Helton Hot Shower Unit - Important Information (1 Viewer)

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fjfar80

fjfar80

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Guys -

I thought I would share this with you. I purchased a Helton Hot Shower Unit (Model # HE1A) directly from Helton last week. With the depreciation of the Australian Dollar if you are ever interested in one...now is the time to buy. The total purchase came out to AU$186.00 including the unit, GST, and air mail. So, that came out to just under US$120.00 for everything. I believe the major supplier in the U.S. is selling just the unit for US$185.00 prior to shipping and applicable sales tax.

So, take advantage of the depreciated AU$ and order direct from Australia.

To keep this "tech" related...I am planning on installing this in conjunction with a Shurflo pump (Model # 2088), which I found on sale at the link above (through the 30th of this month). I am in the process of getting a 20 gallon tank from Plastic-Mart, which I will use as my fresh water supply for cooking, drinking, and cleaning (human and non-human parts). Still working on figuring out the hookups and hoses.

If anyone has any other ideas or insight into a great onboard water setup...please let me know.

Cheers.

- Mark
 
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How well does this type of thing really work for a shower unit? I have never seen one like that. As far as an onboard water setup where do you plan on mounting the tank?
 
Jeep -

They work well, I have a friend in the States who has one mounted in his D90 and it definitely puts out some warm water. I think the key is that you need to have your engine up to operating temperature to make it effective. Slee has put a few in (check his latest 200 Series build) and as far as I know Christo does not put anything into a truck unless it works and works well.

I am putting my water in the rear on top of my drawer system and behind the refrigerator. I had contemplated putting it under the truck...but, just decided to put it inside. I know some folks say it is a bad idea to put 20 gallons of water in your truck (as in don't introduce water inside of your vehicle) but, I felt it would be best situated inside and I am going to wire (plumb) it very well to ensure no leaks. I also wanted to make sure that my water was protected as much as possible as well...and I feel with it inside it will be better protected.

Anyway, just my thoughts on my plans...I got some great ideas from the last Overland Journal article. They have a great write-up and I definitely recommend reading it if you are going to do an onboard water installation.

Cheers.

- Mark
 
I want this unit but I have yet to figure out my drawer setup and how my water supply fits in.
 
Just order one up now and hold onto it. The easiest would be to do something like Slee did on the 200. Just mount the heat exchanger and pump in the engine compartment. Then plumb in two quick disconnect lines. Then you can stick the "pump in" line into any water source...a bucket of water...cooler full of water. Then you just attach your shower head or hose head to the "heat out" line and you are good to go. That would bypass any actual on board water and would still be very easy to adapt once you did add an onboard water source.

I am looking at some pretty sturdy quick disconnect/connect dry break couplers from Snap-tite...they seem to be way over built for what I am doing but, with water onboard I want to make sure there are zero leaks or any spills.

Cheers.

- Mark
 
Someone in Australia makes 25L water bladders that go over the rear whell wells in between the inner fender and your interior trim panels. You simply remove panels, install and drill drain and fill holes in the panels and there you go. Not sure the price or location but I came across them not too long ago randomly searching the web.
 
Flexi Tank I think makes them for ARB. They make them specifically for the 80 and 60 series. Haven't found a place that has them in the US
 
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20 gallons of water is a lot of water, IMHO. With this much water and that 2.8 gpm (guess) pump, I think you'll go through a lot of water in a very little time (water conservation won't be at the top of your list!). Also, you're rear springs won't be happy with the extra weight assuming that you have or will have a rear aftermarket bumper and a drawer system.

Just my .02 cents.

Ps I have a Blue Helton unit under the hood.
 
Yeah - I agree. I suppose it would be nice to have the water though, and not have it take up any 'real' space (since they're hidden in the body). I personally don't see them being $200 nice though. Fifty bucks maybe, but definitely not $200.
 
alia176 said:
That's a cool design for a water bladder. Where would you put it? If it's in the 2nd row floor, that makes sense. Anywhere else and you can't stack on top of it. Doesn't Slee have something similar or he used to anyway!
Click to expand...

These go behind the cargo side panels. Meant to be a permanent install.
 
NLXTACY said:
These go behind the cargo side panels. Meant to be a permanent install.
Click to expand...

Not the link you provided, those are too big to fit behind any panels unless I was looking at the wrong item.
 
BirfMark said:
Yeah - I agree. I suppose it would be nice to have the water though, and not have it take up any 'real' space (since they're hidden in the body). I personally don't see them being $200 nice though. Fifty bucks maybe, but definitely not $200.
Click to expand...


I wonder if you were to go to a local plastic place like Tap Plastic, and have a custom tank made for few hundred $$d, it may be worth your time. Perhaps mold the container to fit in a niche under the 80 some place that can hold 10 gallons or more of water. Just thinking out loud.....

At the end, $40 for two scepter water cans doesn't sound so bad :D
 
alia176 said:
Not the link you provided, those are too big to fit behind any panels unless I was looking at the wrong item.
Click to expand...

Look at the second link. They are vehicle specific.

I just included the link for Flexi-tank because they are the manufacturers.
 
alia176 said:
I wonder if you were to go to a local plastic place like Tap Plastic, and have a custom tank made for few hundred $$d, it may be worth your time. Perhaps mold the container to fit in a niche under the 80 some place that can hold 10 gallons or more of water. Just thinking out loud.....

At the end, $40 for two scepter water cans doesn't sound so bad :D
Click to expand...

If you are going to spend a few $$$ on plastic I would definitely spend that same few $$$ on stainless steel. With stainless I could keep the water in there as long as I wanted and I would never have to worry about the plastic taste. The reason I decided NOT to go with the Flexi-tank for my eventual drawer build was because the containers are NOT intended for long term storage. You must drain and dry after its usage.
 
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