Pirahna Power shower

Submitted: Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 at 19:08
ThreadID: 9917 Views:5020 Replies:8 FollowUps:5
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I have fitted to my 3.0 TD Nissan patrol a Pirahna power Shower and am having a problem getting the water Temp to be Hot
Spoke to Pirahna today and found I should have had the water running from motor through the exchanger then through the heater(I had it running through the heater first) so have changed the hoses over to the correct way.
Tried it again today after changes but no difference , only tepid water with heater control fully open and motor running on heat (fast idle)
Has any one fitted this unit to 3.0 Patrol and had similar problems ?
The exchanger is very similar to Glind unit if not the same

Any ideas would be appreciated
Mark (Geelong)
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Reply By: Vince NSW - Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 at 19:17

Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 at 19:17
Mark
Are you RPM high enought. Need about 1200 Rpm
AnswerID: 43827

Follow Up By: MARK (GEELONG) - Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 at 21:00

Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 at 21:00
When running with the heat switch on the motor runs at approx 1000rpmMark (Geelong)
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FollowupID: 306100

Reply By: Roachie - Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 at 21:20

Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 at 21:20
I have a Twine unit in my 4.2 Patrol and my mate has the same on his 3L patrol; neither of us has any problem. The temperature of the shower water can be affected adversely by 2 things basically:
a) the flow rate is too quick meaning the water is not spending enough time in the heat exchanger to be adequately heated.
b) the ambient temp of the cold water supply is too low and the exchanger is unable to heat it sufficiently on first run through. (this is usually the case up in the high country).
My advice would be to re-circulate the water into the bucket where you're drawing the water from and after several minutes the water temp should have risen to an acceptable level. Also, try slowing the flow down a bit using the control knob on the hand-piece.
Not sure about the Piranha/Glind, but I'm fairly sure you need to make sure you have the coolant going in at the correct end of the exchanger too.
Good luck.
Roachie.
AnswerID: 43850

Follow Up By: MARK (GEELONG) - Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 at 23:04

Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 at 23:04
Yes clarified that also today
Coolant is flowing through unit correctly and water is pumped through from opposite direction
Did try to recirculate through bucket but not much change to temperature
Also have tried to reduce flow rate and water being drawn throuh unit with shower head control. Water was far from being cold as would be found in High country
Will have another look at it again tommorow and double check all
Mark (Geelong)
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FollowupID: 306131

Follow Up By: Roachie - Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 11:38

Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 11:38
Mark,
The only other thought I had was the distance you're making the coolant travel to go through the heat exchanger? My mate mounted his against the firewall on the left hand side of the motor, right where the heater hoses are. We removed a small black sound deadening bit of stuff and used the captive bolt that was holding it on as one of the mounting points for the exchanger. That way the coolant going into the exchanger was at it's hottest, having just come out of the motor and travelling only a couple of inches. If you've mounted it further away, there would no doubt be some heat loss in the hose before it reached the exchanger.
Roachie
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FollowupID: 306158

Reply By: Jonty - Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 at 23:18

Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 at 23:18
Mark, Have a home made heater.Works 100%. Bring engine up to working temp.Run water thru bucket/jerrycan till desired temp. Switch off engine, otherwise it gets too hot, and turn on pump and enjoy your shower.I think principal the same.
Cheers
Jonty
AnswerID: 43888

Reply By: dave charlton - Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 07:45

Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 07:45
I also have a Twine unit on my 4.2TDI Patrol and you do need to try either reciculating or try closing the handpiece off a bit to reduce flow rate and it will get a bit better. It appears that the Nissan does run cooler than the tojo. A mate has a Twine in his and it is hot off idle. The 4.2 does come with a hand throttle and increasing rpm is not an issue to find a suitable temperature.
AnswerID: 43913

Reply By: flappan - Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 09:55

Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 09:55
Have a look here for some instructions

http://www.offroader.com.au/tech/installing-mcpauls-auto-shower-in-2003-toyota-prado.cfm

As an aside, I think you will find the Piranhna Power shower is the rebadged McPauls Heat Exchanger (that I have) but at a grossly over inflated price since Piranhna took over the rights to McPauls.

PS, Mine goes thru the heater first , then the Heat exchanger. Some guys fit theirs , with T pieces and an extra heater tap , so you can adjust the temp from the engine bay, and not have coolant in the HE all the time.
AnswerID: 43928

Reply By: Michael - Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 16:07

Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 16:07
Hi All, these shower guys make these flash claims about their 'so called' hot showers, most are really inefficient. The petrol powered vehicles run hotter than the diesels and work a little better but most people have to recirculate the water first to get it to a reasonable temperature. You really need about 50 degrees C at the shower head on a cold night to compensate for wind chill etc. None of these showers run anywhere this temp at a reasonable flow rate generally to achieve 50 deg C, you have to have the water dribbling out the shower head and the engine ringing in your ears. Not really the result we all would like whilst enjoying the bush. These theories about putting the heat exchange close to the engine and before the car heater is all nonsense, If these things are important then the units are not efficient enough, once the system is up to temp , these minor things cant make it any hotter as the water is constantly moving and maintaining thermostat temp setting. At least the Twine guy can sell you a longer unit with more copper tubing in it but no one tells you that till after you have fitted it and found out that its not that great. I think all the manufacturers need to look at what people need and expect from their products. Very few people are totally happy with this type of product, but end up 'making do'. Its not really good enough. Michael
AnswerID: 43984

Follow Up By: Roachie - Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 17:17

Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 17:17
Michael,
We've had our Twine for several years now and I moved it from my GQ to my current GU. Apart from the icy cold waters of the high country, we've never had any problems getting water to a good temp without re-cycling or dribbling the outflow etc. In fact if there is one thing we do have to be careful of, it's that the water can become too hot, especially if you are trying to concerve water and shut the flow off while lathering up......when you turn the flow back on, the water which has been stuck in the exchanger can scold you. Embarrassingly, I found this out the hard way the first time I used our shower; I turned the flow back on my soapy exterior and aimed it right where the sun don't shine....OUCH!!!
With our young bloke (3 year old) we do recycle the water into the bucket a few times to get it to an acceptable temp, then shut the motor off and it doesn't get any hotter and burn the poor little buggar.
Cheers,
Roachie
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FollowupID: 306214

Reply By: MARK (GEELONG) - Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 19:56

Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 19:56
Thanks for all the replys
Ran the unit at 1200rpm today recycling through 15 litre bucket for 30 minutes and only got water to 34 deg
Spoke to Pirahna and they are going to have a look at exchanger and maybe drill out brass fittings to improve flow
Mark (Geelong)
AnswerID: 44019

Follow Up By: Member - AndrewPatrol - Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 20:21

Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 at 20:21
Mark, let us know how you get on 'cos the upper house has approved spending for a shower but I don't wanna make a mistake and waste her (our?) money on the wrong unit. We also have a 3 Lt Diesel Patrol and I have heard of this problem before. One thing I thouhgt of is that maybe have youur shower at the end of the day after the engine has warmed thoroughly-dunno if that will answer the problem or not.
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FollowupID: 306247

Reply By: Dunedigger - Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 07:10

Friday, Jan 23, 2004 at 07:10
Also check your engine thermostat. I may be jammed open. When you are on the road what does the engine temp gage get up to. ? Does the raditor hoses seem hot when on the road ? Also when on the road is the in_ car heater working properly ?. It could be blocked

Dunedigger
AnswerID: 44066

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