The outdoor shower

An outdoor shower is a convenient thing to have, no matter where you live, and can be used almost all year around, unless you live in climates where freezing weather makes ones impractical. In those climates, it is always a wise idea to create your outdoor plumbing with plenty of insulation to prevent frozen pipes, and to either keep a constant stream of water going, or to drain your pipes of water completely, which ever method serves your routine, lifestyle, and needs and also fits your climate the best. For most of us, it is best to turn off the water and empty any pipes that are close enough to the outside weather to allow them to freeze. If you need water on warmer days, you can just use it and then again drain the pipes. For this reason, it is wise to consider draining fuction when you design any outdoor plumbing, to make the draining easy and throrough. You can even rig up systems that automatically shut down and drain, although these are a bit more complex in design and function. But just remember that pipes that freeze will usually cause ruptures and extensive other damage. Just consider the case of one couple we know who left their water running to the house in a cold climate in winter, and then found out while in Florida on holiday that the pipes had burst from freezing, and that they had cascades of water running out of all the downstairs windows, which turned to ice in the front yard, in the inside carpets, and in every room of the house. The damage cost them an amount almost equal to the value of the entire house.

Now that you have been forewarned, you can move on to consider the design of your outdoor shower, and it is usually a good idea to put it in an inconspicuous location, near a door that is not used by visitors, because showers outside, just like ones inside, tend to get messy and draw stuff like wet towels, muddy footprints, and dirty clothes and soap dishes, which we don't want to advertise to all our guests.

Always provide for good and well-directed drainage for your outdoor shower, and use soap products that will damage the environment, if your shower does not drain into a modern sewer system like those in most towns and cities. In other words, if yours is rigged up apart from a modern system, the water from it will get into the ground and could kill your plants or poison your pets.

Always provide safety if you have electricity in your outdoor shower, and if possible, provide sufficient space for storing towels and other items used there. And be sure to remember to put a comfortable and non skid surface in the shower, so nobody slips and falls. Enjoy your outdoor shower, and add another if you find them useful and popular enough.

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