Zafira Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Hi All Many thanks in advance for everyone's collective wisdom. As a newbie to the world of motorhoming (collecting my Hobby in a month's time, can't wait!) what essential safety equipment do I need to be taking with me, e.g. CO monitor/alarm, fire extinguisher, mains polarity tester plug, etc, etc. The motorhome doesn't have an oven - does anyone have experience of/recommendation re: an appropriate small portable oven/grill (I'm conscious that such an item would have to be compatible with EHU) - not a game changer if such a thought demonstrates my inexperience ;-) Thanks for your time & thoughts :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I would suggest that before you go buying any " essential safety equipment " you check what equipment is supplied with the van. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Agree with Malc but before I'd go away I'd ensure I had what you've already identified [except main polarity tester which can wait] and I'd add a fire blanket now to tackle unlikely kitchen fires. Read the manuals as soon as you can! I'd see how you get on with the van without an oven before you buy a portable oven/grill. Ovens are useful for storing items in, less useful for cooking in! Seriously, some people, including me, motorhome happily without an oven. If its toast you want, then there are some solutions that use a gas ring with varying success. It's a good idea to think ahead, especially on safety, but keep your money in your pockets for now. We all tend to buy things as we go along to reflect out style of motorhoming. The skill is buying what you need instead of filling the van with purchases that seemed a good idea at the time. Make sure you have security in line with whatever your insurer states. Almost certainly, you will need an alarm from the day you pick up the van although it might already come with one. Stay in touch with the forum and ask questions as you go along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebeaches Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Some good advice so far. Only query would be the necessity of having an alarm ... or not. Check with your insurer. We are insured with Comfort and I believe their valuation threshold is £60k. We bought a new van in 2010 and travelled the continent without an alarm. Bought a replacement new van last summer, and still haven't fitted one... but we are thinking about it this time. Instead of a fitted oven we've always used a Remoska - great piece of kit. Standard model rated at just 400 watts - get them from Lakeland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Welcome, if you are buying a Hobby you won't need to worry about a Polarity tester as the Motorhome, like all German built MH's, is designed to run on either polarity, see explanation here : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/reverse-polarity.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Plenty of advice already given. I have an oven in my van (being a Uk built) but to be honest in 10 years have probably used it 3 times. It services as storage, but can be a rattler ! as stated wait until you get the van, and see whats included You should definitely have a fire extinguisher, (if included, check to see still OK)and also a fire blanket Don't start filling the van with unnecessary things you "might" need, keep to a bare minimum, Everything counts as weight, so be careful Good luck with your new "toy" and come back and ask any questions you need to know. We all started first time, even if a few years ago!! PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I don't know if the oven counts with regard to 'must have' safety equipment but we wouldn't be without one. Personal preference but we tend to use our van as an extension of home - and that includes meals! But, as far as safety equipment goes it is absolutely right to think about what you must have and things that are just nice to have. Apart from all the other advice please remember your road vehicke safety equipment, especially if you are thinking of travelling abroad, the AA, RAC and major clubs like Caravan Club produce information on what you must take nowadays. Often, these are not just sensible things to take but are a requirement and include items such as reflective jackets, warning triangle(s), spare bulbs and even spare glasses if you need them for driving. A couple of years ago France brought in a law that every vehicke had to carry disposable alcohol breath testers (which were time limited so go out of date) and, although it is something that seems not to be enforced rigidly, I believe is still in force. Enjoy the motorhome when you get it - whether you cook full meals or not! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keninpalamos Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I've had 2 camper vans (Autosleeper) & 2 A class motorhomes (Hymers) & all have had built in ovens. The Hymer I have now has a large Smev oven and grill and I wouldn't be without it. It cost me 2 draws space wise but worth it and it doesn't rattle. I have a pop top Autosleeper I use as my car in the UK which has no oven and I do miss it when camping so bought a small electric ceramic unit with is ok but may try one of the ones mentioned recently on the forum. Enjoy your 'van! Oven or no oven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I agree with the above, our oven is essential just like the one at home is. That reminds me, I must look at that rattle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Charles - 2017-02-13 10:10 AM I agree with the above, our oven is essential just like the one at home is. That reminds me, I must look at that rattle. We have discovered that the rattle is coming from the GRILL, and Oh is currently (inventing) a means of stopping it!! PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 My previous van had an oven but when we downsized this one doesn't, it does have a 700watt microwave and a small grill oven (which is useless) it take far too long to cook anything and the venting at the back is non existent so only gets used as storage. I have a pressure cooker but to be honest have only used it for cooking chicken breasts for the dogs!! I use my hob for most things , I have pans (lightweight. Safety a carbon monoxide detector is a must for me as I wouldn't sleep without knowing it is there! the fire alarm I could do without *-) as it goes off when Im cooking every time! a fire extinguisher is handy but thankfully never had to use it. If you carry bikes on a rack a square with stripes warning square is a must if you intend going over the water as is spare specks, spare bulbs and florescent jackets with a breakdown triangle. A hose to reach the water taps to fill up your tank AND MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHICH IS YOUR WATER TANK !! my nephew told me about a teacher friend of his who couldn't understand why his van had ran out of fuel as he had filled it up !!!!! when the breakdown came with a can of fuel he watched as the owner opened the Water filling cap and said "oh please tell me that isn't where you filled up with diesel" Yes he had !!! A fresh water container or watering can to top up if needed on site , also a grey water container is handy to have if you cant get near the emptying point. As others have said you will soon know what you need after using it for a couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 PJay - 2017-02-13 10:56 AM Charles - 2017-02-13 10:10 AM I agree with the above, our oven is essential just like the one at home is. That reminds me, I must look at that rattle. We have discovered that the rattle is coming from the GRILL, and Oh is currently (inventing) a means of stopping it!! PJay Yes ours is the same, at first we kept packing the shelf with the tea towel and wondered why it never stopped rattling :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Charles - 2017-02-13 12:19 PM PJay - 2017-02-13 10:56 AM Charles - 2017-02-13 10:10 AM I agree with the above, our oven is essential just like the one at home is. That reminds me, I must look at that rattle. We have discovered that the rattle is coming from the GRILL, and Oh is currently (inventing) a means of stopping it!! PJay Yes ours is the same, at first we kept packing the shelf with the tea towel and wondered why it never stopped rattling :) I'll let you know when we do the mod. He has the idea, quiet simple, as he was a design/developement engineer special purpose machines, he will want to perfect it PJay we tried the tea towel and even toilet rolls, but it is at the back where the grill joins the gas pipe P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phalange Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 We have a 1400w halogen oven which we bought from Aldi for £30 with a 3 year warranty. Works fine on ehu,we've done full roast dinners in it and it stores in a drawer when not in use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Good advice above. First get the van, and explore what is already there. Then, read the manual carefully. Then take a shortish trip - or two - and decide based on that experience what you really need. Much will depend on where you mainly intend travelling. If it will be the continent, frankly, I'd forget toast. Most continental bread isn't really suitable for toasting. Ovens are a "Marmite" subject. You either like them, or you don't. We don't have one. Our first van didn't either, our second did, with a grill, and we hardly used them, as neither performed satisfactorily. I would have preferred the cupboards it replaced. Motorhomes are small, and their kitchen blocks even smaller. Space is at a premium, and an under-used oven is a waste of space. Even a portable has to be stored when not in use, and that will again take some of that valuable space. Someone mentioned a Remoska (note the spelling). They are very good, but being only 400W, are very slow. If you are happy to wait for your meals, and have somewhere to stand it when in use, fine, but it will still take space to transport/store. They are also quite bulky. Ours is now confined to home use. Our preference is for a skillet (lidded, slightly deeper than a frying pan, and non-stick lined -Tefal make quite a range). It can be used for frying and sauteing, it will make omelettes, tortillas and fritatas, you can "revive" French bread in it, you can warm croissants, pains aux raisans, and pains au chocolat in it, you can braise in it, stew in it, use it fat free - when it is roughly equivalent to a grill for cooking meat/fish (we've done poussins as well), one can even crispen and lightly brown bread and, once fully warmed with the lid on, can add cheese to the bread for quite acceptable toasted cheese. That, a small frying/omelette pan, and a set of sauce pans, is our entire cooking kit. Nothing requires electricity, so there is no problem with EHU Amperages which, on some continental sites, can be as low as 3A. The only thing we can't do is roast joints, but we never did that even when we had the oven in that one van. It is, of course, a matter of personal preference, but we are perfectly happy, thus equipped, enjoying a widely varied diet, for 10-12 week continental tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zafira Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 Evenin' All! Many thanks to you all for your words of wisdom (especially re: identifying the correct filling points!) and I shall take heed of the advice to not splash the cash prior to using the 'van a few times to see what works for me. Thanks also for the reassurance re: the polarity issue. I do enjoy baking and I know that that would be one of the prime reasons for purchasing an oven - I shall have to think laterally and do my baking before travelling! The other only baked goods that I can think of done on a hob are Scotch pancakes et al, though of course I am more than open to suggestions on that front - maybe having a go at a sponge cake in a skillet?! Thanks for the reminder re:: high viz jacket - always got one in the car and I know that I would have forgotten to transfer it to the 'van when it arrives........... Ta very muchly again! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 For a safety-related ‘package deal’ this advert may be of interest http://tinyurl.com/guml9mv There are various sorts of fire extinguisher and although a 1kg dry-powder extinguisher can be bought for peanuts, if you’ve ever seen the mess that a dry-powder extinguisher makes (never mind when it’s employed in an enclosed space like a motohome’s interior) you might consider choosing an alternative type. If extinguisher size/weight is an issue, the type shown here has obvious advantages https://www.firetoolsales.co.uk/ For travelling in Continental Europe a list of ‘compulsory kit’ can be viewed via this webpage https://www.theaa.com/european-breakdown-cover/driving-in-europe/what-do-i-need Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I've been concerned about the use of a dry powder fire extinguisher in a confined space given they can restrict visibility and cause breathing difficulties. I've been looking at dry water mist ones which apparently can be used on motorhome fires, including electrical but excluding aluminium. All the advice I've read seems to point back to the manufucturer and I have not yet seen any easily identifiable independent advise. Our 6m van has two exit doors, one in the cab, one at the edge of the cab, then the cooker. Anyone between the cooker and the rear of the van has only a small window to use as an exit. I want to put a dry water mist extinguisher in the rear, my wife who as a trained Fire Safety Officer thinks its overkill! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 My Rapido came with a 1kg dry-powder fire extinguisher (I think a 2kg version is mandatory for new motorhomes marketed in France). This was sited in a position where it might be practicable to access fairly easily from outside with a cab-door open, but much less so if it needed to be reached from inside the motorhome. Having had (traumatic) experience of a dry-powder extinguisher’s effect I decided to fit a dry water mist extinguisher where it could be reached easily when required. As you’ve discovered marketing of such extinguishers in the UK is pretty limited and testing details relate back to the manufacturer/suppliers. Nevertheless, the technology is well established and there is a good deal of on-line information about it. The asking-price will be around £45 for a 1litre water mist appliance and it needs to be appreciated that this extinguisher is quite bulky and heavy. I mounted mine on the side of the motorhome’s bed-base (where the base has a handy ‘cut-away’ section) and beefed-up the furniture-board it is screwed to, adding a Velcro-closure ‘strap’ to make sure the extinguisher cannot come loose in a heavy frontal accident. As your wife is a trained Fire Safety Officer she should have seen the horrid mess a dry-powder extinguisher makes and be aware of the potential visibility/breathing problems. Suggest you ask her if that’s so and, if the answer is no, perhaps you should wonder about her training! (I also have one of the dinky little ‘aerosol-type’ extinguishers (won in an MMM competition) that I referred to in my posting above, but this lives in my home’s kitchen not in the Rapido.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Derek Could you give me details Name etc. of the one you recommend , as our extinguisher is due for replacement, and I like the idea of the one you mentioned, Thanks PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 If you are referring to the ‘dry water mist’ type I fitted, I think all of these sold in the UK will have been made by Jewel Saffire http://www.jewelsaffire.co.uk/ I’m pretty sure I bought mine from here http://tinyurl.com/j53yhrf (Currently £54.35 including delivery and VAT) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 The wife has already decreed that a dry powder would be most unsuitable for the rear of the habitation area but good enough for the front end where it's next to the exit door. We'll keep the dry powder one for now, the missus can buy a dry mist one for the rear if she wants - we have room but I do notice they weigh in at 3kg - or another fire blanket which is what she thinks might be more suitable, and replace the dry powder one when it comes up for renewal unless something even better comes on the market. I've been looking at the same supplier as Derek but there are others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 There are alternative suppliers to “Safelincs”, but the minimum price for buying a 1litre water-mist fire extinguisher on-line will be around £55 once variations in carriage charges are factored in, while some suppliers’ price is significantly higher. As I said earlier, all such extinguishers currently marketed in the UK appear to be exactly the same Jewel Saffire product, so there’s no difference in quality/sprecification. For general applications/minimum mess in a motorhome, the alternative would be the ‘aerosol’ type I mentioned earlier, with the “JE-50” model being the least expensive at £43 - £45. https://www.tesco.com/direct/firetool-portable-fire-extinguisher-device-je50/523-5755.prd?source=others There’s a comparative test against a dry-powder extinguisher here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Been in touch with safelincs. My interpretation of their advice is that it would depend on the ease of access through any available window at the rear. In my case, a water mist extinguisher at the rear would be a good idea because we probably won't be able to get through the window. If it cannot be fitted safely, a fire blanket would possibly be the best option. On the matter of fire blankets, I have noticed that they come with 'cloth warranties' from between 1 year [cheap ones] to at least 10 years. My wife opens up and refolds ours every year [recommended by the manufacturer]. I give the powder extinguisher a shake every year to reduce the risk of the powder 'crusting'. We're going to buy two new 1.2x 1.8 fire blankets for the van [safelincs said size is personal preference]. 1m sq is the minimum norm for kitchens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zafira Posted March 18, 2017 Author Share Posted March 18, 2017 Evening one and all Thank you for everyone's input to the "safety essentials" list; I pick up the Hobby in a week's time, thankfully taking along some experienced motorhoming friends to ensure that all that should be covered at handover is in fact covered. A couple of other queries:- 1) Tyre pressures - are there tables/guides published (e.g. by the tyre manufacturers) for motorhome tyre pressures? I'm presuming that the pressures which may feature in the Ducato handbook may have insufficient detail to compensate for a motorhome on the back cf. a panel van? 2) I've done a search on the posts here and found a lot on the use (or not!) of levellers; as the majority of my travels are going to be solo I can see myself falling into the "its good enuf" brigade (i.e. the vino tinto doesn't spill out of the glass) cf. many an hour spent trying my patience with levellers and a spirit level. I see that Milenco do an aluminium leveller rather than a block type (see: https://www.leisureshopdirect.com/chassis/caravan-and-motorhome-levelling-aids/milenco-aluminium-caravan-and-motorhome-leveller ). Your words of wisdom would once again be most welcome! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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