the bracket
7:11 - Plumbing the Hottap
9:26 - Testing the unit

[@robmclaurin5918]

Finally someone who speaks Human when it comes to van conversation elements. top man thanks for your help 👌👌

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

Hahaha no probs!

[@robmclaurin5918]

One question regarding the joolca setup. I assume you have to power up the unit and the. leave it on to use the sink and does this allow you to run hot and cold water through the mixer tap?

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

@@robmclaurin5918 unfortunately the unit won’t heat water for the mixer tap, I only have cold water coming out my tap. Essentially out of the water pump, my water splits off in two directions: to my tap and to my shower unit. Water enters the Joolca unit and is heated up so I can have warm showers, the water to my tap is unaffected. In terms of powering the unit, it’s powered by two D-cell batteries and you only turn it on when you need a shower 👍🏼

[@robmclaurin5918]

@@GreenHornCountryClub Ah ok. I was wondering how to get hot water to the tap. they sell a tap with a splitter in line so there must be a way

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

@@robmclaurin5918 you’d probably need to split off to the mixer tap after the hot water unit rather than before. You’ll need to double-check the mounting instructions for the heater unit too, because they recommend mounting the Joolca unit outside due to the fumes and heat it emits. I’ve got mine positioned right by the back door because I’ll always have my rear doors open when showing

[@applesbighatranch6906]

Great video, my good man. Thoroughly enjoyed it. About the time you physically switched on the water flow at the shower head, your van's water system pump started up and the whole shebang started sounding like a death metal song intro. Awesome stuff. Thanks for your efforts! in bringing us this outstanding vid. Oh, almost forgot: I really like the very sano gas line install. Bravo.

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

Thanks so much dude!

[@wairarapagates4857]

Nice video, I just bought my first Joolca hot water system, I like how you've set yours up, a good effort, i'd love to show you my van conversion, I'm doing my second one shortly, a Mercedes Sprinter, the first was a Hiace, it came out fantastic, but now in NZ there are new regulations on toilets and sinks in Vans, it's a challenge, more in line with house plumbing than camping,, it focuses on improved hygiene and ease of use, which is for the best, I'm a cabinet maker and electrical engineer by trade, so I love doing this type of stuff, and seeing others projects, a lot of good ideas, everyone's is unique, and some are very ingenious, there's a lot of talent out there doing van conversions, keep up the good work.

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

Thanks so much dude! That sounds like a lot of hassle navigating all those regulations, as you said though, very likely for the best. The Joolca units are really good, although I’m on my second one. I forgot to drain it last winter and the frost burst a pipe, had to buy a replacement.

[@MultiOutdoorman]

A larger accumulator tank (expansion vessel) of about 4 to 8 litres will stop the pump cycling all the while and give you a much improved water flow and consistency ( if you dont mind the use of a bit more space and weight )

[@carpman_here8133]

Not sure why you only have 204, 205 ( I touched the button ) subscribers. Just watched all your videos and learned so much in an easy to understand way. Great job and looking forward to more content.

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

Thank you so much man!

[@Poolinblue]

Mate I have an underslung fast tank in my camper and a manifold inside which i would like to connect my joolca to, how would I go about it? Just don’t want to carry a gas bottle when I have plenty of gas already

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

@@Poolinblue hey bud, thanks for the comment! I’ve got an underslung gas tank as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4XNl5Kth86raLs However, it’s the only thing in my van which I paid for a professional to install for me as I didn’t really want to mess around with gas, having absolutely no idea what I was doing, so I’m not 100% sure how to best answer your question. Do you have any other appliances that are being supplied with gas? I only have my HOTTAP and gas hob and it looks like they have plumbed to both appliances directly with a 1-way gas manifold next to each connection so I can isolate them if need be.

[@paulwheeldon7194]

Do you not need a flue if you're using it inside? Also, does it get hot above the heater when in use? Cheers

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

Apparently, as the gas tank itself is located outside of the van, this means a flue isn't necessary. It is recommended that these types of units are operated outside, however I only ever use it with both backdoors fully open so there's plenty of ventilation. I have noticed a bit of heat above the unit when in use but not enough to cause any concern 👍🏼

[@ss3923]

I’m looking at using one of these units in my caravan - I’ve watched the videos on the tap and the joolca itself where you put the water pipe on with the metal screw connections and I’ve a few questions. 1 - what sizes are the water pipe and metal connectors and jubilee clips you used? 2 - Would it be possible to connect directly to a kitchen tap rather than use a separate water pump? Surely if its pumping water out, it’ll make its way there regardless of whether there’s a pump or not? 3- if i were to plumb the joolca directly to the kitchen sink, is it possible to still use the original joolca shower head with say the splitter that its advertised with? Sorry for the questions - just want to find a cost effective method first time! Your videos are fantastic, I’m doing a lot of this kind of work on my own and as a beginner, this was so easy to follow so thank you for giving this girl a chance! :)

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

Hey thanks for the message! So glad to hear that the videos have been some help :) I ended up using 12mm hose for my water pipe, as well as 12mm jubilee clips. There should be specific links to each item in the description of the video. The Hottap unit comes with a domestic hose fitting on the water in pipe, which I screwed off and replaced with a 1/2 hose fitting so I could fix my hose pipe to that. In theory there's nothing stopping you using your kitchen tap for the water supply but you'll need to make sure there's enough water pressure. If not, they do sell a little 12V pump kit that you could use between the tap and the shower unit: www.joolca.co.uk/products/12v-plumbing-kit

[@chrisgregory2695]

Hi great video, I’m doing the same 👍 what size is the thread for the gas is it 1/2 3/8 or 3/4 BSP?

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

Thanks mate! So I believe the gas thread on the unit is 1/2 BSP and it comes with an adapter in order to connect to the gas pipe that’s included with the shower unit. However, I paid for someone to install an LPG tank under my van and they’ve plumbed that directed to the shower unit using a slightly different fitting.

[@bparker6442]

hey mate, great work - im thinking of doing the same but thought id have to put on the back doors to vent which was going to be a pain, like you i want permanent (ish). where is the vent on the joolca? out the side or top? or both. any issues with fumes?? cheers

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

Hey bud! Thanks for the message. The Joolca seems to be pretty well vented with its main vents on the top but it's also got some ventilation on the sides as well. In the manual they do list some minimum mounting distances and it is intended to be used outside but as I'll always have the back doors open when showering this should be absolutely fine 👍

[@bparker6442]

@@GreenHornCountryClub agree with you mate. I ll have doors open aswell. Just so much easier than on the doors. Nice one 👍🏼

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

@@bparker6442 So much easier!

[@user-ju5dp7wo6g]

I'm installing 1 soon just wounding if any issue with fumes have occurred as this was posted 1 year ago ?

[@jonnywilson7240]

I have this mounted in the back of my van, the top is at least 100mm from upper piece of wood like yours are. Is it okay to have this so close? Have you used it much?

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

Hey bud, I’ve used it a few times and seems to work really well. Being so close to the rear doors and having the back doors open when showering should be more an enough ventilation for it 👍🏼

[@jonnywilson7240]

Yeah it’s just really hot coming out of the top.

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

@@jonnywilson7240 depending on your gas setup, the other option if you’re concerned could be to fit a longer and more flexible gas hose so you can unmount the shower unit when you use it and hang it somewhere else instead

[@dougtrumble]

Can you use it with the van doors closed? How much exhaust is it putting into the van

[@GreenHornCountryClub]

I definitely wouldn’t recommend using the shower unit with the doors closed if possible. They always recommend using the shower outside in a well ventilated area, even having the unit position in the back of the van with the doors open like I have isn’t advised if possible 👍🏼

[@dougtrumble]

@@GreenHornCountryClub 👍