Questions re: wet baths

[we3ernes]

I have two possibly really dumb questions regarding wet baths.

Why do wet baths which have a flexible shower head also have a separate sprayer for the toilet? Wouldn't the shower wand do the same thing?

Why do wet baths have sinks? The kitchen has a sink, is just a step away, is in a dry area, and doesn't intrude on an already tiny space....

In an area which you are trying to save room and redundancies these two things struck me as odd, but I've never owned a motor home or a trailer so maybe there is an underlying reason that I'm not understanding. We've been researching RVs for a few years now and are getting close to purchasing one. Still debating between a B and a small C.

Jen
(who is a military wife, and a homeschooling mama)

[mumkin]

Not all Bs or Cs have a sprayer for the toilet. Neither of mine had one. Without going into too many boring details, nor did I use the handheld shower for the toilet. I have had one B and one small C and the bathrooms were both in the rear quite far from the kitchen sink, so a bathroom sink was crucial.

Basically there are so many options in B and small C floor plans, there is no set answer for this. Actually my small C had a dry bath, which is very nice if one lives in the rig for long stretches.

[avanti]

The toilet spray thing is just a gimmick that Thetford started adding to their high-end toilets. I've never used ours, for the reason you state.

I used to think that sinks in the toilet were a waste, but now that I have one, I have changed my mind. I like the one-stop-shopping for my morning ablutions. More importantly, DW and I can brush our teeth at the same time. There is little or no cost in terms of floor space.

[Davydd]

It is perceived hygiene whether real or imagined. The sink in the bathroom at a minimum would be for washing your hands after using the facilities which is something you wouldn't or shouldn't do at the kitchen sink especially if there is any food prep underway. Building codes for fixed buildings would require a sink. I don't know if there are any regulations for an RV since some small RVs essentially turn the whole space into the bathroom sometimes.

[we3ernes]

Davydd, it is ironic that you mention perceived hygiene as I almost always use our kitchen sink after the facilities. A combination of the touch less soap dispenser, stainless steel sink, and better water management (single faucet handle that I can turn on with the back of my wrist rather than two twist knobs) make our kitchen sink several degrees more hygienic for me.

Avanti, it isn't floor space that I was thinking of, but rather that a sink is at perfect hip-bump height. Being that my hips are my widest spot (thank you child) and that I am a known klutz I would think that could be an issue for me.

Mumkin, I would really prefer a dry bath, but my husband would like this RV to act as a second vehicle in emergencies (we currently share one car) thus I am trying to find the perfect wet bath.

Since this will be our first RV we would like to find the floor plan we like best on a used and cheaper brand so that we can work out our likes/dislikes/mistakes for a smaller investment. Then later on we can step up to the quality we'd like.

[avanti]

Our rig (a Great West Vans Legend) has the sink on the toilet side of the bath:

VP3306723_31_large.jpg

Before we purchased the van, I was quite worried that this would be awkward, but in practice it works perfectly. No hip conflicts and still perfectly easy to reach (after all, there are no long distances in a B-van bath ).

[Davydd]

I just measured our wet bath. The bathroom is 24" clear x 42" from wall to recessed mirror over the sink. From wall to the face of the recessed sink it is 31". Half the space wall to wall is 37". That is plenty of room for hips and throwing elbows washing hair. In a wet bath you can also sit on the toilet seat and clean yourself accessibility style. We even have an accessibility heavy duty grab bar for a towel bar. The shower curtain with the doors ajar or open give you a little more elbow room in the 24" dimension. Compare that to the dinky standup dry bath showers that are often as small as 24" x 24".

Then to achieve a dry bath you have to devote much more room to a bathroom in a B especially if at the back of the van. A typical wet bath is going to take up 6-10% of the overall floor space. A typical back end wet bath is going to take up anywhere from 24-30% of your overall floor space. In a B that is an awful lot of floor space to sacrifice that could be used for many other things just so you don't have to take 5 minutes and re-prep to use your bathroom again for the other functions.

Also, the typical van is not wide enough to create a functional dry bath anywhere but at the back end. Class Cs have much more flexibility in that regard because they are wide enough to go to a 30" depth and place almost anywhere.

[Jostalli]

I love the dry bath in the Free Spirit SS/Era 70C.

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by we3ernes

Mumkin, I would really prefer a dry bath, but my husband would like this RV to act as a second vehicle in emergencies (we currently share one car) thus I am trying to find the perfect wet bath.

Since this will be our first RV we would like to find the floor plan we like best on a used and cheaper brand so that we can work out our likes/dislikes/mistakes for a smaller investment. Then later on we can step up to the quality we'd like.

For the last four years, in the winter I used my small 25' Class C (an LTV Libero) as a daily driver in Arizona during the winter. You just have to check out parking wherever you go to make sure that you can find the space.

The new Roadtrek is their smallest at under 19' and for the next year it will be my only vehicle.

Good idea to buy the cheapest thing that you can find now that is as close as possible to what you want. Invariably one's first is an experiment and after a year or two, you realize what you really want.

[we3ernes]

Originally Posted by mumkin

For the last four years, in the winter I used my small 25' Class C (an LTV Libero) as a daily driver in Arizona during the winter. You just have to check out parking wherever you go to make sure that you can find the space.

The Libero is exactly what I would like, but finding a used Libero is next to impossible

Good idea to buy the cheapest thing that you can find now that is as close as possible to what you want. Invariably one's first is an experiment and after a year or two, you realize what you really want.

I have to have learned something after lurking on RV boards for the past few years!

[we3ernes]

Originally Posted by Jostalli

I love the dry bath in the Free Spirit SS/Era 70C.

We have looked at the ERA 70C (no Free Spirits around anywhere to observe) and I love the idea of it, but the whole put a slide out to sleep argument has me worried that it wouldn't work for us.

I do know how I THINK we'll use it, we've projected and talked that to death, but no telling what reality will look like.

[we3ernes]

Originally Posted by Davydd

I just measured our wet bath. The bathroom is 24" clear x 42" from wall to recessed mirror over the sink. From wall to the face of the recessed sink it is 31". Half the space wall to wall is 37". That is plenty of room for hips and throwing elbows washing hair.

I would be interested in hearing the dimension between the leading edge of the toilet and the front of the sink as that is truly your clear space.

I don't think a wet bath would bother me so much except I know that I will be the one who has to make sure it is dry after folks shower and that it is clean to shower in. I can just imagine my 13 year old forgetting to take her shoes off, using the restroom, and leaving stuff behind that I have to clean up before showering.

[we3ernes]

Originally Posted by avanti

Our rig (a Great West Vans Legend) has the sink on the toilet side of the bath:

Attachment 2624

Before we purchased the van, I was quite worried that this would be awkward, but in practice it works perfectly. No hip conflicts and still perfectly easy to reach (after all, there are no long distances in a B-van bath ).

Now that makes better sense to me! Still think I would prefer the kitchen sink though, more counter space.

[we3ernes]

So another thought occurred to my husband - why don't they make the entire interior of the bath waterproof? Time and again we see baths where the doors (or something else) has to be protected by using a shower curtain. My favorite one was where the shower curtain went between you and the sink, guess where the controls for the shower were? At the sink!

[mumkin]

LOL, yes... you will find that way too often RVs are designed without enough thought to usage. My first rig had the faucet stretched between the kitchen sink and cooktop... which made it almost impossible to actually cook on the tiny galley.

"The Libero is exactly what I would like, but finding a used Libero is next to impossible"

It just so happens that Lake Region RVs north of Minneapolis has two of them on their lot. Check them out... even used they are not cheap.