OrtonDIY - Shower/toilet/storage Enclosure

Purchased white 24" x 32" shower pan with center drain and 2" skirts from Jazz Sales for $86.58 delivered on 6-30-10. Item # DF-243215521. 2" straight drain for 1" hose model # 308577 from West Marine. Dimension between the 80/20 structure is 32 1/4". Bottom of pan sits on top of Mercedes plywood floor. Added 1/2" thick spacer to van wall behind pan to keep it retained between front 80/20 and van wall. Cut 4" square hole in plywood floor and then cut a 3" square hole in the van corrugated metal floor. Popped four 7/8" dia. holes in the corners with a 1/2" conduit knockout. Used jig saw to cut between the holes. Fortunately I did a good job of locating the 1" OD SS tank inlet on the gray water tank. It all lined up as planned. 1" rubber hose drops down between the gray water tank and the Sprinter frame rail. Do not have a conventional trap. Gray water inlet is at bottom of tank equal distance from each end of tank. When there is water in the tank, the bottom of the hose will fill with water and act as a trap. TeamTexas had a problem with the tank contents backing up into the shower pan when he stopped. I do not expect that problem because my tank inlet is at the bottom below the wave and not at the end of the tank. We will see how mine works. If it does backup into the shower pan, I have a expandable rubber pipe testing plug with a wing nut that I can put in drain. It is shown in one of the pictures. Next step will be installing the 3/8" plywood shower walls.

I sure appreciate your posts and pictures. Would a check with a floating ball work? Looks like you could add it into the hose the drops to the bottom of the tank.

Graphite Dave said:

Next step will be installing the 3/8" plywood shower walls.

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Thanks for the great pictures which verifies your narrative.

Hein: I do not expect it to flow back up into shower pan. Next trip should tell the story. I will report.

Dave:

Your detail is impeccable. I am still in the process of completing a shower stall assembly and am considering using this waterless ptrap [http://www.hepvo.com/] for sink and shower. I have not purchased but it is under consideration given the momentum of water can be quite a force.

Again, kudos to your design and work, you provide a great source of information.

Al

My sink is on the right side of the van next to the sliding door and the gray water tank is between the fuel tank and the outside of the van on the left side. I used a 3/4" copper pipe buried in the 1 1/2" thick composite floor (1" rigid foam,1/8" masonite,3/8" rubber pad). 1" hose from sink goes down to floor where it connects to a 3/4" copper 90 degree elbow. No trap. 3/4" copper elbow is about 1" OD so works well with 1" hose. 3/4" copper pipe goes across van in the floor. Another 90 at that end aimed toward the ground through the air vent opening. Used 1" hose from that elbow to an inlet at the end of the gray water tank. The inlet is at the bottom of the tank end. Have used the sink drain on several trips and have not noticed any smells. Connecting the hose to the bottom of the gray water tank does create a water seal when there is water in the gray water tank. Have not had any back flow in the sink. The shower drain is at floor height and not at sink height so back flow might happen. I think connecting it to the bottom of the gray water tank in the middle of the tank should make it work without a trap or plug. We will see.

A bit more progress on the shower enclosure. Completed the removable 3 rods that provide storage at top of the toilet enclosure. They also can be moved easily when having shower. They also work as a coathanger rod to hang wet apparel and as a towell rack for wet towels. They are made just like a spring loaded toilet paper rod. 3/4" copper pipe with two pieces of 3/4" dowell in each end. There is a spring between the two dowells. One dowell has a 3/16" dia. SS roll pin through it and the copper to fix it in place. The dowell ends fit in a wood slot at top of shower end walls to prevent them from bouncing out while driving.
Also learned I can easily fabricate plastic items with the expanded PVC material I used for the ceiling. Regular PVC pipe cement is used to glue the pieces together. I cut the pieces on a table saw. Picture shows a box on top of portapotty support tube to hold toiletries. Used some scraps from the ceiling material. I will cut SS tube to lower the box about 4" for better access when rods are in place.
Next is a fold down wood portapotty lid that will allow me to use the storage space between the top of the portapotty and bottom of the copper rods.

Graphite Dave said:

Hein: I do not expect it to flow back up into shower pan. Next trip should tell the story. I will report.

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Did not have a problem with water flow up through the shower drain. Do not have a normal trap. Drain is located on the side of the tank as close to the bottom as I could get it. It is also in the center of the tank. That location seems to prevent any flow caused by a wave when you stop. It also acts as a trap once you have water in the gray water tank.