[paddykevin]

I use the E for camping out along the Appalachian Trail. I am trying to figure out a low cost easy to build and take apart solar system for the roof to warm water for bathing, drinking and even giving some stored heat to the interior. Anyone already played with this idea?

Right now I am thinking of painting gallon plastic jugs black and using a simple triangular design with insulation sheets on the bottom and back. would plastic film work for the fronT?

Thanks
Kevij
Buffalo, NY

 

[Island E]

Better idea than using a black plastic bucket......truck inner tube

http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/portable-solar-water-heater-zmaz80mazraw.aspx

 

[murso74]

that's a good idea

 

[Island E]

Throw it on the roof between the rack bars, maybe strap a cargo net over it to keep it in place and just go. You should be able to drive with that up there. Surprised that I don't see this more often. Going to look for a decent sized truck inner tube now. I don't need one of these water heater things, but I want one now.

 

[murso74]

gonna try this out at bonnaroo this year

 

[Amy H]

This just screams latex allergy reaction to me! :shock:

 

[Filmcarp]

The inner tube idea might solve the OP's question for camping, but the idea of driving around with it doesn't hold water. That much added weight and wind resistance can't make a lot of sense.

 

[Island E]

The inner tube idea might solve the OP's question for camping, but the idea of driving around with it doesn't hold water. That much added weight and wind resistance can't make a lot of sense.

Seriously? Wind resistance? You drive a BRICK.

 

[murso74]

ahahahah. yeah i'm SURE just putting it in a basket with a net on the stock rack would be fine.

 

[GaryS]

Better idea than using a black plastic bucket......truck inner tube

http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/portable-solar-water-heater-zmaz80mazraw.aspx

Wow! That goes beyond Ghetto all the way to Hillbilly.

(I don't think you would want to drink that water and I wouldn't want to even bathe in it. Have you seen what the inside of an inner tube looks like?)

 

[paddykevin]

solar roof system

That inner tube idea seems like a great starting point. I too am concerned about trying to drink the water, but for heat purposes home run. Hey, what about an air mattress kind of shape, which would hold still better? Some clear plastic over it might reduce heat loss from air if driving with it.

Awesome find my friend

 

[Island E]

Ok, too many nay sayers with my ghetto inner tube idea. So how about a Dromedary bag? I never knew about these things, but from the sounds of it, THIS is the way to go. It's black, so it should warm up pretty decently, has a pretty bad ass covering from what the last reviewer was saying, handles so it could be secured to the roof rack and hung for showering purposes, and it's got a lifetime warranty on it.

Use it with their shower kit and you're all set:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/MSR-357103-Shower-Kit/dp/B000FISRUW/ref=sr_1_7?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1357181109&sr=1-7&keywords=Dromedary+Bag[/ame]

I don't even NEED one of these, but I kinda WANT one now. :-D

 

[murso74]

hmmm... the inner tube holds up to 5 gallons to the 2.5 of the largest one of these. gonna look into the viability of the inner tube for showering

 

[Island E]

Truck inner tube holds even more.

Or just get one of those snow tubing ones.

http://www.amazon.com/Tube-Box-Rubber-Inner-Large/dp/B005ESMVIW/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1357194854&sr=8-11&keywords=snow+tube

 

[paddykevin]

solar water heating

This whole thing started when I left a gallon of water atop the E when we hit the trail. When we came back it was great to have some warm water. The gallon jug was the opaque (sp?) plastic. I might just stay with them and try to figure out a way to insualte around them so that the heat is not lost right away.

The solar shower gizzmo's work great too and hold 5 gallons, but it would cost a fortune to line them up on the roof plus theft is a problem. Warmed water is a hot commodity

 

[murso74]

damn i just realized a hitch in my plan... i was going to try and sleep in the E at roo but to do that i'll have to put an ez up over it. that pretty much rules out using the roof to heat the water

 

[Island E]

You could try to rig something up where you tap into the vehicle coolant lines. Heck, people that do the throttle body bypass thing are already halfway there.

Use some nice stainless or brass tee connectors and hook into your car's coolant supply and return lines along with some valves so you can shut off flow and disconnect the hoses when you're not warming up shower water.

Of course you'd need to get yourself a heat exchanger of some sort, but a simple heater core submerged in your 5 gallon bucket of shower water should do the trick there.

I'm all for rigging up practical stuff like this.

 

[murso74]

the car will never be running unfortunatly. its a music festival in june in tennesee. maybe i could just rig up some kind of booth with the inner tube on top of it. its can get so humid and dirty there that i end up taking multiple showers a day. and the lines at the showers are always too long to wait for in the morning

edit: i just gave myself an idea ;D

 

[Island E]

You'd only have to let it idle for about 20 minutes or so. If you get a small electric pump probably less than that since you could just build up heat in the engine and then circulate the warm coolant with the pump.