Adapters, Please

As any RV full-timer will tell you, making modifications to your rig is commonplace.  That doesn't mean you can't feel really good about a small success from time to time.

In our first week of being full-time, I had a dilemma to solve.  Our new washing machine fits in the shower stall (and nowhere else) and we had decided to run the machine there, since there is water, power and a drain in proximity.  However, the water intake uses a common garden-size hose end -- not exactly stock in an RV shower. 

My solution was to add a garden hose "Y" connector coming out of the shower outlet and splitting the shower-head hose and the washing machine hose to either side of the "Y".  As with most shower hoses, the end is a 1/2" fitting, but a garden hose end is 3/4".  Matching those with adapters took a couple of trips to Home Depot, but I got it done.  For ease of removal (we remove the washer from the stall when we want to use the shower), I placed a quick connect on its input hose.  Lots of plumber's tape helped keep leaking or dripping from connections.

To my astonishment, it is working perfectly.  When we want to shower, we disconnect the quick-connect hose and lift the washing machine out of the shower stall, usually into the bedroom, until we're done with the bathroom.  I can foresee setting up our outdoor shower hose in a similar manner so we can leave and use the washer outside on longer stays.

Small successes are great! 

The washing machine is working well.  It holds just over 7 pounds of clothing and has 5 programs for different cycles.  We decided the larger capacity warranted not having a washer/dryer combo or a separate dryer.  We hang our clothes on a line either inside or outside the RV, depending on the weather.  I'll be posting a more complete product review in a couple of weeks.

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