How to build a warm shower. How to build a country shower: design options, components, results
Of course, before you start building, you will have to make drawings of a warm shower in the country with your own hands in order to calculate all the materials, and in addition, the technical capabilities with which you are going to endow this building.
Indeed, often heated water occurs in such buildings only in hot weather, that is, it is heated naturally, depending on weather conditions, but it can also be forced heating.
It is about this forced method of heating water, as well as about the insulation of the architectural structure itself, that we want to tell you, and also bring to your attention the video in this article.
Warm shower box
How to supply hot water
- The main problem for a shower that is separate from the house is hot or at least warm water - if this can be organized in a building from a common system, then autonomy is needed here. In this case, the most convenient option is a flow-through electric heater, because almost any country house is connected to the mains, therefore, the installation of such a device is a minor technical problem, where the safety instructions from electric shock must be observed.
- Let's say right away that this is not some kind of super option - the device does not heat water to a very high temperature, especially if it is cold, but, given the very specifics of a country shower, warm water will be enough for you. In most cases, even if the price of the device is high, it will not heat water above 40 ⁰C, but you are unlikely to need more.
- Another option is a hot water supply from the house.- pipes are laid underground and insulated, but during transportation there are too large heat losses, and if this does not bother you, then this option is better than the first one.
How to heat a shower
Of course, in the summer you will not have a question about how to heat the shower stall - it will already be warm or even hot there, but in the spring or autumn, when you plant a garden or harvest, in your soul it will most likely seem too chilly. But you can make such a box with heating and here, they are the best fit and there are good reasons for this.
Firstly, the IR panel will heat up a small room very quickly, since there is a special principle of giving off heat calories - the panel will not heat the air, but nearby objects, which will just become a source of heat.
Secondly, such devices can be installed in any place convenient for you - on the floor, on the ceiling and on the wall, and, thirdly, they can be easily turned off and removed. This very “third”, perhaps, is the dominant factor in favor of IR systems - they will not be stolen, since you will have the opportunity to bring them into the house for the winter, or even take them to the city.
Note. Infrared heaters come in not only different power, but also different configurations.
That is, it can be a device in the form of a panel, but it can also be a film type - the latest models can be installed under wall and ceiling cladding.
How to keep warm in the country shower
So, we need an insulated shower in the country, that is, given that our construction will be quite simple, most likely from boards or OSB, this will not be enough to keep the cold from the street inside. Two materials are best suited here as thermal insulation - mineral wool (glass or stone (basalt), but not slag) and polystyrene foam (in extreme cases, extruded polystyrene foam, but it is much more expensive).
The process of laying such insulation is actually no different from installation in other rooms - all the same frame and fasteners that are most suitable for the material used.
But there is one very important nuance here, which arises in connection with the specifics of the shower box - it is constantly humid there, therefore, thermal insulation must be protected from water splashes. If you are doing installation from the side of the street, then this question disappears, as it were, by itself, but inside it is extremely important, otherwise you risk getting fungus and mold there.
Foil - excellent waterproofing
So, it is best to cover the insulation with an ordinary thick cellophane film, and then cover this entire structure with foil or any thin foil insulation, as shown in the photo above. Here you immediately, as it were, "kill two birds with one stone" - protect the insulation from moisture penetration and create an infrared reflector.
The fact is that the foil has an excellent property - it reflects infrared rays, therefore, the overexpenditure of heat calories in boxing will be minimal.
Note. It is very important that you insulate not only the walls, but also the ceiling, because according to the laws of physics, the heated air rises and if there is poor thermal insulation, then the warm air will evaporate very quickly.
The same applies to the waterproofing of the ceiling - the steam, rising up, will be reflected by the foil insulation.
Plumbing nuances
Since we are insulating the shower box on the street, it is quite natural that we will not make a drain (lattice) floor there, since cold air will flow from below and all heating will be useless. In such cases, of course, it is best to fill the floor with a concrete screed with insulation, which is most often used as an expanded clay pillow laid on a layer of sand.
That is, the screed is poured here according to all the rules - the soil is planned, then a waterproofing film is laid with a twist on the walls, then a layer of sand 2-3 cm is poured and after that - an expanded clay cushion, the thickness of which depends on the coldness of the soil, but not less than 4-5 cm.
Do not think that we have made a reservation about - the film is needed here not so that water does not get into the soil, but so that the pillow is dry - thereby reducing the thermal conductivity of materials.
You will need to mount a drain on the floor and take it to the general sewer, to a septic tank, or dig a cesspool nearby, only use it exclusively for soapy water. But still, the best option would be a septic tank - you will not only not pollute the soil, but also will not dilute the unpleasant odors that stagnant water exudes.
Conclusion
You understand that building a wooden box is easy enough, but how to make it so that you can wash in it during the cold season is a completely different question. So such a seemingly insignificant building in this case will turn out to be a capital object, but if you bring water underground, you can wash there at any time of the year.
How nice it is to escape from the stuffy metropolis and find yourself in your dacha! Fragrant greenery, birds singing and friendly sun - it's wonderful. But, if there is no summer shower on your site, hot days will turn from relaxation into torture. But it’s not at all difficult to build a garden shower for a heated cottage with your own hands. It is only necessary to approach this process in detail.
Choosing a place for a shower in the country
Before proceeding with the construction of a summer shower, it is necessary to determine exactly where it will be located. Basic selection rules:
- Locate the shower stall in a sunny location. It is desirable to find an area where the sun penetrates throughout the day. Then you can rinse with refreshing water at any time.
- The shower stall should be on a hill for the best outflow of water. Showering will use a lot of water. Stagnation of water under the booth is fraught with erosion of the soil and, as a result, loss of stability of the structure. Also, stagnant water will lead to unpleasant odors.
- Lack of drafts and visibility. Despite the fact that the wind is warm in summer, the presence of airflow can bring you a lot of trouble.
It is worth considering that the location of the shower in the most prominent place is not desirable from an aesthetic point of view.
Organization of draining warm water
The best solution is to connect the drain to the gutter. If it is missing, dig a hole not far from the shower stall. Using a hose or pipe, connect the drain hole to the pit. The platform for the summer shower should be tilted towards the drain pit.
In this case, the used water will flow freely along the inclined pipe.
Equip the bottom of the shower cabin with a tray or make a container for draining water yourself. To do this, fill the area with concrete of the size you need. Place bricks around the perimeter that will serve as a side.
The shower drain cover must be provided with a waterproof cover. The following materials are suitable for this:
- ruberoid,
- hydrostekloizol,
- concrete with the addition of PVA,
- PVC film.
It is a mistake to use clay for drainage. Such flooring will wash out with water over time.
How much will it cost is detailed in this article.
How to build a country shower and toilet so that they do not interfere with each other is detailed in.
Shower cabin and dressing room
Designing a cabin for a country shower
The width and depth of the shower cabin must be at least 1 * 1 m, and the height of 2 m and above. The space inside the finished structure should be enough to turn around, raise your arms and bend over without obstacles.
It should also be noted that in the booth there should be a place for a dressing room where water will not penetrate. For the locker room, it will be enough to allocate 60 cm. Thus, the optimal size of the shower will be 1.6 m * 1 m. A wooden beam can serve as a material for the frame. The standard diameter of the racks for such a structure is 100 * 100 mm.
Various methods can be used to give stability:
- Concrete every part of the frame;
- Attach the lower corners of the structure to pegs driven deep into the ground.
When designing a shower stall, consider the design of the buildings in your yard. The shower room should not stand out from the general style.
Installation or how to do it yourself
Cut the timber to the length you need. Connect the side parts of the frame in the form of frames. Reinforce each frame in the middle with jumpers from distortions. Jumpers are made from the same beam and should be installed at an angle of 45 degrees.
If you decide to make a shower cubicle with a size of 1.6 * 1 m, then the side parts will be 1 m, the back - 1.6 m, and the front 1 m, since in the front part it is necessary to leave a space for the door equal to 60 cm. For for a convenient passage to the shower room, it is not recommended to make a door less than 60 cm. Then you should connect the frames.
Before fastening the frames together, make sure that their diagonals match.
Having fastened the frames, reinforce them with jumpers at the top and bottom. Thus, you will get a solid frame, which can be closed with polycarbonate or any suitable material. It will be interesting to know that along with a shower, you can also build a toilet, as well as a utility block, but how to do it correctly will help you figure out the content.
Install the resulting structure over the prepared inclined platform for water drainage. Use a spirit level to level the shower frame horizontally and vertically. Stuff the slats on the bottom jumper. Leave a distance between them so that the water drains freely down onto an inclined platform.
For the shower door, make a frame in the same way: assemble a frame from 4 planks of timber and reinforce them with jumpers crosswise to protect the door from warping. The size of the frame should be approximately 1 cm smaller than the opening for the doors to open freely.
- slate,
- lining,
- moisture resistant OSB,
- cellophane,
- plastic,
- glass.
Please note that any of the materials listed must be opaque.
After choosing the base, cut the walls to the desired size and install them on the frame frames. The top and bottom of the booth do not need to be closed completely for good ventilation. The door must be cut separately. Install the doors on the hinges and sheathe the door with cellophane so that water does not get on the timber. But, so that it would not be expensive and very simple, it is indicated in the article.
Capacity: tank, barrel or water tank
The minimum volume of the water tank should be 100 liters, the maximum - 500 liters. Installed on support posts above the shower.
Please note that the material from which the outdoor shower tank is made must not be subject to corrosion. The best option would be plastic or stainless steel. If you chose the plastic option, you need to not only install it on supports, but also tie it to them. Since in the event of strong gusts of wind, an empty container may fall.
It is best to purchase a flat tank with a fitting thread for screwing in a tap. If this is not found, make a hole for the faucet yourself.
It is good if your container is equipped with a lid, thanks to which the water will not clog. The cover can be made of metal, plastic, glass or cellophane.
Water supply to the tank can be carried out manually or using a pump. The latter option is preferable.
Sources of water heating in the summer shower
The water in the garden shower can be heated in various ways.
Firewood
To increase the temperature of the water in the summer shower with firewood, install a stove next to the cabin. On its surface, place an expansion tank that will push hot water into the main shower tank. The principle of the expansion tank is the constant circulation of water.
Hot water from the heating system will go up, cold water from the tank above the shower will go down. The connection between the expansion tank and the main tank will be a metal pipe.
With a wood-burning heating system, you need to use a metal container for water, not a plastic one.
Electricity
Install a boiler or heating element with a power of 2 kW or more in the water tank. If you use a heating element to heat water, it must be inserted into the bottom of the water tank. The boiler is lowered into the tank from above. But be sure to monitor the water level during the heating process. Otherwise, your appliances may burn out.
To prevent a short circuit, the wire stretched from the outlet to the shower must be one-piece. A thermometer should be installed on the water tank, which will indicate when the heating devices can be turned off. Or purchase a tank with automatic heating, where there is control not only of the temperature, but also of the water level.
A good option for a summer shower with electric heating would be to use 2 tanks at once: a large one for cold, a small one for hot water. In this case, each family member will be able to choose a comfortable temperature for themselves. Get a faucet to mix hot and cold water.
As in the case of heating with wood, it is not recommended to use a plastic tank along with heating appliances.
The sun
The most economical and hassle-free heating option is the sun's rays.
It is more convenient to rinse in the midday heat - which means that the shower stall should be in the place where the rays penetrate in the morning; If you prefer an evening shower, choose an area that receives the sun during the day so that the water has time to warm up. Find out how to make a country toilet without a cesspool.
The shower cubicle should be located in a place that the sun heats all day. If this was not found, decide at what time it will be more comfortable for you to use the shower.
How to enhance the effect of heating by sunlight?
- Paint the water tank black. The sun's rays warm up dark colors the most.
- Wrap the shady side of the tank with foil, as this material will keep the heat inside the tank.
- Using an additional frame, stretch a plastic film over the open tank, which will create a greenhouse effect.
Conclusion
After the final installation of the summer shower, you can create a certain style by adding a few details to it. Plant moisture-loving plants around the booth that will not only please the eye, but also contribute to accelerated drainage. Decorate your shower room with decorative elements to turn an ordinary cubicle into a bright accent of your garden area. Read about a country shower with heating and a locker room.
A country shower with heating and a dressing room is, perhaps, the dream of any lover of a country holiday, because after working in the garden, most of all you want to wash and relax under the streams of warm water. We will consider design options and tell you how to make a do-it-yourself heated shower in a country house.
Features and varieties
Characteristic differences
Speaking about the country shower, it is worth paying attention to a number of significant features that distinguish it from ordinary bathrooms. These differences determine how to solve technical problems and how to implement specific models and structures in a suburban area.
The most important distinguishing features are:
- The shower room is located outside the house on the site and does not have a heating system, thick walls and a roof. That is why this design is called summer;
- Even a warm shower cannot fully guarantee winter operation.. As a rule, such structures allow normal use in conditions of summer and off-season cold snaps, but nothing more;
- There is no centralized water supply. Because of this, it is necessary to equip a special tank located above the booth to provide water pressure;
- There is no sewer system. This leads to the fact that for the normal operation of the shower, it is necessary to build a sewer and a septic tank for water purification. With a low intensity of use, you can limit yourself to the usual draining of water into the ground;
- No centralized hot water supply. This entails the need to build a heating system from the sun or electrical energy. Use of wood, gas and petrol heaters is possible.
Important!
The listed differences determine the features of the construction of a country shower, during which it is necessary to solve a number of technical problems: organize the supply and removal of water, ensure its heating to an acceptable temperature, build a booth.
As a rule, the owners of dachas build showers with their own hands, therefore the methods of their construction take on somewhat peculiar forms characteristic of folk art. We tried to weed out the excess and highlight the most acceptable design options.
Varieties
There are many ways to make a country shower. It can be both simple and unpretentious designs, and real masterpieces of engineering. We will not go to extremes and consider examples of proven and easy-to-implement solutions.
The most common example is country shower cabins with heated water from the sun. Here the heating problem is solved simply: since the shower is summer, the water tank is heated by sunlight, for which it is placed in an open area above the booth.
Itself is a barrel made of metal or plastic, any tank of sufficient volume can fit. From the bottom side, a branch pipe with a tap and a shower head is built into the tank. When the faucet is opened, water under its own weight begins to flow down, providing sufficient pressure for a comfortable wash.
The outer walls of the tank are covered with black paint for more intense absorption of infrared radiation from the sun. By lunchtime, the water is already quite warm, and by the end of the day it can warm up quite significantly.
A more modern version is a tank with a heating element connected to a 220 V network. Today, you can find ready-made shower cabins for summer cottages with heating in hardware stores, the price of which ranges from 10,000 rubles and more.
There are also ways to heat water with the help of wood-burning titans, and some craftsmen make a kind of gas column from a blowtorch and a radiator coil. These are all interesting, but not the most effective options.
Finally, there is a portable shower in the form of a bag made of rubber or a canister, which is suspended from a tree branch and can be used as a source of water. This, of course, is more of a hiking or tourist option.
Mounting
To make it easier for you to cope with the work, we have compiled a step-by-step guide:
- We clear a site of 2x1.5 meters, dig out a fertile layer of earth to a depth of 25 - 30 cm. We ram the earth, we make a backfill of a sand-gravel mixture 15 cm thick. We lay a plastic film on top, put a reinforcing cage, assemble the formwork and concrete the site with a 10 cm screed with a slight slope towards the septic tank;
- We make the lower trim around the perimeter from a beam of 100x100 mm, we connect the beam into half a tree and fasten it to the screed with anchors;
- We mount vertical racks from the same beam. We fasten them to the strapping with steel plates-corners on self-tapping screws or nails, set the racks according to the level;
A shower is simply necessary in the country, without it in any way. Especially if you get wet on shock work, or just warmed up in the sun. Vodichka will invigorate and refresh, and give strength for further achievements.
An important condition is that the barrel is flat and black
I think the ideal option is a flat container, which is painted black. If possible, the best solution would be to purchase a ready-made shower mold. Now they are available and available everywhere.
Summer residents in general are extremely smart people and prone to engineering experiments. Apparently, this is the only way to get high yields and ennoble your land. Over the years of dacha experimentation, people have invented many ways to get warm water at a minimum cost.
We take warm water from the top of the tank
The easiest method to use for heating water is to take it from the top of the tank, where it warms itself up the fastest. Traditional tanks have a significant drawback in that the coldest water pours from the horn from below, and warm water from above simply does not have time to reach.
There are, of course, craftsmen who make flat tanks at the top, this solves the problem. But if the barrel is high, then a float and a hose will help. See drawing diagram.
Such is the solution. You will need a hose with a length of one and a half to two meters. Yes, foam and a weight for a float. We insert a hose into the pipe that goes to the shower horn, attach the other end of the hose to a foam float, or some other floating material.
So we will always have the warmest water in the shower. Well, so that the hose does not have enough air, hang a weight that will keep the float with the hose in the water, immersed at some distance from the surface.
This is a simple yet effective method to always use warm water. On hot summer days, the water will always be hot. Sometimes even too much
Versions with drawings
Examples of heating a country shower
The figure on the left shows an example of heating a country shower using a float. Warm water is taken from above, cold water is not taken. The simplest convector is shown on the right, which allows you to heat the water in the tank.
The pipe is brought to the sunny side, takes water from below, warms it up and brings it up according to the principle of heat up, cold down. Thus, the tank warms up better, but it is optimal to add the first drawing to this scheme, so that the water intake also comes from above.
The middle drawing shows an example of saving water, you press the pedal with your foot and the water goes. It is necessary to lather the body - depress the pedal and save warm water.
Practical warm solution - flat tank
Since we are talking about heating the water column, the most reasonable solution, at the stage of building a shower, is to immediately install a flat tank. Such that the water has the largest possible spreading area, and, accordingly, heating from the sun.
If the water in the tank seems too hot to you, then you can separately install a container with cool water in the shady part of the shower. By bringing two nozzles to the horn, you can adjust the temperature for yourself and even on a hot afternoon take a shower at a comfortable temperature without burning yourself, but not freezing either.
Heating water with a heating element or boiler
The next option will be for those cases when the water cannot warm up enough. Because of the sun, or because of the chill of the night. After all, in May the nights are still quite cold, and in August-September they are already cold. In fact, we can only take a shower in the country without discomfort in June-July.
To solve the problem of cool water, the simplest thing is to heat the top layer with a boiler. Of course, for this you must have electricity in your country house. Place a board-rail on top of the barrel, hang a boiler on a rope from it.
Water heats up in about an hour and a half, but this depends primarily on the volume of the tank and on the ambient temperature. The boiler is able to heat only the upper layer of water, to the level of its immersion. But we don’t need more, since we have already installed the float with the hose!
It will be optimal to use a kilowatt boiler. It is able to warm up about 20 centimeters of the depth of the tank.
For washing two people, this volume of heated water will be enough. Most importantly, do not forget to unplug the boiler from the outlet while taking a shower! Precautions must be followed strictly. Is there a little…
Electric heater with a thermostat for a shower in the country
I considered the simplest options for heating the shower, such that a woman can use without male help. Men, I know, make built-in heating elements, and they install relays so that the water warms up to a certain temperature. But these are already more complex structures.
Video instruction - warm water from a whole barrel