easy solution for warm/hot shower?

[simon43]

I've rented a Thai-style house with a very basic bathroom! The toilet has no flush system and one scoops water from a large tank to flush away the dodos.

 

I can live with that...

 

But I cannot live with having to throw cold water over myself when I want a shower! I want at least warm water from a shower head.

 

To add to the problem, the water pressure is very low, with daily breaks without water.

 

Here's my proposed, easy solution:

 

When I previously built small hotels in Phuket, I employed a water pump to automatically pump well water to a ground-standing, 2,000 litre plastic tank.  When a customer switched on their shower, another pump automatically started up to pump water from the plastic tank to the shower.

 

So in this Thai house, I could install an 'autosense' pump with a pipe feed coming from the water tank in the bathroom, and fed to the cold intake on a wall-mounted, instantaneous electric shower.  This should all run automatically - I just need to make sure that the bathroom tank is kept topped up when the public water is flowing.

 

Sounds like a plan?  Anyone see any pitfalls?

[eyecatcher]

If you get yourself a 1000 litre tank for starters, it only needs to fill up the once and you have enought water for two weeks.

even if village water is turned off for 5 days you still have your tank supplying.....then it starts filling up.

 

No need with wells and the like.

 

One tank, one pump, one shower

 

Thats it!

[simon43]

I explained about how I did it at the hotels I built. But I don't need all that hassle!  I already have a 1,000 litre stone tank in the bathroom full of water!  I just pipe that water to the electric shower cold intake via an autosense pump...

[eyecatcher]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

I explained about how I did it at the hotels I built. But I don't need all that hassle!  I already have a 1,000 litre stone tank in the bathroom full of water!  I just pipe that water to the electric shower cold intake via an autosense pump...

It seems a bit cockeyed that someone who has managed the hassle and rich pickings building hotels is now unable to deal with the hassle of plumbing in a shower and uses a pan of water to clear the bog.

 

Well sorry for suggesting a cheap and straigjtforward solution to your problem.

[wayned]

Your plan should work fine.  I collect rain water in ongs for drinking and have installed a "auto sense" pump between the the tank and an extra faucet that I installed on the sink in the kitchen.  When I want drinking water I just turn on the tap and the pump starts.  You don't need an expensive pump with a large accumulator tank, only one winch is classified as "automatic well pump"  I have anew Clinton PS150(B), 370 Watt pump sitting in my shop.  I paid  1590 baht for it some time ago through Lazada.  The ones in the small Ma and Pa shop in the small town near me are around 2700 baht.  Here's a link to the Clinton Pump on Lazada: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/clinton-ps-145a-i108594749-s110074084.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.7.1ad65666WjX4Xr&search=1

[simon43]

Hi Eyecatcher, I think we're talking at cross-purposes!  Your suggestion is fine.  But I don't need to buy a 1,000 litre tank because I already have this in the form of the 1,000 litre concrete tank in my bathroom. My mention of a well was only concerning my old hotel where there was no public water supply.

 

Wayned, yes it should work fine.  I am a little concerned that the autopump won't start because the shower unit is higher than the water storage tank.  But it was a similar set-up at my old hotel, (with the 2,000 litre storage tank sitting on the ground and the shower units higher than the tank and pump), - and it always started fine and worked OK.

 

As you say, I only need a small pump - I'm not 'pulling up' from a well or 'pushing up' to a storage tank on a tower.

[canopy]

I've lived in exactly that kind of bathroom with exactly that kind of problem with unreliable mains. In the past I did exactly what Simon you are talking about--installed a demand pump drawing water from the water container in the bathroom. There is an old thread I made about this here with photos. The reason I did it was the same as you--so I could take a warm shower when the mains were off. I installed a check valve at the meter so all I had to do is flip a switch and the demand pump would supply water to the entire house from the container in the bathroom. Simple, cheap, effective. Didn't bother with level sensors or additional tanks as there was no need.

 

If there was a power outage my backup plan was to heat water on the stove and shower by dipping pails into a 5 gallon bucket. Never had those painful ice cold showers again.

 

[neeray]

11 minutes ago, canopy said:

If there was a power outage my backup plan was to heat water on the stove and shower by dipping pails into a 5 gallon bucket. Never had those painful ice cold showers again.

Canopy's last 2 sentences is a great answer. Following is my first hand experience of a similar situation.

 

Many years ago, on my first trip to Thailand, my new Thai gf and I travelled around the south, usually staying at hotels which of course had hot showers.

On a visit to her cousins lovely farm, the bathroom was exactly as Canopy described; big reservoir, manual flush, cold/manual shower.

During our first co-ed wash up at this house, gf unexpectedly poured a bucket of cold water on me. I shrieked and skipped the rest of that shower. Her cousin was totally embarrassed that there was no hot water and flush toilet for the farang (the whole family heard me shriek).

Next morning, without me knowing, gf had heated a pot or two of water on the stove. When it was time to rinse off, she blended this with cold water from the big ceramic tank and poured it over me. Heaven !!!!!!

To complete the story, cousin said to gf that next time she brings me, they will have built a western-style bathroom for me, complete with a hot shower. I am no longer with that gf but we still talk and she has sent pics to me of "my" modern bathroom.

 

Simon43, this may be the answer for you in your rental accommodation.

[wayned]

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

I am a little concerned that the autopump won't start because the shower unit is higher than the water storage tank. 

My kitchen faucet is about 1 meter above the tank and it works fine.  I have a stop valve on the end of the3 down pipe so the pump never looses prime.  It has worked well for years, except when I forget to fill the tank!

[simon43]

Neeray, off-topic for this post, but a funny story:

 

The first time that I visit the ex-wife's Isaan home, deep in the middle of nowhere, the family decided that they should build an outside toilet especially for me (I think they just did their dodos in the bushes before that..).

 

When I arrived they proudly showed me the new outside loo and motioned me to go inside.  I assumed that they meant go and use the loo!  So I went inside and had a much-needed pee after my long journey.  I heard sniggers outside!

 

I opened the door to find a little yellow stream of urine running down the small slope away from the new toilet.  It seems that they hadn't yet connected up the waste pipe!

 

Thank heavens I didn't do a #2 !!

[Fruit Trader]

We installed a pump at the local temple pot cleaning area which has open concrete water tank.

Fitted ball valve on concrete tank to keep it topped up from city water supply.

Dip pipe into tank with foot valve feeding cheap Chinese automatic pump mounted on the ground.

 

 

[STMx]

Inline electric water heater? It's the easiest solution.

[wayned]

8 hours ago, STMx said:

Inline electric water heater? It's the easiest solution.

Go back and read the OP.  Please explain exactly how your suggestion would solve hi problem.

[Old Croc]

The easiest solution: