Updated December 10, 2022
Your initial thoughts about camping in an RV might be about having a private bathroom and having access to a shower anytime you want. It does seem like a joy to not have to use the restrooms or showers in the common areas. Although you’ll essentially be living in a mobile home away from home, you should be aware that an RV shower is considerably different from a regular bathroom. Water won’t be available to you at all times. You can’t really take long showers because of this. You’ll just have a few minutes at most. You can run out of warm water even when you have a hookup, unless you use a tankless water heater. Wait until your RV’s tank is refilled.
You should also consider additional activities that will involve the use of water. Consider washing your hands. Cooking? Putting away the dishes? Doing a toilet flush How much water does a shower use exactly, given the necessity to preserve it while RVing?
There are three key elements you need to look at in order to find the answer to this query: RV Class, Showering Time, and Shower Flow Rate. Finding the right balance between these three is crucial to your RV experience. Knowing these items will be especially helpful on lengthy journeys where there are few and far between RV sites with full hookups.
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How much water does an RV shower use?
A travel trailer shower typically uses 2 to 6 gallons of water per shower. This depends on a number of variables, including how long you shower for, how much water the shower head uses, and if you turn the water off to lather up. These figures are averages, therefore individual results and those of individual RVs will naturally differ. Before any journey, it is usually advised that you examine your owner’s manual to get more details about your trailer and its shower.
How Much Does Taking a Shower in an RV Cost?
Water is actually quite inexpensive. In actuality, the average water bill for a standard home is $1.50, or less than $.01 per gallon, for every 1000 gallons of water. Your water heater is actually the major expense associated with the shower.
With RVs and campers, you will probably fill your freshwater tank at home prior to your trip, thus you will be responsible for paying the same amount for water use. However, if you’re traveling and need to fill up your water tank, the majority of dump sites provide free water; however, some may impose a modest fee.
However, if you make an effort to reduce your water consumption, you can extend the useful life of the water in your tank and reduce the frequency of filling up at dump stations. To prevent wasting water from your water heater, you may also employ ways to make your shower feel warmer for a longer period of time.
How to Conserve Water in an RV Shower
Taking shorter showers is one strategy to reduce the expense of water usage. In actuality, the length of the shower or shower time has a significant impact on both the cost and the volume of water used to take a shower. Not only will you save money on the water itself, but you’ll also use less water and less energy overall, which will lower the secondary cost of your water heater.
Additionally, you can take a combat/military shower. In order to use this method, you must switch off the water while applying soap and shampoo. Using showerheads that have the WaterSense Label could help you save water for your entire RV while also providing you with the extra pressure that you might otherwise be lacking in a conventional RV showerhead.
Despite the fact that some of these showerheads might be quite expensive, they always have a lower flow rate, which can ultimately save you more money on water and energy bills.