A Sink or a Shower or a Toilet... ? Yes !

Now that most of the interior space is occupied by the pantry, cooking cabinet, dining room, bike module and bed, it is time to add in the indispensable: a sink AND a shower AND a toilet 😅
 
Yes, this is still the regular 'long' 148" wheelbase Ford Transit model. It wasn't switched out mid build for the 'extended' model... 😂

Actually, having these amenities was the top objective for this build. Everything else built so far has been, or could have been, compromised to some extent to ensure that a sink, a shower and a toilet can still be shoehorned in.
 
 
User priorities:
  • At least 5 days of water for 2 people
  • Shower inside the van
  • 4'-ish countertop
  • Extensible sink faucet to clean dirty shoes / toys outside
  • No blocking of the aisle when using the shower or the toilet
  • No chemical / cassette toilet
  • No carrying heavy water tanks inside (done from outside)
  • Acceptable: meager hot water reserve, 0.5 gallon / 2 liters military showers, low water pressure, portable water tanks, faucet not for drinking water, assume fairly clean water supply, no standing shower for 6' 4" giraffe, shower not available when bed is down, separation toilet, no bidet 😆
Design priorities:
  • Safety (regulations, road accident...)
  • Compatible with -4°F / -20°C outside temps
  • High plumbing reliability via short lengths & K.I.S.S.
  • All plumbing accessible for maintenance and repair
  • Multi-layer damage containment in case of water leak
  • No ventilation through ceiling (see Shower & Toilet Fans post)
  • No black water tank
The main challenge was space. This camper van has all the essential amenities usually found in 'extended' van models, but in a ~3' shorter layout. And at this stage the only space left is next to the sliding door:
Well, that's that. Goodbye to the walk-in shower, walk-in toilet, and multiple-sinks island... 😂
Yep, that's right, they will all have to share that small space...

No need to bend the laws of physics though. Using drawer slides, a modular cabinet can be imagined, that slides open to reveal the shower & toilet space.

Sink mode:
 
Shower & toilet mode:
 
A curtain, dropping from a cabinet overhead, will catch water and provide privacy.
 
People with a average-sized frame will be able to stand when taking a shower. I won't, though... and will have to steal a pose from Rodin:
 
The whole cabinet moves 20" forward thanks to 3 beefy slides, and wheels at the front:
 
When the sliding door is open, the service panel / picnic table provides access to the water tanks:
 
Behind them, on the right, is the slide out trash bin. On the left is the plumbing center that contains a water pump, an accumulator, a filter and, at the bottom, the water heater:
 
The water heater is the smallest model that could be found: Camplux 1.3 gallon 110v 1400W water heater
 
I wish it was a 12v model to avoid the losses from the inverter but, alas, no small heater seems to exist in 12v, nor that can be retrofitted with a 12v heating element.

The toilet space was designed to accomodate large toilet systems like Nature Head's:
 
The shower tub will be custom built, out of fiberglass. It is fixed on the floor and the whole cabinet slides over it.
 
Bringing electricity and the tub's drain pipe to the sliding sink cabinet presented a thorny challenge. After beer did its magic, I settled on a cable drag chain to provide a safe routing channel for the lines (12v, 110v, shower drain, heating strip):
 
A bazillion details still need to be figured out. But, hopefully, this tricky design can be built and work reliably ?
 
Time to make the power tools sing 💪  We'll know soon how delusional the whole thingamarole is 😅

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>>> next post: Toilet Enclosure
 
 
 

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