Driving a motorhome with the gas on! (1 Viewer)

[DanielFord]

Hmm! If I isolate the gas in my car it won't run! Since it has been converted to Autogas. Presumably Mr. Camber believes that my car is illegal?

 

[jonandshell]

A MH fridge or heating system fits the description of one of the exemptions.
WTF is he on about?

 

[funflair]

All those big petrol RV owners that have had an lpg conversion are going to be miffed now that they have to isolate their gas supply before moving off

They are OK as long as the system is in good condition and the tank is not being towed behind on a trailer.

Yes I did read it all.

And as Nick says it does not mention isolating any potential gas supply.

Martin

 

[funflair]

Me G Camber..gas chamber

Nice try

Martin

 

[magicsurfbus]

Having finally got a fridge that has an 'Auto' setting (ie it selects the power source according to whatever's available) doesn't stopping next to a petrol pump and having the gas ignite inside the bottom vent as the 12v switches off create a potential fire hazard or am I missing something?

I've got one of those anti-crash shutty downy things near the regulator but I close all the gas taps down before driving anyway. Habit I suppose.

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[funflair]

Having finally got a fridge that has an 'Auto' setting (ie it selects the power source according to whatever's available) doesn't stopping next to a petrol pump and having the gas ignite inside the bottom vent as the 12v switches off create a potential fire hazard or am I missing something?

I've got one of those anti-crash shutty downy things near the regulator but I close all the gas taps down before driving anyway. Habit I suppose.

The "auto" setting you refer to should wait 15 minutes before it ignites gas after the 12 volts from the alternator is turned off, for the very reason you suggest.

Martin

 

[Dorset Diver]

As I'm sure many of you do I have a neat little switch on the control panel that switches off the gas if I want. Normally it stays on but I have no use for gas when travelling as the fridge goes over to 12v and the heating takes energy from the engine heat exchanger. Incidentally Euro Tunnel were happy to accept the switch as the means of switching off the gas when we last travelled; no scrabbling in a locker .

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Having finally got a fridge that has an 'Auto' setting (ie it selects the power source according to whatever's available) doesn't stopping next to a petrol pump and having the gas ignite inside the bottom vent as the 12v switches off create a potential fire hazard or am I missing something?

I've got one of those anti-crash shutty downy things near the regulator but I close all the gas taps down before driving anyway. Habit I suppose.

When the vehicle is running the fridge is on 12v. It stays that way for 15minutes or so before the system will allow the gas to fire up on the fridge. So a fuel station fill presents no danger and the fridge will not fire up when you are refuelling

 

[Clarky]

Having lived in Tunbridge Wells for most of my youth (and a fair bit beyond) I am well used to being 'disgusted'.
However, Like @KeithChesterfield and others, I rarely turn the gas off. It has one of those over expensive Truma Securemotion regulators so why bother?
Life's too short to get uptight about every slight and obscure danger.
After watching the video about nutters in petrol stations, Broken Link Removed, I won't worry too much about gas.

Richard.

 

[GWAYGWAY]

Section 5 of the very document he mentions. exempts vehicle fitted with a gas device shutoff valve . Truma fit a shut off valve to every MH I have had dealing with.
Don't panic Mr Camber. They don't like it up'em.
Don't forget PETROL is a damn sight more dangerous than gas as it hang around all over the place if a tank is ruptured 10 gallons of that will pour all everything.

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[Jimbohorlicks]

From a safety point of view we always travel with the gas off. I wouldn't want to fill up with diesel or lpg at a petrol station with any naked flame( pilot light) from my van potentially being able to cause a fire, even if it was fitted with a crash safety device

 

[funflair]

(3) No person shall use, or cause or permit to be used, in any vehicle to which this paragraph applies, while the vehicle is in motion on a road, any gas-fired appliance except—

(a)a gas-fired appliance which is fitted to engineering plant while the plant is being used for the purposes of the engineering operations for which it was designed;

(b)a gas-fired appliance which is permanently attached to a bus, provided that any appliance for heating or cooling the interior of the bus for the comfort of the driver and any passengers does not expose a naked flame on the outside of the appliance; or

(c)in any other vehicle, a refrigerating appliance or an appliance which does not expose a naked flame on the outside of the appliance and which is permanently attached to the vehicle and designed for the purpose of heating any part of the interior of the vehicle for the comfort of the driver and any passengers.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

(3) No person shall use, or cause or permit to be used, in any vehicle to which this paragraph applies, while the vehicle is in motion on a road, any gas-fired appliance except—

(a)a gas-fired appliance which is fitted to engineering plant while the plant is being used for the purposes of the engineering operations for which it was designed;

(b)a gas-fired appliance which is permanently attached to a bus, provided that any appliance for heating or cooling the interior of the bus for the comfort of the driver and any passengers does not expose a naked flame on the outside of the appliance; or

(c)in any other vehicle, a refrigerating appliance or an appliance which does not expose a naked flame on the outside of the appliance and which is permanently attached to the vehicle and designed for the purpose of heating any part of the interior of the vehicle for the comfort of the driver and any passengers.

The above applies to a vehicle in motion, not a stationary vehicle at a filling station where gas and petrol vapours may be present

 

[Rockcrawler]

Next he will be telling us we can't sit down to a full roast dinner whilst on cruise control

 

[Madcaravanner]

MY take

Someone has read a bare bones of the regulation that gas appliances should be turned off when driving
and as Black is White read it as the gas should be turned off when driving.

MY own personal view is I turn off the gas when driving simply because I prefer it that way then if an accident happens there is no chance of a mechanism going wrong. It's a habit from way back when we started caravanning 20+ years ago when the caravans then didn't have auto shut offs.

I know some folk trust their equipment a lot more than I do and some have non naked flame stuff that can be on when travelling so each to their own --but it is not illegal to leave a cylinder on when moving

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[hilldweller]

I've received a note this morning from a worried Mr G Camber.

​

Known to his friend as "Adverse Camber".

 

[funflair]

The above applies to a vehicle in motion, not a stationary vehicle at a filling station where gas and petrol vapours may be present

Agreed

Martin

 

[The Wino]

Why doesn't he go back to looking at his neighbors and calling the council to complain about them and forget what others do witht their gas.

 

[iandsm]

Having finally got a fridge that has an 'Auto' setting (ie it selects the power source according to whatever's available) doesn't stopping next to a petrol pump and having the gas ignite inside the bottom vent as the 12v switches off create a potential fire hazard or am I missing something?

I've got one of those anti-crash shutty downy things near the regulator but I close all the gas taps down before driving anyway. Habit I suppose.

The Dometic three way fridges have a 15 minute delay after the engine is switched off before they automatically turn on and operate on gas. This is to allow for refuelling.

Of courseI don't know about other makes. I just mention the specifications of the one I have

 

[Jagtazman]

I run my fridge on gas whilst driving as find it cools down quicker I only switch to battery once cooled as battery maintains temp doesn't seem to cool it down
Well tbh u switch it to auto
So are you saying I have to wait 2 to 3 hours before I set off to ensure fridge is cold enough so I can switch from gas to battery?

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[Silver-Fox]

Having finally got a fridge that has an 'Auto' setting (ie it selects the power source according to whatever's available) doesn't stopping next to a petrol pump and having the gas ignite inside the bottom vent as the 12v switches off create a potential fire hazard or am I missing something?

I've got one of those anti-crash shutty downy things near the regulator but I close all the gas taps down before driving anyway. Habit I suppose.

No more dangerous than when you get out with your lit fag and mobile phone in hand

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Genuine question regarding gas bottles.

Assume an accident where the gas hoses rupture.

As I'm sure most people know, in a fire closed gas bottles are effectively bombs. As the bottles get hotter and hotter the pressure inside the bottle increases and increases until eventually BOOM.

An open bottle would vent to the air. If there was a source of ignition present this gas could ignite but wouldn't necessarily explode.

Lots of people insist that bottles MUST be turned off and get quite angry, or in Mr Camber's case horrified, if anyone suggests otherwise.

Does anyone have real conclusive evidence that the first scenario (closed bottles) is substantially less dangerous than the second? Not really interested in opinions only verifiable evidence.

 

[eddie]

Apparently we shouldn't shower, make dinner, swap over drivers, make tea, use the loo, or put the kids to bed either

 

[Chris]

Genuine question regarding gas bottles.

Assume an accident where the gas hoses rupture.

As I'm sure most people know, in a fire closed gas bottles are effectively bombs. As the bottles get hotter and hotter the pressure inside the bottle increases and increases until eventually BOOM.

An open bottle would vent to the air. If there was a source of ignition present this gas could ignite but wouldn't necessarily explode.

Lots of people insist that bottles MUST be turned off and get quite angry, or in Mr Camber's case horrified, if anyone suggests otherwise.

Does anyone have real conclusive evidence that the first scenario (closed bottles) is substantially less dangerous than the second? Not really interested in opinions only verifiable evidence.

Closed , definitely.

I am actually qualified to comment on this without risk of correction as I watched 4 episodes of London's Burning in the late 90's.

 

[eddie]

Closed , definitely.

I am actually qualified to comment on this without risk of correction as I watched 4 episodes of London's Burning in the late 90's.

I saw that episode! So it must be a "Fact"

Codicil:- This is only a "fact" in comparison to any other piece of fake news or post that is "shared" or "forwarded" unopened or unread I.E. Not a scrap of actual peer review, study, evidence or research More an "opinion" that "must be true" as it was read in the Daily Mail, Twitter, Facebook or "I wos told by me Brothers mate" However to challenge it gets you bogged down in a pointless, soul sucking argument that you cannot hope to win, and may lead to threats of violence from a wheel chair bound Octogenarian with a list of illness as long as your arm

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[andy63]

I'm going back a good while so memory may not be correct but I think all lpg containers have a rupture disc that is designed to melt/fail if the cylinder pressure is raised due to excessive rise in temp...
Even a cylinder that is venting can still rupture if the rise in pressure is still excessive due to the heat...
If enough water could be be applied to the cylinder to keep it relatively cool then you stood a chance of it not popping but more often than not that didn't happen
Andy.

 

[hilldweller]

As I'm sure most people know, in a fire closed gas bottles are effectively bombs. As the bottles get hotter and hotter the pressure inside the bottle increases and increases until eventually BOOM..

Hopefully most people know this is not true.

When it heats enough the pressure relief valve opens and vents gas. Now this will do your MH no good at all but it is not an explosion it's a fire. An explosives expert I worked with in HSE used the phrase "if there is anything left of the house it's a fire, not an explosion".

Fast forwards to 2:30

 

[pyro]

I'm going back a good while so memory may not be correct but I think all lpg containers have a rupture disc that is designed to melt/fail if the cylinder pressure is raised due to excessive rise in temp...
Even a cylinder that is venting can still rupture if the rise in pressure is still excessive due to the heat...
If enough water could be be applied to the cylinder to keep it relatively cool then you stood a chance of it not popping but more often than not that didn't happen
Andy.

Good points

Here are the links to research:

 

[peterc10]

@funflair has hit the nail on the head. Section 96(3)(c) allows the use of a gas fired fridge and heater while a vehicle is in motion. So I am afraid the original complaint is wrong.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

When it heats enough the pressure relief valve opens and vents gas. Now this will do your MH no good at all but it is not an explosion it's a fire. An explosives expert I worked with in HSE used the phrase "if there is anything left of the house it's a fire, not an explosion".

OK fine. If it's a bottle with a pressure relief valve it will vent.

So it's going to vent either way open or closed.

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