Road Shower 4, 4S, 4L - Road Shower Manual

Safety Rules and Instructions - Read Before Use

This safety alert symbol indicates important safety messages in this manual. When you see this symbol, be alert to the possibility of personal injury and carefully read the message that follows.

You have purchased the finest portable camping shower/water supply on the market today. This shower uses the renewable energy of the sun to heat the water. Please read this manual. There are also several instructional videos at www.roadshower.com that will help you get the most from your Road Shower.

Parts: Each Road Shower comes with the following parts:

• 1 owners manual.
• Mounting hardware which consists of: (4 long carriage bolts, 4 short carriage bolts, and 2 mounting brackets).
• A spare hose clip.
• LCD thermometer which you can stick onto the tank anywhere you want. Just remove the backing and stick in on.
• Female to female garden hose connector for filling and pressurizing your Road Shower using your garden hose.
• Wrench to tighten fill cap—not really necessary for most people.
• On/off elbow with black handle. (This comes pre-taped with plumbers tape. Thread into the outlet hole carefully to not strip the threads. Tighten with a wrench until firm and the outlet points out. If it leaks, try to tighten 1 more turn. If it won't tighten anymore, remove and add some plumbers tape and try again). Attach hose.

Mounting

Road Shower comes with 2 mounting brackets. Each bracket is secured with 2 carriage bolts. You will find 8 carriage bolts; 4 are extra. Use either the long ones, if you have a thick rack, or the short ones if you have a thinner rack. Use the hole that is in the center of the slot to install the bolts. Slide the bolts down the slot in the Road Shower so that a bolt is on either side of your cross bar. You may want to apply some tape over the bar where the Road Shower will rest to protect the paint. Put the mounting bracket curved side up and line the bolts up through the holes in the bracket. Secure with the nylock nuts. If reusing the nuts use some lock washers. Lube the bolt to prevent "galling", which stainless steel bolts and nylock nuts are susceptible too. (Seizing = galling.) Use a 1/2" wrench or a socket wrench to tighten the nuts. They should be very tight. Once both brackets are secure, push and pull on the Road Shower sideways, and see if it slips along the bar. If it slips, tighten more. Be sure to use lock washers if you reuse the nylock nuts more than a few times.

Mounting using the side mounting slot

When mounting to a vertical surface such as a roof top box, using the side mounting slot, be sure to use at least 3 mounting brackets. The unit comes with 2 mounting brackets, therefore, you will need to purchase an extra set of brackets from the spare parts section of our online store. Failure to mount using at least 3 brackets may result in the mounting bolts tearing through your Road Shower or breaking the mounting bolts. Be sure to keep them tight or they will break off. This is especially important with the side slot mount.

Be sure to mount the Road Shower securely and tightly. Check and tighten the mounting brackets periodically. In addition, always stop and check and tighten mounting brackets while driving on rough roads. Failure to do so could result in the Road Shower coming off your vehicle during a quick stop, a sharp turn or an auto accident. This could cause injury to the unit, people or vehicles. We shall not be liable for any damage caused by units coming off the vehicle.

Fill Cap

Before removing the cap be sure to open the black on/off elbow handle to the horizontal position and pull the nozzle trigger to release any pressure. Then slowly unscrew the fill cap. If there is excess pressure, it will begin to hiss. Do not unscrew more until the hissing stops

Pressurizing with your garden hose

You can fill and pressurize the Road Shower by attaching your garden hose to the unit's hose. Remove the spray nozzle first. Attach a female to female garden hose connector. Make sure the black handle is open. Turn on your garden hose. After a minute or so, check the pressure on the Schrader valve with a tire pressure gauge. Turn off the incoming hose water when pressure reaches 65 PSI. If your home water pressure is less than 65 PSI, you will not need to check the pressure. Just fill until the water stops flowing. You are filled up and pressurized!

Pressurizing with a pump

Road Shower works OK with pressure created from gravity, as long as you loosen the fill cap. However to get the most out of your Road Shower, it should be pressurized. Each Road Shower comes with a built in air chamber. You can fill it all the way up with water, and there will still be air space to add the compressed air. Pumping options include a12 volt tire compressor, a hand bicycle pump or a CO2 cartridge pump. Make sure the fill cap is on securely by hand tightening. If the cap is leaking pressure, tighten with included wrench, or add some white plumbing tape to the threads.

This product releases pressure at a target of 65 PSI. If the pressure relief valve on the fill cap is damaged or is altered, the Road Shower could explode and cause injury and possibly death. Check pressure while pumping air and never pressurize greater than 75 PSI. If the pressure is not releasing before it reaches 75 PSI, the fill cap should be replaced.

Use only with clean clear water to prevent clogging the pressure relief valve. Do not fill with fuel or other substances.

Capacity

Road Shower 4S -4 gallons, Road Shower 4 -7 gallons, and Road Shower 4L-10 gallons. You can fill it with a hose or a water jug through the fill cap opening.

Heating the water

The Road Shower will heat water on a warm sunny day. The sun heats the black surface on the outside. The aluminum transfers the heat to the water. The water heats up as long as the tube is receiving sunlight from any angle. The water temperature rises 10-15F degrees per hour on a warm sunny day. If your water starts at 60 degrees, it might be 90+ degrees in about 2-3 hours. In general, the water will be about 20 — 30 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature if it is a sunny day after a few hours.

Burn warning and thermometer

On a hot and sunny summer day that is 95F+, the water inside this product could exceed 120 degrees, which could scald the user. Water in the product's reservoir may be hotter than the water in the hose. Check the thermometer. The highest reading is 116F, so if there is no reading, than possibly the water is too hot. Always test spray water on palm of your hand for 10 seconds to check if it is too hot. If the water is too hot, you can add some cool water via the fill cap or wait until it cools.

Water level

You can check the water by looking at the water level through the clear hose. To be able to see it, loosen the fill cap, hold the spray nozzle above the tank, and pull the spray nozzle trigger. Or use a small stick as a dip stick through the fill cap opening. You cannot check the water while it is pressurized.

Parking on a hill

If your car is parked on a hill, it should be parked with the outlet on the downhill end, in order to use all the water. Each Road Shower comes with the option to add another outlet on the opposite end (sold separately). This allows the hose to be moved to the outlet on the lowest end. You could add a quick release to the hose and elbow for quickly moving the hose.

Shower head

(Sold separately). It features a low flow shower head with a flex neck. It can be attached to your outlet with included quick connects. It makes hands free showering easy.

Spray Nozzle

The spray nozzle can be adjusted to a variety of spray patterns. Just rotate the tip of the nozzle to adjust the shower spray to jet setting. If the tip is completely tight, no water will come out. You can also remove the nozzle and run the water from the hose alone. Be sure to attach the nozzle prior to travel by using the hose clip and Velcro.

Freeze Damage: Do not leave water in the Road Shower during freezing temperatures as it could damage your unit. Do not put RV antifreeze in the unit; keep it drained during freezing temperatures.

Privacy

You can purchase a shower enclosure for privacy.

Car Wash: A car wash can damage the unit and your vehicle. We shall not be liable for any damage caused by a car wash.

Parking Garages: Your Road Shower may not have enough clearance for some parking garages or your own garage. Know the height of your vehicle with a Road Shower so you can check it before entering a parking garage. We shall not be liable for any damage caused by entering spaces with inadequate clearance.

Locking

Road Shower comes with a loop welded to the elbow end. You can lock your Road Shower to your rack with a cable or chain as shown in this picture. We also sell a locking cable that does not require a lock. Simply attach and put the opposite end of the cable inside your car door and lock your car.

Sanitize and clean for drinking water

You may use Road Shower for drinking water as the aluminum and the food grade poly hose are non-toxic. Wash the storage container with dishwashing soap and water and rinse completely with clean water. Fill tank with 5 gallons water. Add 1/2 cup of bleach. Cover the container and shake it well (or drive a few minutes) so that the sanitizing bleach solution touches all inside surfaces of the container. Wait at least 30 seconds and then pour the sanitizing solution out of the container. Rinse the empty container with clean, safe water. Due to the corrosive nature of bleach on the metal hose ends, remove the hose and nozzle after rinsing with clean water and spray some cooking oil spray inside the hose ends after they dry. For drinking water use, sanitize once per year.

Maintenance

When storing, empty the tank completely. Store with the elbow open and the hose off and the fill cap off so it dries out. Tighten all screws, mounting hardware, and fittings on a regular basis. Clean the unit with soap and water. Spray on auto wax works well to preserve the powder coat finish from sun damage. Remove the hose and store inside to prevent hose discoloration.