Has anyone installed a Shower Miser in the Navion 24J shower?

[yfor01]

I am asking because the faucets are installed diagonally between the back and side exterior wall. The instructions talk about accessing the back of the faucets by installing an access panel if the faucets are installed on an inside wall.

 

[creativepart]

I’ve never heard of anyone installing that system as an aftermarket installation in a View/Navion.but it sure would be great. I think Tiffin or maybe Newmar builds this into their Sprinter-based Class Cs.

If you do this be sure to document the whole process because that’s something many owners would want to do.

 

[Pointyears]

I am asking because the faucets are installed diagonally between the back and side exterior wall. The instructions talk about accessing the back of the faucets by installing an access panel if the faucets are installed on an inside wall.

I'd be concerned about having enough access to reach the non-pressurized part of the system; the water has to return somehow to be reheated. Does the manual address that at all?
This is one of those jobs that scares me cuz once you start there ain't no going back and you don't know what you'll find. I'd be more inclined to swap the tankless hot water heater for a tanked one if I had an N/V. That'd also save water hot water in the kitchen, too, if boondocking (I'm guessing that's the problem you're trying to solve) or whatever.

Edit: Oh wait, I just saw in your SIG that you have a 2013 Nav so you presumably already have a tanked water heater.

 

[yfor01]

That’s right I have a tank system. I also wonder if I had a faucet problem what would I do? There is an outside corner piece. I guess I could try taking it off to see if that allows access to the faucet area!

 

[Bnystrom]

I really like the idea of the Shower Miser, but there doesn't appear to be any way to install one in our 2010 View DL without somehow accessing the area between the shower and the fridge, which is where the shower controls live. It would also necessitate running a pipe to the water tank in the rear. After experiencing how much of a headache it was just to run a few wires to that area, I think installing additional plumbing is out of the question.

 

[Morich]

When needing to look at what is hidden behind the walls, I find the interactive parts catalog can be great:

Parts Catalog

Not familiar with the gizmo but this should tell you a bit about getting tot he faucet as it looks like a pretty standard type operation for RV.
There is some extra space and RV plumbing lines don't take much.
Overall view

To get to the fittings, I normally would expect to find some form of screw/fasteners to remove from the front. It may need to have the handles taken off to get to what hods the faceplate or it may have something hidden under little covers to pop off? but we know they put the shower stall in first and then added the faucet, so look for how to do the reverse! Is it through the green part or hidden under the red???

Then it looks like you pull it forward enough to get at the fittings to loosen and remove the faucet and plate.

 

[Bnystrom]

Unfortunately, the interactive parts catalog only seems to exist for 2020 and newer models. My 2010 only has "dumb" diagrams, which don't provide the same level of detail.

 

[yfor01]

When needing to look at what is hidden behind the walls, I find the interactive parts catalog can be great:

Parts Catalog

Not familiar with the gizmo but this should tell you a bit about getting tot he faucet as it looks like a pretty standard type operation for RV.
There is some extra space and RV plumbing lines don't take much.
Overall view
View attachment 1953502
To get to the fittings, I normally would expect to find some form of screw/fasteners to remove from the front. It may need to have the handles taken off to get to what hods the faceplate or it may have something hidden under little covers to pop off? but we know they put the shower stall in first and then added the faucet, so look for how to do the reverse! Is it through the green part or hidden under the red???
View attachment 1953503
Then it looks like you pull it forward enough to get at the fittings to loosen and remove the faucet and plate.
View attachment 1953504

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I was aware of the interactive parts catalog but did not know that from 2020 it was much more complete. There are lots of similarities between the pre-2020 and post-2020 models so it might be useful to take a peek at the newer models through the Parts Catalog. I will attempt to pop the front off and see if I can get to the back, I will update this thread with my findings.

 

[Morich]

HUMM? I now find things are slipping a bit? I had developed the idea that I could use the interactive back to the 2010 models but now I am finding mixed results when I do a hit and miss search. I find some of the newer info back as far as 2015 but not all and then when going older, I am finding none?
Not something I had ever spent much time to study and write down what info was posted as it did not seem to get me anywhere worth the chase!

I hate to think it but it does seem our favorite RV company may be pulling back on support for the DIY group!
One of the things that has slipped is the way they have dropped posting the 12VDC schematics after 2010. That really makes it much harder to follow a circuit when we have to make our own schematics!

But for the question? No chance there is a handy wooden panel that could be teased off to get to the opening behind the faucet? I'm guessing not likely on the Navion but I have found on other RV that pulling a thin plywood panel could be done reasonably easy and give much better access than trying to work through the faucet opening.

Maybe not much chance but worth a quick look at the idea?

 

[yfor01]

HUMM? I now find things are slipping a bit? I had developed the idea that I could use the interactive back to the 2010 models but now I am finding mixed results when I do a hit and miss search. I find some of the newer info back as far as 2015 but not all and then when going older, I am finding none?
Not something I had ever spent much time to study and write down what info was posted as it did not seem to get me anywhere worth the chase!

I hate to think it but it does seem our favorite RV company may be pulling back on support for the DIY group!
One of the things that has slipped is the way they have dropped posting the 12VDC schematics after 2010. That really makes it much harder to follow a circuit when we have to make our own schematics!

But for the question? No chance there is a handy wooden panel that could be teased off to get to the opening behind the faucet? I'm guessing not likely on the Navion but I have found on other RV that pulling a thin plywood panel could be done reasonably easy and give much better access than trying to work through the faucet opening.

Maybe not much chance but worth a quick look at the idea?

Not possible on the Navion since the faucets are in the back corner of the vehicle as shown in the diagram from Morich.

 

[Morich]

Yes, easy to see when you point to it but one of the problems with this type drawing is that we only get to see clearly the systems we look at and walls are not always easy to spot when we are looking at plumbing and don't know the RV!

Through the wonders of the computer world, I now see my pictures are no longer there, so this is what I was trying to indicate?

I

It looks like there is a fair amount of space back there but whether you can get to it well enough from the front is always a good question!
Best of luck on the chase!

 

[Morich]

Looking a bit closer and more time, I might think of cutting the space below the faucets open to have more room to work! Always a tradeoff whether to do more work to make later easier?
This is one that has come up in my work on rental property where the walls, etc. were a problem when dealing with frozen pipes and this type shower surround.
I eventually learned not to buy a house if plumbing was left with no access!

But once we get there, we don't get to choose.
In this case I would seriously consider cutting as big access below the faucets as I could manage to let me do the plumbing easier and then close the hole.
Tradeoff in which is more trouble but I like room when doing pipes.

For closure, I would find some material that is pretty well waterproof for the backer and then use the panel I had cut out as the main by putting plastic trim around all the edges.
If it is done carefully and the cuts are straight and smooth, the trim can be chosen to be wide enough to cover the missing saw kerf! Lots of clear caulking to make sure it stays water tight as it WILL be wet!
Big advantage is that you then don't have to get the faucets off to figure that part!
It will need care and slow but it makes the plumbing lots easier to fit in the right way!