Outside Shower

An outside shower is an option offered by Lazy Daze. It can be a very convenient feature, especially if you travel with dogs or children who both tend to come back to the LD with dirty feet. You say you don't have one, but you'd like one?  

Install an Outside Shower
The factory mounts the exterior shower in a place where the plumbing can be easily installed. Unfortunately on the 23.5' FL (and many other models) it's on the driver's side of the MH, opposite of where you really need it. On the FL's, there is a storage compartment just forward of the side door. This is a good place for a water nozzle to be located.

We have an 8'x10' piece of indoor/outdoor carpeting that we position outside the door. We can stand on the carpet and wash our feet off, letting the dirt and water drain through the carpet. We then step over onto the door mat and then up into the coach. If further cleanup is necessary, the interior shower is just around the corner.

The water pump just happens to be in the same area. I added a tee into the output side of the pump hose and then ran a water line (with an inline valve inside the coach) down into the storage compartment. Another valve and then a quick disconnect fitting are added (an airline disconnect from Home Depot). Next, the spray nozzle and hose are added (a kitchen sink sprayer, again, from Home Depot). 

The interior valve is for the wintertime. I do not want water in the storage compartment line during freezing weather. The valve inside the storage compartment is for pressurizing the nozzle. You do not want it accidentally activated. We leave it turned off except when parked and it is in use (yes, I did flood the storage compartment once).

I would think a setup like this would take care of most owners' needs. A cold water rinse prevents excessive use just because it is cold. If you need a hot shower, use the shower. The nozzle just allows you to clean your own or dogs feet, preventing getting the floor dirty. The nozzle is also handy for rinsing fishing gear and just about anything else that needs a quick cleanup.
Larry Wade

Trouble-Shooting

Outside shower leaks when turned off: 

After a little more investigation I found a little black flapper valve. It did not appear bad - it may have just gotten misaligned. I got it out and put it back the way I thought it should go and it worked, no spray from the vent hole and I could hear it draw air in as the hose drained. The flapper valve is under white plastic washer with a tab on it and the hole which allows the water to flow to the shower. I used a small wire hook inserted into the hole to remove the washer then turned on the water which pushed out the flapper valve. I had to use a small mirror to install and align the flapper valve. Then I re-assembled it and it worked. Jim

Contributors: Larry Wade, Jim
Return to FAQ Index