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Hot water heat exchanger / shower

cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
So I am looking into buying a a hot water heat exchanger for my engine. Primarily so I can have warm shower water when on extended camping/wheeling trips.

Here is the info: http://www.hotcampshowers.com/new1851.html

But they want $200 for the heat exhanger alone... and $339 for the complete systme which comes with nothing more than some hose and a pump...all of which I can source out much cheaper than $139.

So here is my idea. There must be an easy way to make a heat exchanger like this, using somekind of heater core enclosed in a unit which radiator coolant flows throuh. When working at Autozone, I constantly checked out the heater cores that came in, they would all work ok but would require a container way to big for my liking. Anyone have any ideas?

There are some cruiser guys that use an Auto tranny radiator for the heat exchanger, they just run the fresh water through the tranny cooler portion of the radiator...works great. Problem is, that there was no Auto-tranny option for an FJ40 and getting another radiator to work would cost more than the $200 heat exchanger..

Any ideas?
 
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bobdog

4x4 Addict!
Location
Sandy
I brew my own beer after the boil I cool the beer using a counterflow chiller. What this is is a copper tube within a copper tube coiled up. Cold water flows through one tube and the beer flows the opposite way through the other tube this is a very efective water to water heat exchanger and is very compact. It would be easy to convert one of these for a hot shower setup. A very nice set up goes for about $100. There are also do it yourself kits that use a garden hose with fittings to put a copper tube inside they are not as compact but would be very cheep.
 
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bobdog

4x4 Addict!
Location
Sandy
There are also oil to water oil coolers (very compact) that would workbut they will probably not transfer enough heat to give a hot shower but they might make it bearable.
 
cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
That sounds exactly the type of device I am looking for. What size of fittings does it use? My only other concern is that a homemade heat exchanger could potentially restrit coolant flow and force me to put somekind of valve system on it so that coolant only goes through it when I need it to.
 
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bobdog

4x4 Addict!
Location
Sandy
My set up uses garden hose fittings for water and 1/2" barbs for the beer. there are many places selling setups like mine. Do a google search for chillzilla or counterflow chiller. They are supper efficient. I think muchmore so than the setups being sold for hot showers. they could probably be built at home if you are good at soldering and can get the fittings.
 
EZRhino

EZRhino

KalishnaKitty
Location
Sandy, UT
Kurt,
The ones commercially available (like the link you posted) are really simple to build. Use 1/4" or 3/8" copper tubing, coil it around some object (get you mind out of the gutter) and slide the entire assembly into a 2" dia by about 12 or 16" long steel pipe, threaded on both ends with pipe caps. Drill holes in the ends for the copper tube to go through (and figure out how to seal it), and drill and tap fittings in the end caps also for a 5/8" hose barb to thread in; this is where you connect the heater hoses so coolant flows right through the center of the coiled copper, pretty much unobstructed. You can get a cheap 12v electric pump at a RV supply place (like state trailer suppply) and garded hose or clear vinyl tubing for the shower hose part of it. The trick with this type of system is that you need lot of water. The speed at which the water flows through the system determines the temperture.

I have through about trying to use engine coolant to heat an entire tank of water so the entire tank is the same temperture, and you can shower at will, as long as you want, and the temp stays constant. I was thinking of stuffing a heat exchanger, like a heater core like you were saying, into a fresh water container (lets say one of those 5 gal buckets with sealable lid, or a 8" PVC with end caps glued on, etc. The PVC idea would make a great permanent tank if you have room for it under your rig). You would want to insulate the container, and could use a mechanical temp gauge so you know when it is hot enough to shower. The nice thing about this option is, you keep the valves open, heating the tank all day long while you wheel. When you get to camp you hot water is ready, you can use it for showering, washing dishes, whatever, and you don't have to run your motor to do so. I picked up a manual heater core valve at Napa for my new heater, one could be used for this system as well, that way you can control the heat from inside using a choke cable without opening your hood, and of course, keeping an eye on the temp gauge so you dont get to camp and your water is either too hot or too cold to use. Let's build a prototype and sell em!

EZ
 
cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
Originally posted by EZRhino
I was thinking of stuffing a heat exchanger, like a heater core like you were saying, into a fresh water container (lets say one of those 5 gal buckets with sealable lid, or a 8" PVC with end caps glued on, etc. EZ
Click to expand...

I really like this idea... seems pratical. I found this on POR, worth taking a look at.
http://www.yankeetoys.org/black900rr/shower/Shower.html

Lets get something going...:D

I have always wanteed to do one of these and I am way more inspired while its cold out...:D
 
K

kb7sei

Registered User
Location
SLC, UT
Originally posted by cruiseroutfit


I really like this idea... seems pratical. I found this on POR, worth taking a look at.
http://www.yankeetoys.org/black900rr/shower/Shower.html


Lets get something going...:D

I have always wanteed to do one of these and I am way more inspired while its cold out...:D
Click to expand...


IMO, that guy did it the hard way. I would do the coil thing that EZRhino posted about. Just get a 3" pipe for the outside, and a 2" pipe to wind on. Then use 1/4" or 3/8" copper tube and wind a spiral down the 2" pipe. Then connect the coil to each endcap, add the fitting for the cooling system, and solder it up. I'm planning to build one after I get everything else done on my rig. I'm just going to connect it to the valve that controls the water to the heater core. That way I can control how much heat is available for transfer.
 
cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
Originally posted by kb7sei
I'm planning to build one after I get everything else done on my rig.
Click to expand...

In that case, build two... j/k

Give me a shout out when you get ready to do this... I'd like to at least come watch, I'll bring my towel...:D
 
K

kb7sei

Registered User
Location
SLC, UT
Originally posted by cruiseroutfit


In that case, build two... j/k

Give me a shout out when you get ready to do this... I'd like to at least come watch, I'll bring my towel...:D
Click to expand...


hehe... You'll be waiting a while. I've got a LOT of work left to do before I'll get to the shower mod. The thing doesn't even run right now. :D Hopefully, soon I'll be able to start the engine and piss off the neighbors (no muffler). Though I suppose I could tack the old muffler from my Toy stuff onto the new exhaust. I'll need at least the Y-Pipe for the O2 sensors.

*sigh* I won't know what to do with myself when I do finally get this thing done. I'll be able to go wheeling rather than wrenching on the weekends. :rolleyes:
 
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