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Even a periodic visit to the dacha will become more comfortable with the presence of hot water, because after completing all the tasks in the garden it is pleasant to take a warm shower. When a family goes to the countryside to live for the whole summer, the relevance of heating water increases. You can solve the problem with hot water supply by installing a water heater for a summer shower in your dacha, powered by different energy sources.
Type of water heaters
When choosing a water heater for your home or cottage, you must first of all pay attention to what energy source it operates from. The second important point is to choose the right product according to the method of heating water. A water heater for a summer residence can be selected as instantaneous or storage. The comfort of using the device, as well as saving energy resources, depends on these important nuances.
Electric water heaters
The most popular and in demand for showers in the country are water heaters powered by electricity. A prerequisite for using the device is the presence of an electrical network. Today, it is rare that a dacha does not have electricity.As a last resort, owners acquire portable electric generators.
An electric water heater is inexpensive and you can connect it yourself. It is optimal to use a storage type of device for a shower. It is any container with a heating element installed inside - a heating element. Often such water heaters for dacha showers are made independently, but they are unsafe. It is better to buy a factory-made shower tank with a built-in heater and automatic safety system.
Among the electric models, there are instantaneous water heaters. They are very rarely used in showers at the dacha. First, constant water pressure from a pump or water supply is required. Secondly, flow-through models are equipped with powerful heating elements. In addition to high energy consumption, not every country wiring can withstand the load.
Gas-fired water heaters
In second place are gas water heaters for instant-flow dachas. Their choice is determined by the presence of a gas main. The device can also operate from a liquefied gas cylinder, but such water heating will be expensive. The operating principle is based on the flow of water through a coil - a heat exchanger. A gas burner is installed below. As soon as the water flow starts, the automation lights the fire and hot water immediately appears at the outlet. In general, this is an ordinary gas water heater. The disadvantage of using a water heater is the presence of constant water pressure.
You can find a storage gas water heater on sale, but it is usually large in size and is not suitable for shower needs.
Wood-burning water heaters
Nowadays, wood-burning water heaters are gradually becoming a thing of the past. People from the 60s and 70s of the last century remember them. Without such a boiler, it was previously difficult to swim. The unit consists of a storage tank installed on a cast iron stove. A metal chimney passes through the tank. When burning wood, the water is heated by the hot smoke escaping through the chimney.
Modern wood-burning water heaters have changed a little, but the principle of their operation remains the same. Today, rarely does anyone use a wood-burning water heater in the shower, unless the dacha is located far out in the wilderness, where there is no electricity or gas.
Mobile water heaters
When visiting a dacha rarely, owners prefer to take with them a portable water heater powered by electricity. You can even swim with it in the garden, and it is not necessary to build a shower, the main thing is that it can be connected to electricity and running water. The basis of the device is the same instantaneous water heater, which requires water pressure and electricity. Summer residents call this product a mobile shower. This is due to the fact that the water heater is equipped with a mixer, from which a hose with a watering can extends. You can bring it with you to the dacha, bathe it and take it home.
A good option for a summer residence is a tankless water heater powered by electricity. In principle, this is the same storage tank with a heating element.However, the tank capacity rarely exceeds 20 liters. Thanks to its small dimensions, the device is mobile. You can install it in the shower, take a swim and pick it up when you go home. The use of a bulk water heater is justified in a dacha without a central water supply and the absence of a well with a pump. Water is poured into the container with a bucket.
Options for making your own shower water heater
If you decide to make a shower at your dacha yourself, why not try making your own device for heating water. The easiest way is to insert a heating element inside the water tank, which is what many summer residents do. This doesn't require much intelligence. How to heat water in the absence of electricity? We will now look at this using two examples.
Making a wood boiler
A built-in shower for a summer cottage far from civilization can be heated using a wood-burning boiler. More precisely, this invention can be called titanium. The design consists of a storage tank for water installed on the firebox. Install the boiler outside near the shower stall. Titanium can be heated with wood, coal, briquettes and, in general, anything that burns.
To make a boiler you will need a welding machine, two large gas cylinders and a metal pipe with a diameter of 80–100 mm. Condensate is drained from old cylinders through open valves, the upper part is cut off with a grinder and burned on a large fire. The fire will destroy the unpleasant smell of liquefied gas. After cooling, the inside of the cylinders is washed clean. The valve is unscrewed from one cap that is cut off, after which the top of one of the cylinders is welded with it.
In the welded cylinder, a hole is cut at the ends for the chimney and a metal pipe is inserted inside, passing it through the container.The pipe is scalded at the ends of the cylinder so that on one side it is flush and on the other side it protrudes about 1 m. The length of the chimney protrusion is selected individually according to the height of the shower stall. A fitting for supplying cold water under pressure is welded at the bottom of the cylinder, and a fitting for hot water outlet is welded at the top.
The storage tank is ready, now we need to make a firebox. In the second cylinder with the end cut off, a door is cut out for loading firewood, and at the bottom there is a blower. The grate bars are welded inside, but they can also be made removable. A welded storage tank with a long chimney outlet upward is installed on the finished firebox, after which the two cylinders are welded together. The result was a long barrel, divided in the middle by the bottom into a firebox and a storage tank. Now all that remains is to connect the water supply to the bottom fitting of the tank, and make a pipe from the top outlet into the tank on the shower stall. If desired, you can not install the tank, and immediately equip the upper outlet of the hot water pipe with a watering can.
Using solar energy to heat water
The simplest water heater for a shower can be made from an old refrigerator. The water will be heated in the coil using solar energy. To work, you will need to remove the freon heat exchanger from the refrigerator, prepare frame bars and foil.
The manufacture of a water heater begins with the assembly of the frame. A rectangular frame is knocked down from the bars. Rubber is nailed on one side. A reflector and a heat exchanger from the refrigerator are placed inside the frame from foil. The coil is fixed to a wooden frame, and the whole thing is covered with glass. It turned out to be something like a solar battery.
A PVC hose is connected to the inlet and outlet of the coil.On one side there will be a supply of cold water, and on the other, there will be an outlet of hot water.
The finished solar collector is installed in a sunny place. PVC pipes are connected to the storage tank on the shower. It turns out to be a closed system. Cold water from the tank will flow into the heat exchanger, and hot water will be squeezed out into the tank.
Inside the storage tank you need to make a simple device that allows only hot water to flow into the watering can. Due to its physical state, it is always on top, so a float is made from foam plastic. A piece of flexible hose connected to a watering can is attached to it.
In the presented video you can see an example of making a water heater:
Some tips for choosing water heaters
A few tips will help you choose the best water heater for your shower:
- First, you need to consider all sources of energy resources and choose the cheapest one. It’s already worth choosing a device for it.
- The volume of the storage tank is selected on the basis that one person needs from 15 to 40 liters of water for swimming. Typically, for a family of three people, a tank with a capacity of 100 liters is installed in the shower.
- The time it takes to warm up the water depends on its quantity and the power of the heater. If you need to quickly get hot water, it is better to give preference to flow-through models. Storage containers will take longer to warm up.
- Before purchasing a device, it is important to consider its installation. You will have to choose between installing the water heater yourself and hiring specialists.
Having considered all the nuances in advance, you will be able to choose the optimal type of water heater for your shower.
