ENSUITE Shower Base
In this article we dive into the details of the ENSUITE Shower Base, exploring its components, water management system, and benefits it brings to your outdoor shower routine.
The Basics
At its core, the ENSUITE Shower Base is an elevated platform that you stand on as you shower. The water is collected in the base and you have the option of either draining it away from your campsite or recirculating it back into your HOTTAP.
The Structural Base and Bamboo Slats
The ENSUITE Shower Base consists of a sturdy, structural base that elevates bamboo slats above the floor surface. The bamboo slats provide a natural and comfortable surface for you to stand on while showering. This elevated surface means that you do not stand on the wet floor, making your shower more hygienic.
Water Management
The ENSUITE Shower Base incorporates a water management system to ensure convenient drainage of water and efficient control over water usage. As you shower, the water passes through the gaps between the bamboo slats and is collected in the PVC catchment material. The PVC catchment material acts as a reservoir below your feet, keeping your shower zone and campsite clean and dry.
Water Fittings
The built-in, quick-connect water fittings allow you to control what you do with the collected water. You have the option of conveniently funnelling water away from your shower area or recirculating it back into your HOTTAP for reuse.
Funnelling Water Away
If you choose to funnel water away, the water fittings enable you to easily connect a drainage hose to direct the water to the desired location. This is a great solution for managing grey water when camping.
Recirculating Water
For those looking to conserve water, the water fittings allow you to recirculate the water back into your HOTTAP. This is a great way to minimise how much water you need to carry to have a shower.
Note: The filter should be completely submerged for the pump to recirculate water successfully. If you find that 5L is not enough, it's a good idea to add more water to make sure the filter is completely submerged.
Benefits of the ENSUITE Shower Base
- More Comfortable Showering: The bamboo slats provide a natural and comfortable showering surface.
- Better Hygiene: By keeping your feet off the floor surface and out of the water, you can keep every part of yourself clean.
- Improved Water Management: The PVC catchment and quick-connect water fittings make it easy to control what you do with your water.
- Eco-Friendly Option: Keep your soaps and shampoos out of the ground by funnelling grey water to a designated disposal spot.
- Water Conservation: Recirculate water back into your HOTTAP when you are on a water budget.
Learn about what water fittings the ENSUITE Shower Base has, what they are used for, and other water fitting FAQs.
Water Connections
The ENSUITE Shower Base has two identical water fittings, as shown below.
They consist of a right-angled fitting inside the ENSUITE Shower Base, which is angled into the base and is used to draw in water. This fitting then connects to another right-angled fitting located outside of the ENSUITE Shower Base.
The fitting outside of the ENSUITE Shower Base is a standard quick-connect fitting, which works with all of your Joolca hoses, as well as standard garden hoses. This fitting (both of them) comes with a water blocker, which you can leave on to stop the flow of water, or remove, to allow the flow of water.
The above picture shows one fitting with the water blocker installed (left-hand-side), while the other fitting has a hose attached (right-hand-side).
How to use the connections
The water fittings have two primary uses:
- To funnel water away from your shower area. To do this, attach a hose to the water fitting outside of the ENSUITE Shower Base, and place the other end of the hose at the desired grey water disposal area.
- To re-circulate water back into your HOTTAP. To do this, attach a filter to the inside of the ENSUITE Shower Base, and then attach a hose to the fitting outside of the ENSUITE Shower Base - running this hose into the "Water Inlet" of your HOTTAP.
FAQs
Why are there two fittings?
To help make the ENSUITE Shower Base more suitable to your set up. You might find that the location/orientation of one fitting is more favourable than the other.
Do I need to use both water fittings at one time?
No, you don't. You can either use one water fitting, both fittings, or none of the water fittings. This is totally dependant on what you want to do when you shower. For example:
- Do you want to collect all of the water and not funnel it away? Attach the water blockers to both fittings so that they don't allow water through.
- Do you want to funnel water away from the ENSUITE Shower Base? Block one of the water fittings, and attach a hose to the other.
- Do you want faster drainage? Attach hoses to both water fittings.
I want to make my own water hose to connect to the ENSUITE Shower Base. Which fittings do I need to buy?
The ENSUITE Shower Base comes with the male part of the quick-connect fitting, and you will need to install the female part on your water hose.