SOLAR-ELECTRIC SHOWER

As you may have heard Melbourne is in the grip of a GAS shortage
( gas in Australia is gas, not liquid like petrol or water)
So I decided to make myself a shower that didn't need gas to heat it
using things I had lying about the house
items used:

(1) 20 lt (5gal) plastic drum ( with tap )
(2) 100w Aquarium heater
(3)shower rose with hose.(the type made to fit over bath taps)
(4)rope 2m (6 ft) strong, cause ya dont want 20 kilos landing on ya scone
(5) black paint
(6) electric timer (optional)

Here's how it goes together:
force the shower rose with hose into the tap spout
lift drum to its desired height,
(just a bit higher tha head height)
Fill with water,
pop in the aquarium heater, wait for a couple of hours,
the heat from the sun combined with the aquarium heater soon warms the water.
painting the drum black help with absorbing heat

I built my shower in a small "lean-to, solar heated green house" I call Queensland,
Ive had several showers under my contraption and have yet to run it out!!!!
it doesn't get hot enuogh for me ,but, it sure takes the chill off the water
And thats good enough for me

some pics of my solar-electric shower

So if you have any queries, or critism or ,
ideas of ya own that helped you during this crisis please post em to me so I can share them with the world

UPDATE.... tips......

(1) try to have your shower in the afternoon this gives the sun more time to heat the water
(2) its easier to raise the water drum when empty, so put in the water hose, raise it ,then fill it.
(3) try to have the water drum about 1/2 m ( 18 ins )higher than your head this gives better pressure
however there is always a trade off. more pressure = less time getting wet.
(4) don't stand directly under water drum....just in case... or you might end up; out cold, in the cold!!!!!!

my idea musta caught on, yesterday i went to a hardware store, and lo and behold!!!
they had a setup very similar to mine and it was "only" A$70
mine cost me A$0 as i recycled and used things that i aquired for other purposes

heres a little poem i wrote about the gas crisis

DAY OF WET HAIR something musta have happened i see them every where lots of smiling people and they've ALL got wet hair and on the trains ,the people smile no peg upon thier nose no foul glare or angry look at armpits bare and exposed the weather girl said cloudy and sixteen and hot showers would develop and all the suburbs near and far in steam would be enveloped soon a cheer run through the throng hooray ! hooray! At last! we have our hot water back, days of smelliness have past

CONTACT me : undatoka@iname.com
ICQ 5089240

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this page was last updated....SEVENTH....STONED day of OCTOBER 1998