Tank for a summer shower: tips for choosing a finished model + how to build a homemade product

Do you want to build an outdoor shower in a summer cottage? Agree that refreshing on a hot day is a must. What actually makes such a shower an integral part of the economy of a private house, cottage and garden. But you do not know how to build such a structure and what components you need?

We will tell you how to choose a tank for a summer shower and correctly install it - the article discusses the options for containers used for these purposes. A step-by-step process of making a shower is also proposed, including the nuances of preparing the tank for operation as a shower storage unit with subsequent installation over the cabin structure.

To help the home foreman, we picked up visual photographs with options for tanks for the shower cabin and an informative video with practical recommendations for making a home-made shower for receiving water procedures.

Types of tanks for a summer shower

Practice construction of summer showers shows the predominant use of two types of storage tanks in the structure of structures:

• metal;
• plastic.

Those and other types are popular with summer residents due to the budget cost.

View # 1 - metal tanks

Metal products can be made of various types of metal. For example, tanks for summer showers are made on the basis of stainless steel, galvanization, as well as carbon steel. There are examples of the production of aluminum drives.

Stainless steel summer shower tank. An expensive design, but judging by the high cost, taking into account the durability of the product, the stainless tank pays off completely. Such containers are usually made for showers designed for long-term operation.

Since the main criterion for the operation of round, square, flat tanks for the summer shower is the corrosion protection factor, preference is given to metals that can withstand this process.

Here the winning options give:

• galvanizing;
• stainless steel;
• aluminum.

Aluminum and stainless water storage are more expensive from a financial point of view.

The most affordable option is a galvanized storage tank. However, a metal coated with a layer of zinc and thus protected from corrosion, in the event of physical damage to the protective coating, dramatically loses its properties.

A water storage tank made of ordinary metal. In order to protect against negative environmental influences, the tank of this summer shower is painted with dark enamel. The paint prevents corrosion of the metal, and its dark color contributes to better heat from sunlight.

More than other metals, carbon steel is susceptible to corrosion. Therefore, containers for showers made of such metals are usually additionally painted. A special enamel with pronounced moisture rejection properties is used for these purposes.

View # 2 - plastic shower tanks

Tanks for a summer shower, the material of which is plastic, are widely used in conditions of managing farms for various purposes.

The structure of the material - polyvinyl chloride, consists of chemicals that, in principle, do not corrode. An additional advantage of polymer shower tanks is their low weight.

This plastic material greatly simplifies the production of drives in terms of the diversity of their geometric shapes. Flat designs of tanks for the summer shower are often made on the basis of polyvinyl chloride.

The only drawback noted for this type of material is the difficulty in obtaining the dark color of the structure. Light-colored plastic reflects the sun's rays, thereby reducing the efficiency of heating water.

Capacity for an outdoor shower made of polyvinyl chloride. Convenient in that it already has footprints in the design for all the necessary accessories. A significant advantage of such tanks is their low weight.

Meanwhile, in practice, electric heating elements are often introduced into the tank structure. Given this modification, flat PVC tanks are better for showers than others.

Let out plastic water tanks in a wide assortment regarding the values ​​of water capacity. The volume of products varies from 50 to 500 liters.

Homemade Shower Tank

Owners of private houses and household plots have become relatively recent to buy finished (factory) products. Before the appearance of tanks on the market in the quantity and assortment that is available now, traditionally tanks for the soul were made independently.

In the manufacture of a tank for an outdoor shower, metal barrels are most often used - containers made from liquid products with a capacity of at least 100 l:

Stage # 1 - the nuances of material selection

As a rule, the basis of the design was a technical metal barrel containing 50-200 liters of liquid.

Thin-walled metal barrels are used in large quantities for the transportation of chemical products and fuels and lubricants. As they are freed from the contents, such containers often remain out of work.

But summer residents and owners of private real estate quickly found the use of bulk containers, using it under a shower of water storage. By the way, now it is possible to find barrels of the same capacity made of plastic.

To make a practical tank for a shower from a former container for fuels and lubricants is not difficult. It is much more difficult to wash the container from the remnants of the chemical content that remains inside.

To clean the internal area of ​​chemicals resort to a variety of methods. Steamed, annealed, washed with gasoline, kerosene, soda and washed thoroughly with water.

A tank prepared in this way is installed and successfully used for a long time.

It’s from such barrels that soul tanks are usually made with their own hands. The main task of the master when using metal barrels is to clean their internal area of ​​chemicals. They are well suited for installation on temporary and permanent cabs.

The barrel has the shape of a cylinder, and this is its flaw in terms of design manipulations.

Flat tanks are more convenient for building a shower, unlike cylindrical tanks. They are easier to put on top of the shower and easier to fix. The task of installing a tank cylinder is somewhat more complicated.

Stage # 2 - preparation and equipment of a shower tank

It is logical to describe a kind of instruction for the manufacture and installation of tanks of various shapes for the shower with one example. The manufacturing and installation technology is almost identical. An exception may be only a few minor points.

So:

1. A prepared metal barrel is taken - 100-200 liters.
2. The installation position of the barrel is determined - vertical, horizontal.
3. In the area of ​​the upper region, a hole for filling with water is cut out.
4. A hole for a shut-off valve is cut out on the bottom section.

The tank is ready for installation, but it needs to be equipped to a full condition. ball valve, and also add a watering can - a water divider to the valve. Shut-off valves can be used in various designs.

But it is advisable to use taps with linear adjustment of fluid flow. Infinitely variable water flow is an economical flow and more convenience to the user.

A stopcock with a nozzle for a shower head mounted on a plastic barrel and ready for operation. The end of the pipe is made taking into account the quick removal of the watering can. The crane is mounted on a barrel using hard washers of large diameter. This approach ensures reliable insertion.

The faucet is mounted on the barrel of a summer shower, inserting it into a previously made hole on the bottom. It is necessary to equip the inlet of the valve with rigid support washers and gaskets made of dense rubber.

On each side of the barrel wall, at the point of installation of the crane, put one washer and one gasket. Tighten the valve fastening nut on the thread inside the barrel.

After installing the control valve on the barrel of the summer shower, you can immediately add a watering can to it. It is reasonable to make the shower head a quick-detachable element, do not fasten it firmly to the valve.

The practice of operating summer showers shows rapid contamination of the watering can openings. There is a need for frequent cleaning. If the structure is quick-detachable, it does not take much time to clean.

Stage # 3 - installation of the container above the cab

After completing all the operations for the manufacture and equipping of the storage tank with fittings, proceed to its installation above the shower cabin. A traditional place for installing a tank under an outdoor shower is the upper beams of the shower frame.

But if the cab design has a good margin of safety, you can mount a metal “landing” for the tank at the top. However on wooden cabin it’s more logical to still mount wooden poles.

For the installation of a metal barrel in the “upright” position, a platform is constructed of boards or beams. This installation scheme is accompanied by less installation difficulties. However, the serviceability of a vertically standing tank is less comfortable for the shower owner

A cylindrical water tank can be installed horizontally across or along horizontal beams.

The first design involves mounting directly on the beams with subsequent installation of fixing shoes under the barrel walls. These stop elements are made in the form of triangles, one of the sides of which (by hypotenuse) is firmly adjacent to the tank wall.

The second design is characterized in that the cylindrical tank fits into the opening between the beams to a depth of not more than 1/3 of the barrel height in a horizontal position.

At the same time, tightening bars are inserted flush with the end parts of the cylindrical container, perpendicular to the beams. For this option, the beams and tightening bars must be calculated taking into account the double load.

The vertical installation of a cylindrical tank for the shower is to make a small platform at the top of the shower.

The platform can be made of boards, but it is better to use perpendicular inserts with bars between two beams. Bars (4-6 pcs.) Are inserted with a gap equal to their cross section. Fasten them with beams reliably and conveniently using metal corners.

Features of installing a flat tank

A flat tank made of polyvinyl chloride, purchased at the store, is much easier to install cylindrical tanks.

There are design solutions where a flat tank is simply placed on top of the cabin of a summer shower and left in this position without any fasteners.

As a rule, this option is relevant for assembling shower cabins for temporary use - for the summer season.

This is one of many options for installing a flat shower tank. Often, such options are made without attaching flat tanks to the base of the cab. Filled with water, flat storage devices lie securely on the surface of the shower

When there is a need to fasten flat tanks for outdoor shower structures, one of the options for reliable fasteners is the following:

1. A flat tank is selected according to the size (width, depth) of the cabin.
2. It is laid up flush with the lines of the frame bars.
3. At the corners of the frame, in places where the tank adjoins it, corners are attached.
4. The corners (metal) are mounted with an overlap on the tank body.

Install a flat tank and fix it over the shower cabin is also permissible in the "on the edge" position. This installation method is possible for a summer shower, the cabin of which has a modest size.

Mounting a flat storage tank “on the edge” allows you to equip a small shower cubicle with a tank of impressive dimensions. The main thing is to correctly calculate all the loads so that inadvertently the wind does not drop the structure.

Such installation is recommended to be carried out in a place protected from the wind, but with open access for sunlight. The storage tank in the "on the edge" position is inserted between the beams and lowered to the stop on the restrictive elements.

Limiters can be made of metal corners or strip. They are attached to the beams of the frame. To fix the upper part of the tank, thrust bars are placed.

Scheme of installation of a flat shower tank in the “on edge” position The fastening is made with the help of side stops and metal strips on which the container is laid. In this way, large-capacity tanks are installed on small cabs

By the way, it is easy to stretch a transparent plastic film on the resistant bars, thus creating a kind of greenhouse. The sun's rays will pass freely through polyethylene, and will effectively heat the water in the tank.

At the same time, due to the space closed by the film, an atmosphere of heated air is formed around the container. It will additionally heat the water in the summer shower tank.

About heating water in a summer shower

It is clear that the heating of water, in most cases, the owners of summer showers expect to receive due to solar energy.

But, depending on the terrain, the energy of the sun is not always available in that amount to carry out heating to a comfortable temperature.

Therefore, autonomous heating systems using electricity often become part of the design of shower cabins. How is this done in practice?

Let's figure it out:

1. The storage tank is equipped with a heating element.
2. The shower cabin is supplemented by a control cabinet for heating elements.
3. The necessary precautions are foreseen.

As heating elements, as a rule, TEN are designed to operate in a state of immersion in water.

For example, it is perfectly acceptable to use heating elements from modern washing machines. Moreover, it is desirable to create a group of two electric heaters, where one is working, the second is backup.

For heating water to a comfortable (37-40 ° C) temperature inside a flat tank for a shower, one heater with a power of 1-2 kW is enough.

A heating element suitable for installation in an outdoor shower tank. This model of the heater is designed for direct connection to the 220 V power supply network. For this, a wire of the required length, a standard plug and a power outlet are used. Simplified circuit without protection against possible electric shock

The electric circuit of the TENA power supply needs to be thought out thoroughly and carried out in accordance with all the rules for electrical installation.

That is, in addition to high-quality wiring, components must be present in the circuit, such as RCD, circuit breaker, boundary temperature sensor of the heating element and a sensor for measuring water temperature.

It is recommended to supplement the electrical heating circuits with a presence sensor, which will automatically turn off the power when a person is under the watering can.

Almost all industrial models of summer shower tanks come with openings for installing electric heaters. On improvised containers, the installation site of the heater is also easy to prepare.

The installation of heaters is carried out similarly to the installation of a stopcock. The heater is inserted from the inside into the hole until the stop plate stops in the tank wall.

A gasket of paronite is put on the outside from the outside, followed by a metal washer and then a fastening nut is screwed on.

Installation TENA on a metal tank for a summer shower. When installing, it is necessary to ensure a reliable seal at the point of contact of the heater skirt with the tank nozzle

The cylinder of the boundary temperature sensor is mounted directly on the heater tube. For example, they press with a metal clamp. It is advisable to install a water temperature sensor inside the tank at the liquid outlet on the shut-off valve.

Detailed instructions for constructing a heated summer shower are described in this article.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Overview of the configuration and testing of the plastic tank:

Tanks of summer shower cabins in their modern modification are already difficult to consider as simple barrels for water. In fact, these are technically advanced devices, where not only autonomous heating functions are present, but also water flow and filling controllers, disinfecting devices and other paraphernalia.

This means that the manufacture and installation of water storage devices is often not inferior in terms of complexity of work to other technical devices.

Have experience in making a country shower? Or have questions about the topic? Please share your opinion, leave comments and add photos of your homemade products. The communication unit is located below.