Leaving External power on permanent? & Gas on while Driving?

[davidathomas42]

So I am wondering do people leave there van permanently plugged into the mains when its parked at home?

I have mine plugged in at the moment (Swift Escape 696 2015) but when collecting the sales guy said to just put it one once a week or so for a top up. Will it deteriorate the battery or are they smart enough now to do no damage? My Harley is permanently plugged in to a battery tender and has no issues. I mean if your on a site for a week or more its plugged in permanent.

Also Gas.
When we rented a van in the summer the owner of it (large rental place) said don't worry about the gas bottle. Just leave it on.
The sales place said switch it off before driving.
Now my thought it that it should be off for the reason of if you have a bad crash you have the risk or rupturing the gas connections in the van and then a potential kaboom. Otherwise it should be fine to leave on.

What do others do?

 

[Lenny HB]

With no 12v option on RV fridges I guess US regulations could be different and I think it's an area that's escaped legislation as far as RVs imported for use in UK and it's a traffic regulation that most are probably not aware of or warned about by motorhome manufacturers .

I'll give a wide berth to any filling station with an RV in them.

 

[Larrynwin]

I'll give a wide berth to any filling station with an RV in them.

I used to switch my gas off to starve pilot light before filling but that didn't appear to be a practice when we were in the US although bearing in mind how many more petrol vehicles over there never heard of a petrol pump disaster.

 

[Lenny HB]

About 30-40 years ago a garage was destroyed around here when a Motorhome filled up with petrol with fridge running.

 

[Forestboy]

With no 12v option on RV fridges I guess US regulations could be different and I think it's an area that's escaped legislation as far as RVs imported for use in UK and it's a traffic regulation that most are probably not aware of or warned about by motorhome manufacturers .

Should add we always turn the gas off when filling with fuel or LPG

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[olley]

Bad guy me, turn gas on when I leave compound, turn gas off when I come back.

 

[Speve]

I believe if you have secumotion fitted the gas will not light when you turn off ignition for 15 mins so if you were to visit a filling station it won't light as long as you turn off ignition. So don't take longer than that when filling up.also copied this from Truma website.
Question using an older van have used heating whilst moving do I need to fit the new regulator?
No. Older vehicles of course benefit from permission to operate in non-compliance and it is not absolutely essential to have your regulator replaced on account of the coming into force of the new heating appliance directive, unless it is already more than 10 years old. In France, for example, gas cylinders have to remain closed whilst on the move. Heating is only permitted in France whilst on the move if your vehicle is fitted with the new regulator system.

Note: According to worksheet G 607 ("Gas tests"), pressure regulators and gas hoses must be replaced every 10 years in Germany and also in other European countries (EN 12864 recommendation).

* Exception in France
In France, gas hoses must be replaced

 

[Lenny HB]

I believe if you have secumotion fitted the gas will not light when you turn off ignition for 15 mins so if you were to visit a filling station it won't light as long as you turn off ignition. So don't take longer than that when filling up.

Nothing to do with secumotion it is the fridge electronics that control that function.
The Secumotaion has a crash sensor which cuts off the gas in the event of a crash/fast deceleration, They sometimes trip out going over rough ground and you have to reset them.

 

[Speve]

Thanks @Lenny HB so that I have this correct the gas then will ignite at any time automatically with ignition off after a drive if Auto is selected on fridge.

 

[ROB1CHELSEA1]

Permanently plugged in at home, permanently plugged into neighbours garage when they're on holiday . Gas turned off when driving

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[Badknee]

Underslung tank on our Broadway so no way am I going to get on my back and slide underneath to switch the gas off.

John.

I have fitted an extra shut off valve to save me the trouble.

 

[davidathomas42]

Our 696 has one of these: Link Removed so yours should as well. We travel with gas on all the time. Mine is plugged in a lot in storage and we haven't noticed any problems.

It does indeed. Thanks for that link

Think I am happy to leave it turned on while driving.
Need to look a little closer at the charger unit etc while on EHU but happy enough to leave it plugged in over winter. Worst case hopefully just a new battery. Hopefully not though.

 

[Glandwr]

My Hymer manual says. When engine running fridge is on 12v, after stopping fridge will NOT spark gas for 10 minutes to allow for refuelling stops at service stations. Good enough for me travel with gas on.

Dick

 

[Larrynwin]

My Hymer manual says. When engine running fridge is on 12v, after stopping fridge will NOT spark gas for 10 minutes to allow for refuelling stops at service stations. Good enough for me travel with gas on.

Dick

Yes, just looked mine up, thanks

 

[two]

Clearly the safest thing to do is turn the gas off at the source whenever it’s not in use and I can believe that some people who are fearful of the stuff may actually do that. But I wonder whether those who do so only switch off at an internal isolation switch rather than at the bottle. The most likely place for a leak is at the connection with the bottle, which is why gas lockers are well-ventilated. To switch off at the bottle I need to undo two locks and have at least 30” of free space to open up the door, so it’s a right fiddle and I rarely bother.

Propane is not toxic, so I have read, and will only kill you if there is so much of it that it has displaced the available oxygen. Long before you are asphyxiated, the bigger danger would be from explosion. A pungent additive should alert you of its presence, although you may not need much to have an explosive mix. I know someone who claimed not to smell it when they got up in the morning. They were ‘alerted’ by a big bang when they put the kettle on, followed by an immediate lack of windows. Perhaps they were lucky.

It’s right to respect gas, but there’s no need to be fearful of it. Propane is stored, transported, transferred and used all over the place without incident, and in spite of ‘ordinary folk’ doing silly things with it, so I think you can assume that it’s reasonably safe.

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[skylinersi]

Clearly the safest thing to do is turn the gas off at the source whenever it’s not in use and I can believe that some people who are fearful of the stuff may actually do that. But I wonder whether those who do so only switch off at an internal isolation switch rather than at the bottle. The most likely place for a leak is at the connection with the bottle, which is why gas lockers are well-ventilated. To switch off at the bottle I need to undo two locks and have at least 30” of free space to open up the door, so it’s a right fiddle and I rarely bother.

Propane is not toxic, so I have read, and will only kill you if there is so much of it that it has displaced the available oxygen. Long before you are asphyxiated, the bigger danger would be from explosion. A pungent additive should alert you of its presence, although you may not need much to have an explosive mix. I know someone who claimed not to smell it when they got up in the morning. They were ‘alerted’ by a big bang when they put the kettle on, followed by an immediate lack of windows. Perhaps they were lucky.

It’s right to respect gas, but there’s no need to be fearful of it. Propane is stored, transported, transferred and used all over the place without incident, and in spite of ‘ordinary folk’ doing silly things with it, so I think you can assume that it’s reasonably safe.

surely the gas detector thingy most vans are installed with would tell you if theres a gas leakage?

 

[EyUp]

It surely got to be day one stuff to turn the gas off when driving !? To me it just common sense.
It literally take me about 15 seconds to open up the panel and twiddle the gas valve.

Each to their own..

 

[Larrynwin]

surely the gas detector thingy most vans are installed with would tell you if theres a gas leakage?

Not from the cylinder cabinet area as that naturally drains leakage and the detector is in the living area.

 

[robnchris]

Don`t know what all the fuss is about using the gas whilst driving, we always do as it runs the fridge and also the accommodation heater in the winter.

Do you turn the gas off when you go out for the day, of course not.

 

[Jim]

Barring the odd boat trip my gas has been on for 25 years.

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[skylinersi]

Not from the cylinder cabinet area as that naturally drains leakage and the detector is in the living area.

i dont follow bud????????

 

[two]

surely the gas detector thingy most vans are installed with would tell you if theres a gas leakage?

I'd like to think that one of those 'thingy' detectors would work and before the mixture had reached explosive proportions but I never tried it out when I had one.
I don't think most vans are installed with them. Mine had nothing at all, not even a toast alarm.

 

[Lenny HB]

Thanks @Lenny HB so that I have this correct the gas then will ignite at any time automatically with ignition off after a drive if Auto is selected on fridge.

Yes that's right after the 15min delay, to be pedantic it is when the engine is not running.

 

[Lenny HB]

I'd like to think that one of those 'thingy' detectors would work and before the mixture had reached explosive proportions but I never tried it out when I had one.
I don't think most vans are installed with them. Mine had nothing at all, not even a toast alarm.

If you are referring to a CO detector, of for detecting badly combusting gas giving off CO (carbon monoxide) won't detect a leak. they

 

[skylinersi]

i dont follow bud????????

can you expalin the bit i have highlighted as i dont follow!, are you saying the cylinders etc naturall leak??????

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[Glandwr]

can you expalin the bit i have highlighted as i dont follow!, are you saying the cylinders etc naturall leak??????

I think they mean that as is heavier than air and gas lockers always have open ventilation at the bottom any leakage is vented.

Dick

 

[skylinersi]

I think they mean that as is heavier than air and gas lockers always have open ventilation at the bottom any leakage is vented.

Dick

ah, now worded like that it makes sense,thankyou

was beginning to worry as the bed in our van (well june time we get it) is over the gas locker

 

[skylinersi]

in fact that worries me because we were going to put the dog in the garage bit at nite, which is next to the bottle locker!

 

[Larrynwin]

i dont follow bud????????

The locker that houses the gas cylinder is vented at the bottom allowing any leaking gas, being heavier than air, to leak out into the atmosphere.
The only gas alarm is normally in the habitation area of the motorhome, not in the cylinder locker.

 

[Larrynwin]

in fact that worries me because we were going to put the dog in the garage bit at nite, which is next to the bottle locker!

Unlikely to get gas leakage into garage but I would worry about suffocating the dog in the garage, not where I would put my dogs .

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[skylinersi]

Unlikely to get gas leakage into garage but I would worry about suffocating the dog in the garage, not where I would put my dogs .

its an under the bed gap, will be gated not solid door, adria call it a garage lol, but its not, its in a 600 twin sp gb, so will be open into living area, perfectly well ventilated, trust me im more concerned for the woofster than anything else