Caravan Hot Water - What Actually Works On the Road

Built-in caravan hot water systems can be expensive to install, draw heavily on your battery or gas supply, and aren't always practical to retrofit into an older van. A portable system solves that without touching your caravan's existing setup.

Country Comfort was the first LPG portable hot water system certified for the Australian market, launched in 2012, and now has nearly 80,000 units sold. It wasn't designed as a caravan accessory as an afterthought; it was built from the start to handle exactly this kind of use: on the road, at powered and unpowered sites, in conditions that vary from one stop to the next.

Powered site or off-grid, it doesn't matter

One of the biggest advantages for caravanners is that Country Comfort doesn't care whether you're plugged into mains power or parked somewhere with none at all. The unit itself needs no mains electricity; it runs on two D-cell batteries and water pressure for ignition. That means it works exactly the same way whether you're at a fully serviced caravan park or bush camping well off the grid.

The water source is just as flexible. Connect to your caravan's onboard tank via a 12V pump, hook up to a mains tap at a powered site, or draw from a pressurised water source; the unit adjusts to what's available rather than requiring a specific setup. It's engineered to ignite reliably even at low water pressure, as low as 35 PSI, which matters if your caravan's onboard pump isn't particularly powerful or you're relying on a gravity-fed tank.

Output that actually keeps up

A common frustration with portable hot water systems is that they can't keep up when more than one person wants to shower. Country Comfort heats in excess of 360 litres per hour, instantly, at your set temperature, with a commercial-grade heat exchanger built for consistent output rather than tapering off after a few minutes. For a family caravan trip where everyone's queuing for a hot shower after a day of driving or hiking, that's the difference between a relaxed evening and a frustrating one.

Efficiency matters too, particularly if you're managing a limited gas supply on an extended trip. The system runs at 98% efficiency, which translates to substantial savings compared to less efficient alternatives, useful when you're trying to make one gas bottle last as long as possible between refills on the road.

No pilot light, no wasted gas

Older or cheaper hot water systems often rely on a standing pilot light, burning gas continuously even when no one's using hot water. Country Comfort has no pilot light at all. Auto ignition and auto gas shut-off mean gas is only used when you're actually running water, which adds up over a long trip where every refill matters. Flame-out protection and an overheating shut-off keep the system safe to use without close supervision, and a digital display lets you dial in the exact temperature rather than guessing and adjusting mid-shower.

Packing up without the mid-trip breakdown

One detail that catches caravanners out with other systems is what happens between trips, particularly as they head into the cooler months. Country Comfort is designed with easy drainage for freezing conditions, so packing the unit away after a winter trip doesn't risk damage from water sitting in the system. That's a small detail, but it's the kind of thing that determines whether a unit is still working properly on your next trip or has quietly failed in storage.

Built to handle the actual conditions

Caravan trips don't stick to mild weather. A unit that works perfectly at a coastal caravan park in summer needs to work just as well at a high-country site in winter or a dusty outback stop in the middle of a heatwave. The stainless-steel faceplate and commercial-grade internal components are built specifically to handle that range, rather than being designed for a single climate and hoping for the best elsewhere.

Every Country Comfort unit carries the AS2658 Safety Compliance Plate, certification number GMK10277. That's not a marketing number; it reflects a specification that hasn't changed since certification in 2012 - the same build quality in every unit sold, whether it's your first trip or your fiftieth.

Getting the pump right matters more than people expect

If you're connecting to your caravan's onboard tank rather than a mains tap, pump selection makes a real difference to performance. Our full pump guide breaks down the right flow rate for your specific setup, whether it's a simple tank connection or a setup with more variables. Getting this right the first time avoids the most common setup frustration caravanners run into.

If you're planning your next trip and want a hot water setup that works whether you're powered up at a caravan park or completely off-grid, the current range is available here.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Does a Country Comfort system work at unpowered caravan sites?

Yes. The unit runs on two D-cell batteries and water pressure for ignition and needs no mains electricity, so it performs identically whether you're at a powered caravan park or an unpowered bush camp.

Can it connect to my caravan's onboard water tank?

Yes, using a 12V pump connected to your onboard tank. The unit ignites reliably even at low water pressure, down to 35 PSI, which suits most caravan pump setups.

How much hot water can it provide for a family trip?

The system heats more than 360 litres per hour instantly, with a commercial-grade heat exchanger designed to maintain consistent output rather than taper off during extended use.

What should I do with the unit between caravan trips?

Country Comfort is designed with easy drainage for freezing conditions, so draining it properly before storage protects it between trips, particularly heading into cooler months.