Can I Take A Shower In An RV With No Electrical Hook Ups?

by Christy
(Cali)

We are borrowing our friends RV, and I found out the place we are going has no electrical hook-ups. Does that mean we can't use the shower?

ANSWER: Greetings Christy thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

Yes, you will be able to take a shower in an RV whether you are hooked up to electricity or not. If the campground you are staying at has water hook ups, just hook up the water to the RV. If the place you are staying at does not have water hook ups, you can still take a shower by turning on the RV's water pump. The water pump runs on 12 Volt DC electric which is provided by the RV's House Batteries. The water pump gets the water from the RV's Fresh Water Tank, so it is important that you fill up the Fresh Water Tank prior to your trip.

If you want to take a hot shower, you will also need to turn on the RV's water heater. The RV's Water Heater runs off of the RV's Propane System, so it is important that you fill up the Propane Tank prior to your trip. The propane is also used by the RV's stove and furnace. When you are not hooked up to electricity the Propane is also used to operate the refrigerator of the RV.

I will forewarn you that you should not plan on taking a long, long, luxurious shower especially if the RV is not hooked up to an outside water source or sewer system. Fresh water holding tanks only hold so much water and the used water goes into the Grey Water Holding Tank. You also need to be aware that the water heaters on RVs are a lot smaller than the ones in your home, so if you try to take too long of a shower, you will run out of hot water.

After reading this you are probably saying to yourself "why would I want to go camping in an RV if I can't even take a long shower". I will guarantee you that after you have been camping in an RV for a couple of days you will realize that the minor inconvenience of not being able to take a long luxurious shower is far outweighed by the fun you will have, trust me on this one.

Before you go on your trip, I strongly suggest that you get with the friends that are lending you their RV and have them walk you through all the systems of the RV. I also urge you take notes as they walk you through the RV, so that you know where to turn on the water pump and water heater. Have them show you how to fill up the fresh water holding tank, how to dump the gray and black water holding tanks, etc.

Have fun on your trip.

Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic? You can add them to this page by clicking on the "Click Here To Post Comments" link located near the bottom of this page.

Happy RVing

RVing Al