Bush Shower
In December 2008, we set up our first shower. The construction was quite easy: we just built a wooden structure in a snail-shape and thatched all the walls. As the shower was built on a slope, we just left gaps on the floor so that the water can run right through and soak into the ground again. The water comes through a black pipe from the top dam. On a wooden structure the piping forms a big coil - this is the solar water heater. The sun heats the water in the black pipe up, and you can have a warm shower.
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first poles up - structure for black piping coil - beginning to thatch the walls |
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the wooden lower floor - Evelyne thatching the walls - Rahel stomping clay onto the higher floor |
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the shower is fed through the black pipe - shower and toilet view from the bottom dam |
In July 2009, we have added the water boiler. In winter we get very little water and the upper dam is now dry most of the time, which means, we have to feed the shower from some other source. Also, the water in the pipe doesn't get very hot on cold, overcast or windy days. The water boiler is an old coffee urn and takes about 30 liters of water. All you have to do is make a fire in that little container underneath, keep it going for about 15 minutes, and you'll have wonderfully hot shower water.
the water boiler