My T5 camper conversion

[wai]

I have to say that I was a bit surprised to see this.

Gas bottle spaces are supposed to be vented to the outside only. That coupled with the auxiliary battery under the passenger seat is not a great combination...spark source and gas.

Did you have any issues on registration?

[Sunny43.5]

It looks to me as he only stores it there as its not connected to anything . We used to carry ours in similar fashion when we went camping it was then stored outside and connected to lights and stove ,Howard .PS he could fit the safety plug for peace of mind as here in Qld you cannot take a bottle thats been refilled until it has the plug fitted .

[wai]

As this is a camper conversion, It would be much better to have a purpose built space that is vented outside the vehicle.

Safety conditions are not there for everyday happenings. You plan for the worst and hope it never happens.

Let's put it this way, I doubt if an Inspector Mechanical at a motor registry would let it go, in fact I am pretty sure that it would be knocked back. By the way, this is based on my experience when I worked for the NSW DMT in the Operations and Policy units. I have also prepared engineering reports on camper conversions, and this would never have made it through. It is not just the location of the gas bottle, but also the auxiliary battery so close to it. Then you have to hope that there is no smoker in the vehicle.

But then, people will do what people will do

[Sunny43.5]

I see your point if the vehicle is a fully set up camper with no external cooker then yes purpose built storage would be more suitable . But again where do you carry the thing if you are just transporting the bottle for use at a camp site . As I have now looked back on his photos I see that his stove is cleverly mounted on a slide out shelf so he has to connect the gas outside the van when parked . This is roughly how we set up when camping , again how else do you carry the bottles ,I also noticed he has a roof rack which also carries a spare bottle . Howard

[augie]

Yea I only travel with the bottle there, But after hearing a story from a guy I work with about how he is lucky to be alive after a leaking bottle he had in the back seat was ignighted by the interior light turning on when the door was opened I carry it on the roof rack which is a bit more of a hassel to get to but better than the worst case scenario

[rob64981]

Just thought I would put my nose in on this thread...

When we lived in the UK you did not have to have a the special cupboard in your van for the gas bottle.

They just recommend you have a vent in the floor.

I have never heard of anyones van being blown to bits due to this.

I understand the reasons behind the sealed cupboard with vent to outside so you dont have to fire hate mail in my direction.

Just thought I would tell you about the way they do it in other parts of the world.

Rob

PS I have got lpg gas qualifications in both countries so do know the rules.

[wai]

They just recommend you have a vent in the floor.

I have never heard of anyones van being blown to bits due to this.

I understand the reasons behind the sealed cupboard with vent to outside so you dont have to fire hate mail in my direction.

Just thought I would tell you about the way they do it in other parts of the world.

No hate mail

The big problem with LPG is that it is heavier than air. As a result, if there is a leak,the gas will pool in the low spots, even after the leaking cylinder has been removed. This means that you have a dangerous situation long after the cylinder has been removed.

Explosions are rare, however they are not unknown. More often someone smells gas and gets it fixed. Then again, if it were me, I don't have a sense of smell any more following working on a project at a sewage treatment works, so it would be a no-brainer. It would be a sealed chamber, vented to the outside whether I was doing it, or buying something that someone else had done.

Here, camper vans must have the cylinder vented to the outside of the vehicle. Where LPG systems are fitted to cars, there are two options. If the fill/take-off points are not in their own sealed chamber vented down, then the boot must have vent openings at the lowest points, and the boot must be sealed off from the cabin space.

The other thing about this is that a 9 kg cylinder will exert a force of over 200 kg in a collision, so you need substantial anchor cradles for it, particularly if it is in a cabin space. It is just not a good thing to have it like this, and seeing as this is a new camper conversion, it is better to get it right in the first place.

I can understand the issue of having to cut out an external panel, but then that is what happens when you build a camper van. No doubt, when sold later, the new owner would have bought it because it is a camper van and so would not really object to the cut out and chamber to hold a gas cylinder.

Ultimately it will be decided when presented for registration, so much better to get it done in accordance with the rules now. As I said, I was at the other end of things many years ago. Maybe things have changed somewhat, but I doubt it.

[Cousin]

I have never heard of anyones van being blown to bits due to this.

Rob, had a friend had his van blown to bits many years ago

He had a gas powered water heater in the back with a loose gas bottle, well before regs came in

He went around a corner, heard something crash over in the back, heard a loud hiss, immediately thought "gas bottle leaking, pilot light on the heater, jump!"

Someone following that stopped to help him said the explosion followed him out the van

He only suffered minor injuries from jumping, but the van was mostly levelled

In all probability he would have either been dead or spent the rest of his life coping with horrendous burns

In hindsight loose gas bottles are just plain dumb, and adhering to current regs is a must



M

[rob64981]

Cousin,

I must of not typed what I thought was in my head...

I agree to the upmost that the bottle and anything else should be strapped down.

Just my thoughts about the sealed box thing.

Just on another note....

Why can my trade van have any type of gas bottles in the back and not have to be in a sealed box?

I have had enough LPG in the back to blow Adelaide over to Perth...and enough acetylene to blow me back to the UK.

Its a strange regulation that you don't need to do things in a trade van that you do in a camper...

Rob

[Cousin]

I must of not typed what I thought was in my head...

Na, I understood you rightly. I was just story telling about cylinders going up, but got side tracked at the end

I have had enough LPG in the back to blow Adelaide over to Perth...

And that might be a good thing, but you'll find Perve no better

(so that's a third of Aus I just insulted)


M

[wai]

Just on another note....

Why can my trade van have any type of gas bottles in the back and not have to be in a sealed box?

I have had enough LPG in the back to blow Adelaide over to Perth...and enough acetylene to blow me back to the UK.

Its a strange regulation that you don't need to do things in a trade van that you do in a camper...

Rob

There is probably some regulation they follow that limits the size of cylinder they have and the type of vehicle.

What is more frightening is when they use an acetylene cylinder on its side. Acetylene is dissolved in acetone to keep its partial pressure low. By using it on its side, you decant the acetone and you can then end up with spontaneous combustion. Couple that with an acetylene cylinder filled with a porous ceramic (used to be aerated concrete) and you have a nasty projectile. This is why fire brigades are very careful around acetylene cylinders.

[augie]

Enough about gas bottles.
The round oz trip has been put on hold for six weeks due to the slip of a surgen's knife and seeing that I had to go back to work I thought I would treat myself to one more weekend of drag racing, so I draged my little bug out of the barn where it had been living for the last 3 months and hit the road to willowbank dragway in Qld for the jamboree. 3 hours into the trip I got a text saying the event was postponed due to bad weather forcast. Anyway I have ended up in Gunnedah where they should be racing this weekend if the rain stops.
Here's my set up working well at the track.



If all goes to plan on the road next Monday

[augie]

Some traveling pix. Our t5 has taken us to some pretty amazing places with no problems, over to Tassie next month for summer







A few more inches ground clearence would be nice





4WD only track no problem

[Sunny43.5]

I like the way the Bug gets the shelter where do you guys sit !!!! Howard

[matgerbar]

ned toclean up those ugly edges

Any one who has an old ambo needs to get these


they clean up the ugly edge and add some very handy storage

Hi Augie. just wondering if you could tell me where you got the edging from? cheers matt