Would this work on a sunny day in the winter? (Can shower inside, but not necessarily a good way to heat up the water.)
171460
I've only used it once or twice in the heat of the summer, and it took all morning and afternoon to heat the water to about 100 degrees. I doubt it would work satisfactorily in the winter. My advice would be to invest in a camp stove, the more Btu/hr the better, and heat your bath water that way, or learn to enjoy being grungy and stinky.
171461
Depends where you are in the winter. You can expect a maximum temperature gain of about 30 or perhaps 40 degrees F. Remember, it may be called a "Summer Shower" for a reason. If you warm your water with a fire or stove, you can add it to cooler water and use the shower effectively. Hope this helps.
171462
It depends on how cold the day is. I wouldn't count on it in the winter. In the summer it works great.
171463
I've only used this in the very direct sun of the summer and it took about 2-3 hours to heat to a temp comfortable to shower with. I doubt even in the most direct sun of winter that it would heat up more than a couple of degrees. I'd suggest filling it partially with tap water and carefully adding some warm, not hot, water to it from a camp stove. While this is made of pretty durable materials, hot water would likely cause some damage. Using a funnel to add it in would help with this, but all of this might be more trouble than it's worth.
171464
it will work as long as you have a place to put it in the sun while it's warming. i use mine in the winter when it was about 20 degrees. i put it in a protected sun room that is enclosed in acrylic panels, out of the weather.
171465
as long as you have a protected spot to warm the shower that gets good sun. i use mine in the winter by letting it warm in a protected sun room that is enclosed in acrylic, out of the weather and wind.
358984
I would not leave it outside for the winter for two reasons. One the housing is plastic and if water was inside it would freeze and crack. Second the inside float is cardboard like and it would deteriorate.
1225495
So, long as it is not boiling water you'll be just fine. I've been surprised at just how much the sun can REALLY heat up the water in this thing!
638682
It is possible. If you turn it to the max heat temp and use half hot and half cold you will have a very warm bath.
1536110
I would guess yes, I think it would heat the water. However, I'm also guessing it wouldn't work as well because of the loss of effiency since the sun is shining through a glass window before it hits the reflectors. Again, I think it would heat the water, it will just take longer. Hope this helps.
1833103
It should work just fine. A couple of things you might want to keep an eye out for, though... One is that if the waters is too small, it might be possible for the birds to come into contact with the hotter parts of the heater, in the center. It does get pretty warm. At least mine does. The other is that a smaller waterer might evaporate off more quickly. But if you are checking a couple times of day anyway, I would think that would work fine.
819023
In a sunny day, you can use it outdoor for sure.But I agree with @MomFirst that it is designed for indoor use.
366679
I also use mine for an outdoor shower. I did get some piping and installed it on top where the unit exhaust the heat. It stayed outside for a couple of years. I do recommend bringing it in for the winter. I didn't this year and even after draining there was a little water left in it and it froze and broke the unit. I bought an identical one. They work great for outdoor showers. The flame will sometimes go out if the wind gets high.
1153306
It would be great for winter months but not summers. I live in Florida; it heats the water up and keeps it very hot. I do not use it in the summer.
1390401
Mine is in the sun most of the day and when the temps hit the 90's, it can almost be too warm but it is easily adjusted....the water does stay remarkably warm from one day to another. 2 people can easily have a warm shower from one resorvoie of water.
1907558
I've read that as long as it's not in direct sunlight, and you rinse any salt water off, it should be fine. You just don't want to winter it like that.
1629320
Yes, if you have the power available it would work very well. It has a sensor to check incoming water temp and a selection knob to set the target output temperature. Mine tends to run hot but it stays consistent with higher or lower flows of water which wasn't the case with other brand units I've had in the past which would scald if the flow was too slow. Should be great for a shower.
1564743
As with any water supplying device if it is located outside or in say an unheated cottage during the winter when temperatures fall below freezing you should winterize it. By winterizing I mean disconnecting the water supply line and the shower handle assembly so that all remaining water drains out of the unit. If the unit must be connected for some reason during freezing temperatures you could try applying what's called heat tape to the water supply line. I would use a length of heat tape that goes all the way up to where the water supply line connects to the unit. Additionally you could make a wooden box structure opened on one side and lined with foam board to further protect the unit. The box structure would be mounted to the wall where the unit hangs covering it and adding extra protection in conjunction with the heat tape.
1479352
Hot/warm water would be nice, but I think it would take a while to get to the right temperature. You would be blasted with cold water for a while in the beginning anyway. I have gotten use to the cold water only and don't see it as a problem.
469822
I don't leave it on in the winter and drain the line. You would have to use heat tape and a heater for the bird bath.
1950434
To heat up water in? You could but I don't think it'd work well, it's double walled so no heat will be directly applied to it's content.
1829426
Good question! Perhaps that's a question only the manufacturer can answer as they would know if the internalals could handle the temperature. I would think that it just might, but it might not be able for an extended time. I thought of perhaps mixing hot and cold to a good warm water combination. Perhaps that would be a more acceptable combination.