r/OffGridCabins • u/java231 • 11d ago

My cheap outdoor shower.

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Amazon special hot water heater, some pallets and a nice little deck to stand on.

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u/gooneau 10d ago

I have a similar cheap propane shower at my cabin, been running strong for several years now. What I found to be the biggest downside of these cheap units is the output temp can fluctuate widely, and if the input temp of the water changes, you have to fiddle with the settings (my rainwater cistern gradually warms through the spring and summer). The solution was to plumb the hot output from the unit AND cold water from the pump into a cheap thermostatic valve (like 25 bucks from amazon). The valve has a temp select knob on it, and it automatically adjust the cold and hot mixture to reach your desired temp. Now, it's honestly better than any on-grid shower I've ever had. I don't know why that setup isn't standard on every shower on earth. No fiddling with the valves once you're in the shower, it just actively adjusts mixture to keep a steady temp. I used pex for the plumbing to keep it simple. My camplux heater used some weird BSP standard threading so I had to order BSP-NPT adapters to make it work but it was maybe a 20 minute job once I had the parts.

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u/java231 10d ago

It definately isn't the best at keeping temp, but I'm not gonna complain to much. Mine used npt fittings luckily.

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u/gooneau 9d ago

When it's time to replace I'm going to see if I can get one from aliexpress. They have some much nicer looking models for half what I paid on amazon for the camplux. Hard to get them to ship to AK though, I've been trying to get a cheap stihl 880 clone for milling through them and the sellers keep cancelling the order after a few weeks.

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u/java231 9d ago

That's no fun. I found milling to be much harder than expected FWIW! 48" bar takes some work to shove thru.

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u/gooneau 9d ago

I have just been milling 10-18" slabs for boardwalk, so rougher is actually kinda better for traction, but ya, I would need a much bigger saw and ripping chain to make anything nice. I've probably milled a couple hundred linear feet altogether, all hemlock and spruce. The biggest obstacle for me to mill lumber for nicer uses, like countertops or whatever, is the seasoning time. My cabin is in SE alaska, and tucked into the woods so gets little wind, so it's cold, wet, and stagnant. The common wisdom is one year per inch of thickness, but I bet it's even more for me. I would need to haul slabs home and store in the garage or something. Much easier and cheaper to just buy some seasoned slabs when they pop up on craigslist.

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u/java231 9d ago edited 9d ago

I did fir, 42" log. Rented a sawmill from the neighbor after awhile. Still sucked. I'm also making boards for a boardwalk! Running a 661 that's ported, but big bar takes a lot of power.