Every check counts

This month, the Club’s technical team look at gas safety for leisure vehicles

Q How can I be sure the gas system in my leisure vehicle is safe?

A Correctly installed, maintained and used, leisure vehicle gas systems are very safe indeed, but the potential for danger should never be ignored. Gas Safety Week (9-15 September in 2024) is an annual campaign to raise awareness about gas safety in general, but we can adapt its slogan of ‘Every check counts’ to our sector. Take a look at the following...

• To work on gas systems, check you’re competent. That really rules out DIY activities unless you are unusually well-skilled, as ‘competent’ will usually mean qualified to the relevant framework – either Standards of Training in Gas Work for privately-owned vehicles or Accredited Certification Scheme for Gas Operatives, plus Gas Safe registration, for work on vehicles that are hired out.
• If you’re buying a new vehicle, particularly from a smaller campervan builder/converter, check that it can prove their competency in this area.
• If you hire your vehicle out, you must have gas safety certification for it (Landlord’s certificate from a suitably-qualified Gas Safe-registered engineer). If you hire one, check the hirer has this certification.
• When having your leisure vehicle serviced, check the service technician is competent – the easiest way to ensure this is to use a workshop belonging to an accreditation scheme, such as the Approved Workshop Scheme (approvedworkshops.co.uk).
• Note that while a good annual service will include gas system functional and safety checks, it won’t cover detailed servicing of the appliances themselves. Appliances like fridges need periodic servicing to maintain their warranties and prevent reliability concerns and potentially safety issues, especially if only used occasionally on gas.
• The parts of a system that an owner will most commonly need to deal with themselves are:

a) swapping empty gas cylinders for full ones (or refilling refillable cylinders/tanks)

b) connection hoses (if the regulator is fitted to the vehicle) or regulators (if the regulator is attached to the cylinder) when changing gas type or cylinder brand.

In both cases, check the equipment manufacturer’s guidance beforehand and seek advice if at all unsure what to do.

• Check your carbon monoxide (CO) alarm. Regular testing ensures that alarms are operational and capable of alerting you to the presence of deadly CO. Also, check it’s marked to standard EN50291-2 (the ‘-2’ indicates suitability for leisure vehicle and boat use) and if there’s an expiry date.
• Check that floor vents and flues are not blocked – they’re there to keep you safe
• Check for common signs of a poorly-functioning system – eg lazy yellow/orange flames instead of crisp blue ones or sooty black marks on or around an appliance. Get it checked out professionally!
• You might smell a little gas when changing cylinders, due to gas released from the connection, but if you smell gas otherwise, don’t try to check it out yourself. Switch off the supply at the cylinder. Ventilate the area to disperse any gas released and don’t use naked flames or switch electrical equipment on or off until the air has cleared. Seek professional help. In the unlikely event that it’s the cylinder itself that’s leaking (usually from a faulty valve), do all of the above, but remove the cylinder to a well-ventilated open space and contact the supplier for advice.

Please address your questions to: Technical Information,
Email: technical@camc.com
Tel: 01342 336611

...and quote your membership number  

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