Off grid cabin shower system questions?


bigbore442001

bigbore442001

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Good Morning to All:

I did some searching on this site regarding cabin / off-grid shower system . In a nutshell, it seems that a number of people use either the set up by Joolca or Zodi. I did some compare and contrast and it seems that the Joolca system has some better features. I know it is a tad pricey but it looks like the Joolca hot shower set up is more of a plug in and ready to go.

The other issue is that I need to set up a gray water system. My cabin sits directly on a cement slab so it appears that I must drill a hole at the edge or drill into the concrete pad and then do a 90 degree turn to a gray water set up.

Any thoughts? I do appreciate any and all advice. Thank you
 
If I ever build my camper I will be using the Joolca in it for sure. I first saw that system setup on a street with nothing but a garden hose leading to the sink area. It was a food vendor setup and they were washing with hot water. The operator was very friendly and talked to me about it. Been using it for years.

Where is the non grey stuff going? If that pad has the wire screen to prevent cracking you're going to have to put the pipe through one of the squares. Any chance of adding a door and building a small outside insulated bathroom? You should get a perk test to see if the grey water will dissipate. Nothing worse than a cesspool leeching out of the ground.
 
bigbore442001 said:
Good Morning to All:

I did some searching on this site regarding cabin / off-grid shower system . In a nutshell, it seems that a number of people use either the set up by Joolca or Zodi. I did some compare and contrast and it seems that the Joolca system has some better features. I know it is a tad pricey but it looks like the Joolca hot shower set up is more of a plug in and ready to go.

The other issue is that I need to set up a gray water system. My cabin sits directly on a cement slab so it appears that I must drill a hole at the edge or drill into the concrete pad and then do a 90 degree turn to a gray water set up.

Any thoughts? I do appreciate any and all advice. Thank you
Click to expand...
I use a zodi when the situation warrants it. Never heard of the joolca, but I'll have to check it out.

If I remember, you don't have running water there?

Is the cabin remote enough that you could set up some kind of outdoor shower?

If you are going to shower indoors, and run a drain outside, you'll have to build a raised platform and put some kind of shower base in. An actual shower of some kind that keeps water where you want it, is pretty critical. You don't want water going where it shouldn't go.

Years and years ago, when I didn't have hot water in.the house, I kept a solar shower bag in the driveway. I had a hanger set up over a pallet behind our greenhouse. When I'd get home from work, I'd take an outdoor shower before going inside. It was a premium experience. :)
 
bigbore442001 said:
Good Morning to All:

I did some searching on this site regarding cabin / off-grid shower system . In a nutshell, it seems that a number of people use either the set up by Joolca or Zodi. I did some compare and contrast and it seems that the Joolca system has some better features. I know it is a tad pricey but it looks like the Joolca hot shower set up is more of a plug in and ready to go.

The other issue is that I need to set up a gray water system. My cabin sits directly on a cement slab so it appears that I must drill a hole at the edge or drill into the concrete pad and then do a 90 degree turn to a gray water set up.

Any thoughts? I do appreciate any and all advice. Thank you
Click to expand...
Need more info. Where in your cabin will the shower be located? Could you just run the discharge pipe under or through the subfloor? If the shower area is next to a outside wall ,run it through the wall and then immediately underground. What kind of black water system are you using for going to the bathroom? If you have the acreage , a lagoon is the easiest and fool proof septic system.
 
gohammergo said:
I use a zodi when the situation warrants it. Never heard of the joolca, but I'll have to check it out.

If I remember, you don't have running water there?

Is the cabin remote enough that you could set up some kind of outdoor shower?

If you are going to shower indoors, and run a drain outside, you'll have to build a raised platform and put some kind of shower base in. An actual shower of some kind that keeps water where you want it, is pretty critical. You don't want water going where it shouldn't go.

n
Click to expand...
At our old log camp up at Moxie pond our shower set up was a 20 In. dia. 12 in. high galvanize wash tub set on a 4 in. high platform with center drainpipe in bottom pipe outside thru bottom log of wall, plastic shower curtain hung from 2 ft. Dia. Xmas wreath metal ring from rafter along with galvelvanized water bucket that had shower head/valve soldered into bottom for hot water from wood stoves. Tight quarters with curtain inside tub to keep floor dry but great for 2 minute seaman showers plus no cost to make/install.
 
Last edited:
Coupla liks from previous Joolca posts:

rockett88s

Post in thread 'Composting toilets for tiny cabin?'

I have been using a Luggable Loo at the camp for a couple years .... I use untreated saw dust to add volume to the poop.... when the bag gets full I remove it to the secondary compost pile..... The primary compost pile has no Hu-MANURE added.... the secondary pile gets all the same treatment as the primary, but I've shied away from using my own poop to grow carrots and potatoes.... The Luggable Loo is not a bad system, and it's no big deal to practice a routine that keeps the urine separate. I am eyeballing the more expensive Joolca solution.... I have their Hot Tap water heater...
  • Like
 
rockett88s

Post in thread 'Composting toilets for tiny cabin?'

I have been using a Luggable Loo at the camp for a couple years .... I use untreated saw dust to add volume to the poop.... when the bag gets full I remove it to the secondary compost pile..... The primary compost pile has no Hu-MANURE added.... the secondary pile gets all the same treatment as the primary, but I've shied away from using my own poop to grow carrots and potatoes.... The Luggable Loo is not a bad system, and it's no big deal to practice a routine that keeps the urine separate. I am eyeballing the more expensive Joolca solution.... I have their Hot Tap water heater...
  • Like
 
Seacapt. said:
At our old log camp up at Moxie pond our shower set up was a 20 In. dia. 12 in. high galvanize wash tub set on a 4 in. high platform with center drainpipe in bottom pipe outside thru bottom log of wall, plastic shower curtain hung from 2 ft. Dia. Xmas wreath metal ring from rafter along with galvelvanized water bucket that had shower head/valve soldered into bottom for hot water from wood stoves. Tight quarters with curtain inside tub to keep floor dry but great for 2 minute seaman showers plus no cost to make/install.
Click to expand...
Where there is a will, there is a way. :)

When I was living without hot running water, I'd heat water on the stove. Couple gallons or so.

I had made what I called my "electric shower". It was a 5 gallon bucket that I had mounted a windshield washer pump from a 94 dodge Dakota in. It was hooked up to a 12 volt power source. I ran a tube into the shower. Hook the wires up and I did indeed have hot running water. :)

Looking back now, it was kind of crude. We could get three showers out of a bucket of water.
 
The Joolca system does need a 12 volt power source... I used to park my truck right next to the bathroom window and plug it into the cigarette lighter... Now it's connected to the Solar panels....
Love the area up around Moxie...I tried to buy a camp just out of Bingham on the Deadwater Road.... Love that whole area.... waaaaaay too close to civilization for my blood, though!!
 
Seacapt. said:
At our old log camp up at Moxie pond our shower set up was a 20 In. dia. 12 in. high galvanize wash tub set on a 4 in. high platform with center drainpipe in bottom pipe outside thru bottom log of wall, plastic shower curtain hung from 2 ft. Dia. Xmas wreath metal ring from rafter along with galvelvanized water bucket that had shower head/valve soldered into bottom for hot water from wood stoves. Tight quarters with curtain inside tub to keep floor dry but great for 2 minute seaman showers plus no cost to make/install.
Click to expand...
20 inches???? I don't think I'd FIT????

This is the Jooca model I have :
www.joolca.com

HOTTAP V2

HOTTAP v2: The world's smallest continuous hot water system. Enjoy endless hot water on demand with 27,000 BTU power & modular design.
www.joolca.com www.joolca.com

This is the System I just ordered:

www.joolca.com

GottaGo

GottaGo: The portable toilet that separates solids from liquids for less smell, weight, and easier disposal. Go anywhere with this lightweight, leakproof solution.
www.joolca.com www.joolca.com

And this is the current Loo...

relianceoutdoors.com

Luggable Loo Portable Toilet

(#9853-33) Sometimes you just need to sit and think about things. The Luggable Loo rugged portable toilet is there to support you when you do — in a clean and convenient way. Self-contained portable toilet with Metal handle Seat & cover snap on/off for easy clean-up 5 gallon capacity Compatible...
relianceoutdoors.com relianceoutdoors.com

All of which are workable systems. I like the idea of the Joolca loo better than the Luggable Loo simply because it causes me less muss and fuss to separate the liquid waste from the solid waste....

Just my 2cw
 
gohammergo said:
I use a zodi when the situation warrants it. Never heard of the joolca, but I'll have to check it out.

If I remember, you don't have running water there?

Is the cabin remote enough that you could set up some kind of outdoor shower?

If you are going to shower indoors, and run a drain outside, you'll have to build a raised platform and put some kind of shower base in. An actual shower of some kind that keeps water where you want it, is pretty critical. You don't want water going where it shouldn't go.

Years and years ago, when I didn't have hot water in.the house, I kept a solar shower bag in the driveway. I had a hanger set up over a pallet behind our greenhouse. When I'd get home from work, I'd take an outdoor shower before going inside. It was a premium experience. :)
Click to expand...
Yeah. I do have a dry cabin. The water table here in central Maine is fairly shallow so a point driven well is a possibility in the near future. I do have a frame set up outside for an outdoor shower. Maybe expand it with some walls and insulation? My concern is the winter. Do you really want to shower outside in the winter? Maybe I am overthinking it. Something very simple for the inside like a large pan, bucket of warm water and a simple battery pump?
 
bigbore442001 said:
Yeah. I do have a dry cabin. The water table here in central Maine is fairly shallow so a point driven well is a possibility in the near future. I do have a frame set up outside for an outdoor shower. Maybe expand it with some walls and insulation? My concern is the winter. Do you really want to shower outside in the winter? Maybe I am overthinking it. Something very simple for the inside like a large pan, bucket of warm water and a simple battery pump?
Click to expand...
I've lived fairly primitive at times in my life. One thing I've always strive for is personal cleanliness. I cannot sleep unless I shower first, so I know the importance of this.

I believe that what I'd do if I was in your situation is to get some kind of container to stand in. A square washtub. Something. A mortar tub?concrete-mixing-tubs-a-42-64_1000.jpg
Then rig up a shower curtain above it. In regards to the curtain. If you hang it at a height where the bottom of the curtain is inside the tub, you can have the top of the curtain larger, think almost like a funnel. That will give you a bit more shoulder room. I think you can picture this?

Then get a battery pump of some kind. I know there are a lot of various pumps on the market, you'd just have to find one that works for you. Heat up some water, put it in a bucket or whatever you have and rig the pump to work in it.

When we had the electric shower, we could easily get two showers out of it, and my wife had hair down to her a$$, and you know that takes a lot of water. You just have to be sensible with it. Seeing what you are doing with the cabin, you are good at making things work.

When you are done, carry the tub outside and dump it somewhere. If it's hard for you to carry the tub, maybe use the pump to pump the water, or most of it, back into the bucket to carry out.

You will figure out a way.

Even though we didn't have hot water, we did have septic system, so we were good on that. I think if I was going to dump on the ground, I'd probably spread it out. I'd also look for as much of an unscented soap as possible.
 
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