We moved into our 1 room cabin, so now we can start building. It is a tight fit with 2 adults and a very large dog. We are working on getting the land cleaned up and deciding where to build the 1 1/2 story. While working on the shore of the lake a goose decided he wanted to be friends. So now we have a goose that thinks he is part of the family. If all goes well, we will break ground in January.
Where is your land southernsis?
Please keep us posted on your progress. Did you get the hot water thing worked out?
We live in Arkansas on a lake near Evening Shade. We were able to find a shower head that is an on demand. The shower head hooks up the same way a normal head does, but it is also wire to 110. They use these kind of head in Central and South America. We had them when we lived there, but didn't think I could get one here. Finally found it on EBay. It is a better one that what we used. They were called Suicide showers there because you had to have the water running and then turn on a switch on the shower head. This one does not have a switch. Works great. As we progress, we will give updates and photos. Have to get a new camera, the old one finally went belly up.
Thanks for the info, southernsis. Looks like another solution we were not aware of. :)
Here's a link to units available on Ebay (http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=electric+shower+head)
(http://i1.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/7a/41/de5a_2.JPG)
Cute. Nice that that one does not have a switch. I think a switch would give me the willies. Water and electricity too close together.
Sounds exciting. :)
Doesn't sound like a good product to use with solar electric. At least not my little system. Which is kinda disappointing.
I just checked it out after you mentioned it. 25 amps. 2750 watts. It will require a special circuit in a house wired with #10 wire. That's a lot of juice.
Is it on all the time, or only 20 minutes a day?
And (I don't know) how does this compare to your pump usage? If it meant that you could use only the ram pump or even one of those dreadfully expensive Dankoff slow-pumps instead of a pressure pump, would it be worth it?
You are right about that ,Amanda. Using it for a shorter time uses less power in quantity. Lets say you did use it only 20 minutes. It uses 2750 watt hours of energy in 1 hour. That would be 1/3 of the power or about 920 watts round numbers. It would take a little over nine 100 watt solar panels 1 hour (plus for losses)to make enough power for that shower.
Or another way -- 1 100 watt panel 9.2 hours plus losses to make that power. In reality most of the time I see about 1/2 power coming form the panels so you could almost double that.
Or another way --It would require the power from about $5000 worth of solar panels to do it in one hour, but after you've got them it's all free. Right? ::)
When my standard water pump kicks on it takes about 2200 watts (10 amps at 220v) to pump 10 gpm water. A bit less than this heater uses. In the summer I run it 15 minutes 4 times per day. I have about 2200 watts panels -guess-- and a 1000 watt wind generator.
In the winter time that could kill my power without the generator --- so I may have to dispense with the nice hot shower--and I may not be the nice popular guy I am now.
Actually with turning the shower on and off a person could do pretty good in about 5 minutes of hot water usage. I used to when I had a shower on the Peterbilt and carried 40 gallons of water.
My solar panels, batteries and inverter are in a seperate building away from the house. The house is a park model mobile home that never had a 30 amp circuit in it to begin with and no spare spaces in the panel. I would need to run this 30 amp circuit all the way from that building to power the showerhead. And then it would produce the drain you are talking about as well. Naaaa. Propane heated water is good for me in my circumstances.
Hi Southernsis:
Nice to have another Arky on the forum. I'm building one just a little bit larger; pics at link below.
N74TG - Tony Gunn
Hot Springs, AR
Hey Tony,
I have yet to get to Hot Springs area, but hear it is a great place. It looks like you are progressing on your place. We should have our land cleaned up by January. It was a mess when we bought it, years of garbage, beer cans, and 5 or more years of leaf and branches. We didn't even know what the ground looked like. We have since uncovered some beautiful bolders.
It is so cold today that we couldn't bring ourselves to go outside to work. Suppose to be warmer tomorrow. I am getting soft in my old age.