Zodi Hot Showers

Since there was discussion on another thread about options for hot water and showers......................
our mule buddies use this and love it -

Hot Tap Portable Shower

They set it up in a cleaned out slant load trailer for privacy.

We've used the heck out of our Zodi Extreme.

We've got a cheap popup tent that I anchor to the rear corner of our Hawk in windy conditions.
We've pulled off steamy showers in subfreezing temps with our beloved Zodi.

I also like the idea I can carry an extra backup gallon or two of H2O when we're on extended trips.
Ours came in a black padded zippered case which tucks right behind the roll over couch in our Hawk.

Marty at ATC tried to talk me into one of those, however, I went with the Zodi Extreme.

I thought for storage the Zodi Extreme in a slightly different package configuration fits into my camper interior better.
And, I have created the portable indoor shower tray and shower curtain, so the wife (and I) are always warm and clean after the shower.

When shopping for a shower I kept going back & forth between the Hot Tap, Zodi Extreme and the Nemo Helio Shower. We finally opted for the Helio Shower and we love it. It's light and compact, being that space is a real premium in our rigs.Like the Lighthawks', we have a pop-up porta privy that we anchor to camper when needed.

Rub-a-dub-dub!!

Ski, we use this shower on our boat. It's a bit tricky to regulate the water temp so we fill a bucket with water and recirculate the water thru the heater until we get just the right temp. Then shut off the heater and pump out of the bucket for the most glorious showers on all of Lake Superior, usually in some secluded bay where no curtains are requires HiHi. Thanks, Bigfoot Dave

Mr. Bigfoot, yes recirculation is exactly how the mule folks use theirs. They are raving about this shower system. Thanks for the info!

I have tried all of those as a friend of mine likes to buy more stuff than he needs. Yes, i did find temp control on the Hot Tap to be tricky. Didn't like the Nemo Helios as the filler hole is too small (spilled half my water). And for the Extreme..... yea $200 for a SS Hudson can is extreme.

Half the time my shower system needs to fit in my Jeep CJ5 which is cramped. In some cases several days on the trail without a water source and I've learned to shower with less than a gallon. So for the past 10+ years it has been a Stearns Solar Shower. It's the one with the heavy ballistic cloth outer. They still make the plastic only ones but that leaked first time I layed it on a rock.

Simple has worked for me for a long time now.

Backroad Joe said:

Simple has worked for me for a long time now.

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Everytime I see a new shower thread here or other various forums I frequent it gets me thinking about my system. Then I go reading and rereading threads about shower systems. A couple weeks ago I was considering building one of those plastic pipe tank systems to mount to the tracks on top of the camper. Of course ignorance is bliss and for the most part using an MSR shower bladder along with a more sturdy tank to hold shower/wash water has served me well. This thread again has me looking at the various Zodi systems.

My friend Nick has a great build thread and has a section where he compares the showers he has accumulated over the years. To date his favorite is the Zodi Extreme. Here's his section comparing his shower systems: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-getaway-croms-build-and-adventures.362772/page-66#post-11694602
Check out his first page for Tacoma modifications and trip reports all well indexed and linked.

I'd really like to have the extreme but so far the solar bag has worked ok. In June I again took my black bug sprayer on a trip to re-evaluate it as a shower. I still like the solar bag better. No pumping to maintain water pressure and a good flow. That's where I get hung up on the Zodi extreme. It is a metal bug sprayer. Does it require constant pumping to maintain water pressure?

My first iteration with the Zodi Extreme was using it as it is sold, with me providing the air pressure via the hand pump to drive the hot water out of the can. I just pumped it up until I couldn't pump anymore, don't know what the PSI was at the time. Then one of us would go and take a shower inside the ATC Bobcat. When it was time to do a second shower, the second part of the tank of hot water, I did have to pump it up again, until I couldn't pump anymore. The shower head had an ON-OFF valve so control of the flow of water was done by the person in the shower. That was OK as the Zodi Extreme was only used every 3 - 5 days and I only had Popeye arms for a day or so.

After about a year of that I finally decided to buy a Vair air compressor for airing up the tires after going where that need to be done. I also purchased a small 1 gallon 150psi air tank and an air hose to operate some ultra small air tools that I wanted to take with me on trips. This package (Vair, air tank, hose and tools) are about half the storage size of the Zodi Extreme, pretty small, small enough to fit behind my driver's seat with lots of room for other things.

Then the light turned ON. I could use the air tank, with the compressed air at 100psi to connect with the Zodi Extreme, and no more hand pumping. Taking a shower was now a piece of cake with the modern tools of our age. The 1 gallon air tank at 100psi does the whole tank which is two showers, one for me, one for my wife.

Recently I bought into the Ryobi Lithium ONE 18+ volt battery idea with a couple of tools that are lighter than my DeWalt Ni-Cad battery units for when I need lighter weight cordless tools in odd locations. Turns out Ryobi has a nice inflator/deflator for not too much $, so I may just get that, instead of the Vair, to power the air tank and thus the Zodi Extreme.

Does the zodi tank have a valve for filling with compressed air?

Not stock from the factory. However, someone before me made it have one and I copied the way they did it.

From my build thread...

- - - - - - - - - - -

Normal use of the Zodi Extreme is to heat the water with the air pressurization hand pump removed, so no pressure build up happens inside the water heater while heating the water. After the water reaches the desired temperature, the air pressurization hand pump is inserted and a person manually pumps up the pressure just like an insecticide sprayer. The Zodi Extreme has a pressure relief valve that is supposed to relieve excess air pressure after the shower and before the air pressurization hand pump is removed. As I usually just let the water empty out through the shower wand and then also allow the excess air to escape through the shower wand as well, I thought there might be a way to use my Vair compressor and 1 gallon air tank to provide enough air volume to make a nice shower when I camp alone.

Zodi pressure relief valve.



Removed.



Air hose fitting in place.



Vair, 1 gallon air tank with output regulator adjusted to 20 psi, and tank pressure at 100 psi, connected to the Zodi Extreme water heater. Provides enough air volume at a steady 20 psi to completely drain the Zodi water heater. I can now shower when I camp by myself.

We love our Zodi Extreme. I finally wore out the handle after 5 years, the tabs that lock it in position snapped off and the seals began to leak. I spent about 3hrs fashioning a handle out of scrap steel tubing and replacing the seals at the hardware store. Just for fun I checked with Zodi about a replacement, yep, it was about 20 bucks

Best thing I did was ditch the crappy factory nozzle for a dish sprayer (about 10 bucks at any hardware store). I was on a trip, so I just bought the sprayer, a barb fitting and two hose clamps, cut the factory nozzle off jammed in the barb and tightened it down, been fine for 2 or 3 years like that.

IF you're planning on going the compressor route, why not just start with a Class A water filled fire extinguisher? Same can, about 100 bucks, already has the shrader valve. You'd just have to mess with valve so it was "always on", and hook up a dish sprayer to the hose. That said I never had trouble showering with the hand pump on the Zodi.

I used to have one of those extinguishers when I was younger. No clue where it ran off to.

Our buddy did buy the

Hot Tap Portable Shower

on the recommendation of the other mule folks. First stop, of course, was over here to check it out, me to read the instructions, set it up, and operate.

The pros are that it is a small unit - packs in its own container - that does everything - heats water and pumps to shower head.

One con, minor, is it takes a bit for the burner to cool if you are in a hurry to pack up.

My buddy appreciates the info on circulating the water to get a good temperature. They are currently in Yosemite with the mules and will spend a week on the east side - Bridgeport area - the later part of August.

Note - we will not be purchasing one of these. Our simple system has worked well for years and we will not be adding more gear to tote about and set up.

I used a Hot Tap for a few years and for me it had more con's than pros. It would take quite awhile and a lot of fuel to heat cold creek water to the proper temperature and the pump would not prime or pump sufficient pressure at altitudes over about 6000'. It might lift water a couple of feet at altitude, but no more than that. I talked to Zodi and tried several new pumps and all were the same. I finally wound up using the unit to heat the water and then switched to a small 12v bilge pump for showering. I now have a tankless system with a dedicated pump and quick connects that will raise the water temperature by as much as 70* and work at any altitude.

cwd

which tankless are you using?

Ski, could you refresh us on your system? I think I remember a post some time ago but we all might benefit. Thanks, Bigfoot Dave

Bigfoot Dave said:

Ski, could you refresh us on your system? I think I remember a post some time ago but we all might benefit. Thanks, Bigfoot Dave

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Water gets warmed to a comfortable temperature on our stove. Half gets poured on the Lady. Half gets poured on me.

Vic, EZ tankless 101

cwd

cwdtmmrs said:

I used a Hot Tap for a few years and for me it had more con's than pros. It would take quite awhile and a lot of fuel to heat cold creek water to the proper temperature and the pump would not prime or pump sufficient pressure at altitudes over about 6000'. It might lift water a couple of feet at altitude, but no more than that. <snip>

cwd

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Thanks for the comment about your problem at elevation. Our buddy's first three nights were at 7000 feet. I'll inquire about their experience.