Choosing and installing a shower tank

A 200 liter shower tank or equivalent with a smaller volume is an effective solution for creating comfortable living conditions in a country house or in a country house. It is no secret that not every residential building in the country can be connected to the central hot water system. In this case, the use of a storage tank installed over the shower cabin is a simple and effective way out of a difficult situation in which many summer residents have to sacrifice their comfort.

At the moment, special containers for a summer shower can be purchased, but if the offer price seems high, these products can be made by hand. In this article we will look at the range of tanks presented on sale, and try to choose the best option. In addition, we will provide a number of practical recommendations for the independent production of containers for arranging a shower cabin.

Assortment on sale

To date, a 200-liter shower tank, as well as similar products with a different volume, is represented by three main modifications:

• Metal products with heating represent the tanks welded from a stainless steel or from galvanized steel.

Inside these tanks are electric heating elements (heaters), which heat the water to a certain temperature, as a rule, to + 60 ° C.

Important: Due to the presence of a heating element, when installing a shower stall, in addition to supplying water, it will be necessary to supply electricity and install a grounded outlet.

• Metal products of 250 liters or less without heating are also containers made of stainless or galvanized steel.

Heating of water in such structures is due to the sun's rays, which heat up the metal surface of the tank and heat the water inside. In order to improve heating efficiency, the surface of the tank is often painted in a dark color.

• Plastic products with heating and without heating are a popular solution for arranging a summer shower, since the price of such structures is slightly lower than the cost of metal counterparts.

Like metal tanks, plastic products are painted in dark colors for more intensive water heating. Considering that the surface of tanks under the hot sun is heated to + 100 ° С and more degrees, heat-resistant polyethylene is used in the production of plastic tanks.

Construction features

Structurally, a factory-made shower tank is a container made in the shape of a parallelepiped, less often in the shape of a truncated pyramid.

In the lower part of the tank are provided attachment for connection to the shower. In addition to fasteners, a certain number of inserts are provided on the body for supplying water to the tank and for supplying water from it.

Most of the factory tanks are equipped with a float-type locking mechanism, similar to the mechanism used in the toilet cistern. That is, when the water level in the tank exceeds the target, the flow stops. As water is consumed, its level in the tank decreases and the locking mechanism opens until the water level again reaches the set value.

The design of the factory tanks in particular plastic provides for the presence of stiffeners, which exclude the deflection of the bottom under the weight of water.

So, we looked at the main types of shower tanks and probably made up the opinion about which modification is suitable and which is not. It remains to figure out how to make a 150 liter shower tank with your own hands.

Lack of improvised tanks

For most self-made shower tanks for 250 liters and less, there is a significant drawback: water is taken from the bottom of the tank, where it is always colder than at the top of the barrel. That is, in the process of bathing, we first get cool water, then warm water, and at the end, almost hot. This is due to the imperfect shape of the tank from a 250-liter drum, where the height of the structure is at least twice the width.

As a solution to the problem, some craftsmen use an improvised water mixer based on a circulating pump, which significantly complicates the design. In factory products, the problem is solved by the flat form of the tank, that is, the barrel is an order of magnitude smaller than the width and the water warms more evenly.

Making a plastic tank

Despite the fact that the best tanks are metal, there is no welding apparatus and high-quality sheet steel in the household of most summer residents. Therefore, as a blank for the tank, we will use a plastic barrel with a volume of 100 liters.

Important: In order for the water to warm up more evenly, we will fix the barrel, while mounting on the surface of the cabin, not standing, but lying down.

The instructions for the manufacture of the storage tank are simple:

• At the initial stage, we make a sidebar in the side of the barrel to install a shower head.

Special fittings for tapping can be purchased at most shops selling sanitary ware.

• In the lid of the barrel we make a tie-in and connect the pipe, through which the water will yield to the tank.
• In the side of the barrel, opposite the inset under the watering can, we make a small hole, so that after installing the tank on the shower cabin, it is located at the highest point.

This hole will serve as a fill indicator. That is, when the container is full, water will flow from the hole. In addition, this hole is necessary so that as the barrel is filled with water, the air comes out and, as a result, the water flows down when the shower opens.

• The lid of the barrel closes as tightly as possible and is sealed with silicone.

• Then the finished tank rises to the pre-assembled shower cabin and is mounted on it so that the watering can be on the bottom and the air outlet on the top.

Fix the barrel in the desired position can be synthetic rigging straps.

Conclusion

The presence of a summer wash-out cabin at the dacha is an obvious advantage, which is especially important after finishing garden works. Now that we know how to make an inexpensive 100-liter shower tank or what to choose from an assortment of finished products, you can build your own shower cabin.

You can read the details of interest by watching the video in this article.