Outdoor Shower Waste Water

[N147JK]

I'm installing an outdoor shower in the back of my van. For those who already have and use this feature, do you ever run into any trouble with the runoff waste water? Do you try to catch it and dump it in grey water tankage? Do campground "authorities" ever hassle you about it? Or, is it such a small amount that it never becomes an issue? - Thanks for sharing the experiences!

[GallenH]

I've often wondered about this. In a lot of campgrounds you are not allowed to dump grey water. That's why places like the Arches have dish washing sinks outside of the bathrooms. Once I pondered adding a diverter valve on my shower room in the RV. Seems like with a hose connection you could divert it to an area where you wouldn't be walking. But I can't tell you the answer to your question. Probably not an issue if you're boondocking. In a campground you might use eco-friendly soap and point that out if any host/ranger complains.In Phoenix the city advocates/gives a price break on washing machine diverters that send the water to the yard for watering.

[SteveJ]

Using an brand of soap for back packing will mitigate the pollution issue.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=backpacki..._ts-doa-p_1_16

[N147JK]

Originally Posted by SteveJ

Using an brand of soap for back packing will mitigate the pollution issue.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=backpacki..._ts-doa-p_1_16

Right, but regardless of the soap, I'm really wondering about running into problems with campground management, especially at the National and State parks. What's the typical experience?

[N147JK]

Originally Posted by GallenH

Once I pondered adding a diverter valve on my shower room in the RV. Seems like with a hose connection you could divert it to an area where you wouldn't be walking.

Good idea, it's harmless water. But people around wouldn't know it's coming from the shower. Someone would probably freak out.

[avanti]

The dose makes the poison, as they say.
The reason it is generally illegal to dump wastewater from RV tanks is that there are many gallons involved, and the food, cosmetic scents, and human traces of various sorts end up concentrated in a small space, which negatively affects fauna behaviors. This is in contrast with a backpacker, who may generate significant waste water, but does so in a much less concentrated way.

An outdoor shower is kind of an in-between case. It will be up to the individual policing agent to decide. Hard to predict.

[N147JK]

Originally Posted by avanti

An outdoor shower is kind of an in-between case. It will be up to the individual policing agent to decide. Hard to predict.

Can you describe some of the experiences you've had related to this? When you have used an outdoor RV shower, what kinds of issues have you run into with campground management, if any?

[N147JK]

Originally Posted by GallenH

That's why places like the Arches have dish washing sinks outside of the bathrooms.

I find these sinks in many parks. I guess they are meant primarily for the tent campers. I always use them even when in a camper. Easier to wash things at the large campground sinks. Conserves fresh water and grey water tankage.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by N147JK

Thanks. Can you describe some of the experiences you've had related to this? When you have used an outdoor RV shower, what kinds of issues have you run into with campground management, if any?

Not really. Our previous rigs both had outdoor showers, but we only used them for things like muddy boots and a quick rinse after an ocean swim. On our current van, we didn't bother with one--one fewer fixture to winterize. I use our indoor shower every morning, but I would never dump a gray tank on the ground.

Honestly, although I feel pretty strongly about traveling softly, I can't say that I believe that you would run into much trouble in practice over an occasional brief outdoor shower. Depends largely on circumstances, though.

[N147JK]

Here's one data point. Wrote to Canyonlands, and this is their response:

Good afternoon,
That is totally acceptable to use your shower. No worries at all.

Take care!

-----------------------------------------------------------
Canyonlands National Park

[Urlauber]

I have seen signs prohibiting outdoor showering (of course, can't remember where... Yosemite?).

One way to find out is to ask. I think it also depends on your definition of "shower". I wet my hair, shampoo, then rinse and wash myself with that runoff, then rinse again. Overall, less than a gallon of water if I want it to be quick. Now, if it's to be a teenager shower, then I'd be concerned about the runoff grossing out the neighbors -> alerting the authorities.

All depends. Obviously, if signs are posted prohibiting it, then don't...

[MsNomer]

I see two differences between outdoor shower and grey tank dumping. One obviously is the volume. Second, people put all sorts of stuff in grey tanks.

[N147JK]

Originally Posted by MsNomer

I see two differences between outdoor shower and grey tank dumping. One obviously is the volume. Second, people put all sorts of stuff in grey tanks.

Yeah I don't know how my original simple question devolved into "tank dumping" and "negative fauna behaviors". I never suggested "tank dumping". It's strange how forum threads seem to drift off into space, but they do. Maybe something to do with not reading and thinking about the entire original post.. I don't know.

[avanti]

Sorry if you saw me as hijacking your thread. I used tank dumping and backpacking merely as a way to bracket outdoor showers, and to illuminate the motivations behind the regulations. The ambiguity of outdoor shower being a gray area (no pun intended) seems to me to be directly relevant to your original query. This is exactly what any good ranger would do in deciding whether to hassle you or not.

[N147JK]

Originally Posted by avanti

Sorry if you saw me as hijacking your thread. I used tank dumping and backpacking merely as a way to bracket outdoor showers, and to illuminate the motivations behind the regulations. The ambiguity of outdoor shower being a gray area (no pun intended) seems to me to be directly relevant to your original query. This is exactly what any good ranger would do in deciding whether to hassle you or not.

The ambiguity is exactly why I asked for actual, real-world experiences in the first place (read Post #1). It seems people like to lecture and answer all kinds of questions, except not the specific question being asked. BTW, we don't pay rangers to hassle people for "ambiguous" reasons. That's not their job - it's not anyone's job.

[Sleeping Dog]

I believe that you are having trouble getting an actual example of what happened when an out side shower was used, is except for very brief use, rinsing feet for instance, people typically don't use the outside shower. Every campground I've been in, public or private, banned the use of outdoor showers. In addition, my experience is that many states prohibit the use by statute. If the outside shower were an option, I wouldn't check that box.

[trash panda]

Having an outdoor shower in my camper van has been great so far. I make sure to catch the runoff water and dump it in the grey water tank when I'm at a campground. It's usually not a problem, as long as you're mindful of where you're showering. I haven't had any issues with campground authorities bothering me about it either.

[GallenH]

i didn't mean to divert (pun intended) the post off the main topic. I don't shower outside the van. My imaginary "diverter setup" was not to dump the contents of the grey tank but would only divert the drain water when you were taking a shower, like showering outside. At the time I also had the idea that if you did have an outside shower you could probably stand in a pan similar to those they sell for catching leaks from home water heaters and you could connect a hose to that pan to either divert the water into the woods or a container. These were just idle speculation/thinking.

I navy shower in the RV every day that we're out. Personally some mornings it would be way too cold for me to shower outside.....at my fragile old age.

[booster]

Every time we have one of these discussions about grey water on the ground topics, the first thing that comes to mind for me is how many sites we run into the have lots of dirt, often mud, area on them. With the more heavy use of sites the last few years and budget cutting of funding for the parks, site maintenance seems to have slipped so more low spots and such to get muddy. We ran into a lot them on our 30 day fall trip to the U.P. then the parkway in the Appalachian ridge/smoky mountain area. I can't imagine them if there were also many gallons of water, clean or not, dumped on them all the time.

[TomF]

Originally Posted by N147JK

Can you describe some of the experiences you've had related to this? When you have used an outdoor RV shower, what kinds of issues have you run into with campground management, if any?

I have often used the outdoor shower, and it has never been an issue, especially in places I was drycamping, like Everglades National Park. It is understood that you are managing your water usage closely, and that any impact to the environment is minimal.