How Long Does RV Shower Last? (The Ultimate Guide)
Hot showers are relaxing. They are a luxury of life that few can do without. When you take a good long hot shower, you feel better, your body feels better and you can enjoy the rest of the day. You can get hot showers in your RV and continue to feel good while you are away from home.
How Long Does RV Shower Last? There are a lot of factors involved in taking a nice hot shower in your RV. But since the gray water tank fills up very quickly, and your fresh water tank may not hold a lot of water, it is advised that you take short showers when not hooked up to an external water supply.
Read on to find out those influencing shower factors and see why short showers are best when you are in an RV. It will only take you a few moments to read all the current information you need to know.
How Long Can You Shower in an RV?
Part of this answer depends on the size of water heater you have in your RV. Most RVs come with a 6 or 10 gallon water heater. The bigger the water heater means the more hot water you have to use.
A rough estimate would be about 10 1/2 minutes, if that long. RV water heaters may be large for RVs but in comparison to regular water heaters, they are small and take longer to heat the water.
Another factor in the length of your shower would be the design of the shower head. Some are rated to handle only 2 gallons per minute. If you are expecting to have the same type of shower in your RV as you get at home, think again.
You will need to make a lot of adjustments to your showering habits and speed up a little. You also have to think about the next person in line and create a shower schedule so everyone can have their turn with hot water.
One RV Shower Solution
Technology has a way of upgrading just about anything invented. This includes water heaters for RVs. You do not have to remove your included water heater to install a technologically upgraded on demand hot water heater.
There is more good news. These heaters run on propane and not gas. That means you can turn them on and use them to heat up your water quickly without turning on your RV.
The on demand water heaters work fast and continue to heat water for as long as you shower. This means instead of taking a brief 5 to 10 minute shower, you can stay in the bathroom for 45 minutes at a time.
If you do not want to take short military showers, then you should consider purchasing one of these on demand water heaters. These are not fun nor are they relaxing. They also take a little practice getting used to and mastering.
RV Shower Time Tips
One way to take an RV shower is to go military style. Just so you know, a military shower goes like this:
- 1. Turn the water on, get wet
- 2. Turn the water off and soap up
- 3. Turn the water on and rinse off
- 4. Turn the water off and dry yourself.
These are not fun nor are they relaxing. But they save water and make sure there is enough hot water for everyone. Here are some other tips you can use next time you are showering in an RV:
- Change the order of your shower habits- Suds can take awhile to drain so wash and rinse your hair first then let the rest of the shower time help the suds go down the drain
- Change from soap to bath gel- gels do not leave a soapy residue and the suds break down faster going down the drain quicker
- Vent a lot- you can do this with a tiny dehumidifier, opening a window in the bathroom or using a small fan. Too much moisture causes mold to grow
- Keep your showers private- close all curtains in the bathroom
- Make sure your towel is close by- you do not want to spread water all over your RV or be caught in the wrong pose
- Shower curtain even in a wet bath- it makes a little difference and helps you have a little more space as you shower. If you close the door you are cutting your space down and making it harder to shower
How Much Water do RV Showers Use
You may be surprised at the total and this is only an average figure but RV showers use a lot of fresh water every day. The RV shower can use up to 30 to 35 gallons of fresh water every day.
That is if you have a lot of people showering and you all do it each day. If you have a small fresh water tank, you are really going to have to rethink your shower time.
Also, showers are not the only part of life that uses hot water. Besides showers, you need water for cooking, cleaning, dishes, brushing teeth, flushing the toilet and more. When you add up all these uses, your RV will need roughly 40 to 50 gallons of fresh water each day.
These are figures you need to keep in mind when you are dry camping and have no external water hook up to help you get more water.
Some Final Comments
Showering in an RV is certainly not like showering at home. You really have to be careful with the water supply and readjust your showering habits. Also, you have to consider how many people are going to need a shower after you have finished.
Hogging all the hot water is not going to make you a lot of friends. One solution is to add in an on demand hot water heater. These advanced water heaters make sure there is plenty of hot water for everyone.
Depending on the design of your RV, you should be able to find a spot to place one of these units and solve your hot water issues. Or with a little creativity and a schedule you can struggle along with the built in water heater. The choice is yours.
