Feeding gas and power to a trailer tent

Aug 21, 2010 10 Replies

I have built a wooden box to sit on the A frame of our trailer tent, to hold the Calor gas bottle, and mains hook up lead. Box is covered in preservative, and ready to mount tomorrow, but I'm wondering where to run the gas tube and mains lead - either down through the bottom of the box and up through the trailer floor, or through the back of the box and front of the trailer. I think the former - any comments?



Thanks.


Lots of ventilation in the box - especially at the base, so any butane/propane that leaks can escape.

As to running, anywhere where damage isn't likely. Lots of caravans run copper gas pipe underneath quite happily.

Also make sure it is well secured, you don't want it to work-harden through vibration.

Chris

Hadn't thought of that - thanks. Are the boxes on the fronts of caravans usually ventilated - I thought they were sealed. The plan is to only connect the valve to the bottle when in use, not whilst travelling.

The box is against the front wall of the trailer, with the two ring hob the other side of the front wall. The plan is to just run the flexible pipe through the bottom of the box, then backwards, and upwards through the floor of the trailer, to the hob. Travel outside the box/trailer will be a maximum of six inches.

Modern ones that seem part of the body of the caravan - not a clue; the decades old ones I remember were completely open at the bottom, just a metal ring that the cylinder fitted into.

Forget that, I was thinking it was copper.

Chris

Yes - had that happen to a copper brake pipe once.

IIRC last caravan I saw had the gas pipes well clipped to the wooden floor joists about every foot or so.

It's a problem on boats as of course those gases are heavier than air so tend to pool - partly why caravans have vents in the floor.

Ah. You might consider guarding any rubber pipe that runs under (thinking stones being thrown up from the road). Sticking it through some plastic conduit would be enough.

The boxes on the fronts of caravans MUST be ventilated at the bottom if they (the boxes) contain gas.

Another Dave

In message , Another Dave writes

OK, thank you. My efforts to make the box completely water tight were a waste of time then :-)

I'll drill a few half inch holes in the bottom.

Thanks Tim. Slight change of plan - I drilled through the back wall of the box and front wall of the trailer, leaving a little over an inch of pipe exposed to the elements. Decided that the less pipe exposed, the less risk of damage.

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