I'm a total newbie to this caravan lark having just purchased a Bailey Pageant Auvergne 2002 that came with a Ventura Neptune Awning. We placed it on a seasonal pitch in Somerset and so far everythings good but i have a serious question regarding the possibility of Carbon Monoxide emission.
The awning is obviously placed door side of the van, the same side as the oven and hob, last night we cooked inside using both the oven and hob, this morning though i had a thought. Our two children have said they want to sleep in the awning during the summer, however the vents for both of the appliances open out into the awning doesn't that pose a risk for potential build of carbon monoxide if we were using the oven for any length of time?
I may be way off with this concern but would welcome thoughts as i have not been able to find any advice on the net except the usual safety around BBQs and such like.
I think there might be a problem if the oven/hob were in use during or just before occupation of the awning, but this is avoidable - I'd be more concerned about unattended appliances like fridge and heater if they also vent into the awning.
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Can't answer your question but I can tell you that I have just bought a carbon monoxide detector for £12:50 from Asda. Identical to the one I bought from British gas for around £30 a few years ago. Also bought one from Tesco for £12:99 last year but that one is quite large and round. Better to be safe than sorry!
We had an Auvergne for a few years and never had any problems. Always ran the fridge on electric though. As per previous the oven doesn't vent in this way.
We have a bailey caravan as said we use the oven had hob often and no fumes should enter the awning.run fridge on electric to be safe.we use a annexe all the time.
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Gas appliances in the caravan are identical to those at home whereby a gas fire requires a flue by law but a gas cooker doesn't. I presume that this is because a cooker is only used for short periods whereas a gas fire can be left for hours on end constantly depositing carbon monoxide fumes. Therefore there won't be an exhaust outlet from the cooker into the awning but there should be a square skylight above that you can open to obtain fresh air when the gas cooker is on which is safe because if it is windy it wont distinguish the gas flames on the gas ring whereas an open window can. However, the fridge should have two vents which is the purpose of allowing the fridge to breathe and also for exhaust emissions when being operated by gas so if the vents are on the same side as the awning they advise that the awning centre zips are open to create a 'V' which allows air to circulate. Some full awnings have a mesh sewn in behind the 'V' specially designed for this purpose which we have our Dorema awning which we leave open during the day and close at night when it goes a bit colder in the evening. Hope this helps regarding your concerns but you were quite right to ask about this issue.
Quote: Originally posted by birder99 on 29/4/2013
Does gas that is burning correctly produce CO or is it just when the appliance is not letting the gas burn correctly that CO is produced?
IF the appliance is running correctly it should not produce any CO.
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Thanks for the replies. All very interesting and i feel reassured.
I am running the fridge on electric so that should be fine.
As a side note i have to say what a great web site and forum.... Can always be assured that people on here will give good advice and help when they can, i hope i can do the same later on down the line.
The problem with gas burning appliances is that if the combustion is incomplete for any reason carbon monoxide is formed which is rapidly absorbed in the lungs and quickly results in a lethal dose.
A gas flame on a cooker hob should burn clean because it is completely surrounded by the oxygen in the air and combustion is virtually complete.
We use a battery powered CO detector in our 'van. A correctly working appliance will not produce an CO but you never know when a previously working ok appliance will go wrong. It seems like a small price to pay for peace of mind.