How to make a solar shower from PVC pipe
If there is no centralized supply of hot water to your yard or summer cottage, and using an electric boiler to heat water and take a shower is expensive, you can make a “solar” shower from a PVC pipe and enjoy a pleasant and healthy water procedure on hot summer days. Any adult can do such a shower.
Will need
Materials:
- 1 PVC pipe with a diameter of 100 mm and a length of 4 m;
- 1 coupling with a diameter of 100 mm;
- 2 plugs with a diameter of 100 mm;
- 6 clamps for pipes with a diameter of 100 mm;
- 1 tube of PVC glue;
- 2 brass pass-through fittings with nut and gasket 20x27;
- 1 brass square 20×27 – M 15×21;
- 2 brass shut-off valves;
- 1 aerosol can for painting PVC products;
- shower head, hose, reducer, etc.
Tools: drill, clamps, sandpaper, wrenches, etc.
The process of making a solar shower from PVC pipe
Of the two types of plugs, choose the one with a flat O-ring seal, since it will better withstand the internal pressure in the pipe compared to a plug with an O-ring seal.It is also more massive and thicker, which allows you to apply more force when tightening.
In the plugs, we drill holes with a diameter of 28 mm in the center, into which we insert brass adapters, put O-rings on the back of the plugs and tighten them with nuts.
Before gluing PVC parts, remove the gloss from the contact areas with sandpaper, wipe with a dry cloth, degrease with acetone, apply liberally and evenly distribute the glue over the areas to be joined. This will prevent water leaks during operation.
Use sandpaper to remove burrs, sagging and dried glue from the contact points and transitions. Lubricate the threads with grease and tighten the cap with the adapter and shut-off valve already installed by hand, and then using a tightening chain device.
We supply water under pressure into the system to check the tightness and paint the outside of the pipe with couplings and plugs at the ends.
We paint the structure black using an aerosol can.
We install and securely fasten the structure to the roof rafters using plastic clamps to ensure that the water is heated by the sun's rays in the pipe during the daytime.
The water reaches its maximum temperature (43 degrees Celsius) on a clear summer day by 16:00 and depends on the outside air temperature (34 degrees Celsius) and the temperature of the water in the water supply system (29 degrees Celsius). As an example, we present data from one of the sunny days in July.
Although the solar shower is not profitable from a cost point of view, it is very useful from the point of view of convenience and speed. But remember to check the water temperature before showering as it can be very hot.
