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Gas safety in caravans, campers and motorhomes. This link outlines safety checks for caravanners and campers: Checking
gas safety and can be dowloaded as a printable brochure. New South Wales Fires and Rescue have an LPG Safety Checklist.
More about safety can be seen here. Note the following contained within:
After use, turn off the cylinder valve
while the appliance is still operating. Then turn off the appliance valve. This allows the hose to empty of gas.
Always ensure gas appliances are well ventilated. Never use a portable or unflued gas appliance in a closed tent or van. Build-up of unventilated flue gases can cause death. See Kleenheat Gas.
Click to read the very real risks of death or brain damage from different heating methods.
Never use a gas appliance for anything other than its intended purpose (eg never use a gas cooker or oven for space heating).
Do not block the vents in the door. These are required by law to allow gas to escape should accidental leaks occur. A roof vent should also be left open when camped to allow air flow through.
The risks are discussed in a practical manner at Gas Risk in Caravans. Note the reasons for not using something such as a flowerpot over a gas stove burner as a heating device. There are more reasons that just the obvious. Even a poorly serviced gas appliance can be a risk. See Elgas Gas Flame Colour Chart.
Gas fridges and pilot lights must be turned off before entering fuel outlets.
Do not fill a domestic or caravan gas cylinder with auto gas
There are two different grades or blends of LPG and they are not interchangeable. Autogas is for automotive use only and will be a mixture of mainly propane and butane. The other blend is propane, which can only be used for decanting into small cylinders for caravans, barbecues and camping. See more on Elgas and Camping SA.
Transporting
gas cylinders in enclosed vehicles
· For enclosed vehicles a person must not carry a cylinder of more than 30L (13.5 kg) in size.
· 9kg cylinders or larger gas cylinders can only be transported in enclosed vehicles for the purposes of getting the cylinder refilled (or exchanged). In addition no more than two cylinders may be transported at the one time.
· When you do have to transport your cylinder make sure it is stored securely in an upright position (so it cannot fall over or become a projectile), is placed in the boot/tray rather than the passenger cabin, and in a way that avoids excess exposure to sunlight or heat.
If using a portable gas cooker, ensure that the cylinder outlet is below the inlet on the stove. As cylinders contain compressed and liquefied gas, if higher some of the liquid can be dispensed resulting in much too much gas at the appliance which can have disastrous results.
Which gas bottle do I need? See Australian Gas Bottle Standards for the different grades and most suitable for caravan use.
Photoelectric smoke alarms 'see' the smoke. They detect visible particles of combustion, eg smouldering cigarette smoke. They respond to a wide range of fires, but they are particularly responsive to smouldering fires and the dense smoke given off by foam filled furnishings or overheated PVC wiring.
Advantages
Good for smouldering fire and dense smoke
Not as prone to cooking nuisance alarms as ionisation alarms
Contain no radioactive material
Suitable for general use
Disadvantages
Slightly more expensive than ionisation alarms
Nuisance alarms can occasionally occur from dust and insects
They must be kept clean
Ionisation smoke alarms
Ionisation smoke alarms 'feel' the smoke. They detect invisible particles of combustion, eg from cooking toast. They activate more quickly for fast, flaming fires with little visible smoke.
Advantages
Slightly cheaper than other types of smoke alarms
Very good with fast flaming fires with little visible smoke
Less prone to false alarms caused by dust and steam
Suitable for general use
Disadvantages
Can be susceptible to nuisance alarms if placed too close to cooking
May be slow to respond to slow smouldering fires
Contain a very small amount of radioactive material