Synergy 4040 User Manual

SYNERGY MFG. 870 INDUSTRIAL WAY, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA [phone]

4040 SIT-SHOWER-SHAVE INSTRUCTIONS

GENERAL NOTES:

• These instructions are also available on our website; www.synergymfg.com. Check the website before

you begin for any updated instructions and additional photos for your reference.

• This is a universal kit that can be installed on any water cooled vehicle which runs at an approximate

water temp between 190-210 deg F.

• The following instructions show the installation of a complete 4040 Sit Shower Shave Kit onto a 2012

Jeep JK wrangler. Use these instructions as a guide when installing it on another vehicle.

• Installation of this kit will require the use of simple hand tools, a drill with a quality ¼” diameter metal

cutting drill bit, and some thread sealant or Teflon tape.

• **NOTE** Installation can be done on either inlet or outlet side of heater core. To determine which

side is the inlet side, start vehicle after it has completely cooled and take note of which heater core line
gets hot first, this is the inlet side of the heater core. It is important to determine this now because some
vehicles feature a check valve on the heater core which will only allow coolant to flow freely if the
heater is running.

a) Splicing into the inlet side of the heater core will allow for a consistent operating temperature of

the shower. However, the ability to adjust the temperature of the shower itself is not as effective
when adjusting heater output in the vehicle. Thus, the shower will really only run at one given
temperature.

b) Splicing into the outlet side of the heater core will likely require the heater to be running in the

vehicle for the shower to get up to temp. However, the ability to better control the temperature
of the shower is more effective by adjusting heater output in the vehicle. Thus, the shower
temperature can vary more by turning the heater from low to high.

c) Installation is up to the installer. The following instructions are done on the inlet side for

simplicity’s sake.

PARTS LIST (Complete 4040 Kit):

• 4040-10 Heat Exchanger Kit

• (1) Brazed Copper Plate Heat Exchanger

• (1) Heat Exchanger Mount

• (4) 1/4”-20 UNC x 1" long hex head bolts

• (4) 1/4”-20 UNC nylock nuts

• (8) 1/4" GR8 flat washers

• 4040-11 Shower Pump

• (1) Diaphragm Water Pump (12V, 2.2GPM, 7.5A Max Draw)

• (2) 1/2" Female NPT to 1/2" Barb Fittings

• (1) Fine Mesh Filter (Servicable)

• 4040-12 Shower Head

• (1) Angled Shower Head w/ On/Off Switch

• (1) 25' Shower Hose

• 4040-13 Bathroom Bucket Kit

• (1) 5 USG Bucket

• (1) 5 USG Toilet Seat Bucket Lid

• (6) Double Doodie Wag Bags

• 4040-14 Shower Fitting Kit

• (2) 1/2" Male NPT x 3/4" F PP Cam & Groove Fittings

• (2) 1/2" Male barb x 3/4" C PP Cam & Groove Fittings

• (2) 3/4" DC PP Cam & Groove Fittings

• (2) 1/2" NPT Male to 5/8" Male Barbs

• (2) 1/2" NPT Male to 1/2" Male Barbs

• (1) 1/2" Coarse Filter/Strainer

• (1) 50’ Length Fiber Reinforced Rubber Hose

• (5) #8 Stainless Hose Clamps

Parts / Tools Needed to complete installation:

• Basic simple hand tools.

• Drill with 1/4” metal cutting drill bit.

Thread sealant or Teflon tape.

•

• 3’-4’ of coolant hose (Size will depend on vehicle application).

Coolant to top off system.

•

• Basic electrical knowledge and supplies (Butt connectors, 10 amp fuse, 10 or 12 gauge wire, and

switching mechanism of choice).

INSTALLATION:

1) **WARNING** be sure vehicle is completely cool before beginning installation.

2) We will begin by assembling the fittings onto the heat exchanger itself.

3) Start first by determining the size of the heater core coolant line which you will be tapping into on the
vehicle. These are commonly 1/2” or 5/8” coolant hoses. The 4040-14 shower fitting kit includes
provisions for tapping into both of these sizes. Disconnect a heater core line and utilizing the brass
barbed fittings, determine which size fits best.

 **Caution** Heater core hoses will have coolant in them, so be prepared to catch coolant

when removing.

 Draining some of the coolant from the radiator prior to disconnecting a heater core hose

is a good idea to avoid making a mess.

4) Once heater core coolant line size has been determined, assemble the appropriate barbed fittings onto
one side of the heat exchanger. Use a quality thread sealant or Teflon tape on the threads before
assembly.

 Snug fittings tight. The fittings are all standard 1/2” NPT threads, so do not over tighten.

Pipe threads of this size are typically assembled 1-2 turns past finger tight. DO NOT
clamp heat exchanger into a vise and crank away. Simply hold the heat exchanger by
hand and tighten as described above using a standard wrench.

 After installing the appropriate brass fittings, install the 2 male cam lock fittings on the

opposite side of the heat exchanger which are provided in the kit. Again use a quality
thread sealant or Teflon tape on the threads.

 At this point, the heat exchanger should appear as pictured below.

5) Now, find a suitable location for the heat exchanger and bracket to mount. Somewhere on the firewall
near the heater core outlet / inlet is ideal. On a Jeep JK, the passenger fender well, below the battery
tray is an ideal mounting location. Simply relocate factory wiring connectors above the battery as
shown. See picture 5.1 & 5.2 below.

Pic 5.1; Factory wiring harness on a 2012 3.6L JK relocated from under the battery to above it.

Picture 5.2; Heat exchanger assembly positioned on the passenger side firewall / inner fender well area.

6) Once a suitable location is found, use the heat exchanger / bracket as a guide and mark the location of
the 4 mounting holes which will need to be drilled. Be sure the area behind the bracket location is
accessible and clear of wiring, carpeting, etc.

7) Center punch and drill the four holes using a quality 1/4” drill bit. Clean up any sharp edges after
drilling.

8) Bolt in the heat exchanger and bracket with the 1/4”-20 UNC x 1.0” long bolts provided in the kit. Use
the nylock nuts provided on the back side and use a washer under both the head of the bolt and nut as
pictured below. Tighten all 4 bolts.

Picture 8.1; Backside of heat exchanger mounting on 2012 Jeep JK underneath the passenger foot well

carpeting.

9) Now we can begin running coolant lines to the heat exchanger itself. Often one of the factory coolant
hoses on the vehicle can be rerouted from the motor to the heat exchanger. On this install, we will

remove a small coupler piece of 5/8” coolant hose and replace it with 2 longer pieces which will connect
to the heat exchanger.

 We will begin by accessing the coolant lines at the front of the motor. It is easiest to do

this by removing the air intake.

 Disconnect the 4 air box retaining clips as if you were replacing the air filter.
 Next, remove the crankcase breather tube which connects to the air box (Yellow arrow in

picture 12.1 below)

 Remove the two 10mm bolts which secure the intake tube to the radiator. (Red Arrows

in picture 12.1 below)

 Loosen up the hose clamp at the throttle body and disconnect the electrical connection to

the intake temp sensor on the underside of the intake tube. (Blue Arrow in picture 12.1
below)

Picture 12.1

10) With the air intake tube removed, we can access the heater core hose which we will be rerouting to the
heat exchanger. Now, remove the spring clamps from the factory upper hose and remove the small 90
degree coupler tube as shown below.

11) Next, measure the amount of hose needed to go from each fitting to the heat exchanger. Cut the
appropriate length of hose and hook up to the heat exchanger as shown below.

12) Secure the new coolant lines to the motor using the factory spring clamps. Secure the hoses to the brass
fittings on the heat exchanger with the hose clamps provided in the kit.

 Reconnect any intake components or other various parts removed for installation and

refill the cooling system. Be sure to bleed out any air bubbles in the cooling system and
check for leaks before moving onto the next step.

13) Next, unspool the 50 ft bundle of clear fiber reinforced 1/2” ID hose included in the kit. This hose needs
to be cut into two pieces. One length which will be used between the water source and pump. With the
other length used between the pump and heat exchanger. Keep this in mind when cutting the hose.

 We recommend cutting the hose to result in one piece at 40 ft, and one piece at 10 ft. The

result should be two pieces of hose as shown below.

14) Attach one of the 1/2” male barb pipe fittings which are included with the pump kit to one end of each
piece of hose. Secure with a hose clamp provided in the kit.

15) On the opposite end of the longer piece of hose. Attach the stainless suction strainer. This is a tight fit,
so heating the hose under warm water or using some water soluble lubricant for installation is helpful.
No hose clamp is needed on this end.

16) On the opposite end of the short hose. Attach one of the 1/2” male barb quick connect fittings to the
hose. Again, this is a tight fit so heating the hose under warm water or using some water soluble
lubricant for installation is helpful. No hose clamp is needed on this end.

17) Use the last remaining 1/2” male barb quick connect fitting on the free end of the white shower head
hose. This is a very tight fit, so run the end of the hose under hot water until it is soft and easy to work

with. Additionally, use some form of lubricant on the barb fitting and press it into the end of the hose.
As this end will be under high heat and pressure, use a hose clamp as shown below.

18) Assembly of the shower is now complete. The last step to tackle before use is the wiring of the pump.

 Wire the pump as desired.
 The 12V pump has an average amperage draw of 3 amps and a max draw of 7 amps.
 Use a 10 amp fuse between your power source and switching mechanism.

 The red wire is for +12V power and the black wire is for a good ground.

19) Using standard male / female spade connectors to a cigarette lighter switch is one example of wring the
pump. Just be sure the switch and cigarette lighter in the vehicle is rated to run at least at 10 amps.

20) Although it is possible to easily mount the pump on the vehicle as well, we do not recommend this as it
may limit its use and lead to longer and more difficult priming of the pump. Ultimately, it is up to the
installer’s preference.

21) With wiring complete, the shower kit may now be tested. The kit is designed to be laid out as shown
below for use.

22) With the shower kit hooked up as shown above, the final step before use is to prime the system. The
pump will self prime and eliminate all air from the system using the following steps.

 Fill the 5 gallon bucket with water from the water source you will be pulling from and

bring it next to the pump.

 Place the strainer filter into the bucket.
 Turn the shower head to the on position.
 Turn the water pump on.
 Water will begin to flow and you will see air bubbles get pulled through the hose. Re-

circulate the water until a steady stream of water is achieved.

 Once a steady stream of water is coming out of the shower head, walk the bucket down to

your water source (creek, river, lake, etc.) and transfer the strainer filter from the bucket
to the water source without exposing it to air. The pump is now bled and will easily draw
water 40 ft vertically to the shower head.

SHOWER OPERATION NOTES

1. The operation temperature of the shower will vary depending on the efficiency of the vehicle’s cooling
system and the initial temperature of the water source which you will be pulling from.

2. The heat exchanger included in this kit is designed to work well when pulling from approximately 50
deg F water and ran through a vehicle which runs between 195 and 210 degrees F.

3. With the vehicle running at idle and at its normal operating temperature, you can increase the heat of the
water coming through the shower by setting a higher idle on the vehicle.

4. If the water coming through the shower is simply too hot, turn the heater on in the vehicle or turn the
vehicle off completely and just use the residual heat of the heat exchanger to heat the shower water.

5. **WARNING** If at any time you turn the shower head to the “off” position, know that the water
sitting in the heat exchanger at that time will be continuously heated and will become very hot. Be
careful of this “hot spot” in the shower line when you turn the shower head back to the “on” position. It
is for this reason; we recommend not turning the shower head to the “off” position when using the
shower. Just keep it running until finished with the unit and turn the pump off.

6. The 12V pump features a 70 psi internal pressure switch which will trigger and turn the pump off if the
shower head is turned to the “off” position and 70psi of pressure is built up in the system. The pump
will automatically turn back on once the shower head is turned back to the “on” position.

Installation is Complete