> From:    Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
> Date:    Sat, 7 Apr 2007 13:26:59 -0700
>
> In one position, the hot water comes out the shower head, in the other
> position, it goes back into the reservoir.

I suspect you might have more luck using a plain tee and two regular
shut-off valves.  You have to remember to operate both valves in the
right order, but these parts are easier to find.  You could even use one
of those things that lets you put two garden hoses on one faucet and has
built-in valves, but you'd need adapters to go from the garden hose
threads to barbed fittings.  This should all be off-the-shelf at your
local hardware store.

> Heck, I suppose I could just put a tee in the line and use bulldog clips
> to alternately open and close the recycle or the shower head line.

You can get "tubing clamps" that are made for this.  They work like
either a safety pin or a pair of locking pliers, except the bits that
clamp down on the hose are well-rounded so as not to bite into the hose.
Sometimes car parts stores have them for pinching off fuel or vacuum
lines; you can also find them in chemistry classrooms and the teacher
can probably tell you where to buy them.

I don't know if it's easy to get a valve like this, but: get a pressure
relief valve that opens at some low pressure.  Install it in the line to
the shower head, but down low - close to the reservoir and heater assembly.
Figure out a way to run a hose from the "overflow" output of the relief
valve back into the reservoir.  Also, install a simple shutoff valve
right at the shower head.  To shower, hang up the head and get wet
as normal.  Then close the valve at the shower head.  The increased
pressure will crack the relief valve and divert water back to the
reservoir.  (Have to be careful that it doesn't "hunt" or oscillate -
relief valve opens, pressure drops, relief valve closes, pressure goes
up, relief valve opens, etc.)

How about this: get something like a 2-liter soda bottle and cut off the
top to make a funnel.  Attach a new piece of tubing about four or five
feet (about 1.5 m) long to the neck of the funnel, and fangle a hook
onto the outside of the funnel.  To shower, hang up the shower head and
funnel right next to each other.  Run the tube from the funnel back into
the existing reservoir.  Get wet as normal, then grab the funnel and
hang it under the shower head.  This will let the water return and
recirculate without having to take the shower head down from the high
spot.

Matt Roberds