Project Information
So …..
I wanted an outdoor shower but needed to come up with a good looking way to make my newly built outdoor shower a little more private and also have it so I can get it out of the way of our little deck when not in use.
So after building the shower system I came up with this Bi-fold blind idea to hide this old body of mine.
I used some old dried pressure treated wood I had laying around the shop forever to build the solar collector frame. I sealed in the two 1/4" plate glass panels with silicon then flashed the frame to keep the water out. This solar collector got really heavy with that glass in it. But that's something else I had laying around the shop forever so I used it!
I built the two Bi-Fold blinds using some dog eared fence boards and some cedar, (stuff I had laying around the shop again). I cut and planed the 1/2" fence boards and then tongue & grooved them into the styles and rails. Two 1/4" R aluminum rod's stabilize the Bi-folds and some Red PVC sign board bent in a U to hold the Bi-Folds open in the wind while I shower.
My next door neighbor .. well she giggled and blushed a little when I told her what I was doing.
Yesterday was a nice sunny day and the temperature outside was about 90 degrees, the water temp got up to 120. The little collector is working great and the water is just the way I like it , HOT! I'll use this every chance I get to save a little cash! It's just my wife and I and she likes it too!
More picture and info about this on GardenTenders
Thanks for looking in .. I think! "(
Update, 7/2/2015 I rebuilt the solar panel. I made it 12" w X 72"L This panal shape and piping configuration work much better. The other panel (seen in the photo above) was half in shade mid day. I installed the panel along the edge of the roof line, now the solar panel sees total sunshine and no shade. It heats the water in the 30 gal. tank to about 128 F by 1 PM on one sunny day.
See the construction here on YouTube
I wanted an outdoor shower but needed to come up with a good looking way to make my newly built outdoor shower a little more private and also have it so I can get it out of the way of our little deck when not in use.
So after building the shower system I came up with this Bi-fold blind idea to hide this old body of mine.
I used some old dried pressure treated wood I had laying around the shop forever to build the solar collector frame. I sealed in the two 1/4" plate glass panels with silicon then flashed the frame to keep the water out. This solar collector got really heavy with that glass in it. But that's something else I had laying around the shop forever so I used it!
I built the two Bi-Fold blinds using some dog eared fence boards and some cedar, (stuff I had laying around the shop again). I cut and planed the 1/2" fence boards and then tongue & grooved them into the styles and rails. Two 1/4" R aluminum rod's stabilize the Bi-folds and some Red PVC sign board bent in a U to hold the Bi-Folds open in the wind while I shower.
My next door neighbor .. well she giggled and blushed a little when I told her what I was doing.
Yesterday was a nice sunny day and the temperature outside was about 90 degrees, the water temp got up to 120. The little collector is working great and the water is just the way I like it , HOT! I'll use this every chance I get to save a little cash! It's just my wife and I and she likes it too!
More picture and info about this on GardenTenders
Thanks for looking in .. I think! "(
Update, 7/2/2015 I rebuilt the solar panel. I made it 12" w X 72"L This panal shape and piping configuration work much better. The other panel (seen in the photo above) was half in shade mid day. I installed the panel along the edge of the roof line, now the solar panel sees total sunshine and no shade. It heats the water in the 30 gal. tank to about 128 F by 1 PM on one sunny day.
See the construction here on YouTube