SecuMotion not safe enough?

[timndelia]

Re fitting SecuMotion safety hoses to Gaslow.

 

I have been told by CaravanParts.co.uk that the CCG 2018 Propane Pigtail German hoses will fit the Gaslow system and shut off at the bottle end should a rupture in the supply to the 'van occur.

 

I would think this adds enough security in case of accident etc to enable gas appliances that are said to be able to operate while travelling (some Truma systems for example) to run safely.

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

timndelia - 2009-12-24 8:04 AM

 

...I would think this adds enough security in case of accident etc to enable gas appliances that are said to be able to operate while travelling (some Truma systems for example) to run safely.

 

Adding a SecuMotion hose to a Gaslow regulator may well be considered to provide adequate 'safety' while operating a gas-heater during travel (It's what I was suggesting in my posting of December 19), but it won't 'legalise' the Gaslow system as far as EU regulations are concerned.

 

For 'legalisation', you need an approved heater and an approved regulator and, to the best of my knowledge, the latter will be either the Truma/GOK SecuMotion regulator or a "Favex" regulator that is designed to do a similar job (and is used by the French motorhome manufacturer Pilote).

 

Truma's documention seems to suggests that a hose with cut-off valve is obligatory to comply with the appropriate EU rules, but I think it's the specialised regulator that's actually mandatory. Common sense, of course, would be to have both irrespective of any regulatory fine print.

[rupert123]

Derek would appear to be correct in his last post. I have no expertise in this and am simply going by what the makers, in this case Truma, tell me, so as they say I can leave gas on I do. However as there seems to be a lot of interest in this I have dug my Secumotion book out and read it. It states the Truma Secumotion gas pressure regulator ensures uniform gas pressure, 30mbar, with a permissable inlet pressure range of 0.3-16bar. It monitors the consumption of liquid gas. If the specified consumption is exceeded or pressure at regulator outlet falls below 27 mbar the gas flow monitor will shut off. A high pressure hose with a hose break device is ESSENTIAL for connecting the Secumotion gas regulator to the gas cylinder. Truma offer hoses with common fittings for most gas cylinders. The Secumotion regulator may be fitted with regulator heating part no. 53101-01. This system which complies with EU directive 2001/56/EC may be used while driving if the system includes a regulater with an appropiately configured gas installation.

 

It is obvious from all this that just fitting the Secumotion is not enough and it must be connected by a hose with the hose break device.

 

As an aside I seem to remember that when I had the Gaslow system fitted they replaced all the hoses except two which are the hose break ones fitted as standard by Swift.

[Derek Uzzell]

It looks like I was wrong in thinking that it was only a specialised regulator that was needed to comply with the latest EU regulations. There also needs to be a means of cutting of the flow of LPG at source, which (in the case of the SecuMotion system) means a hose with an integrated shut-off valve. See:

 

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2004:231:0069:0074:EN:PDF

[rupert123]

My last post should have read 'Derek is only partly correct' but note he has now stated this himself.

[Brian Kirby]

Interesting that they don't appear to have required a shut off of the type used on fridges, to prevent ignition while at filling stations - unless the heater takes a liquid feed from a permanently installed reservoir (definition required?).  Have I somehow missed that bit?

[rupert123]

Brian Kirby - 2009-12-26 1:08 PM

 

Interesting that they don't appear to have required a shut off of the type used on fridges, to prevent ignition while at filling stations - unless the heater takes a liquid feed from a permanently installed reservoir (definition required?).  Have I somehow missed that bit?

 

Brian it is differant, a fridge is not on when you go into a filling station so when it switches from 12v to gas their is a built in delay, on my van 20 minutes. I do not believe their is a shut off valve just this delay. If you have gas heating on there is no way to automatically shut it of when you stop so must assume a certain amount of common sense is used here.

[Derek Uzzell]

Most EU countries have had no general regulations prohibiting use of gas-fuelled appliances in a moving vehicle. The notable exception has been France.

 

Most leisure-vehicle fridges are technically capable of being run on gas during travel should it be so desired. The exception is 'smart' fridges that automatically select 12V-power when the vehicle's motor is started and have no manual override (eg. early Dometic AES appliances).

 

As far as I'm aware, there are no regulations insisting that 'smart' fridges should delay switching to gas when the leisure-vehicle's motor is stopped and original AES fridges omitted this feature. As immediate auto-switching to gas presents a safety risk when a vehicle is being refuelled, the delay feature was introduced to combat this potential danger and avoid intervention by the vehicle's driver. But the delay feature doesn't eliminate all risks, it just reduces them and, as I've suggested before, it's a fair bet that some motorhomes with AES fridges relight their gas-burners during ferry crossings. This is all largely academic, as few leisure-vehicle owners will wish to run their fridges on gas while travelling, even though they can and, in most EU countries, may. So, even in France (where running a fridge on gas en route has been, and continues to be, banned), there will be no interest in lobbying to have the French 'no gas' regulations altered or overridden as far as fridges are concerned.

 

Gas-fuelled heaters are another matter. Many blown-air heating appliances have, since the mid-1990s been designed to be able to run satisfactorily in a moving vehicle. It's a convenient and effective way of heating a motorhome while travelling and the practice has become commonplace amongst motorcaravanners (particularly German ones).

 

With the German company Truma a major player in the leisure-vehicle heater market, and lots of motorcaravanners already running their heaters while travelling, the irritating French prohibition was an obstacle that many people would benefit from if it could be removed. French motorhome manufacturers would no longer feel obliged to extend the vehicle's cab-heating system into the motorhome's living area; Truma could become even more dominant; motorcaravanners travelling in France could legally exploit their gas-fuelled heaters. All that was needed were some proposals to 'safen up' existing gas system design and an EU harmonisation agreement to override any existing national prohibitions like the French ban. Hence SecuMotion...

 

If you are going to run a gas heater while travelling, a motorhome fitted with a SecuMotion system must be considered safer than one without. If you choose not to isolate your motorhome's gas reservoir before driving your vehicle, even if you are not going to run a gas heater while travelling, a motorhome fitted with a SecuMotion system must be considered safer than one without.

 

But, if you are really concerned about the dangers presented by carrying gas in a moving vehicle, then you need to address the risk at source, which means not carrying gas in the first place. A 'gas-free' motorhome is a practical proposition nowadays and, even though it would inconvenience many motorcaravanners, it's the logical way forward if driving safety is to be considered of paramount importance.