which hot water system to buy?

Hi dodger ,
That was our plan until someone asked us if we planed on exploring when on our trip and if it meant leaving the van behind to think about a portable system ,that's our dilemma at the moment LOL!

Regards John.

Billy on fire then an APC when camping.
Works for SWMBO and I.
Then a big tub when back to van.

Mostly take the van though, as its an orf roader however there are times when one must use a tent.

Hi Uncle ,
May I ask what you mean by pull the pin AGAIN! as Im a little worried if that means you have had trouble with it, and thanks for your reply I had a look at that unit and it looks good but once again I have to store it as it comes off the bracket when not in use and Im not sure how it will go if I leave the van at a park for a week and camp they all still need to shower?

Regards John.

Coleman apparently had a batch of units that had faulty regulators on them, ours was one of them. I can't complain about the after sales service though, it was fantastic. Just recently though our unit has started to become a bit more frigid, when operating it.

Agree with Unc.

We've had two Colemans (first one rplaced under warranty). layest one failed at at Easter.

Even when working they are a fidddly temperamental thing. Hard to adjust the water temp, flame blows out when windy, the temp of the output water varies according to the temp of the input water, they tend to shut down if you add water to the input bucket whilst operating.

A dead set pain in the arse.

Good old fashioned heat the kettle and add to a bucket of cold water is far easier.

Cheers,

Jim.

Hi Sharris,
I went to TJM and they had a Pirana for about $550
a Bushranger for about $490 was $440 at the show
and another brand that I cant remember for about $490 also but they were not sure if the pumps could be submerged if I do a river crossing ,if i do buy one it will be going into a 1998 /100 ser diesle with A/M turbowhat is yours in ?

Regards John.

John...
I reckon the deluxe twine is around $465... or at least it was last time I looked....they have their own web site you can order from. The deluxe unit has a Shuflow pump which gives you 7 litres per minute. We have a two metre hose to put into a 20 litre Jerry can which works well; but also carry another four metres which we connect to the shorter hose so we can throw it in the river or lake if we are camping near water. Currently we have a 2008 Mitsubishi Pajero and previously had a 2005 Prado.
To my knowledge they can be fitted to almost any vehicle but they actually work better from my experience coz you can adjust the temp via the heater control in the cabin....this is more difficult via the new electronic temp controllers.
I do recommend that you ask for the extra length exchanger twine make (costs a little extra and you have to ask for it !) that I don't think the others make. The extra length means the water is in the heat exchanger copper coils for longer and comes out hotter. This is of particular advantage with modern diesel engines coz they tend to run cooler so if the exchanger is longer the "warm up time" is shorter and you don't need to rev the engine as high to get the water hotter.
Everyone has their own opinion and some systems are better than others based on their own needs (I have camped with people using the Coleman unit) but I would not be without our Twine unit; and as stated earlier it has been very reliable particularly if your major use for a unit is showering.

Cheers
Steve

You've been lucky Axel, I haven't had anywhere near that sort of satisfaction. And I've had two of the mongrel things.

Cheers,

Jim.

Agree,

Fiddly, inconsistent, temperamental thing.

After owning two (first one replaced under warranty) I wouldn't accept one as a gift.

Simplicity is a far better option.

Cheers,

Jim.

eerrr i forgot to add it was $300