Mexican adventurer Andres Elizundia with the supercharged JK Rubicon he uses to tow his Duoetto-equipped camper

Australian RV 12V/240V water heater answers unique challenges in beautiful, booming Mexico

Mexico is a land of delightful extremes for RV enthusiasts. Both local adventurers and overseas visitors are attracted to its 9,000km (5,800 miles) of coastline, soaring mountainous regions, with peaks up to 5,600m (18,400 ft) – and arid and wild areas celebrating Mexico’s unique cultural fusion of European and Mesoamerican history.

But this beautiful country, which attracted nearly 100 million overseas tourists a year before Covid, poses strong challenges to mechanical equipment reliability, with its constant humidity of 70 per cent and some tough roads beyond the cities, where RV travellers are wont to roam as they return post-Covid.

It is into this environment that Australian RV manufacturer Aus J Hot Water Solutions is introducing its 12V-240V Duoetto 10-litre hot water system, which is proving its credentials throughout North and South America to OEMs and individuals seeking an easily fitted, non-polluting hot water system for cleaning, washing and maximum hygiene post-Covid.

This compact water heater is finding new markets locally and globally among global RV, marine and work vehicle markets because of its versatile off-grid performance and because its clean, green design curtails fossil fuel fumes in pristine places, and emits no carbon monoxide or other hazardous and flammable gases in confined spaces.

Andres and friends near the beautiful town of Aculco, Mexico, with two-year-old dog Chloe, who absolutely loves chasing and biting the water coming out of any hose. (Watch a video of Chloe enjoying the water here .)

One of the locals to be impressed by the unit’s practical and environmental performance is Andres Elizundia, 36, who works in digital sales with Citibank Mexico. Andres plans to travel throughout the country with friends in his Scout off-road trailer from Mexican company Camp Pro, from Monterrey, Mexico, fully equipped for off-grid living (including the Duoetto) by Brahler, another Mexican company, from Aculco. The camper is towed by a two-door supercharged Jeep Rubicon.

“I’m very happy to be able to shift away from gas into electric water heating – safer and more reliable. I was also very pleased by its moderate power consumption (it took 50 amps out of my 500Ah LifePO4 Li battery to heat up a full tank up to 65°C).  I use this heater to allow for four persons to take a quick shower while camping,” he says.

“I currently live in Mexico City, but I really want to go to Baja California Sur especially to Bahía Concepción ) in northern Mexico (I’ve been there already, but not overlanding), also to Queretaro’s Sierra Gorda, all the way down to Campeche, Yucatán, Oaxaca and Chiapas. Now that I’m working remotely, I’ll have the flexibility to do this a lot easier.

“I usually go out camping every weekend. If I’m in Mexico City, I go to the forests nearby. The surroundings of Mexico City are mostly temperate year-round (-5° up to 26°C) because we are at 2,400m above the sea level. However, as soon as you leave the city and start descending, it starts getting warm. A neighboring city with beautiful camping areas is 30°C year-round. And most of the places I mentioned above, are also around 30° year-round, except for Baja California, where it can drop down to 0° in winter but up past 40° in summer.”

The compact Aus J installation open (left) and closed

Andres has been off-roading “and venturing out into nature with my family since I was a kid and I’ve never stopped loving it. So now I’m accomplishing my dream of owning and customizing my own vehicle for exploring the country’s natural wonders with my friends and family.”

This family includes the cousin who actually owns the water-loving dog Chloe, who also is a camping enthusiast. “She’s nervous about hopping into and riding in the car, but once we get to the destination, camping is her absolutely favourite activity – and not just because she gets to eat some of the leftover steak and bite the water coming from hoses. I love her as if she were my own.”

Aus J Managing Director Mr Jay King says people travelling with pets is now a worldwide phenomenon, which can only increase in popularity as more and more people worldwide are introduced to the joys of RV life after they have sampled it during international border lockdowns.

“This big shift to RV adventuring isn’t going to stop as we move out of Covid restrictions. We now have had a whole new group introduced to RV travel during Covid restrictions – a huge influx of younger people, of women, of families who travel with children and pets, more than ever before. For us, this is opening up new markets worldwide,” says Mr King, an RV enthusiast, who has made his own camper and who has sold more than 30,000 of his water heaters worldwide, including to DIY adventurers and to global RV producers extending from Australia to America and Europe.

The 12V/240V Duoetto has been the biggest seller in his range, becoming a big hit even in countries with 110V DC power supply, many of which specify it solely for its off-grid performance and others of which use a simple step-down transformer.

Andres and friends camp near the beautiful town of Aculco, Mexico

The tough, Australian-designed compact and durable Duoetto MK2 water heater ( www.ausj.com.au ) 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 on land or on the water.

“As Andres has found, the Duoetto’s performance on batteries along is more than adequate for the comfort and cleanliness of several people (and a dog) on the road, far from mains power.”

“I agree with some of the OEMs we deal with that electrically equipped campers are probably the way of the future, just like electric cars. I have manufactured thousands of both gas and electric heaters, so I can be impartial, but I am finding a strong trend towards compact and simple electric systems because OEMs can build in some of the best new storage battery technology and easily supply fridges, water heating and other creature comforts from the same source. Using electricity for multiple comforts keeps it simple, safe, clean and compact – and battery technology has advanced so far that you can do so much more with it.”

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

Andres Elizundia agrees more people are seeking higher standards of comfort and cleanliness. His Jeep is fitted with air suspension, giving great ride and enabling it to be adjusted for sloping ground so people don’t have to sleep on an angle. He has had groups of 3-4 people enjoy a shower from the same Duoetto source. (See this video .)

“I’ve recommended the Duoetto MK2 to our overland community in Mexico. Already I have had a positive response, hopefully the first of many.”

Chloe enjoying nature – and the prospect of some water to bite