So I bought a van that devoted significant real estate to a separate shower only to find that firstly you had to wait 15 minutes from the previous persons shower before you could be guaranteed some sort of hot water experience. Even then - unless you ran the shower at dribble speed, you never quite got to the end before the hot ran out - usually when your eyes are filled with soap. Now I know there are a few camps on this subject...just use the campsite amenities (so why get a van with a shower?), turn the water on and off during your shower (again...why bother with a shower in your van), take really short showers (am I making my point...why get a van with a shower). So the suburban had to go...but to be replaced with what ? Had to be instantaneous not storage.
Came across the Truma AquaGo which looked like it might fit the bill. Reading some of the comments about Truma products there was a degree of angst about Truma quality..but being a Jayco owner a few niggly quality issues didn't scare me. So I bought an Aquago. Not cheap but considering that 5% or so of my $65K van could not be used as intended it seemed worth the investment.
The unit is pushed as a direct replacement for the suburban - so easy - remove the old one and pop the new one in. Hmmm...not quite. Jayco conveniently positioned the water heater so that the external cover was just above the seam between the chequer plate and the fibreglass skin, and Truma conveniently made their external cover so that it is 20mm wider and taller than the Suburban so that it wont sit at the same height. Out with the jigsaw. Not a comfortable feeling trimming 20mm from the wall - but had to be done. I installed a 20mm packer in the recess and then it sat beautifully in the same spot. Job done....almost.
So the documentation indicates that the Aquago is the same depth as the suburban - perfect ! But its not. It is not as deep - in fact not as deep so that the water and gas connections that you currently have don't quite make it by an substantially annoying 20-30mm. I managed to find a bit of length in the hot water run and convinced the cold water to connect - but only just. but the gas connection is on the other side of the unit and no way to stretch that - so needed the gasfitter. But also had to order the rear access kit because there is no room of the other side to run the gas so it has to go through the unit. (note : called Truma who were fantastically helpful and arranged the get a kit to me as i needed it asap for the gas fitter). So with all the right bits and the plumber We got the gas on. Quick water test - some yelling to turn off the tap - and a wet plumber revealed that the stretched cold water pipe was a little too stretched. Plumber fixed that too.
Quick test - scalding, steaming endless hot water ! Just in time for 2 weeks of school holidays. So how did it go on the road ? Word fail me. This is by far the best thing (apart from the wife and kids - and even that's debatable) that I have put in the van. Steaming long showers - no waiting 15 minutes after the last shower - no soap in eyes and assaulted by freezing water situations - and finally getting value from my 1 sqm of shower space. I proudly raise a single finger salute to amenities blocks (at least the shower portion of them - No 2's still banned in our van) and their disease ridden shower recesses. We were able to go 7 days 5 people showering every day - sometimes more, use the webber, use the oven and hot plate before the gas ran out just as I lathered up the hair and had soap on my face...damn ! But a quick flick of the changeover knob and back up and running.
So should you buy a Truma Aquago ? If you want a decent, long, steaming shower in your own sanitary shower recess..absolutely. If you like playing foot disease roulette (and I heard someone did actually die from a disease contracted in a caravan park shower), having all your dry clothes splashed as they sit on the not quite wide enough seat near the door, taking the long sometimes cold trek to your van after your shower only to find you left your watch/undies/shampoo etc back in the shower block, then don't bother and use your shower recess to store your fishing gear.
Came across the Truma AquaGo which looked like it might fit the bill. Reading some of the comments about Truma products there was a degree of angst about Truma quality..but being a Jayco owner a few niggly quality issues didn't scare me. So I bought an Aquago. Not cheap but considering that 5% or so of my $65K van could not be used as intended it seemed worth the investment.
The unit is pushed as a direct replacement for the suburban - so easy - remove the old one and pop the new one in. Hmmm...not quite. Jayco conveniently positioned the water heater so that the external cover was just above the seam between the chequer plate and the fibreglass skin, and Truma conveniently made their external cover so that it is 20mm wider and taller than the Suburban so that it wont sit at the same height. Out with the jigsaw. Not a comfortable feeling trimming 20mm from the wall - but had to be done. I installed a 20mm packer in the recess and then it sat beautifully in the same spot. Job done....almost.
So the documentation indicates that the Aquago is the same depth as the suburban - perfect ! But its not. It is not as deep - in fact not as deep so that the water and gas connections that you currently have don't quite make it by an substantially annoying 20-30mm. I managed to find a bit of length in the hot water run and convinced the cold water to connect - but only just. but the gas connection is on the other side of the unit and no way to stretch that - so needed the gasfitter. But also had to order the rear access kit because there is no room of the other side to run the gas so it has to go through the unit. (note : called Truma who were fantastically helpful and arranged the get a kit to me as i needed it asap for the gas fitter). So with all the right bits and the plumber We got the gas on. Quick water test - some yelling to turn off the tap - and a wet plumber revealed that the stretched cold water pipe was a little too stretched. Plumber fixed that too.
Quick test - scalding, steaming endless hot water ! Just in time for 2 weeks of school holidays. So how did it go on the road ? Word fail me. This is by far the best thing (apart from the wife and kids - and even that's debatable) that I have put in the van. Steaming long showers - no waiting 15 minutes after the last shower - no soap in eyes and assaulted by freezing water situations - and finally getting value from my 1 sqm of shower space. I proudly raise a single finger salute to amenities blocks (at least the shower portion of them - No 2's still banned in our van) and their disease ridden shower recesses. We were able to go 7 days 5 people showering every day - sometimes more, use the webber, use the oven and hot plate before the gas ran out just as I lathered up the hair and had soap on my face...damn ! But a quick flick of the changeover knob and back up and running.
So should you buy a Truma Aquago ? If you want a decent, long, steaming shower in your own sanitary shower recess..absolutely. If you like playing foot disease roulette (and I heard someone did actually die from a disease contracted in a caravan park shower), having all your dry clothes splashed as they sit on the not quite wide enough seat near the door, taking the long sometimes cold trek to your van after your shower only to find you left your watch/undies/shampoo etc back in the shower block, then don't bother and use your shower recess to store your fishing gear.
