A black tank, a hot first minute, and a mixer that decides the rest
A solar shower is a black tank on a post that warms its contents in the sun, and beside a pool it does something useful beyond comfort: rinsing before swimming is what keeps sun cream, hair product and pollen out of the filter. The first figure is the tank volume — 20, 40 and 60 litres on this shelf — and it translates directly into shower time, at roughly six to nine litres a minute through an unrestricted head. A 20-litre shower is two or three minutes of hot water, and then it is cold. The second is the stated maximum temperature, commonly "bis 60 °C", which is a genuine scald risk and the reason the third figure matters more than it looks: whether there is a mixer. A shower with a cold feed and a mixing tap can be used at any point in the day; one without it delivers whatever the tank has reached. Then the materials: a polyethylene tank on an aluminium or PVC column, with the UV-stabilised grade being what decides whether the black goes chalky in three seasons. A foot shower at the base is common and is the part actually used most beside a pool. The base fixing — bolt-down plate or ballast — matters because a filled 60-litre shower is a 60-kilogram lever. And the drain point, because a tank left full through a frost splits. We compare tank volume, maximum temperature, mixer, foot shower, materials, fixing and draining.
20 l, to 60 °C, curved column, metal-cored base
The smallest tank on this shelf at twenty litres, on a curved column with a metal-cored base that bolts down, a 360° rain head, a foot shower and a protective hood.
Best for: A small terrace where the shower has to be bolted down and stay put
60 l, heat-absorbing PVC, snap-in assembly, steel plugs
A sixty-litre shower in a PVC body stated to absorb heat to the maximum, assembled by a snap-in system in seconds, with steel plugs and screws supplied for fixing.
Best for: A fixed installation where sixty litres and a bolted base are the requirements
60 l, 216 cm tall, 5 mm wall, heats in 1–2 h, Oxford 420D cover
The best-dimensioned shower here: 216 cm tall on a 23 × 23 cm foot with a 5 mm wall, warming sixty litres in one to two hours, with a stainless shelf and an Oxford 420D cover.
Best for: A permanent terrace installation where the dimensions have to be checked before ordering
40 l, UV-resistant PVC, clip-on floor plate, 15 cm head
A 40-litre shower in UV-resistant PVC with chromed fittings and a heat-resistant plastic floor plate that clips on and off, plus a hand spray and a 15 cm head.
Best for: A terrace where standing on a plate matters more than a foot shower does
Height 1.40–2.10 m, to 60 °C, 10 hoses supplied
The only height-adjustable shower here — 1.40 to 2.10 metres — with a removable, adjustable head and a complete set of ten connecting hoses and fittings.
Best for: A shower used by people of very different heights, or one that travels
35 l, fills in 4–6 min, drains in 8–10 min, 3.5 bar
The only shower here that publishes both a filling time and a draining time — four to six minutes to fill, eight to ten to empty — with a recommended pressure of 3.5 bar and a mounting plate supplied.
Best for: A garden where the shower is drained and stored each autumn
35 l, ball-joint rain head, shelf, non-slip floor element
A 35-litre shower with a ball-jointed rain head, a shelf for soap, a non-slip floor element and a protective hood — mixing tank water with cold hose water through a single-lever tap.
Best for: A garden or a campsite where the shower is set up in a spot and moved occasionally
40 l, 360° ball joint head, foot tap, UV plastic and aluminium
A 40-litre shower in UV-resistant plastic and aluminium, with a 360° ball-jointed rain head, a single-lever mixer and a tap at the base that doubles as a foot shower and a drain.
Best for: A poolside shower where feet get rinsed far more often than bodies do
60 l, 225 cm tall, 62-nozzle head, 3.5 bar, snap-in
The tallest shower here at 225 cm, with a 15 cm head counting sixty-two nozzles at a stated 3.5 bar, chromed fittings, snap-in assembly and fixings supplied.
Best for: A tall household wanting a proper rain head rather than a rinse
Only the specifications at least four models out of five state. A column that is more empty than full compares nothing.
| Model | Price | Amazon reference | Base fixing | Draining | Foot shower |
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Specifications: manufacturer sheets and Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. No product on this site has been physically tested.
Most recent revision in this category: September 21, 2026.
