SPRINTER DESIGN HELP - SHOWER & TOILET

[RickL]

The Thetford 365 is the non-electric version of the 465:

http://www.thetford.com/HOME/PRODUCTS/P ... fault.aspx

Less to go wrong and you don't have to worry about batteries, IMHO

R

[kmessinger]

We have a marine toilet in the same position your design shows. The b/w tank is inside and makes up the base of the toilet. The dump valve is between the left rear tire and the bumper. Not hard to dump at all. No noticeable smell except sometimes when using it. I like having the tank inside the heated area. I am going to move my gray water tank inside this spring.

Regards,

Keith

Originally Posted by windguy

hope you learned a lot visiting SMBW. Any pics to share?

I never really considered the issues in accessing the drain valve. Good point.
I wonder if it matters if your holding tank is inside vs outside in where they locate the drain.
The lower the tank the lower the drain, right?
McD's okay with you sliding into their restroom to do that when in town?

maybe others can weigh in that have a marine toilet in a Sprinter and are experienced in visiting the dump station. can't image that's a pleasant task regardless of what type of toilet you have.
What's it like dumping a porti-potti tank and where is that often done?

I wonder what type of residual smell can get back into the van with either toilet solution or is that not an issue?

[windguy]

Originally Posted by kmessinger

We have a marine toilet in the same position your design shows. The b/w tank is inside and makes up the base of the toilet. The dump valve is between the left rear tire and the bumper. Not hard to dump at all. No noticeable smell except sometimes when using it. I like having the tank inside the heated area. I am going to move my gray water tank inside this spring.

Regards,

Keith

thanks for your input Keith.
so the higher up the b/w tank, the higher the dump valve can be located.
no restrictions from MBenz on the location. good to know.

[SkinnyRV]

Standing for shower should not be an issue with the wet bath. I am only 5' 10", but sit on the toilet seat to wash hair and upper torso. Use the wet, soap, rinse method. Also sit when shaving. Then stand (could stoop) to clean bottom half. I like the wet bath better than my Itasca Navion (like Winnebago View) that has a separate shower, sink, toilet.

You could go by Sportsmobile, and go through the motions.

[windguy]

Originally Posted by SkinnyRV

Standing for shower should not be an issue with the wet bath. I am only 5' 10", but sit on the toilet seat to wash hair and upper torso. Use the wet, soap, rinse method. Also sit when shaving. Then stand (could stoop) to clean bottom half. I like the wet bath better than my Itasca Navion (like Winnebago View) that has a separate shower, sink, toilet.

You could go by Sportsmobile, and go through the motions.

SkinnyRV, thanks for your input. well appreciated.
I'm 6'-2" and my wife is 5'-4". She has no problem in a combo bath. I'm the galute.
I did try the combo bath in a Sprinter on two separate occasions. Good suggestion.
Even sitting on the can my knees are pushing against the far wall.
It's a tight fit as I recall but will try again when we get closer to making that decision.
I'm sure we could make it work but I was just trying to think outside the litter box.

One option as Rick suggested is to use a porta-potti in place of the marine so you can remove it to shower to free up some room. We just figured you shower 10 minutes per day max (5min each), perhaps not every day so why dedicate that amount of space for just one function when you can share an area and accomplish the same thing. Privacy wouldn't be an issue for us so I see no virtue to having an enclosed cabinet for this unless I'm missing something. I saw in some RVs that have a similar design in that the toilet is just open in the left rear but they also have a separate shower stall and make use of a pocket door for closing off the bathroom, which we wouldn't require. With the toilet facing the aisle there is ample leg room. Essentially you're taking the combo bath and rotating it 90deg and removing the enclosure. This is assuming we can come up with a nice shower pan design which others have had custom made for their rigs.

Thanks for the help!

[kmessinger]

A survey done by in the Class B forum of RV Net showed the most unused items in a Class B were the shower and the microwave.

Of course each individual has his/her own priorities. We use the microwave on every trip. Showers we can skip for a day, buy one at a KOA or use the showers available at some other campgrounds, truck stops, etc. I do carry a solar shower and we did put a drain in the rear of the bus for an emergency shower but for the most part we find it totally unnecessary.

While a toilet is invaluable, a shower can be skipped for a day or two.

I know, everyone has priorities. I won't travel without ice to shake my martinis.

Regards,

Keith

PS. If you go to Alaska you will find buying a shower is common. For $5 you get a towel, soap and a hot shower. You see, when it gets to be 40 below, those living outside the cities come into town to shower as it is hard to maintain running water at -40.

[accrete]

another idea? . .

in our previous rig, the thetford cassette & shower was located under a kitchen counter. lift up the counter, pop up the privacy curtain and you had your _bathroom_ (didn't take much longer than opening/shutting a door). We liked the layout so well we are going to incorporate it into our van.

[windguy]

Originally Posted by accrete

another idea? . .

in our previous rig, the thetford cassette & shower was located under a kitchen counter. lift up the counter, pop up the privacy curtain and you had your _bathroom_ (didn't take much longer than opening/shutting a door). We liked the layout so well we are going to incorporate it into our van.

I'm having a hard time conceptualizing this setup.
I can see the porta-potti being stored in a cabinet in the galley.
Lifting the counter though makes no sense to me with a sink and cooktop and all the plumbing and connections. How does that convert into a shower?
what type of van are you considering for your new build?
thanks

[windguy]

Originally Posted by kmessinger

A survey done by in the Class B forum of RV Net showed the most unused items in a Class B were the shower and the microwave.

Of course each individual has his/her own priorities. We use the microwave on every trip. Showers we can skip for a day, buy one at a KOA or use the showers available at some other campgrounds, truck stops, etc. I do carry a solar shower and we did put a drain in the rear of the bus for an emergency shower but for the most part we find it totally unnecessary.

While a toilet is invaluable, a shower can be skipped for a day or two.

I know, everyone has priorities. I won't travel without ice to shake my martinis.

Regards,

Keith

PS. If you go to Alaska you will find buying a shower is common. For $5 you get a towel, soap and a hot shower. You see, when it gets to be 40 below, those living outside the cities come into town to shower as it is hard to maintain running water at -40.

some folks should probably shower more often than they think they need to
I think the need for showering depends a lot on your physical activity during the day.
As we discussed on the instant hot water thread, it's a personal choice of which is a necessity for me so I need to design around it.

shaken and not stirred. now where does that sound familiar?

[accrete]

Originally Posted by windguy

I'm having a hard time conceptualizing this setup.
I can see the porta-potti being stored in a cabinet in the galley.
Lifting the counter though makes no sense to me with a sink and cooktop and all the plumbing and connections. How does that convert into a shower?
what type of van are you considering for your new build?
thanks

Greetings, here are two images from inside a very nice pop-top camper (X P Camper)
with cabinet down in counter-top mode:


and this one in bath/shower mode with Thetford Cassette toilet and shower:


our Aliner ease had the same setup except that the flush mount sink was immediately to the rear of the same counter top that acted as the shower area. There was/is no plumbing in the counter top area that hinges up. Very simple to rig up. Less than a minute up/down. The shower head is at the end of the typical RV style hose/wand attaching to a sink faucet (or in our case...a 1 gallon garden sprayer we totally enjoy using.)

We have a 2010 chevy express awd 1500. we purchased it with the desire to have the awd for our wet road conditions in the PNW and that we only put our prior rig, a tacoma, into 4x4 to lube the works. We only venture on forestry roads and don't need dedicated 4wd to get to our off-road camp sites. We will be outfitting the 1/2 ton van in the WESTY tradition, simple, light, functional. Hard top goes on next month at VanSpecialties in Portland Oregon.

best wishes on your build.
Thom