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shower heat exchanger
Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 5:40 pm
by Nev62
Has anyone made their own shower heat exchanger for their 4b?
Re: shower heat exchanger
Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 9:00 pm
by hypo
Nev62 wrote:Has anyone made their own shower heat exchanger for their 4b?
yes.... i just got some 4" copper pipe from work and made a coil and pu tit all 2gether, worked awesome it now on dads 80 and he loves it
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 1:58 am
by HEY CHARGER
What exactly did you make ?? and how does it work please ??
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 2:26 am
by ISUZUROVER
The basic idea of a heat exchanger for a shower is very simple:
Get a container to hold the shower (hot) water that can handle some heat - stainless or ally would be best but plastic is OK. Need to be able to fit copper heat exchanger pipe inside this, and need to be able to fill and remove shower hot water as needed.
Most boat heat exchangers are a stainless box able to hold at least 20 litres (but stainless not essential for a 4x4). The box has a fitting at the bottom to draw off the hot water (for shower). First the 5 sides of the box are made (all but the top) and the top is made as a separate piece. A copper coil is bent up into as many loops as you can fit inside the box, then the 2 ends are fed through holes in the box and the outside of the 2 copper pipes brazed to the stainless lid. Then the stainless lid can then be welded to the rest of the box.
Hot water from the cooling system of the boat/4x4 engine runs through the copper pipe, and heats the water in the "box".
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 10:25 am
by dieseldude
My old man made one years ago.
We think it had way to many coils in it because it was just too hot.
Made from copper tube, 5 inch round i Suppose, with copper coils inside it.
Works good, just too hot.
Am trying to get it modified at the moment to fit to my patrol.
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 11:47 am
by Tiny
Like the following drawing, sugest you get the local fab shop to weld up an end cap on one side and flange the other so it can be repaired....sugest 4" alloy piped, and standard domestic copper pipe they use for plumbing1/2" [plumbers????] then tap the holes in 19mm bsp as it is standard polly fittings from irrigation
sorry crap drawing and it wont play nice so wont link
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/ ... rawing.bmp
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 9:02 pm
by Nev62
Have you guys found an optimum length for the coiled copper and outer tube? I was going to buy pre-made until I saw some prices
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 6:14 am
by Tiny
Nev62 wrote:Have you guys found an optimum length for the coiled copper and outer tube? I was going to buy pre-made until I saw some prices
40cm x 4' OD thin wall alloy pipe
