Experience with gas cert.

Just tried to get over the last hurdle with my VW T4 camper conversion in getting the gas cert.
I had used an oldish two ring stove and had used copper to go out of the cab then back to the gas locker inside the cab beside the sliding door. The gas locker has a 2inch drop out and is made of wood.
The gas fitter told me the following:
- pipe had to be made of steel because copper would corrode with road salt
- cooker needed to have a flame arrester for if the flame blew out
- gas locker had to be made of metal
- there was no drop out hole
- high level ventilation should be 10,000 mm2, mine was just 6700mm2 or 4inch diameter
- gas locker had to be accessible only from the outside


So I went and found the actual gas fitter guidance notes and found out that he was wrong on a number of important issues :
- copper is perfectly acceptable but must have a minimum wall thickness. Stainless steel and other forms of treated steel are also acceptable. Strike one for the gas fitter.
- the guidance notes do not specify a material for the gas locker, strike two for the gas fitter
-the gas locker can be accessible and wholly contained within the cab if it has a dropout and is completely sealed from the cab through a hatch or door with a lip at least 50mm from the floor, strike three for the gas fitter

What he did get right was:
- the high level ventilation has to be 10,000 mm2 and I will have to add another 4inch roof vent to comply. No biggy as the vent i used was about €20.00
- the gas cooker has to have a flame arrester, so this requires that I replace the cooker. This is a pain as suitable hobs tend to be expensive and hard to source.
- the drop out hole has to be 10,000 mm2 which equates to about a 6inch diameter hole. This is a big problem as I found it really difficult to accommodate the locker and hole I have and I cannot readily see how I can make a 6 inch hole under the locker.

My thoughts are, the gas drop out hole specification is ridiculously to large for the Campergaz bottle (907) I am using and is significantly larger than any of the commercially available drop out vents available.

I am now thinking that I may just replace what I have with one of the two ring fishermens stoves which takes a pair of screw in butane cans. these have the flame arrester and are available for about €40.00 . The question is are they still going to insist that I have a drop out vent below the cooker.

Has anyone out there recently got a gas cert and what did their fitter insist on. Is there any flexibility with the vent size. Could I substitute one of these canister butane burners to get the cert and then revert to my existing burner.

This is now the law, so finally all the fudging around the issue will have to be resolved.

Shoog

CJhaughey

Shoog wrote: »

Just tried to get over the last hurdle with my VW T4 camper conversion in getting the gas cert.
I had used an oldish two ring stove and had used copper to go out of the cab then back to the gas locker inside the cab beside the sliding door. The gas locker has a 2inch drop out and is made of wood.
The gas fitter told me the following:
- pipe had to be made of steel because copper would corrode with road salt
- cooker needed to have a flame arrester for if the flame blew out
- gas locker had to be made of metal
- there was no drop out hole
- high level ventilation should be 10,000 mm2, mine was just 6700mm2 or 4inch diameter
- gas locker had to be accessible only from the outside


So I went and found the actual gas fitter guidance notes and found out that he was wrong on a number of important issues :
- copper is perfectly acceptable but must have a minimum wall thickness. Stainless steel and other forms of treated steel are also acceptable. Strike one for the gas fitter.
- the guidance notes do not specify a material for the gas locker, strike two for the gas fitter
-the gas locker can be accessible and wholly contained within the cab if it has a dropout and is completely sealed from the cab through a hatch or door with a lip at least 50mm from the floor, strike three for the gas fitter

What he did get right was:
- the high level ventilation has to be 10,000 mm2 and I will have to add another 4inch roof vent to comply. No biggy as the vent i used was about €20.00
- the gas cooker has to have a flame arrester, so this requires that I replace the cooker. This is a pain as suitable hobs tend to be expensive and hard to source.
- the drop out hole has to be 10,000 mm2 which equates to about a 6inch diameter hole. This is a big problem as I found it really difficult to accommodate the locker and hole I have and I cannot readily see how I can make a 6 inch hole under the locker.

My thoughts are, the gas drop out hole specification is ridiculously to large for the Campergaz bottle (907) I am using and is significantly larger than any of the commercially available drop out vents available.

I am now thinking that I may just replace what I have with one of the two ring fishermens stoves which takes a pair of screw in butane cans. these have the flame arrester and are available for about €40.00 . The question is are they still going to insist that I have a drop out vent below the cooker.

Has anyone out there recently got a gas cert and what did their fitter insist on. Is there any flexibility with the vent size. Could I substitute one of these canister butane burners to get the cert and then revert to my existing burner.

This is now the law, so finally all the fudging around the issue will have to be resolved.

Shoog

Have a think about fitting an alcohol stove. No gas regs to comply with.

CJhaughey

CJhaughey wrote: »

Have a think about fitting an alcohol stove. No gas regs to comply with.

A friend has offered to lend us one, so I might look into that.

Shoog

CJhaughey

Shoog wrote: »

A friend has offered to lend us one, so I might look into that.

Shoog

Dometic EK3200 should do the trick and no need for any more holes in the van.
https://www.dometic.com/en/se/products/food-and-beverage/cooking/cooktops/dometic-ek-3200-_-20481