video shows how to turn an Ice Chest into a 12v off-grid Hot Water Heater w/12 gallon storage tank! only 5 items needed... an ice chest, a DC water heating element, a universal adapter kit (for the heating element), a tube of 100% silicone caulk and teflon tape and that's it!. you can get the dc water heating elements and the adapter kit (flange) from amazon. ice chest is from home depot. super easy build. full instructions in the video on how to build it. i show several timed temp tests using different volumes of water in the video but the short of it is you can heat 2.5 to 3 gallons (enough to fill kitchen sink for dishes, laundry, cleaning etc.) to 120F (50C) in about an hour (and up to 140F/60C in about 2). i've also included tests showing how to heat 6-7 gallons to around 100F (37.7C) for taking a hot shower. i'll post a link to my vid. on how to make the 12v off-grid pvc shower assembly below. note: use the lid. earlier tests (not shown in the video) confirm that it takes 50% longer or more to reach same temps if you don't use it. note on the water temps: there was typically a 10 degree difference between the hottest water in the tank (nearest the element) and the coolest (farthest from the element) if not stirred. when water was stirred it averaged in the middle. water was stirred during shower water test so the temp difference was only 2 or 3 degrees. tips: apply the silicone caulk very liberally and make sure to let it dry the full 24hrs before screwing in the heating element. use a good amount of teflon tape on the threads of the heating element. i went around at least twice. i decided not to use the screws because the silicone caulk is more than strong enough to hold the element. also there's no need to add extra potential leak points. all in all it worked out great! and absolutely no leaks. had a paper towel under the flange during all the tests and not a drop. works on any 12v dc source that puts out about 12 amps. three ways to run it: Two 100w solar panels *directly hooked to the heating element, one or more 12v deep cycle batts or a transformer that puts out 12v. if you want to run it on solar and you want to use the off grid shower, just add another 30 - 50 watts for the 12v bilge pump. 250w of panels would cover it with ease. also note that i used a 150W DC water heating element but if you want to use a 300W or 600W DC one it should work. just make sure it has 1" NPT threads so it fits the flange. if you like the video please rate sub (click bell) and share.
link to my video showing the pvc shower [ Ссылка ]
