Outdoor Shower Build - Ecotemp L5 Tankless Water Heater

Outdoor Shower Build - Ecotemp L5 Tankless Water Heater
Episode 118
We recently built a temporary outdoor shower in the backyard using the Ecotemp L5 portable water heater.
Eccotemp L5 Portable Tankless Water Heater Shower amzn.to/35Ro4w3
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Music by Jay Held
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Almost Homestead C/O Soderland
1838 S 265th PL Des Moines, WA 98198-9210
Hello, we are Jay and Virginia. We are a couple in our 50's creating our homestead in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest.
Almost Homestead refers to our unconventional approach to homesteading on separate properties as well as the fact that this is not our forever home. We hope to buy another homestead in the future where we can have more acreage and privacy.
Follow us as we learn to be more self sufficient, grow our own food, forage, and develop our modern day homestead.

[@MyWayofEverything]

The swivel shower curtain was so simple but such a cool idea.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks. It was a nice feature. 🙂👍

[@grandmadee5987]

WOW!!! Now that's a beautiful outdoor shower.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you so much.

[@Jake-sz2ij]

Man that is awesome! You did an excellent job I love the shower dude

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks! We are loving it.

[@CBsGreenhouseandGarden]

Awesome job done building this outdoor shower. Looks really nice!

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you CB. 👍🙂

[@SuerteDelMolinoFarm]

Greetings from the LooseNatural farm in Andalusia Spain

[@AlmostHomestead]

Hello and welcome to the channel. 🙂

[@jodysappington7008]

shower looks great.....you all have a nice week end

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks Jody! You have a good one also

[@jackieskitchenmore]

You did very well with piecing it together ...wow it looks amazing...nice art 👍❤❤❤

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks Jackie! ♥️

[@JB-pd4ni]

I always love to see an upcycle project, this was a good one!

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks JB!

[@healing2gether]

Sure was!!

[@thomasschauss6429]

That shower looks really good

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks Thomas. It's a real luxury.

[@chrisunpluggedable]

Looks great👍

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you Chris!

[@cint4347]

That is so cool.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you Cindy.

[@squirrellyacres]

Your shower looks great. I'm gonna have to come up with one for our camp during the winter months.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you. We are really enjoying it. Good luck with your shower build.

[@mtak1127]

What a good neighbor you are....protecting the neighbors from seeing you shower...lol Love love love it.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Haha! I try. 😆

[@karenmiller6088]

Great job!

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you! 🙂

[@truecolorsbyvango8083]

Real nice work love it

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you!

[@upsidedownworld5104]

Great job.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@virginiareid5336]

Nice looking shower. I'm certain ya'll will enjoy having the privacy.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks Virginia. The privacy will be a nice bonus. Haha!

[@WelcometoChickenlandia]

That’s super cool. Wish I had your skillz!

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you. I got my learnin skilz on the you tube.

[@seriouslysydney524]

Very nice!

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you!

[@OakKnobFarm]

That looks great Jay! It might be temporary, but you still did a fantastic job

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks Dave. Man, it's so nice to have an actual shower setup.

[@rebeccabrear4456]

Love the shower, you did a great job! 🚿🛁 tfs

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you Rebecca.

[@callahanstowntocountry1155]

I love this! We would love to put in an outdoor bathroom!

[@AlmostHomestead]

It is great to finally have a shower. 😁

[@RodhyYodeviaje]

love it

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you!

[@HappyFarmsLa]

I love an outdoor shower. You did really great. Nice cedar pallets. Yes pallets take awhile to get ready don't they. Aww you carried a rock with you home to home. :) nice! Thanks for filming it.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Oh cool that you have one also. We love ours. Thanks for watching and commenting. 😁🙏

[@HappyFarmsLa]

@@AlmostHomestead I don't have one but I love showering outside!

[@pamt8430]

I totally missed this video! Love the shower!!! (minus that creepy pic 🤣😲😂) Saving this video in case I get a chance to build one. Great design!

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks Pam! Yeah, that wood carving is a bit creepy. 😆

[@weedygarden]

Nice!

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@gardeningingnometown5644]

That’s a cool idea! You did a nice job on the shower. Using the junk laying around the ranch is how I roll. I’ve been procrastinating on my outside shower project for several years. Great work man. 👍

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks Rick. I have put off building one for a few years as well. So glad that we finally got this thing up and running. I need to catch up on your channel. Never enough time in the day to get everything done. Have a good one.

[@gardeningingnometown5644]

Almost Homestead no worries man. I’ve given up trying play catch up, I’m super busy.

[@utterchaoshobbyfarm939]

Love your shower. We also have a tankless water heater in a camper

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks. Yeah these little tankless water heaters are really handy.

[@Citystead]

Front porch shower might be a good way to meet new neighbors 😂

[@AlmostHomestead]

Lol! I thought about putting a sign on the porch saying showers 25 cents as a friendly gesture. 😆

[@gardeningingnometown5644]

The Citystead by the looks on my neighbors they can shower at home. Thank you very much. Lol

[@amosroyal3224]

Pro tip : you can watch series on Flixzone. Me and my gf have been using them for watching all kinds of movies lately.

[@loriehabel1552]

Bwahaha, that's great💥👍

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks Lorie!

[@opalescentmica]

good surf music

[@elflordsjourneys]

Pretty Zen Jay,now squatchy has a place to clean up after a few months in the woods.😀

[@AlmostHomestead]

I may have to try sitting on the stone floor for a little meditation session. Haha! Squatch might leave a lasting odor.

[@HayabusaOrlando]

I hit the like button just because of what you said at the last 5 seconds. : )

[@AlmostHomestead]

Haha! Thank you!

[@zaneymay]

Nice

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you!

[@ourselfreliantlife]

Lol! Of course you had to add the bathing scene in there. 🤣 What? You need privacy while you shower? Unbelievable!🤣 Nice build Jay! That turned out great.😃👍

[@AlmostHomestead]

LOL! I almost said... "this is for you Jim" before starting the shower song. I knew that you and Jessica would appreciate seeing that exquisite piece of art again. Haha! I was enjoying my nakedness on the front porch but now I'm more civilized.

[@AnAlaskaHomestead]

😂I did tell you those fittings were junk. Sorry you had to make an extra trip. The shower looks great and repurposing all the materials is super cool. Great job👍 😂🤣🤣 I had forgotten about the classic bathhouse picture.

[@AlmostHomestead]

When that fitting fell apart I remembered you talking about it. Good call. I should have just bought one last time I was in town. 😁 The disturbing bathhouse picture finally has a home. Haha!

[@AnAlaskaHomestead]

Ha that picture completes the shower😂

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Wow, that is awesome!! We were looking forward to watching this one. Not going to lie, I would be stoked if this was our permanent set-up. Sorry if I missed it but do you have to worry about the tankless water heater freezing outside this winter?

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thanks guys. We did do more then just a temporary build but we couldn't help it. Haha! Had to make it look cool for us. We will have to make sure it's drained if it freezes. I'll probably bring it in the house if it gets into the teens just in case. It's pretty easy to disconnect and move. I think Brian at My Alaska Dream has the Ecotemp L10. I'll have to ask him if he just drains his when it freezes there.

[@surender4ify]

Looks sharp, would be great for permeate unless it gets cold where you are.

[@AlmostHomestead]

It can get cold here in the winter. I'll have to make sure I don't let any water freeze inside that heater. Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@DragoonGlass]

I thought the ecotemp was for horses, either way i guess. love it man.

[@pedroguzman4958]

This is some 3 World engineering 😆...it reminds me of my days back on Mexico.

[@affordabledesertliving3487]

I really like this bud. I am needing to do a shower setup to put in my shed where I have tools etc but need a shower. My only critique is I would worry about splinters in my poor old feet from the pallet shower pan. The EcoTemp 5 looks great though.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Hey thanks. I hear you on the pallet splinters. We never had an issue luckily. We took it down over a year ago when we finished our basement so it worked out as a temporary floor. The Eco temp struggled a little when it was real cold out. Had to crank it to full heat to get warm water. If we did it again I would get the next model up. Take care.

[@affordabledesertliving3487]

@@AlmostHomestead I wonder if I would have enough pressure from just gravity with a garden hose hooked up to my 1200 gallon water tank and no other pressure otherwise.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Hmm, good question. It might work. When it was cold out I turned down the water pressure on the unit so the water would have a little more time to heat up instead of blasting through the unit.

[@affordabledesertliving3487]

@@AlmostHomestead guess I need to do some more research on the unit. But it seems like a well thought out piece of equipment. Thanks.

[@AlmostHomestead]

👍 Good luck

[@edieboudreau9637]

Very nice. I see ace is the place. Lol

[@AlmostHomestead]

Haha! It sure was the place this time.

[@BearBottomAcres]

If you end up doing a front porch shower too .. 🤔 you do you. Nice to get some materials from the neighbor.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Those porch showers were a bit sketchy at times. Haha!

[@louisaly]

Hey! We enjoyed this video! Thank you for sharing all this info! Is your cold water on all the time or do you keep your main water source off between showers. We noticed the Ecotemp pamphlet said it can't be installed permanently and we are trying to figure out why they would say that.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Thank you! 🙂 When we were using the outdoor shower, I had a splitter on the hose and would only turn on the water to the ecotemp when we were going to use it. We drained the unit and kept it inside during the winter. During the winter we would haul it out and set it up when needed. Maybe they say to not install permanently due to the possibility of parts freezing and cracking.

[@RigEMac]

looked through the comments and didnt see if you already answered this. but what kind of run time do you get on a small propane tank like the one in the video? thanks for posting, looks awesome.

[@AlmostHomestead]

I am not really sure. We had ours hooked up to a 25 gallon tank which lasted forever. We don't have the outdoor shower anymore. We finished our basement. Brian at An Alaska Homestead has a similar unit and might have a better idea on how long a tank lasts. He's a super nice guy.

[@RigEMac]

@@AlmostHomestead excellent, thank you for the reply. much appreciated.

[@jaytrinison]

I'd love to know how that eco tech heater worked for you considering it's just 5L?

[@AlmostHomestead]

Had to replace the shower head and hose. The shower head was difficult to turn on and off and eventually fell apart. I have to turn the water pressure down pretty low with the heat cranked to have a warm/hot shower. It works for us but I would probably purchase the next model up if buying another.

[@rpmautoreviews9249]

how long do the batteries last ? I want to use it for a sink in my backyard bbq counter sink I set up. connected to my garden hose. for washing hands, cleaning stuff.

[@AlmostHomestead]

I'm not sure. I did a quick search and didn't find anything either. I can tell you that our battery is still going strong after more then a year.

[@WelcometoChickenlandia]

That picture!!!! My eyes MY EYES!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@AlmostHomestead]

LOL! It's still kind of disturbing to look at even after having it around for so long now.

[@healing2gether]

Great job buddy!! How’d you like that ecotemp?

[@AlmostHomestead]

Hey thanks. The ecotemp has been working out pretty well for us. Had some issues with it not getting the water hot in cold temps but it worked.

[@healing2gether]

@@AlmostHomestead great to hear thanks! Anything you would do differently for those of us looking to build this type of set up? -Adam

[@WelcometoChickenlandia]

Lol that chicken peck shot!

[@AlmostHomestead]

That was my favorite part.

[@SpringRiverHollar]

It's a wonderful shower to show case your art work . Hahaha .

[@AlmostHomestead]

Haha! For sure.

[@AshleyMacCready]

How does the curtain stay in place with wind?

[@AlmostHomestead]

It doesn't. 😆 I think I've only showered a few times in the wind and didn't close the curtain. We rarely need to close the curtain anyway.

[@efrainmatospagan3982]

How long does the 5 GAL propane tank lasts?

[@AlmostHomestead]

To be honest I don' t really know. Took it down two years ago when we finished our basement.

[@lynnmcl9993]

Do you house the eco temp somehow for winter? Does it need a weather proof setup even in summer?

[@AlmostHomestead]

When we had the outdoor shower we kept the ecotemp in the cabin during winter and would take it out when we showered. It has a little cover/flap that kind of protects the inside of the unit from rain but we kept it under the roof and close to us so we could adjust the temp while showering.

[@lynnmcl9993]

@@AlmostHomestead is your cabin always heated? My cabin is not heated when we are not there so not sure even if I brought it in, how well it can be drained and tolerates freezing?

[@AlmostHomestead]

We heated with a wood stove and a cheap oil filled radiator style heater when we were using the Ecotemp. It should be fine as long as you drain the water out of it when not using in the winter. Hope that helps.

[@silverwing4222]

Do you smell any hint of propane when using the water heater ? I started mine up today 1st time and shut off immediately after smelling super light hint of propane .. wasn’t strong but enough for me to wimp out

[@AlmostHomestead]

Hmm... I don't smell gas when using ours. Did you use plumbers tape on both gas connections to unit and propane tank? If not, that could be the reason for some gas escaping.

[@silverwing4222]

@@AlmostHomestead I’ll try that. I believe I have one fitting sealed with tape, I’ll take it apart and do the other fitting as well. Thanks for your help!!!

[@churchv.s.theworld8601]

I live in Texas so my out for shower doesn't need got n cold considering it's like the apocalypse is so damn hot 🥵🔥 it's just a stall water hose and shower head lol

[@AlmostHomestead]

Haha! That sounds like the proper setup. 😁

[@basillongjam8296]

Happy .... Is that you ? Where’s Mr.Stark ?

[@lindasands1433]

Can you please tell me where the waste water goes? Thanks

[@AlmostHomestead]

I surrounded the shower with a ditch filled with gravel and ran that over to the hill where we have several plants and trees. We only use biodegrade all natural soap and shampoo. Its been working very well. We are in a drought here and it has been providing the trees with moisture while some of our other trees in other areas have died.

[@lindasands1433]

@@AlmostHomestead Thanks. That's what I wanted to know. I have a small shed that I want to convert, & working out how to do it. I've decided to dig a sump hole & fill with gravel. I'll need to concrete in 4 piles because the winds up here can be very strong.

[@SpringRiverHollar]

1st..... hahaha Yay 😀

[@AlmostHomestead]

Haha! Thanks for jumping right on Sherry.

[@Rosethatwantstomove]

I think I might build me 1 but I don't have any pics.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Good luck. The Ecotemp heaters seem to be a popular choice. Ours is doing great.

[@hilliaryhouck4381]

How do you get free wood?

[@AlmostHomestead]

I scrounge wood from businesses, friends, neighbors, and craigslist free listings.

[@Citystead]

I think I would just keep that thing forever, why make it temporary just use it as a second shower and outside showers are all the rage these days.

[@AlmostHomestead]

It's possible that it will stay but the backyard is pretty small and eventually this cabin will be a vacation rental. So a shower and bathroom in the basement would be lower maintenance and give more free space to the backyard for a firepit, etc. 👍🙂

[@doh1959]

i gotta be honest dude it looks a pile of crap but trust me if i built one it would look a lot worse.