back again! as some of you know we recently bought a converted iveco, fab conversion BUT the gas was put in next to electrics and battery under the seating area, obviously this needs to be moved but no idea where to start! my father in law could do it, hes pretty good but not gas safe registered, do you need to be for motorhomes? and then get a gas check done or just pay someone to do it? again who/where ?
thanks in adavance
------------- "There are no shortcuts in life to any place worth going!"
The interior pipe work should be metal & to do the job properly there should be isolator taps for all the appliances. Also in the bottle locker there needs to be a hole in floor at lowest point to allow any escaping gas which is heavier than air to disperse.
While all the above is common sense there are no regulations to adhere to if you do the work yourself so no laws are being broken however you do the installation. One could argue that insurance might be invalidated if installation was poor but if van is burn't out how would they know?
So really you have a free hand but if you are not happy with installation as is & your fil can do a proper job then he can.
I think regulations state that any pipework longer than 1mtre needs to be metal gas pipe, a caravan shop will stock pipe/joints/taps. Any domestic plummer will have a gas leak checker but you can check joints yourself using soapy water solution, look for bubbles.
If you have an amateur lashup & take it to a caravan workshop just for a check they may not want to touch it though. If you have practical skills the whole thing is straightforward & common sense, you will know if it is safe. Your choice whether you use metal pipe but long runs of rubber pipe inside a van are not good really.
If you get the work done at a caravan workshop it should be done to regulations, should be a safe installation & labour cost will be around £50/hr+vat & materials so your choice.
thankyou so much, my only priority is making sure my family are safe,
my thinking is running metal gas pipe though to the back of van underneath bed in stoarge area, inside some kind of metal safe /storage locker with hole cut though base and van floor, would this be ok with stop valves nextto all appliances?
------------- "There are no shortcuts in life to any place worth going!"
There's something in the back of my mind that says the gas locker should be separate from the habitation area.
In a caravan the bottle is 'outside the habitation area as it's in the front locker (and there should not be any means of ignition in that locker ie electrical switches, contacts and the like.)
In caravans and motorhomes where the gas is physically within the habitation area, and I'm thinking 99.9% of motorhomes and the likes of Avondale caravans, the gas locker is/was in a sealed unit so that the gas could not get into where the users are/were.
As an aside, and if you've got the room, it might be a good idea to fit a bulkhead regulator. That would give you greater flexibility as to other items that you may wish to change in the future.
------------- How come when some people visit the fountain of knowledge, they only gargle!!!
thankyou so much, my only priority is making sure my family are safe,
my thinking is running metal gas pipe though to the back of van underneath bed in stoarge area, inside some kind of metal safe /storage locker with hole cut though base and van floor, would this be ok with stop valves nextto all appliances?
The only thing I would add to the excellent advice I have read so far is to keep the number of pipe-joints to an absolute minimum, and outside the living area where possible. Make sure the gas-bottle locker is well sealed from the living area, and well ventilated in the bottom. D.I.Y should be no problem as long as great care is taken.
There was a "bodge" on my caravan's gas supply when I bought it, and I corrected it myself, checking the joints with soap solution.