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How to use a 35 litre solar shower

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a black PVC column, a garden hose, and an afternoon when the tank stays cold or the head will not stop dripping. How to use a 35 litre solar shower is an order: fix it, fill on hot until water leaves the head, leave it in the sun, test the mixer, and drain it before a frost. The [35 litre solar shower comparison](/hub/garden-watering/35-litre-solar-shower) is the product table. If the box manual disagrees, follow the box. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a black PVC column, a garden hose, and an afternoon when the tank stays cold or the head will not stop dripping.

Our top picks

Summer Fun Summer Fun 35L mist shower

Best overall

Summer Fun Summer Fun 35L mist shower
4.1/10about £279.88
View offer
tillvex tillvex 35L solar shower

Rank 2

tillvex tillvex 35L solar shower
8.1/10about £129.99
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Generic Generic 35L solar shower

Rank 3

Generic Generic 35L solar shower
1.0/10about £172.33
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On this page
  1. 1.Set it on a sunny slab
  2. 2.Fill on hot, then wait
  3. 3.Shower, drip, and a real leak
  4. 4.Drain it before a frost
  5. 5.When this sequence is the wrong object

Set it on a sunny slab

Choose a flat base in full sun. Shade is why a black tank stays lukewarm. tillvex bullets describe a screw fixing and a garden-hose fill, not a tool-free job. Comments mention a 12 mm drill, which matches the Fluidra sheet, and weak anchors. Wrap the threads with PTFE tape, about 10 to 15 turns, and tighten by hand. A new outside tap is a plumber’s job. Mixer and weight belong on the 35 litre solar shower buying guide. If the box is 8 cm and 1 kg, stop.

Fill on hot, then wait

Set the mixer to full hot so the hose charges the tank, and wait until water leaves the head. Fluidra describes that fill as about four to five minutes. Another English sheet says four to six. Watch the head, not the clock. Do not merge the heat claims. One sheet says about two hours, and 60°C only in strong sun. A B&Q page for a different tank says about three hours to 60°C. A VEVOR UK page says 30°C in three to four hours. If the water is lukewarm, check shade and whether you filled on hot. When you shower, start cool. The sheets say 60°C can scald. Do not drink the tank water.
Summer Fun Summer Fun 35L mist shower

Testsieger

Summer Fun Summer Fun 35L mist shower
4.1/10about £279.88
View offer

Shower, drip, and a real leak

A short drip after you shut the control is normal expansion, on the Fluidra sheet. A mixer that will not close is a fault. tillvex comments include units that kept running. Close the house tap. Do not force a split PVC joint. Keep the hose on the slab, not in the pool. Siting is on the solar shower for a pool page.

Drain it before a frost

Before a frost, empty the tank and store the column indoors. A cover is not a full tank through a British winter. The SD35 sheet says no salt and no antifreeze. One English sheet says the drain takes about eight to ten minutes and tells you not to move the handle while it drains. Disconnect the hose so a frozen tap is not feeding a closed column.

When this sequence is the wrong object

A column you cannot lift, or a base you cannot bolt because the patio is rented and drilling is forbidden, is the wrong object for these steps. A bag or a pump belongs on the solar shower vs camping shower page, not in this sequence. If the box manual disagrees with the class sheets above, follow the box.

Common questions

Which way should the mixer point when I fill it?
Point it to hot, or full hot, so hose water enters the tank. The Fluidra sheet and the other English 35 litre sheet both use that order, then tell you to close the control once water has left the head. Filling on cold can leave the tank short of water. When you shower later, start cool and blend toward warm so the first seconds are not the hottest water in the column.
How long does filling take?
Class sheets say about four to five minutes, or four to six, until water comes out of the head. Treat that as a rule of thumb. Stop when the head runs, not when a timer ends. The two-hour and three-hour heat claims come from different products, so do not add them together.
Why is it dripping after I turn it off?
A short drip is expansion as the tank warms, and the Fluidra manual calls that normal. A drip that becomes a steady loss, or a mixer that will not close at all, is a fault. Shut the house tap. Comments on the tillvex listing include heads and mixers that stayed open. Rewinding tape will not fix a valve that no longer seals.
How do I stop it being only lukewarm?
Put the column in full sun and fill on hot so the tank actually charges. Shade, and a mixer left so the tank never fills, are the first checks. Seller claims of 60°C are not a forecast for a cool British day. One UK page says about three hours to 60°C depending on weather, and another model is described at 30°C in three to four hours. Do not add those times together.
Can I leave it outside in a British winter?
Drain it and bring it indoors before a frost. Do not leave 35 litres standing in the column. A cover is not a substitute for that drain. Do not add antifreeze or salt. The SD35 sheet rules both out. A hose left connected can freeze at the tap as well, so disconnect it.
When do I call a plumber?
Call one if you need a new outside tap, if you are unsure whether the hose tap has backflow protection, or if the shower will not stop and closing the house supply is the only way to end it. You do not need a plumber to connect a hose to a tap you already use. If a plastic joint has split, stop using the column.

Related pages

Solar shower

35 litre solar shower

Best 35 litre solar shower: the conditional UK pick

35 litre solar shower buying guide: weight and mixer

Solar shower for a pool: keep the hose on the slab

Solar shower vs camping shower: column, bag or pump

Sources

Public UK sources used for backflow, hose risk and legionella temperatures in managed buildings. A class manual covers fill, drip, scald and frost. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 20 October 2026. This is not a temperature trial.

  1. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, Schedule 2 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  2. Water Regs UK — hose union taps (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  3. WaterSafe — water fittings regulations, Scotland and Northern Ireland (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  4. HSE — legionella and hot water temperatures (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  5. Fluidra 35 litre PVC shower manual (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  6. B&Q — Sweeek 35 litre outdoor solar shower (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  7. Homebuilding — installing an outdoor shower (retrieved 20.10.2026)