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Gas installation in pleasure boats, caravans and motorhomes

There are two types of gas that are suitable for use in camping units, namely Propane and Butane gas. The most commonly used type of gas is propane, its boiling point is -42 degrees Celsius, with butane the boiling point is 0.5 degrees Celsius. Below these temperatures, there will be no more gas formation. The vapor pressure, the pressure in the gas bottle (official name is gas holder), can rise considerably with rising temperatures. At 20 degrees Celsius, the vapor pressure of propane is 900 kpa, butane is 210 kpa. Butane gas cylinders are specifically made for butane gas, so for a lower pressure than propane gas, when you fill a butane gas cylinder with propane, a life-threatening situation arises. To be able to tell these gas bottles apart, they are colored, butane is always blue, propane is grey, green-grey or red. These gas bottles must be replaced or inspected every ten years, a stamp of the steam industry with date is struck. In some cases, L.P.G. tanks built in or under, L.P.G. is a mixture of propane and butane gas. L.P.G. is a car fuel, this autogas is injected in liquid state into the engine of the car, the gas line to the engine starts at the bottom of the L.P.G. tank. When this pipe is used to burn gas appliances, we can expect meters high flames, so very dangerous.

* The gas bottle must be mounted in such a way that there is no open connection with the interior. This means that usually a gas bottle cabinet or gas bun is used. This gas well must be made of sufficient fire-resistant material and must be so gas-tight that under no circumstances can leaking gas flow into the interior. The gas well should have a leakage gas outlet in the bottom of at least 19 mm on the diameter and in vessels at least 75 mm above the waterline. The outlet must also be at least 500 mm away from an interior opening. In order to ventilate the gas well, a non-closable ventilation opening must be fitted at the top with the ventilation opening into the outside air. The gas bottle should be in the gas well on a platform so that the leaking gas outlet remains open. The gas bottle must also be fixed in the gas well. More than two gas bottles on board, each weighing 11 kg, is due to with the current environmental legislation not allowed without a permit from the Nuisance Act.

* The gas hose must comply with the ISO 2928, NEN 5654 or CE standard and should be replaced every three years. The date and information mentioned must always be visible during inspection. If the gas hose is not more than one meter long, both ends must have two stainless steel. hose clamps must be mounted, from one meter only fixed couplings may be used. The black rubber gas hoses which are usually only suitable for butane may not be fitted with hose clamps. It is recommended to always use gas hoses with fixed couplings, even if they are shorter than one metre. Gas hoses must not run through engine rooms.

To completely burn one m³ of propane gas, 24 m³ of air is needed, for butane gas 30 m³. it is clear that there must be sufficient air supply. When there is a shortage of combustion air and polluted burners, carbon monoxide (CO), a particularly "toxic" gas, is created!!! Carbon monoxide is a very insidious, (completely odorless!) It is a gas that quickly but unnoticed binds to your red blood cells, so that oxygen can no longer be absorbed from your lungs, you can become unconscious (resembling drowsiness) and death enters!!! There should be at least two permanent ventilation openings in the living space, one of which should be placed as high as possible. Windows and skylights below not included. It is also recommended to hang a carbon monoxide detector in your camper/boat/caravan, these devices are already for sale from about € 35,--, such a device warns in time and can save lives!