Caravan propane LPG feed.

[ajlelectronics]

This caravan has a load of manky old steel pipe which I am discarding. There will only be one gas appliance which is a two burner oven and hob. It is currently not fixed into place for some reason.

My questions are as follows:

It is my understanding that final connection and test can only be done by someone with the right piece of paper? I see from the regs. that I am permitted to do it on my own vehicle if competent, but not on someone else's.

The oven must be fixed into place, that is obvious even if rubber fed all the way.

I can bring in new flexible gas hose from the regulator but then it needs some sort of quick connector. Otherwise the regulator will have to be disconnected from the bottle and then the problem arises of what to do with the regulator during transport.

For a fixed pipe, I anticipate a short length of rubber from oven to rigid, can this connection just be a pushed over and clip type, or do I need some fancy crimped connection? 8mm standard copper pipe and standard compression fittings good enough?

edit:

Gas Pipe Fittings​

• Permitted gas pipe fittings are; cutting ring type, capillary, flare, compression and threaded fitting for nozzle.
• PTFE tape must be used on threaded fittings.
• PTFE tape must not be used on compression fittings. A compression fitting is not sealed by the thread, so applying PTFE tape may cause a leak.

Some of that appears contradictory. A compression fitting (though I wouldn't use PTFE anyway) is surely a threaded connector?

I'm sure I just know these by different names, but...
What is a "cutting ring connector"?
In this context, what is a "capillary connector"?
A flare connector, would that be a bell mouth as per brake line flaring?



How about fittings for rubber to spigot at the oven end?

Gas pipe needs to be rigidly fixed to the structure and not allowed to move?

As I can't get a gas bunny with relevant papers in time, my thoughts are to install the rigid and flexi to the oven and leave the regulator end to said relevant bunny with papers. I would imagine that if I connect it all up to be useable then I am responsible for its safety? Ventilation isn't an issue, there are more gaps and holes than you can shake a stick at. Customer has been told to get smoke and CO alarms PDQ, especially as she also has a wood burner in it!

 

[Misterg]

I'm not a gas person, and I don't know about caravans (is it a tourer or a static?), but i did fit out out camper van which subsequently passed gas inspection. I'm expecting flak from the gas mafia for even replying

This isn't advice, but may give you an idea of what you need to find out to do the job competently (it isn't exhaustive, either).

For camper vans, at least, you can't run hose all the way to the appliances - the length of hose is limited (to 1m, I think). If the gas is run in 8mm copper, it needs to be thicker wall than common plumbing pipe (0.8mm IIRC). Compression fittings need to have copper olives. Each connection needs to be accessible & have a drop-out vent in the same 'compartment'.
Connection to the oven is usually a lazy loop of copper that gets connected up just before the oven is pushed into place. I don't think you can use flexi pipes here unless the design of the cooker requires it (e.g. it needs to be slid out to use it). If flexis are allowed, they are pre-made, protected with metal braid and date stamped.

Normal practice is to have a bulkhead mounted regulator in the gas locker with pigtails to the cylinders. (Not sure about statics).

A compression fitting is sealed by the olive / bite ring (= a stepped olive for want of a better description - must be fitted the correct way around) - no PTFE.
Threaded connections are tapered (usually) - PTFE needed.
Capillary connectors are as per water plumbing fittings, but need to be hard soldered / brazed, not soft soldered for gas.

There is a series of tests that need to be done to verify the installation.

What winds me up is that while none of this is particularly diffcult, it is very hard to find out what is required if you want to do the work to the required standard yourself as the applicable standards and ACOPS are not publicly available. (It used to be the LPGA, but I think they've changed their name).

If you're doing it for someone else, you'd better be sure of your competence, as they'll throw the book at you if anything happens.

 

[Barking Mat]

I can't comment on UK regs, but I know alot about French regs, which really probably doesn't help.

 

[m_c]

Mobile gas installations aren't that closely regulated, compared to fixed installations.

I'm qualified to test mobile LPG installations, but I have no idea about new installations.
Certainly in terms of swapping components, AFAIK there's not restrictions on who can swap components, provided somebody suitably qualified tests it after installation.

On the stuff I used to test, the cooker was fixed in position, with copper piping to the gas locker.
There was a blanked off t-piece in the gas locker as a connection point for a U-tube water gauge to allow testing.
Regulator was on a short section of LPG rated hose, which was often just attached with a hose clip.

The big thing was LPG has zero tolerance for any leakage.
The gas locker must have vent holes in the bottom, so any leakage doesn't build up.
Vents had to be installed and clear for the cooker.

 

[Kayos]

Compression is not threaded, it seals on the olive

I am qualified in all aspects of LPG installs in caravans, happy to take this to PM if you like?

 

[Bornfree]

Gas regulations are strange. I fit lpg heaters and pipework sometimes up to 2". I have no tickets or qualifications and it's all legal because its agricultural.

 

[Morrisman]

This is spooky. Laying in bed, 4 am, been awake for hours with some sort of bug. I was thinking relentlessly and feverishly about whether I should get my bulk lpg tank topped up, as it was down to 35% yesterday.

I got out of bed 7am, heard the letterbox go, found a receipt for lpg.... and the Flogas truck is just driving away up the road.
Then I open this forum, and the first post I read is about LPG.
I'm going psychic, I'm sure of it. Or psycho.

 

[Bornfree]

This is spooky. Laying in bed, 4 am, been awake for hours with some sort of bug. I was thinking relentlessly and feverishly about whether I should get my bulk lpg tank topped up, as it was down to 35% yesterday.

I got out of bed 7am, heard the letterbox go, found a receipt for lpg.... and the Flogas truck is just driving away up the road.
Then I open this forum, and the first post I read is about LPG.
I'm going psychic, I'm sure of it. Or psycho.

Could you send me tonight's lottery numbers

 

[minimutly]

This is spooky. Laying in bed, 4 am, been awake for hours with some sort of bug. I was thinking relentlessly and feverishly about whether I should get my bulk lpg tank topped up, as it was down to 35% yesterday.

I got out of bed 7am, heard the letterbox go, found a receipt for lpg.... and the Flogas truck is just driving away up the road.
Then I open this forum, and the first post I read is about LPG.
I'm going psychic, I'm sure of it. Or psycho.

Last time I was awake all night with "some kind of bug" it turned out to be covid.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I'm going psychic

Henceforth to be known as 'Mystic Morris'....? (apologies to @ajlelectronics for perpetuating the thread diversion )