No gas fire equals no heating where you have not got an electric hook-up or where the camp site only has a low amperage supply ( As many European sites do ).
If you are on a 16 amp site then why not leave the gas fire where it is and use a small oil filled or fan heater?
There is also the insurance to take into consideration as well as the caravan would have been modified which more than likely would affect your insurance premium. If you didn't tell the them about the change and you had to make a claim in the future then your insurance would be deemed as void due to the modification not being declared. Also you would most likely lose out when you come to trade it too as some people don't always use electric hook up especially on rallies, so the trade in price could well be affected because of this installation.
We wouldn't stay anywhere without electric hook up so heating wouldn't be a problem. We do have a small oil filled radiator but because we only have a 2 berth it tends to be always where you need to be.
As for the insurance, I never thought of that so I think we'll just leave the fire as it is.
We have a small lightweight electric fan heater which we keep in one of the over head lockers. If we are on electric hook up and it gets a bit cold we just get out the fan heater, place it on the worktop and switch it on for half an hour or more just to take the chill out of the air. Because the heater is portable we can also use it in the awning too so this type of heater is more versatile than having one fixed one in the caravan. You then always have availabilty to both electric and gas heating and if you ever sell your caravan the electric heater doesn't have to be included in the sale either.
We had our old gas only fire taken out I replaced it with a 400watt splash proof convector heater with thermostat from Amazon. This is fastened to a door I made to cover up where gas fire was. It works really well and warms our small 2 berth elldis easily. I also removed flu pipe and sealed roof up where chimney was.
We dont intend going on sites without electric .
Quote: Originally posted by arc systems on 07/4/2012
Regardless of if you use it or not, removing it will reduce the resale value as other may well want to!
Yes that is obvious..
My caravan is 20 years old and payed for itself long ago the resale value is of no interest to me. Most people that are thinking of removing there gas fire will have a old caravan.
My electric heater is a lot safer than my old gas fire and can be kept on at night.
Dont worry I dont think this thread will create a rush of people removing gas fires, i think there will still be plenty for you to work on lol
What a good post zac45 someone asks a question and there is the answer . why is it with caravans every one seems so afraid to do anything to them incase it affects the warranty / insurance / resale value / type approval etc our van is 6 years old I have no interest in its value We bought it for ourselves to holiday in untill we no longer have a use for it i have changed things inside and out on the van to fit our lifestyle if removing the gas fire suited our needs better I would take it out .
Thank you zac45 - that is exactly what we want to do. Any chance of a link to the heater you installed? Did it have any effect on your insurance premium?
I agree with you and also phil76 - the caravan was bought for us to enjoy and not as an investment to make money on if and when we sell it so if we want to change things in order to adapt to our needs and wants then I don't see why it creates a big fuss at all.. It is now 15 years old and I think we will have it until it start falling apart so who would be bothered about it not having a gas fire by then anyway? We don't have a gas fire (or the facilities to have one) in our living room because we chose to have the loft converted and remove our chimney so does that mean we won't be able to sell our house?
We have only ever used the gas fire when really desperate - I just don't really like the idea of the fact that the flame might go out or that something may get brushed up against it. Whereas with a convector heater, as you say, it could be left on all night if necessary.
Quote: Originally posted by TheBroons on 07/4/2012
Thank you zac45 - that is exactly what we want to do. Any chance of a link to the heater you installed? Did it have any effect on your insurance premium?
I agree with you and also phil76 - the caravan was bought for us to enjoy and not as an investment to make money on if and when we sell it so if we want to change things in order to adapt to our needs and wants then I don't see why it creates a big fuss at all.. It is now 15 years old and I think we will have it until it start falling apart so who would be bothered about it not having a gas fire by then anyway? We don't have a gas fire (or the facilities to have one) in our living room because we chose to have the loft converted and remove our chimney so does that mean we won't be able to sell our house?
We have only ever used the gas fire when really desperate - I just don't really like the idea of the fact that the flame might go out or that something may get brushed up against it. Whereas with a convector heater, as you say, it could be left on all night if necessary.
Hi thebroons I should ask your insurance company first but I can't see it being a problem.
Thanks phil76 i just get so fed up of reading posts that are of no help at all and classing everybody else as idiots.
just answer the question if you can if you can't don't bother posting thats what i think. Back to business -
The heater is called. Prrem-I-Air 400 Watt Wall Mounted Panel Convector Heater IPX4 RATED For Bathrooms With Adjustable Thermostat
here is the link
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B002J9ANIE/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1333820008&sr=8-1u
Cheers