Camp of 15. Zero gray water hauled out for 7 burns running. Plus a real shower that runs off a battery.
evap-pond-shower-build
Download the printable build guide (PDF)
Full measurements, parts list, and step-by-step photos. Built to print before you leave service — bring it to the playa.
Why this build
Gray water is the bottleneck at Burning Man. Most camps either haul it out — heavy, expensive, MOOP risk if you spill — or pour it into a commercial evaporator that costs a fortune and breaks. This design just uses physics. Tips of the towels sit in the water. Capillary action wicks it up the fabric. Dry desert air pulls the moisture off the surface throughout the day. You re-soak the towels a couple times a day. That's it. No power, no parts to break, no hauling.
The shower is a separate problem solved with the same logic: don't overcomplicate it. A small 12V bilge pump sits in a tote, runs a hose up a PVC tree to a low-pressure shower head, light switch on the line. Battery-powered, runs all week on a deep cycle. Washes off enough dust to feel human again.
I've used this exact design for the last seven burns. Camp of around 15 people. Evaporates all our gray water, every year.
What you need
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The pond + towel rack
8 ft 2×4s — qty 4
Cut each in half for easier playa transport (you end up with eight 4-foot pieces). Forms the perimeter.
Corner brackets — qty 4
Tie the perimeter corners together. Any 90° flat bracket works.
Mid-span brackets — qty 4
Join the two 4-foot segments along each side of the perimeter.
PVC pipe (1/2" or 3/4")
Enough for 16 pieces at 23.5" each (towel rack rails) plus 4 vertical legs. Buy a couple extra feet for the cuts.
PVC T-connectors and 90° elbows
For the rack grid joints. Count your joints before buying.
Towels — qty 16+
Microfiber or old gym towels. The actual evaporation surface — they need to fully cover the rack.
The shower platform + walkway
1×3 planks cut to 2 ft — qty 9
Top deck of the shower platform. Spaced one finger-width apart for drainage.
1 ft wide planks for walkway
Slides into the shower platform so you can step on without dunking your foot in gray water.
Pump + plumbing
Rule 800 GPH 12V bilge pump
The heart of the shower. Quiet enough for early-morning camp use.
Plastic tote (10–20 gallon)
Water reservoir. Drill a hole in the side wall for the hose to exit.
3/4" to 1/2" step-down fitting
You'll Frankenstein this from a few hardware store pieces — pump output is 3/4", shower head is 1/2".
Low-pressure shower head — this one matters
Standard shower heads will not work. There's not enough pressure from a 12V pump to push water through them. Look for "low-flow camping shower head" or "RV shower head." I went through a handful before one worked.
Rubber washers
Mount the pump to the bottom of the tote with screws + washers, otherwise it slides around when running.
Electrical
12V deep-cycle battery
Runs the pump all week on one charge. Standard marine/RV deep cycle works.
12V toggle / light switch
Mounts on the shower's vertical PVC. Waterproof rating is a plus.
Two outdoor extension cords — the cheaper-than-spool-wire trick
Cut the ends off and use the 16-gauge wire inside. Cheaper than buying wire on a spool and the outdoor coating is more durable than basic insulation. Trust me on this one.
Wire crimp connectors + battery terminal clips
For joining the wires and clamping to the battery posts.
Tools (you probably already have these)
Drill + bits, countersink bit, wire crimpers/strippers, heat gun for the shrink tubing, tape measure, saw for the 2×4s and PVC.
How to build it
The full step-by-step with measurements and photos is in the downloadable PDF. Quick web summary:
- Build the pond perimeter. Cut your four 8-ft 2×4s in half. Assemble the eight pieces into a rectangle using corner brackets at the four corners and mid-span brackets joining the two halves on each side.
- Build the PVC towel rack. Cut 16 pieces of PVC at 23.5". Assemble into a grid with T-fittings and elbows. Run the rack along the LONG direction of the perimeter. Mount the four vertical legs to the OUTSIDE of the wood perimeter with pipe straps, measured ~2 ft in from each end.
- Build the shower platform. Lay two 2-ft 2×4s flat as a sub-frame. Deck with nine 2-ft 1×3 planks, finger-width spacing for drainage. Add a front plank that will hold the vertical PVC shower pipe.
- Build the walkway. Same construction, smaller scale — designed to slide into the shower platform so you can step from dry ground onto the deck without standing in gray water.
- Assemble the shower vertical pipe. PVC tree on the front plank: vertical riser with an elbow at top for the shower head, side branch lower down for the light switch mount.
- Mount the pump in the tote. Drill a hole in the side wall of your tote for the 3/4" hose to exit. Screw the bilge pump to the bottom of the tote using rubber washers (otherwise water flow shifts it around when running). Run the hose from the pump out through the tote wall, up the vertical PVC, through your step-down fitting, into the shower hose, to the shower head.
- Wire the pump. Cut the ends off your extension cords. Run 16-ga wire from the battery → through the light switch → to the pump. Crimp every joint. Heat-shrink every joint.
- At camp. Drop the tarp into the pond perimeter. Level it. Hang towels over the PVC rack with the tips touching the gray water. Drop the tote of fresh shower water in the shade. Battery in. Test it.
For the full version with measurements, photos, and assembly diagrams → download the PDF.
What I'd do differently
[Dan to fill in. Two threads from the original video that are worth expanding here:
1. The Frankenstein hose step-down. You said "there's probably some better ways to do this" — what would the cleaner version look like? A specific fitting set people could buy as one piece would save them the hardware-store puzzle.
2. The shower head experimentation. You went through a handful before one worked. Name the specific one that worked (and ideally one that didn't) so people don't waste $30 like you did.
Also worth considering: anything that's broken on the playa over 7 burns? Any upgrades you've made year-over-year? That kind of detail is exactly what readers come here for.]
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