Adding water shutoff for outside shower

[quicky06]

Has anyone added shut off valves for their outside shower?

Trying to extend my cold weather camping as far as possible. Thinking about putting shutoff valves so I can turn off the outside shower lines and make them dry. I have access to them Uber my linen closet. I use the blow out method to winterize so my thinking is to blow the lines dry then turn the valuables off then turn the water back on.

What do you think? And anyone have a good source for pex valves.

[Semperfi24]

I have never considered this modification, and thus havent investigated if its possible (for my unit) to access the lines prior to the outside shower to add a shut off. However, I think its a brilliant concept. I have never used the outside shower, but I'm forced to factor it in for winterizing. With valves I wouldnt need to worry about that. I will be following this thread, and if I give it a go with any success, I'll report back.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by quicky06

Has anyone added shut off valves for their outside shower?

Trying to extend my cold weather camping as far as possible. Thinking about putting shutoff valves so I can turn off the outside shower lines and make them dry. I have access to them Uber my linen closet. I use the blow out method to winterize so my thinking is to blow the lines dry then turn the valuables off then turn the water back on.

What do you think? And anyone have a good source for pex valves.

Any RV store or west marine would have a push button valve just like they use in most showers, your still going to have to drain the hose and head. Mine has a door, I just insulate the door.

[quicky06]

Originally Posted by Semperfi24

I have never considered this modification, and thus havent investigated if its possible (for my unit) to access the lines prior to the outside shower to add a shut off. However, I think its a brilliant concept. I have never used the outside shower, but I'm forced to factor it in for winterizing. With valves I wouldnt need to worry about that. I will be following this thread, and if I give it a go with any success, I'll report back.

The only reason I have it is for our dogs.

The one thing I would say is that you should still open the valves to fully winterize. If Iyou dint you will have water trapped in the line beetween the valves you installed and the closest “t” in he line.

[JohnD10]

All the insulation in the world won't stop your outside shower from freezing.

I know because I just had to replace mine from a freeze!

Reachable shutoffs for an outside shower should be mandatory on all RV's that have them, but the manufacturers are too cheap to put them in.

I've been trying to locate where the plumbing starts for the outside shower and as soon as I find it I'm either gonna just cut the lines and plug them, or put shutoffs on them.

As for winterizing, your best bet is, once you have shutoffs in place, run some RV anti freeze into that line until it is full, then shut the valves and ALWAYS leave them full of the pink stuff.

Problem solved!



Note the circled crack in the plastic between the knobs:

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by quicky06

The only reason I have it is for our dogs.

The one thing I would say is that you should still open the valves to fully winterize. If Iyou dint you will have water trapped in the line beetween the valves you installed and the closest “t” in he line.

Obviously if someone is winterizing their trailer and outside shower, then they will have opened the outside shower faucets to let the air flow and the antifreeze in???

[quicky06]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

Obviously if someone is winterizing their trailer and outside shower, then they will have opened the outside shower faucets to let the air flow and the antifreeze in???

I’m just saying it would be easy to forget that the lehutoffs have to be opened and winterized when not heating the interior.

[Witch Doctor]

I could be wrong, but the OP asked only to extend his season. To me that means a night temp dropping to below 32 but arising above 32 during the day, it is obvious that any extended freeze winterization should be done. Yes plastic can crack, you can use a shut off but you still have to have the line and head drained. How do you drain the fixture? Depending on the unit, such as mine the hose itself is stored in the body you pull it OUT. So not to over think freezing at a extended season only insulating the door on mine works just great, remember your low point drains that hang down, I even insulate them for a extended season, but I also installed shut offs on both so they are not exposed with water. Remember he's only during to extend his season not winterize. Good points through.

[A32Deuce]

Mine Tees off at the bathroom sink feed. I could put a shutoff there and forget,about it.

[quicky06]

Originally Posted by Witch Doctor

I could be wrong, but the OP asked only to extend his season. To me that means a night temp dropping to below 32 but arising above 32 during the day, it is obvious that any extended freeze winterization should be done. Yes plastic can crack, you can use a shut off but you still have to have the line and head drained. How do you drain the fixture? Depending on the unit, such as mine the hose itself is stored in the body you pull it OUT. So not to over think freezing at a extended season only insulating the door on mine works just great, remember your low point drains that hang down, I even insulate them for a extended season, but I also installed shut offs on both so they are not exposed with water. Remember he's only during to extend his season not winterize. Good points through.

Well my hope in extending my season I mean into single digits when I hunt.

In order to empty it I can blow the lines out with air, the trim the valves off, then turn water pump on.

Low Lonny drains are a different story. Those will be handled when I add heating pads to everything.

[Kimber45]

Pex fittings are available just about any hard ware store or big box store now. Only problem is the expense of the tool to make a few crimps. Very good idea of you have access. I was thinking a small batt of scrap fiberglass insulation pushed into the housing.

[KA1VCQ]

Use Stop & Waste type valves and "Sharkbite" type fittings. Fittings are not cheap but neither are the crimping tools.

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by Kimber45

Pex fittings are available just about any hard ware store or big box store now. Only problem is the expense of the tool to make a few crimps. Very good idea of you have access. I was thinking a small batt of scrap fiberglass insulation pushed into the housing.

Got my crimper from TSC for about $20. Not overly expensive. I needed it to fix a hot water bypass valve that broke, and since then used it to add a winterization bypass to the onboard water filter, and installed a proper hot water bypass in my parent’s seasonal so they don’t have to do the hokey method dad used to use. And now I’ve got it for any future needs as well. I feel I’ve gotten my money’s worth.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by quicky06

The only reason I have it is for our dogs.

The one thing I would say is that you should still open the valves to fully winterize. If Iyou dint you will have water trapped in the line beetween the valves you installed and the closest “t” in he line.

Amazon has PEX ball valves with a drain. They also have Sharkbite ball valves which don't require a special crimping tool.

Larry

[Murbella7]

Originally Posted by quicky06

Has anyone added shut off valves for their outside shower?

Trying to extend my cold weather camping as far as possible. Thinking about putting shutoff valves so I can turn off the outside shower lines and make them dry. I have access to them Uber my linen closet. I use the blow out method to winterize so my thinking is to blow the lines dry then turn the valuables off then turn the water back on.

What do you think? And anyone have a good source for pex valves.

My 5er came with a mixer tap set. Looking at the connections behind 'the wall', it seems easy enough to add one. Maybe that's not what you were thinking though.

[DocRob]

Like you I wanted to be able to camp in the late fall and early spring so I added heat to my fresh water tank and a shut off to the outside shower. On my rig there was an elbow/tee on the supply side and I put a sink shut off at that point. One thing to keep in mind is that the shower box isn't insulated so you need to add insulation to the box so that the supply lines aren't in a frozen environment. I used a combination of R-max and spray foam to insulate the box. Happy camping.

[Wandering]

Here is a great solution from Hoglou. outside shower cutoffs

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...d.php?t=150431

[dcheatwood]

Smart. The only freeze problem I've ever had was water freezing in the outside shower head and cracking it. Soaked the basement storage. Show pics when you're done. Thanks.

[JohnD10]

I'll be at a camping rally in Albuquerque in a couple of weeks and a friend of mine is going to help me locate where the outside shower lines originate from near the water pump in the front basement of my 5'ver.

He said that he's 99.999999999% positive that the lines are not teed off from the underside of my kitchen island, but have a complete separate run from near where the city and fresh water come in.

Once these are located and identified, I will install shutoffs on both the hot and cold to the shower, then drain all the water lines in the trailer, and run antifreeze (pink stuff) into the outside hot and cold water lines (until it comes out of the outside shower faucet), then shut the off the outside shower faucet and close the two sutoff valves, and forever keep them closed and full of the pink stuff...thus eliminating the need to EVER HAVE TO WINTERIZE THEM AGAIN OR WORRY ABOUT THEM FREEZING!


I CAPITALIZED and made that paragraph RED because that is the part of what I've been trying to relay here that many don't seem to understand the concept of closing off those lines forever and ever.

In otherwords...fill those lines with antifreeze, yet still be able to use the rest of the trailer's water system without having to worry about that outside shower freezing up since it is cut off from the rest of the water system and is full of antifreeze.