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Hoary old chestnut (Gastank related)


Albertslad

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I have a pvc, bespoke. Had it for 10 years and still love it.

Looking forward to going toGreece in Augustor September, following the Stotherts.

Trouble is I’m. It as supple as I used to be so looking to relocate the shutoff valve for the gas tank near the side of the van rather than on the van centreline. I want to avoid having to crawl underneath at ferries or Channel Tunnel.

Two or three years ago this was discussed and a kind soul offered to help me by machining a replacement “knob”

If you are still out there please get in touch.

Regards

Alan b

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Alan

 

I believe you have participated on these forums as “snowie” (August 2007 to January 2019) and also as “Snowie2 (June 2016 until now) - though I can’t recall why this happened.

 

Anyway, the two forum threads in which you discussed remotely shutting off your motorhome’s LPG tank were these in August 2017 and January 2017 respectively.

 

https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Underfloor-LPG-shutoff/47760/

 

https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Remote-gas-shutoff-anyone-/46078/

 

The August thread shows photos of a modification made by Clive Mott-Gotobed to make the tank’s rotary shut-off valve accessible from outside the tank’s external shield that protects the valve. This won’t bring the shut-off valve closer to the motorhome’s side, though it should make closing the valve simpler.

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Thanks Derek, that’s me.

I’ve had a “sabbatical” and have a few things to sort out on the van if I’m going to get us to Greece later in the year. Top of the list is this gas tank modification.

Thanks again, hope I can find a gas tech with a lathe!

Regards

Alan b

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Clive Mott-Gotobed’s DIY modification is crude. It means that the LPG-tank’s outlet-valve can be turned on or off without having to remove the tank’s protective cover but, if it is originally necessary to crawl under the motorhome to access the valve that won’t change. Crawling underneath will still be needed, it will just be simpler to rotate the outlet-valve as the cover won’t need to be removed first.

 

The arrangement shown in the photos on the 2017 forum thread is neater. I don’t know if it was a DIY modification to the ouput-valve or commercially available at the time (The poster ‘dipsticks’ may be able to say). It does offer the potential to rotate the valve from a distance with a suitable tool, though whether that would be possible in practice would depend on the motorhome and where/how the tank is installed on it.

 

If you believe that you MUST be able to turn off the LPG tank remotely, rather than considering a ‘mechanical’ method, choosing the solenoid valve advertised here would be more logical.

 

https://www.gasit.co.uk/lpg-tank-remote-operated-solonoid-valve.html

 

You’d need to talk to GAS IT about whether the valve could be fitted to your LPG tank. Other parts would also be needed to complement the solenoid valve and there would be labour charges too. But this would overcome potential problems inherent in any mechanical approach.

 

(Presumably you normally drive with the LPG tank turned on, but can turn off inside your motorhome the gas supply to appliances? If so, how many ferry companies insist that you turn off the tank’s outlet-valve as well as the motorhome’s internal gas taps?)

 

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Hi Derek,

As far as I know, the Tunnel is a definite, and my interpretation of the requirements of those ferries we’ve used to cross the channel or North Sea is that they also stipulate this.

There was considerable discussion at the time, views differed. I continue to prefer to take the view that I do.

I have only been asked once, at Harwich I think, after I had crawled underneath.

I could rely on turning off at a low pressure manifold inside the van, underneath the hob, but prefer to take what I consider to be the safer option.

I’ve sent a pm to dipstick, but so far no reply, he may no longer be on the forum,

Regards

Alanb

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Snowie2 - 2020-02-23 12:56 PM

 

Hi Derek,

As far as I know, the Tunnel is a definite...

 

There were regular enquiries about that on the Auto-Sleepers Owners Forum, though nobody seemed capable of doing the obvious and interrogate EuroTunnel regarding their regulations.

 

As mentioned in a 2018 O&AL discussion (link below) I contacted EuroTunnel myself and asked what ’turning off’ action would be acceptable if a motorhome had an underslung LPG tank.

 

https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Fixed-gas-tank-or-two-refillables-/48595/

 

I quote from my 31 January 2018 6:37 PM posting in that discussion (in which you partticipated) :

 

A week or so ago - out of idle curiosity - I emailed Eurotunnel and asked what their policy was. Did a fixed LPG tank’s outlet-valve always need to be turned off prior to travelling on Le Shuttle? Or was it sufficient to turn off a motorhome’s internal gas isolation-taps as was suggested in some motorhome handbooks ( eg. Auto-Sleepers’s)?

 

I received an email back from Eurotunnel’s Sales Support Team asking for an example of the handbooks I’d mentioned so that their "ground staff” could adjudicate and I sent them a file containing a recent Auto-Sleepers handbook.

 

Four days later I received an email from the Sales Support Team confirming that turning off the gas isolation taps inside the motorhome would be sufficient. It was also suggested that - if I was going to travel on Le Shuttle in a motorhome with a fixed LPG tank - I should take a copy of the Sales Support Team’s email to show to the ground staff if necessary.

 

I’m sure EuroTunnel staff would not dissuade you from crawling underneath your motorhom to turn off your LPG tank’s outlet-valve, but it would appear that they don’t demand this be done.

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