Recirculating Shower | The Best Shower Setup in a Van?

[@garretttroke8800]

You could feasibly have your entire water system integrated into the recirculating system. Essentially you would need to have a better sediment filter, and a way to back-flush it, when you drain the system. It would require a bit more space for the system, but you would need a smaller water tank so it balances out. You could also set it up so that the shower fills from the water tank, rather than the extra work of filling it from your sink. I am working on a design for just this sort of setup. It is for a larger camper, but the whole system would be small enough for your needs as well.

[@jon-williammurphy9780]

I have read that what goes down the sink from washing your hands is typically much dirtier than what's showered with, so I wonder how much more filtration would be needed and if that additional cost and complexity would be worth it.

[@nasseral-momen1463]

Would be interesting to see the results

[@jessicateann1675]

that's my thinking, if I ever do a van build, I want all the water to be filtered and reused as much as possible to reduce the need to refill. Do you have a video or anything? I see your comment was a year ago, I'd love to see how/if it worked out!

[@DeusExMachina50]

Amazing! This should be standard equipment in all vans.

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! We couldn’t agree more :)

[@mallorybagwell2555]

in all houses!

[@michaelschneider-]

+1 .. Exceptional design and execution. .. Having watched a few of Tim & Frau Katie's van build presentations.... with little to zero awareness I'd not realize you two were creators, architects; Builders of fine Top Shelf Van Life vehicles.. Each completed client van presentation is thoroughly entertaining. . Luv the details. .. Here in Vail, CO Van Life vehicle interpretations are abundant. . Keep under-promising and over-delivering your clients.. Cheers, Mike & Ingrid Schneider

[@sailorgirl2017]

Fantastic Katie and Tim! An amazing system that is key for off-grid livability!! Well done you guys!

[@TimKatie]

Thanks so much! 🙏🏻 We appreciate your support 😊

[@warrenmiller1137]

Awesome; really been looking forward to seeing this. Grabbing the ebook now!

[@TimKatie]

Awesome! We hope you find it helpful. Thanks for the support!

[@1966cambo]

Just finished watching the video on your shower water testing, you guys are doing a great job!

[@TimKatie]

Thank you!

[@abeandmel]

Ver impressive! And slightly(ok very) jealous!

[@TimKatie]

Haha thank you! 🙏🏻

[@draventannoy]

Keep us posted on the maintenance & long term experience of your design. Nice work!

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! So far we are happy with the frequency of cleaning/filter changes (we swap out for fresh water every ~5 showers which takes less than 5 minutes, and then filters/strainers are cleaned every ~15 showers (sediment filter every few months, carbon 6-12 months and UV 1-2 yrs), but definitely will do!

[@bikeninja956]

@@TimKatie where do you typically dump the dirty water tho? Assuming you have to take the time to drive to an appropriate location...

[@TimKatie]

@@bikeninja956 We tend to travel on FSR a fair bit so we’ve never had a problem draining it out on the road or once we’re home. It would also be very simple to attach a hose to the drain if needed

[@1966cambo]

I plan to use an electric dump valve in my build design, drive down a gravel road,hit the switch and dump the shower/grey tank!

[@matthewknight5641]

That's freaking awesome. I have a 30 foot travel trailer that's of grid. I've put about 30 grand into the solar and batteries and built it all myself. The electrical is finally complete but the water has always been an issue. Man I need this kinda system for my holiday rambler

[@nglyo]

I'm curious to know how many showers you can have before needing to change each of the filters. Props on the idea build.

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! We swap out for fresh water every ~5 showers which takes less than 5 minutes, and then filters/strainers are cleaned every ~15 showers (sediment filter every few months, carbon 6-12 months and UV 1-2 yrs)

[@halfwaygay]

@@TimKatie brilliant

[@TimKatie]

@@halfwaygay Thanks!

[@user-vc5rp7nf8f]

@@TimKatie thanks

[@scarwn]

@@TimKatie Thanks, please provide bit more details. I'd like to know if you clean all filters at mentionned period or if you change any of them ? At which cost ? Or how long do they all last before you need to change them for new ones ? Thanks a lot.

[@user-vc5rp7nf8f]

that's definitely a great idea. makes for more comfortable, relaxing showers, less reliance on water sources, and conserves energy by heating already warm water. i'm sure it'll get better as you guys refine it more and more. definitely something i'm gonna consider when doing my own van build. my concern would be affordability, availability, and lifespan of all the parts. (are they affordable, easily replaceable, and do they last awhile)

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! We just installed a near identical recirc shower system in our new build - with a few small modifications. If all goes well we’ll plan to update the PDF guide/plans. Filters are affordable and readily available, but time will tell how long they last in this application 😊

[@imperfectadventure]

Well done guys! Can't wait to see the electricity build too.

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! We appreciate the comment and hope to share the electrical video soon 😊

[@cantucodes]

This is INCREDIBLE guys! Nicely done. Best wishes from Texas!

[@TimKatie]

Thanks so much! 🙏🏻

[@galiaalexander474]

Just brilliant. I would like to put this in my off grid cabin. Do you think that would work? Would have loved to see how it is drained and curious of the cost you put out to build. Saving this video so I can buy your PDF.

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! Yes we think this would be a great option in an off grid cabin if water is supply is limited. The drain just goes out the through the van floor onto the ground (feel free to dm us on Instagram for a photo). The entire shower (including framing and plumbing) was around $1500 CAD. I think the biggest difference for a cabin would be making sure the drain pipe flows out freely - feel free to dm on Instagram for some more ideas! Thanks for watching

[@LittleSpaceCase]

Super awesome and effecient, i wasnt considering a shower before because of the water weight but this changes things

[@TimKatie]

Awesome! We’re happy to hear it gave you some new ideas 👍🏻

[@ianrobinson4501]

That’s a great set up we can get 4 showers from our tank and that’s in and out in record time

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! Thanks for sharing - it definitely gives some more flexibility for longer shows

[@RodricWeiland]

Thanks for that info. How much water capacity do you have available for showering? And are you talking like a Navy style shower or a 5 minute shower? It would be helpful to know for comparison. Thanks

[@ianrobinson4501]

@@RodricWeiland we have 60 litres of fresh water that’s for everything and yes quick showers hope that helps regards Ian

[@jimmym2719]

Wow 🤩 3.5gal about 13.5 kg, that saves lots of weight for 6-9showers amazing job 💕👍

[@Blakmagic88]

This is really awesome! But do you have to use a special soap so the filters don’t wear out as rapidly? Thank you

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! We use and recommend dr. Bronner’s all natural liquid soap 👍🏻

[@ExploreTravelTV]

I have seen a couple of these in various builds, Great idea! i love longer hot showers!

[@TimKatie]

Thanks! We do too! 😊

[@MathersOnTheMap]

This is amazing! We would have loved to have one of these during our winter road trip 👍

[@TimKatie]

Thanks guys! We appreciated all your van build vlogs during our first build and have been following your travels 🙌🏻

[@MathersOnTheMap]

@@TimKatie stoked to hear they helped looking forward to see your next build!

[@TimKatie]

@@MathersOnTheMap Thanks! Give us a shout if you ever come up to BC 🤙🏻

[@mitchellcamps7595]

Such a good video. Way to go you two!

[@TimKatie]

Thanks Mitchell! 🙏🏻

[@myjavadogs]

great job! Love this idea! Just bought it! Love this entire build!

[@TimKatie]

Thanks so much 🙏🏻 We appreciate the support and hope you find the book helpful!

[@rikossina3222]

I am waiting to find a way to directly connect clean water supply directly to the loop without the type , maybe a flat cooper tube under the floor with a mount at the kitchen and a hole at the bottom of the shower floor , or a valve switch that changes the flow from kitchen sink to bathroom floor .

[@TimKatie]

Personally I would probably plumb in a T and valve before the kitchen sink, run it under the floor and into the bench seat and another valve and T into the shower loop (to prevent any backflow into the kitchen freshwater system). Downside is having plumbing under the floor but fairly safe with valves on each side.

[@NowackaS]

Nice idea. I want to build shower too but without this kind of system because is too expensive for me. Can you tel me what water heater you use? Do you know how much energy it consume? I'm looking for the best option for electric water heater.

[@TimKatie]

If you’re not doing a recirculating shower you’ll likely want to use a larger 4 gallon hot water tank (rheem, Bosch, etc). Ours consumes 1400 watts and that seems to be fairly standard for 120V hot water tank heaters

[@perfectgamecle1158]

Appreciate your efforts! Purchased the ebook ✔️

[@TimKatie]

Awesome! Thanks for your support 🙏🏻We hope you find it helpful

[@christianwinkelmann8477]

Wow , well done, what kind of cladding is that in the shower? Thanks..

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! The shower walls are sheet vinyl flooring

[@iangreant]

Tim & Katie, bought your book a couple days ago. Looks great and I'm stoked to get started. One question: How much power does an average shower use? Trying to figure if I need to add a battery to my system. Thanks!!

[@TimKatie]

Thanks! We hope you find it helpful :) Almost all of the power draw comes from heating the water - we used around 70 amps at 12V to heat and take 2 showers (each of us one after the other)

[@iangreant]

@@TimKatie Thanks! That's less than I was expecting.

[@TimKatie]

@@iangreant No problem. It will depend what temp you set your hot water tank at as well as ambient temp, but that 2 gallon tank doesn’t take long to heat up 👍🏻

[@WanderbusAdventures]

This is a great overview. Will look into the filters. I’d assume if you wanted mixed (hot/cold) you’d need two tanks.

[@TimKatie]

Thanks! Yeah I think you’d want the hot water tank to be full temp and then slowly mix (mixed valve) with the cold from the other tank/the filtered drain return from shower.

[@donnyt857]

This might be the future of showering out west with the water restrictions and droughts. .

[@TimKatie]

We agree. It’s definitely a great way to save water!

[@jessalynsantos6039]

Amazing idea! May I ask what you used to line your shower walls?

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! We used sheet vinyl flooring on the walls 👍🏻

[@HeliFly1987]

Awesome. Nicely thought out

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@clevelandexplorer2221]

And it's the best video I've seen on the subject yet. Thanks for sharing!! Being filtered only with suds, I suppose one could just use that air heater combo just for washing and only the fresh water to fill the kettle or whatever. It's simple and genius! I wonder if a plumber knows a better valve for the drainage similar to a stop cock thing in a toilet: it's open only while there's water above it :o this is so reassuring!! Please share your shower gpm or most those heaters use? I'm looking at a rainfall shower at 3gpm :o It looks like there's more to it still, that valve box thing has a few things I don't remember mentioned. Kinda overwhelming but not your fault you did great! I'm gonna add it to my playlist :D why did someone need to invent the complications of plumbing :p Thanks!

[@dfwvtxman]

Beautiful and smart build.

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@machambers00]

Great job! Impressive.

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@JeSuisDeTexas]

such great info! thanks, y'all--keep it up!

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@christopherbradley5575]

Thanks so much! I'm going to look into this setup.

[@vicenteespinoza1997]

How do you remove the soap from the water?? I have a 4 storage recirculating system also. After 4 showers you can see soap in the water.

[@riftgod6169]

Have you had any leaks? Would love to see a video of things you would differently if you were to do it again, Shower and the van !

[@TimKatie]

No we haven’t had any leaks! We love it and are currently building our second van - planning to do the exact same shower and layout. This time we’re building a larger 12V battery bank, 12V undermount AC, heated flooring, and probably an undermount grey water tank for the sink.

[@Ndesire]

Love the build, very elegant. Odd question, what sink do you have?

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! We use the Kraus 15x20 sink 👍🏻

[@LoriAnnOnTheRoad]

Brilliant! Thanks Guys!

[@TimKatie]

Thanks for watching! 😊

[@edojidai9341]

Hey! I just wantedto let you know you're awesome and I will buy your book!

[@TimKatie]

Thank you for your support! 😊

[@justinelliott4084]

So I love this set up never saw one like it. But very important question, where is your toilet?

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! In this build we just had a collapsible bag style toilet stored under the bed, but in our current van we’re planning for a cassette toilet under the rear bench seat or in the shower

[@soulsisster8235]

That’s fantastic!!

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! 😊

[@aitanaviajera]

very clever system! I like it

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@lamadavid1]

Really cool! Do you have an estimated total cost for building the system in your ebook?

[@TimKatie]

Thanks! It should be very doable for under $2000 USD. Last year we did it for around $1300-1400 USD (for everything: lumber, sheet vinyl, pump, shower pan, heater, etc) but I know materials have gone up in price

[@JeanYvesHudon]

that's awesome, just got the ebook as well. A couple questions; any issue with lack of suction at the pump? Also since you are pumping, the water heater is your pressure vessel right? I am asking because thinking using same principle but with hydronic heat exchanger; how would you configure this? I want to avoid a grey tank below the drain as well.

[@TimKatie]

Awesome! We hope you find it helpful. No we haven’t had any issues with suction at the pump. If anything we notice a slight drop in water pressure as the filters start to get clogged/needing to be changed. Yes correct about the water heater, but honestly I’m not sure if it’s necessary so you may do fine without a specific holding tank. You could test it just with the heat exchanger and then add a small (e.g 2 gallon) holding tank before or after if needed to help with pressure?

[@lifewithkrisb]

Do you think you would make a side chapter about having the composting toilet there instead of the recirculating shower? I love that idea and truly believe it is a game changer in van builds.

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! Yes - coming soon :)

[@lifewithkrisb]

Awesome! Now if only you would make a DIY van build pdf. Take my money!!!@@TimKatie

[@bryans8348]

Tim, been researching recirculating showers like yours... I have one question, how do you handle hot water that needs to go to the sink for dishes? I assume you have only one water heater and you don't use the bathing water to wash dishes. Or do you use two separate water heaters? I'm planning on using a tankless unit and possibly using solenoids to direct the heated water towards the sink or the shower? Problems with this idea as well I can see... thoughts? Thank you.

[@TimKatie]

Hey Bryan. Good question. You are correct - in this design there is no hot water at the sink and if wanted a second hot water tank/heater would need to be added. I wanted to keep it a completely separate loop to avoid any chance of contamination. Personally I would probably go with a hydronic or Bobilvans water heater with multiple heat exchanges to keep them separate.

[@scotschmidt6683]

If the usage is 3.5 gallons. What is the size of the hot water heater? 6 gallon is the smallest I have found in the US that has a drain. I went to manufacture's websites, google was no help and found a 2.5 gallon with drain. They stated in Canada it is a two gallon. Thanks for the push. I was about to give up.

[@TimKatie]

Great question. This was actually one of the hardest things to find/confirm for this design. The hot water tank is 2 gallons and it was the only (small) point of use model I could find that has a drain

[@briang1561]

This is awsome!

[@TimKatie]

Thanks Brian! 😊

[@billrutgers8412]

I think that Rheem may not be making the 2.5 gallon water heater with a drain valve any longer. I found one but it look a lot of Google searching to find a retailer that had one in stock.

[@pokerbuddy2227]

Nice! But what about changing the filters? How often? Can you just flush them out? How much do the filters cost?

[@TimKatie]

Water gets drained/refilled every ~6 showers (at which point we also clean out strainers), and system cleaned with 10% bleach after ~15 showers (at this point remove filters to spray/flush them out, replace as needed). Sediment filter ($10) after ~1-2 months, carbon ($30) ~4-6 mths, UV ($90) ~1-2 yrs

[@lan.o]

Great video, thanks T&K

[@gabriellebastien2794]

Hey guys! Thank you so much for making this available. I wanna buy the ebook but would really like to know first : how much do all the parts cost to build?

[@TimKatie]

Hey Gabrielle, thanks for the comment and support! The entire shower (framing, plumbing, finishing etc) should be well under $2000 USD 👍🏻

[@jenniferdurham2782]

Very cool. Not clear how you use the water heater. Does the water reflow through the heater as it recycles? So used water is in the water heater? Do you have a separate water heater for the kitchen sink?

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! Yes the recirculating shower water flows through the heater as it recirculates. It is an entirely separate loop and does not interact with the kitchen sink. This van does not have a heater for the sink side but yes, if it did then it would need a separate water heater for the sink 😊

[@jenniferdurham2782]

@@TimKatie I wonder if that will make the water heater wear our sooner. Thanks!

[@Thedestressguy]

Hi Tim and Katie. Alway nice to see a new take on an old challenge. We have the 148 wheelbase transit and are interested in your system however floor space is at a premium. I have a few question which I hope you can answer. Can you give us a rough estimate of the amount of space your current system takes up under the bench seat shown in the video (6:45) please. Is the whole system inside the van? We would also like to know how many filters you use. I've found that many use the 3 filter systems with UV and of course the pre filters before the pump. And finally, how many gal. is your other kitchen water system. Exciting times for our build. Thanks again.

[@TimKatie]

Thanks Robert! The space in the bench seat is around 18” H x 16” D x 20” W, but it could be squished into a slightly smaller space if needed. Yes the entire system is inside the van (other than drain). Our system uses 5 filters total. We have a 34 gallon freshwater tank on the kitchen side.

[@Thedestressguy]

@@TimKatie Ok great. Thanks for the insights and answers. A bit more research and we'll move ahead with this. Happy travels.

[@TimKatie]

@@Thedestressguy No problem. Good luck and happy travels!

[@seanxxwang]

Think out of box here - entry point, where van's largest vacant space is, should be configured as a shower space, 360 degree curtain rail on top, a hidden water pan under floor bottom. The shower head & knobs should stay in attached, just fold and store in nearby wall or ceiling while not using. Maybe curtain is reused as window or cabinet curtain with a derailed track. Water pan might be covered by foldable wood floor tiles. Reason are 1) shower in use is very small percentage time, the shower space should be released while not using, 2) the bigger shower space, the better. The largest vacant space in the van is entry point, 3) when showing, likely not in & out, vice versa. It is like using 2 trekking poles to erect tent in the night when it's daytime duty as hiking poles are yet to resume. Of course, implementation require creativity.

[@thegreenfairywisdom]

can you make a video about your regular maintenance of this system ? And i am talking about the real life service, so how you empty the filters how you clean them and etc Thank you

[@TimKatie]

We’re hoping to finish our new van in the next couple weeks here with near identical recirculating shower design and will try to do a video on this in the future 👍🏻

[@thegreenfairywisdom]

@@TimKatie Hi ya Thank you for the quick reply and will be waiting for it. Keep safe

[@Firebat45]

You talked about getting the water tested on your reddit thread - I'm super interested in a recirculating shower like yours and would be happy to buy the ebook if there was some empirical data to show that it was safe (at least, relative to municipal water).

[@TimKatie]

Thanks! We are actually on the middle of our water testing study - we are testing the following samples: city tap water, water once it has cycled through the shower loop, (control), 1, 3, 6, 9 showers. The first few tests have gone well and we’ll be sending the 6 shower sample for testing tomorrow morning and hope to post a video showing/discussing all of the results next week 😊 If you’re in a rush to get your system, feel free to dm us on Instagram and I can send you the first test results

[@Firebat45]

@@TimKatie That's great to hear! I am still in the build process so I can wait, for now. It'll be a couple of months before I get to the shower.

[@TimKatie]

@@Firebat45 Sounds good! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions 😊

[@Leons_camper]

Good stuff.

[@TimKatie]

Thanks!

[@day1player]

I might have missed this, but, what happens with the water when you’re driving around? Is it sloshing in the bottom of the shower?

[@TimKatie]

Good question! We make sure to remove any excess water so none if visibly in the pan, then there's no water sloshing in the pan (pump one way check valve is close to the shower pan and prevents any backflow)

[@mx2dy]

Can I ask, since many people don't use the pan/vinyl wall approach, what steps did you take to seal the pan in place and water proof it before applying the caulking along the edges?

[@madeinhungary]

I would like to know which soap,shower gel is the best to use with recircling shower?

[@AJourneyOfYourSoul]

Do you have hot water for the sink? If so, put in a water to water heat exchanger with another pump so you can take hot showers without the water temperature getting colder. Or just use the hot water heater you have for the shower with an exchanger.

[@TimKatie]

No we don’t have a hot water tank for the sink. Only the shower. Great idea! The only downside I see would be the need to plumb across the hall but definitely something to consider for our next van! Thanks for the suggestion 🙏🏻

[@garypaolucci4282]

I purchased your shower E book awhile back and I'm having trouble sourcing one of the Parts. abs dwv adapter 1 1/2 in spigot x 1/2 in female thread, for dishwasher. It's the part after the Hepvo valve . Can you send me a link as to where I can get this part. Thanks

[@TimKatie]

Hey Gary, It was a tricky one to source! Here’s the link: www.rona.ca/en/product/ipex-abs-fitting-dishwasher-adapter-use-on-drain-waste-and-vent-system-1-1-2-in-dia-x-1-2-in-dia-027277-0068240

[@garypaolucci4282]

@@TimKatie Yeah that is a tough one, Unfortunately that distributor doesn’t ship outside Canada. How important is that HEPVO setup to the system? if water smell is an issue, I think its time to change the water. can I just put a ball valve in its place so I can close it off when I use the air line?

[@TimKatie]

@@garypaolucci4282 ah sorry to hear. I thought you may be able to use the brand name/part number to find one locally. But you’re right - you could probably go without a hepvo valve and install a dedicated check valve or just use the pump as a check valve (depending on distance of the shower pan drain to the pump). Personally I will be reconsidering using the hepvo valve on our next van

[@theb190experience9]

Hey guys, I bought the PDF and plan on installing this in my van. What convinced me was the water tests you ran in one of your later videos, that was some impressive work on your end. Since the shower has it's own HW source, what are you using for your kitchen? I currently have a 6g propane HW, but I'm pretty sure that will be overkill once the shower is taken off the HW line. Any recommendations?

[@TimKatie]

Thanks for the support! We’re happy to hear you found the testing info useful. We actually left the kitchen sink as cold water only in our last van. If you already have propane in place then that should work great (although overkill as you said). You could swap it out for a small 2 or 4 gall HW tank depending on your battery bank

[@theb190experience9]

@@TimKatie LOl, you know, I never even considered going with just cold water. That solves the problem nicely, and allows me to get rid of my current HW system and use that space for the recirculating shower.

[@TimKatie]

@@theb190experience9 haha, that’s perfect then. On the rare occasion we needed hot water at the sink we just heated it up with the kettle. Good luck with your build!

[@cocktailchatter]

Nice job! What type sediment/carbon, size filters (10”x2.5”?), micron level, and uv filter did you use?

[@TimKatie]

Thank you! 🙏🏻 All of the exact fittings and individual filter components are listed in the ebook if you’re interested 😊 We’ve been really happy with this shower setup and plan to do an identical recirc shower in our next van. We just completed water testing (will share the video with results soon) and after 9 showers water is still quite clean 👍🏻

[@RodricWeiland]

@@TimKatie I did buy the ebook. It's very helpful and I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in building one of these showers. I'm guessing that it's the soaps that are the most difficult parts for the filters to deal with. I would be interested to know which filters tend to catch the most soap and which filters clog up the most and how difficult it is to clean them. Some pics / videos of that process in real life use would be very good

[@TimKatie]

@@RodricWeiland Thanks so much for the feedback. We’re glad you found the eBook helpful and will try to share more content about those aspects once we finish the shower in our current build. It was mainly the 5 micron sediment filter that got clogged up, so we’re considering adding a spin down filter to increase duration between cleaning. Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap worked great for us, but still slowly builds up in the carbon filter

[@jeanbuckley5917]

What is the Maintenance and cleaning the filters, step-by-step instructions

[@jamilchavez4592]

How often are you having to pull apart all of your filters to do maintenance on the system? Other van owners with a recirculating system tend to have a pretty tedious maintenance scheduled for their showers and that’s what I would consider the biggest con of them so far. Still worth it tho!

[@TimKatie]

Definitely! The water gets drained/refilled every ~5 showers, and system cleaned with 10% bleach after ~15 showers. For the filter replacements: Sediment filter ($20) after ~2-3 months, carbon ($30) ~4-6 mths, UV ($90) ~1-2 yrs

[@johnchamberlin8864]

Tim and Katie. Please tell me what material, and it’s source, was used on your shower walls. Thx - John & Becky

[@TimKatie]

Thanks for the comment John and Becky: we used sheet vinyl flooring and were able to source it from our local flooring store (End of the Roll)

[@CorEbuzzBee]

@@TimKatie I've been thinking about doing that too. Did you do a water proofed ply, then vinyl flooring, then epoxy or something? Wasn't sure how to best waterproof it. Is it holding up well?

[@TimKatie]

@@CorEbuzzBee Yes we did 2 coats of poly on Baltic birch walls, then special PVC strips at wall junctions, then caulking. Ya it’s holding up great and are planning to do the same design in our next van 👍🏻

[@CorEbuzzBee]

@@TimKatie Already planning your next build eh! Impressive. I am already sure, I am one and done! :)

[@TimKatie]

@@CorEbuzzBee Thanks! Haha yeah we actually already have the new van here and subfloor installed 🙈

[@ronbeardsley5961]

Super setup! Guessing at some point an extra 5 or 10 minutes cleaning and/or changing screens and filters?

[@TimKatie]

Thanks Ron! Ya exactly, we swap out for fresh water every ~5 showers which takes less than 5 minutes, and then filters/strainers are cleaned every ~15 showers (sediment filter every few months, carbon 6-12 months and UV 1-2 yrs)

[@ronbeardsley5961]

@@TimKatie the UV has a great lifespan! You two are doing so much for van life, thank you!

[@TimKatie]

@@ronbeardsley5961 Thanks for the kind words and for following along!

[@sarahchelsey5388]

Amazing 🤩

[@michaelgiorgio7447]

is there a soap, an a shampoo that you recommend specifically for a recirculating shower that cuts down on soap scum. What's been your best solution?

[@TimKatie]

We found Dr. Bronner’s all natural liquid soap works the best 👍🏻

[@mauropignotti8925]

Hi! After 3 years, is the recirculation system still working? What problems did you have?

[@davidkharns524]

Thank you for this video! I'm also looking to put in a recirculating shower in my Transit van build, so I'm very interested in what you've done here. I do have a couple of questions for you: 1) You said that you run the water heater for 15 min to warm up the water before taking a shower, and then run it for another 15 min. This sounds like you're running the water heater during your shower, and that the thermostat is preset to the temperature you want the water to be, so it maintains that temperature during your shower. Is that accurate? 2) I noticed that when you fill the shower pan with water to pressurize your system, there was always water in the bottom of your shower pan. Does this mean that between showers there is water in the bottom of the shower pan? If so, do you have concerns about standing water in your shower pan? Thanks!

[@TimKatie]

Thanks for the comment. We hope you found it helpful! 1) Yes, exactly. If it’s hot out/summertime and we don’t mind the water temp cooling off to lukewarm while we shower then we just run the hot water tank once for 15 min to pre-heat before showering. 2) Good question - while we’re showering yes, there needs to be a slight extra amount of water in the pan so there is no break in water flow (due to water accumulating on body, hair, etc before returning to drain) - but we don’t let it sit in the pan after showering. We simply remove ~1 cup of water from the system after showering so that there isn’t any remaining in the pan. I hope that helps 😊 Feel free to message us on Instagram @thetriointransit if you’d like to discuss further or have any questions about the eBook!

[@davidkharns524]

Thanks! Appreciate the quick reply!

[@TimKatie]

@Andrew Stead Correct. Depending how much water gets removed by clinging to body/hair/towelling off sometimes we don’t need to remove any after showering and only need to add.

[@krow272]

Was it the UV filter that required the inverter on? If that's the only thing that requires the inverter, why not a 12V UV filter?

[@TimKatie]

No, the hot water tank is 120V 1400 watt. It can be converted to 12V if preferred (as well as the UV light) but then the amount of time to heat the water would increase 👍🏻

[@ItsMeHasanO]

Do you have a separate hot water heater for your sink?

[@TimKatie]

No we don’t in this van. We just heat up water on the stove or kettle if needed for the sink 👍🏻

[@montycarlo8387]

Wonder what’s the largest tank you could buy ?

[@mattwoodford1820]

What is the rough cost of this system? How much of that was the water heater?

[@ZillaYT]

Hmmmm, filling the shower pan from the sink is kinda of a hack. And especially you can mix hot/cold water?

[@victoriajones6229]

Can you give me a sense of how much this setup costs? Want to decide if it's even realistic for me before I buy the e-book. Thanks!

[@TimKatie]

Sure thing - total costs for framing, plumbing etc should be around/under $1500 USD

[@larrylieberman7902]

Couple of questions. Does the purchase of the ebook have the entire recirculating setup or just the build of the shower? Is there a bypass for the recirculating shower if you have ready accessibility to plenty of water and no need to use the filter process? Also, I've looked and haven't seen any new videos relative to your new build and the process, have you slowed down?

[@TimKatie]

Thanks for the comment. I've tried to answer your questions below: 1. It includes the entire recirculating shower design, components, and setup as well as the design and build of the shower, sheet vinyl installation, etc. 2. There is not a bypass in our design but it shouldn't be too difficult to add one if preferred. 3. We recently posted a new video about the window install - but you're right we are behind on editing! We both work full time as well as building the van and have fallen behind on editing, but are currently finishing the bed, upper cabinets, and shower framing on the build. If you're interested, we post more current/regular updates on our instagram @thetrioinstransit :) I hope that helps!

[@schpoe123]

You need to take it to the next level and finish the system where you can fill within and give it adjustments for hot and cold

[@TimKatie]

Haha maybe eh. Have some ideas on that…

[@sprocketvan]

We get "cold" water in our design by diverting some of the water to the "cold" side of the shower valve instead of sending all of the water back to the dedicated heat exchanger that creates the hot water for the shower. It cools down quite a bit as it travels thru the filters before we split if off to send some to the heat exchanger. Our hot water comes from using the Rixen system and we just added a second dedicated heat exchanger for the shower to keep the water completely separate from the sink.

[@billrutgers8412]

I am interested in buying your ebook but the website to purchase dose not seem to be accepting any credit cards. Let me know when it is back up and running.

[@TimKatie]

Thanks, Bill. We only use PayPal for eBook sales but it should allow you to pay with credit card through PayPal. Feel free to send us an email if you have any questions: [e-mail]

[@CosmicSeeker69]

04:17. ! Diagonal drains are the answer. 05:20 NO!? I've waited ages and no mixer 😣

[@TimKatie]

Definitely - the shower pan is sloped towards the drain but depending on the tilt of one’s van it may be worth building up more of a slope for the pan. Re the lack of a mixing valve: I know eh - it’s a tradeoff with this design but could be incorporated if you wanted to go with a more complex system.

[@bikeninja956]

@@TimKatie damn man, how much more complex would that be?? ie. was it that big of a issue preventing you from doing it??..... getting the water into the pan the way you do it now seems a little rudimentary for such a nice build...

[@TimKatie]

@@bikeninja956 ya in our next van we’ll use a long enough faucet hose so that we don’t need the extra rudimentary extension hose, but otherwise we don’t mind that extra step to fill up the loop. It’s definitely an option to plumb it up that way (likely under the floor would be easiest/cleanest) but I don’t see it as being that much benefit

[@bikeninja956]

@@TimKatie OK, good to know! awesome build tho, some seriously nice work in there...have fun!

[@TimKatie]

@@bikeninja956 Thank you! 🙏🏻 Cheers!

[@konorrockhill6191]

did you buy the espar hydronic system?

[@TimKatie]

No, the shower uses an electric (120V) hot water tank

[@livingworkingoutsidebox]

The concept is great the systems are very cool. Have you experienced any break downs or malfunctions? BTW the push lighted pump switch for the sink is cool. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@patricialacava4472]

How do I order the e-book?

[@TimKatie]

Click the link here (also in description). Thanks for watching! payhip.com/b/QB7ck

[@jtcotter6899]

What was the cost for this system

[@bingchou]

How do you drain water inside the filters？

[@TimKatie]

There’s a blow out valve so they can be blown out when draining the system

[@1aquaholic]

Filters don't pull out the soap right? So once you use soap it's stuck in the system until you drain it?

[@TimKatie]

We found that Dr. Bronner's all natural liquid soap didn't clog up the filters and wasn't noticable in the water quality until after 6-7 showers. We shared another video about water quality testing

[@1aquaholic]

@@TimKatie I just watched that video it was great thanks for putting all this up so those of us that are considering building one for ourselves can really get the info we need, it's invaluable.

[@TimKatie]

@@1aquaholic You’re welcome! I’m glad you found it helpful. I hope to share more content soon as I plumb the recirculating shower in our current build 👍🏻

[@mobonds1]

What about cleaning the filters?

[@TimKatie]

Filters are all easily accessible in the bench seat. Water gets drained/refilled every ~5 showers, and system cleaned with 10% bleach after ~15 showers. Sediment filter ($20) after ~2 months, carbon ($30) ~4-6 mths, UV ($90) ~1-2 yrs. HOWEVER, we are currently testing shower water quality (after 1, 3, 6, 9 showers) and will be posting a video with the results soon 😊

[@mobonds1]

@@TimKatie Thank you for that information.

[@DCJJ24DCJJ24]

How do you know about the weight needing to be heavier in the back for it to drain? Did you guys find out the hard way? Lol

[@Liamxroyce_travels]

Where are the shower panels from

[@TimKatie]

We found them at our local flooring store. They are sheet vinyl

[@arturjed2618]

Filters system missing.

[@hawaiidogs9277]

Ty

[@Gazmeizster_Wongatron]

0:25 So beautiful ❤

[@villamaxification]

How much does it cost for that system?

[@TimKatie]

The entire shower (framing and plumbing) was around $1500 CAD, and I estimate the filters needed for recirculating portion account for ~$500 of that.

[@bikeninja956]

@@TimKatie how much are filters when swapping them out?

[@TimKatie]

@@bikeninja956 we swap out for fresh water every ~5 showers which takes less than 5 minutes, and then filters/strainers are cleaned every ~15 showers (sediment filter ($20) every few months, carbon ($30) 6-12 months and UV ($90) 1-2 yrs)

[@villamaxification]

@@TimKatie do you have to connect the shower water container to the main water tank ? Or just pour 3.5 gallons of water to the shower filter system whenever we need to take a shower?

[@TimKatie]

@@villamaxification as we showed in the video you need to fill the shower loop itself using the main water supply (via the sink faucet), but once the loop is full you just use it like a normal shower. You don’t need to refill it everytime

[@tampahiker5334]

Where are you located?

[@TimKatie]

BC, Canada

[@BABYDOLL87LOVELY]

I LOVE WATCHING CAMPER CONSTRUCTIONS AND RENOVATIONS BUT I SEE A LOT OF THE SAME DESIGNS SET UPSM THE POSITIONING OF BATHROOM IS AN EXAMPLE. I WOULD WANT MY BATHROOM TO THE RIGHT OF ENTRY. INSTEAD OF PASSRNGER SEAT...AND A SMALL MODERN LOVESEAT NEXT TO DINING BOOTH. OR NIX THE BOOTH FOR SOFA AND FOLABLE TABLE. WITH A TV ON A SWIVER SOMEWHERE SO IT COULD BE WATCHED FROM BED OR LOVESEAT.