Bushfire devastation and Covid have struck simultaneously in Australia, the US west Coast and in Southern Europe. Both have taught powerful lessons to RV makers and users globally.

green sources of hygienic hot water

Frightening power of bushfires and Covid push RV users towards clean,

With the curse of Covid sweeping the globe, people are taking to recreational vehicles like never before to enjoy healthy holidays in remote and pristine surroundings in their own countries and States.

RV sales globally are soaring – and one company dubbed as the “Airbnb of RV rentals”, Outdoorsy – is expected to hit $US1 billion in sales as we enter our second year of Covid restrictions. RV builders in Asia, Australia, America and Europe are also reporting best-ever sales.

But there is a snag. The increased numbers of RV vehicles in outlying regions may transfer the risk of Covid to these environments, if travelers are not very careful with hygiene and use plenty of hot water to keep clean. And that makes another problem, as well as pollution, if fossil fuel is burned to produce heat for the water – bushfires.

Because at the very same time Covid has encircled the globe, climate change has doubly cursed remote region holidaymakers with the increased dangers of bushfires bought on by recent heat extremes that many attribute to climate change. More than 10 per cent of Australia’s total bushland was burnt out by last year’s fires - 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres; 186,000 square kilometres; 72,000 square miles), with over 5,900 buildings destroyed, including 2,779 homes, and dozens of deaths. The frightening picture is repeated on the West Coast of the USA – and in Southern Europe.

Covid doesn’t take a holiday, says Jay King (right)

“Covid and the fires have been a wakeup call about hygiene and environmental protection,” says Jay King, one of the people whose RV water heating products sales have benefitted strongly from the streams of people leaving the cities for sojourns in the countryside.

“Not only are we getting increased consumer awareness about clean, green safe and non-polluting water heating, but also RV manufacturers globally are using environmentally harmonious products including our technology as OEM and retrofit items. They can see that the surge to holidays at home can’t be allowed just to transfer risk from overseas holidays to home destinations.

“I believe this is going to be a long-term community shift in attitude,” says Mr King, whose 12V-240 v Duoetto water heaters are finding markets among global RV, marine and work vehicle markets because its clean, green performance cuts fossil fuel pollution in pristine places and emits no carbon monoxide or other hazardous or flammable gases in confined spaces.

The Duoetto MK2 12V/240V 10-litre water heater from Aus J Hot Water Solutions globally – available to individuals and OEMs through www.ausj.com.au – builds on the local and international success of the first model in enabling people to enjoy civilised home comforts – and hygiene -wherever they are on the road or on the water. More than 30,000 Aus J heaters have been sold globally, including to OEMs in Australia, Europe and the USA.

“One thing that has taken us pleasantly by surprise is the increasing degree of interest from both OEMs and individual users concerned about the hazards of different types of heaters posed for children, animals and remote area travelers themselves, who prize the pristine local environments into which they are adventuring in the emerging post-Covid local travel boom,” says Mr King.

the 12V/240V MK2 Duoetto, which is used globally on land and sea

“I think another driver of change is family needs, as more families go on RV or boating adventures, rather than trips to overseas resorts. One marine specialist supplier of our product tells us that, while some Dads are happy to fish in the same clothes for a week, beer in hand, the rest of the family are typically a lot fussier. They demand good hygiene and comfort – which means safe hot water is not an option, it is a prerequisite.”

Mr King says the tough, Australian-designed compact and durable water heater offers selectable temperatures between 30-75 deg C (86-158F) on 240V so people can shower, wash, clean and enjoy abundant hot water whether mains power is available or not and without them having to store and carry additional fossil fuels. The heaters can be readily adapted to US market’s 110 v with a simple step-down transformer, though many OEMs there use them just for the 12v functionality.

Automatic sensors allow switching to 12V when mains power is not available, enabling the Duoetto to deliver ample hot water in remote areas such as campsites or on boats, says Mr King.

Duoetto MK2

The Duoetto MK2 comes with internationally recognised Australian WaterMark accreditation, which means that it passed tests and requirements regarding its suitability for supplying water for human consumption. These tests encompass taste, smell, toxins and corrosive effects on plumbing and pipework.

Drawing a miniscule 4.2 amps at 240V (1000w) and 25 amps at 12v (300w), the 409 x 262 x 267mm Duoetto MK2 retains the strengths of its predecessor, including:

Aus J ( www.ausj.com.au ) offers a range of innovative gas and electric water heaters with models for domestic, commercial and recreational applications, including a 240v 10-litre Aqueous water heater designed to provide homes with near-instant hot water and reduce the wastage by having the heater located under the sink.