Environmental Engineering Reference
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plumber who brought a large, used solar water-heating system. The next year we
did not have it and I, with the help of others, set up what I still believe was a very
nice facility - screened al fresco communal basin washing areas (M and F sepa-
rate). It was popular with many, and when the sun came out, a jolly time was had.
But if the area was empty, there were young people who would enter, look at the
bowls with an exaggeratedly louche expression and depart. From various conver-
sations I am sure that many genuinely did not know what to do, although all
facilities were available. So much has showering become the way of bathing that
despite my promotion of the concept of eco-bathing, I could not shake off the
unwanted sobriquet Mr. Shower.
Bag showers (fl attish black plastic bags, fi llable with 20 l of water but best only
half fi lled, laid in the sun to heat the water, with a hose, tap and rose) rarely work
in the UK climate. They have other drawbacks - all of the models I have used are
badly constructed; a simple hoisting tackle is likely to tangle in the wind; users
tend to use the tackle incorrectly.
Flower showers work well. These, as the name indicates, are designed for plant
watering or spraying, but they work well as camp showers if users accept a low
fl ow rate. One must not, of course, use one that has ever contained any fl uid other
than clean water. They hold 5 l of water and there is an easy-to-use pressurising
pump. If a modest amount of hot water is available, a comfortable shower can be
had. The maximum fl ow rate is 2 l/min and there is a trigger so that a good wet,
soap and rinse shower can be spread over 5 min. The fi lling temperature can be
got right with only one or two trials, and it is not nearly as critical as with fast-
fl ow showers or a bath. If the water is too hot, just hold the rose a little further
away from yourself.
Plastic bottle showers are a neat example of minimal engineering and they work.
With nail, hammer and block of wood, punch holes in the cap of a clean used 2 l
drink bottle. Use one of the holes to tie the cap to the bottle neck, so it does not
get lost. Fill with warm water and replace the cap. To promote the fl ow, shake the
inverted bottle over yourself. When you want the fl ow to cease, stop shaking and
atmospheric pressure does the rest. Even better are clean used plastic milk or
juice bottles as they can be somewhat bigger and have an easy-grip handle. An
even more simple version comes ready made - a few of those smaller drink bot-
tles with a blue cap that looks like a teat.
Bottle shower as a toy: A small version of the bottle shower, made from a one pint
clean, used plastic milk bottle, is a good toy for children, in the domestic (bath or
outside in hot weather) situation as well as the camping situation. Young and old
can learn much from this simple example, which undercuts the idea that the good
life and gross domestic product (GDP) go together. The engineer can also learn
from thinking about the extreme simplicity of such a device and the technologies
appropriate for a future different from the past but not necessarily worse.
In a temporary camp, disposal of grey water is an issue and is a strong reason for
bathing with a small amount of water.
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