European Ideas coming to the USA

[Dave in Nevada]

Hi, I just bought a Winnebago Roam and found there are a number of European travel van ideas that have been used in making this compact RV. So let me tell you about them. Furnace/hot water heater. This is one unit. It runs off the gasoline from the same tank as the engine so you do not have to mess around with a separate propane tank. The heater uses an antifreeze type fluid to distribute the heat around the RV. Sort of like the old steam radiators found in older houses. It also is an instant hot water heater so there is no tank taking up space, it heats the water as you need it. It is very compact and only heats when you need it....pretty clever. Cassette toilet. There is no black tank. It holds five gallons of waste. To dump it you go to the outside of the RV, open a door and pull the cassette out. As you pull it out it self seals. It has wheels and a handle like a suitcase and you just roll it to the dump site. Or to a toilet. Or to a sewer line access clean out pipe. Or to a septic tank. You fold out the solid drain pipe, unscrew the lid, turn it upside down and push the air vent and everything gets dumped. Then you spray it out, close it up and you are done. Take it back to the RV and just plug it back in. .... The single gray tank can be dumped per the standard RV hose or you can put it on an extended garden hose and drain it into a garden or into the grass. The fridge is a standard small 110 power fridge. No propane, no DC so it is simple and can be replaced CHEAP. It runs off the 110 30 amp shore line or if moving on 110 thru the inverter from the alternator of the vehicle. Rear AC. This is also a heater so if you are plugged into 110 power you can use it to provide heat to the unit in addition to the gas heater. Nice to have a backup. Again, these are on the Roam but I expect you will see them more and more on Class B units where space and weight are an issue. If you have any questions shoot them at me and I will see if I have the info.