What is your hot water set up for a bath onboard?

[doratheexplorer]

4 minutes ago, dor said:

It might help to get constructive comments if you let us know why you want a bath.  99.99%+ of boats have a shower rather than a bath;  there is a good reason for that.

 

If you need something to wash the dog or duvet in, then get a 4'x2' sit bath, but still use it as a shower.

I'd dispute that figure.  I'd guess, that for liveaboards, it's probably nearer 1 in 10 which have a bath.  I definitely know plenty of boats with baths on them.  Some are a bit small, others are full size.  I'm not counting hip baths.  I have one of those, and it's probably the most pointless thing on my boat, effectively a badly designed shower.

Edited November 18, 2020 by doratheexplorer

[dor]

I guess there might be more on marina-based fixed widebeams, but 've only ever come across one boat with a normal sized bath, and that was for a disabled person who never left the marina.

[john6767]

We have a bath on the boat, with a shower over.  It is just how the boat was built for the previous owners, we did not particularly choose it but don't regret it.

 

As long as you are not wanting a foot deep bath, there is no problem with the water usage, and we both use the same water (guess who gets it second!).  We don't have a washing machine, so it is also useful for washing clothes in.

[peterboat]

I have a normal bath on board hot water heated by Rayburn spring winter and autumn and solar in summer no issues it is a big cauliflower with an even bigger heat store below it. The boat is a widebeam with a very large water tank

[doratheexplorer]

20 minutes ago, dor said:

I guess there might be more on marina-based fixed widebeams, but 've only ever come across one boat with a normal sized bath, and that was for a disabled person who never left the marina.

I only know one person with a widebeam.  His boat's beam is 8' and he doesn't have a bath.

Edited November 18, 2020 by doratheexplorer

[Chagall]

Hello Kristina,  Don't be entirely put off if you want a bath in your narrowboat. It is perfectly possible with careful planning to refill the water tanks, albeit with more frequency, and some delays at slow water points. 

 

I have a five foot bath in my nb, with a 420 litre water tank. I do have shore power when not out cruising so am able to use an immersion heater combined with a Webasto that heats the calorifier and also via the engine which feels like free heat so why waste it.  I can get two baths a week (half full) before needing to refill the water tanks. It's a minor inconvenience for the benefits of being able to soak.  When cruising then certainly its shower use in the main, but after a gruelling day on locks it is bliss to able to ease those muscles on the odd occasion.

 

Harder to find water points in London though I believe.  But even if you don't manage to bathe too often, to have it there as an option is, for me, vital. 

 

In between times it's a handy receptacle for all those odd items that wont fit in cupboards.  (largish bean bags for spare seating, bags of kindling) 

[peterboat]

3 minutes ago, Chagall said:

Hello Kristina,  Don't be entirely put off if you want a bath in your narrowboat. It is perfectly possible with careful planning to refill the water tanks, albeit with more frequency, and some delays at slow water points. 

 

I have a five foot bath in my nb, with a 420 litre water tank. I do have shore power when not out cruising so am able to use an immersion heater combined with a Webasto that heats the calorifier and also via the engine which feels like free heat so why waste it.  I can get two baths a week (half full) before needing to refill the water tanks. It's a minor inconvenience for the benefits of being able to soak.  When cruising then certainly its shower use in the main, but after a gruelling day on locks it is bliss to able to ease those muscles on the odd occasion.

 

Harder to find water points in London though I believe.  But even if you don't manage to bathe too often, to have it there as an option is, for me, vital. 

 

In between times it's a handy receptacle for all those odd items that wont fit in cupboards.  (largish bean bags for spare seating, bags of kindling) 

I had a long bath this morning, excellent it was, the weather miserable outside so outside job cancelled for today so I thought why not?

[Kristina]

17 hours ago, Cheese said:

A typical "standard" bath uses about 80-100 litres of water, at around 40-45 degrees.  If your hot water is at 80ish, then even if your cold tank is near freezing a roughly 50/50 hot/cold mix is okay, so you would need around 40-45litres of hot.

ok that makes sence 

16 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

When I fitted a new shell I wanted a bath so fitted a full size standard domestic bath with a shower fitting above and seperate controls. I fitted a large cauliflower heated via engine and my BIG mistake a diesel stove. Anyway we soon realised that we hardly ever used the bath as the shower was much quicker and obs used much less water. I now never have a bath on my boats and in fact nearly never use one if in one of those house things or hotel etc. I wouldnt thank you for one now, tis strange how views sometimes change on what you need on yer boat.

thank. yes i get that i have a medical reason why i want a bath so i know for a fact its something i will definitely use 

[Kristina]

16 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

Until last weekend I had a 4’ x 2’ bath in a bathroom that’s only 3’ 10” x 2’ 8” in plan view.
 

The hot water set up on board is an instantaneous gas water heater and I suspect that was a reason for the previous owner fitting a bath rather than a shower.

 

The plan is to replace it with a shower for which I’ll be fitting a calorifier.
 

JP

can i ask why you will not be using  the gas water heater for the shower? 

4 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

If I were fitting out from scratch and had the money to spare, I would install a canal water filtration system to keep my tank full.  Then I'd have a hot water system connecting to a calorifier AND an instant water heater (Morco type thing).  Then I could have a great big bath and no worries about how to fill it.

Marco type thing? 

[Kristina]

3 hours ago, john6767 said:

We have a bath on the boat, with a shower over.  It is just how the boat was built for the previous owners, we did not particularly choose it but don't regret it.

 

As long as you are not wanting a foot deep bath, there is no problem with the water usage, and we both use the same water (guess who gets it second!).  We don't have a washing machine, so it is also useful for washing clothes in.

what is the hot water set up you have? 

[doratheexplorer]

2 minutes ago, Kristina said:

can i ask why you will not be using  the gas water heater for the shower? 

I think what he's saying is that an instant gas heater will produce unlimited hot water, until the tank is empty.  So it's good for a bath.  The downside is you don't get any 'free' hot water when cruising.  So if he's putting a shower in, unlimited hot water won't be needed and an average size cauliflower will be more convenient and save money in the long run.

[Kristina]

1 hour ago, Chagall said:

Hello Kristina,  Don't be entirely put off if you want a bath in your narrowboat. It is perfectly possible with careful planning to refill the water tanks, albeit with more frequency, and some delays at slow water points. 

 

I have a five foot bath in my nb, with a 420 litre water tank. I do have shore power when not out cruising so am able to use an immersion heater combined with a Webasto that heats the calorifier and also via the engine which feels like free heat so why waste it.  I can get two baths a week (half full) before needing to refill the water tanks. It's a minor inconvenience for the benefits of being able to soak.  When cruising then certainly its shower use in the main, but after a gruelling day on locks it is bliss to able to ease those muscles on the odd occasion.

 

Harder to find water points in London though I believe.  But even if you don't manage to bathe too often, to have it there as an option is, for me, vital. 

 

In between times it's a handy receptacle for all those odd items that wont fit in cupboards.  (largish bean bags for spare seating, bags of kindling) 

thank you 

15 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

I think what he's saying is that an instant gas heater will produce unlimited hot water, until the tank is empty.  So it's good for a bath.  The downside is you don't get any 'free' hot water when cruising.  So if he's putting a shower in, unlimited hot water won't be needed and an average size cauliflower will be more convenient and save money in the long run.

ok so perhaps having bath taps plumbed to a gas heater for that occasional use and have shower head and sink connected to calorifier. 

[doratheexplorer]

7 minutes ago, Kristina said:

thank you 

ok so perhaps having bath taps plumbed to a gas heater for that occasional use and have shower head and sink connected to calorifier. 

Possibly.  I don't see the point though.  Why not have all outlets connected to both hot water sources?

18 minutes ago, Kristina said:

can i ask why you will not be using  the gas water heater for the shower? 

Marco type thing? 

https://appliances.calor.co.uk/morco-eup11-litre-lpg-gas-water-heater.html?currency=GBP&gclid=Cj0KCQiAqdP9BRDVARIsAGSZ8Al5LXukf0Ooa7wzYddpcsC5vB3vtPm5wJPlY4_aTIUMS47dc0WYef0aAmUnEALw_wcB

[Kristina]

true i see your point

[Iain_S]

32 minutes ago, Kristina said:

can i ask why you will not be using  the gas water heater for the shower? 

Marco type thing? 

Guessing here, but possibly the cycling temperature problem that can occur with instantaneous heaters when combined with a water pump. Water pump reaches its working pressure and cuts out, shower is fine, water pressure falls, shower gets hotter until the heater decides it's too hot, so shuts down, shower goes cold, pump cuts in, water pressure and flow increase, heater fires up, shower goes from cold to fine ; and repeat ... 

[Richard Carter]

Tom Rolt had what I always thought was a really neat idea on Cressy, which he describes in "Narrow Boat", where the raw engine cooling water outlet could be diverted to fill an external roof tank, which then filled the bath by gravity. Too many reasons why that wouldn't work nowadays, though. And they were probably happy with 1930s British style bathing, where sitting in 4 inches of tepid water were luxury ...

[Onewheeler]

20 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

back to her in first then him then.

Bath with a friend.

 

We've got one of those "sit" baths. I'm not that tall and fairly slim, and for me it's only as good as a medium-sized shower tray. No way can I get my dangly bits in it but a friend who works in an old people's home says that a bloke's bits dangle lower and lower once they get older. OMBs as she calls them. Something to look forward to.

 

It was good when the kids were tiny, we could fit both of them in at once until the girl-child objected to her brother.

[Richard T]

A gentle word of caution. Do not set the output temperature from your calorifier too low and also run you shower for a short while before getting into it. Legionella just loves warm water to grow in. I would prefer to see themostatic mixer valves on each out let rather than the calorifier this means that the really hotwater gets into your water pipes and dicourages the growth of micro organisms.Its why good hot water systems eg those in hospitals have flow and return and a pump to keep the water circulating, They also have very short dead legs to any out let. Its also why current hospital regs now longer allow swan necked taps. A death was attributed to stagnant water in a swan necked tap. Incidentally the normal max temp for water at wash basins is 43deg C or thereabouts but you need hotter than that at your galley sink.

[twbm]

We don't even have a bath in the house - swapped it for a walk-in shower.  

 

In the motorhome (sorry) we have what I guess is a small immersion heater type arrangement, powered by gas or mains that gets the water stupidly hot: the taps and the shower mix it with the cold to bring it down to a useable temperature.  The tanks are consderably smaller than in narrowboats so we don't take too long in there, but it's a pleasant enough experience.  

Edited November 18, 2020 by twbm

[bizzard]

I sometimes in heavy rain go outside for a shower with my trunks on, especially during summer heatwaves, it's glorious.

[big d]

I’ve got a bath on my narrow boat, it’s a 1200mm long cast iron roll top so comfortably fits me sat up or cross legs (it’s 750mm wide) or legs out full body under (I’m 6’5”). Water tank takes water from the cut and filters. It’s heated by a bubble diesel stove. I can isolate underfloor heating or radiators or cali, so I can heat bath water up while boat is warm then switch so rads don’t go cold. From cold I can have a hot bath ready in about 6 hours and once it’s heated it takes less to boost heat again. I love having the bath as it means even on the wettest day I can get warm through. The cast iron heats up so whole room is warm too. Only down side is no matter how relaxing the bath, 10-15 minutes of whale gulper after break the relaxing mood. Always have bubble bath! 

[Captain Pegg]

9 hours ago, Kristina said:

can i ask why you will not be using  the gas water heater for the shower? 

Marco type thing? 

 

9 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

I think what he's saying is that an instant gas heater will produce unlimited hot water, until the tank is empty.  So it's good for a bath.  The downside is you don't get any 'free' hot water when cruising.  So if he's putting a shower in, unlimited hot water won't be needed and an average size cauliflower will be more convenient and save money in the long run.

 

9 hours ago, Iain_S said:

Guessing here, but possibly the cycling temperature problem that can occur with instantaneous heaters when combined with a water pump. Water pump reaches its working pressure and cuts out, shower is fine, water pressure falls, shower gets hotter until the heater decides it's too hot, so shuts down, shower goes cold, pump cuts in, water pressure and flow increase, heater fires up, shower goes from cold to fine ; and repeat ... 

That’s about it.

 

A bath works for a boat where the only source of hot water is an instantaneous gas water heater.

 

Problem is very few people want to run a bath every morning. I used the shower head attachment on the bath taps for a shower that was short sharp ordeal involving pot luck on the water temperature front. The rest of the family would not go near it. Hence the plan for a calorifer and a proper shower.

 

There are however folk who will tell you they have run a shower from an instantaneous water heater without problem.
 

[David Mack]

21 hours ago, Chagall said:

In between times it's a handy receptacle for all those odd items that wont fit in cupboards. 

Like the coal....

[Tacet]

18 hours ago, Richard Carter said:

Tom Rolt had what I always thought was a really neat idea on Cressy, which he describes in "Narrow Boat", where the raw engine cooling water outlet could be diverted to fill an external roof tank, which then filled the bath by gravity. Too many reasons why that wouldn't work nowadays, though. And they were probably happy with 1930s British style bathing, where sitting in 4 inches of tepid water were luxury ...

It was better than that; there was also a Primus type heater placed under the bath to raise the temperature further.  

 

In all probability it would have been a cast-iron tub, but I imagine it would still be prudent to extinguish the Primus before sitting.

 

 

[Machpoint005]

On 17/11/2020 at 20:40, bizzard said:

The scientific way would be to heat up lots of buckets of water over a fire of sticks on the bank, bring em in and tip em into the bath.

 

The water still has to come from somewhere -- see post no.11 above.