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Gas and fridges
baybuscamperkid - April 6th, 2003 at 04:20 PM

been going through a few ideas while rebuilding my camper interior, just thought id run a few by u guys:
1. gas bottle on the roof on the front rack, gas plumbed thru roof to stove and fridge
2. black plastic tank on roofrack to serve as hot water on clear days, plumbed thru roof
3. just wondering how much getting fridge checked out costs, the electrics are great, but i want the gas checked b4 i turn it on.

phatrat - April 6th, 2003 at 06:25 PM

Do u know a plumber/gas fitter...Had my father-in-law check the fridge & pipe work.

I don't thing it's legal to have plumbed gas tank on your roof..:D

KruizinKombi - April 6th, 2003 at 06:40 PM

Putting heavy items such as gas bottles, jerry cans and spare wheels on your roof is not a great idea, as they raise the centre of gravity and adversely affect handling.

Try a gas bottle mounted on the rear bar. :)

mnsKmobi - April 7th, 2003 at 09:39 AM

Don't put the gas bottle on the roof. Even in a minor accident it will go flying. :(

aussiebug - April 7th, 2003 at 03:24 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by baybuscamperkid
been going through a few ideas while rebuilding my camper interior.
Just wondering how much getting fridge checked out costs, the electrics are great, but i want the gas checked b4 i turn it on.


If it's a normal 3-way Kombi type fridge - the only "check out" it needs is to plug it in to 240v and leave it overnight to see if it gets cold - these fridges are almost silent (no motor) and take a lot longer to get the temp down, so it can take a few hours to see a significant temp drop.

If it works OK on 240v, then turn on the gas and try that out too.

That - literally, is all the testing it needs.

Remember that when travelling and it's running on 12v, it pulls a lot of amps, so it will drain the battery quite fast if the engine is not running (that's when you use the gas). For best operation these fridges need to be completely upright and unmoving (still) too, so when driving it won't be working at it's best. That means for most efficient use, you plug it into 240v or turn the gas on a day or two before you leave and load it up with COLD stuff - in other words don't expect the fridge to actually cool stuff when the van in on the move - but it will keep already-cool stuff cool quite satisfactorily.

baybuscamperkid - April 7th, 2003 at 06:06 PM

Col, i was actually thinking of having the bottle properly strapped down (with a metal strap) in my roofrack, with a disconnectable hose, so it would have to rip the rack off the car before it came flying off. that i was concerned about was whether there was any chance of the bottle getting too hot on the roof and blowing up etc.?

Phil74Camper - April 7th, 2003 at 06:31 PM

Nah, heat wouldn't be a problem. Gas bottles sit outside next to houses, and next to BBQs, in the sun without overheating. Bottles always have a mixture of liquid and gaseous LPG in equilibrium. If the sun heats the bottle some of the liquid converts to vapour, which increases the internal pressure. The bottle is designed for that - assuming it is in good condition and within its 10-year test period!

The wind blowing past the bottle at speed would tend to cool it.

Your only problem would come at rego time, if your pink slip inspector wants to see a gas plumber's certification tag. No licenced plumber would do that sort of install for you. I'm having trouble finding one for mine, in a rebuilt vented cabinet that's better than VW installed originally.

baybuscamperkid - April 8th, 2003 at 08:51 PM

car's been re-regoed twice as a camper with mods, i reckon if i leave the rack off when i go for rego, all the plumbing will be hidden and my uncles a builder so maybe i can get him to sign off