colin Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 On a previous thread it was discused that with a heater with (I asume) floor exhaust for boiler no holes for vents should be in floor. This then (I believe) went on to the fact that german built vans did not have gas drop outs. Whilst 'exploring' the nooks and crannies of our van I found the gas drop outs for the living area, as the exhaust for boiler is side mounted this should be ok and I will not be worrying as to whether to buy a gas alarm, but it does show that some german built vans do have gas drop outs. I did wonder if it might be to meet british standards, but as the gas locker(which also has dropouts) is not steel lined I think not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Mine has drop outs in the cylinder locker but not under the cooker etc. My thoughts are that I use gas in my home and I don't have any drop outs! If the installation is tested and leak proof then I don't see the purpose of them. It also stops the mice getting in during winter, my daughter's caravan was invaded over the winter and they chewed up and made a nest out of the sleeping bags. They got in via the drop outs, these have now been covered with mouse proof perforated steel! H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 The reason you have to have low level ventilation is because LPG is heavier than air (unlike NAT gas) therefore any leak will accumulate at ground level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Low level ventilation is different from gas drop outs. It's needed to get air circulation so carbon monoxide does not build up or oxygen starvation needed for combustion. We have to have it on our boat for that reason. You can't have gas drop outs on a boat as it would sink. :D So the gas cylinder must be housed in a lidded container with gas drop out to the outside of the boat at low level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 My 2005 Hobby's living area has no gas 'drop-outs'. Neither has its living area any obvious 'low-level ventilation'. Hobby failed (abysmally) to seal the toilet-cassette locker from the bathroom, but that hardly counts as 'ventilation' unless one happens to enjoy breathing the downwind odours of a sewage works. I think living-area gas drop-outs - as normally fitted to UK-built motorhomes - are a joke. I might be convinced if the holes in the floor were yawning caverns, but I don't believe that LPG vapour leaking from, say, an oven will cooperate and naturally gravitate down a 50mm diameter hole positioned somewhere near a gas appliance. Recirculatory gas heaters are basically incompatible with the gas drop-out concept. I guess it might be possible to encapsulate the heater to prevent it taking in outside air va the drop-out, but I've never seen any motorhome manufacturer attempt this. There's information on related BS standards on: http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/internalops/fod/oc/400-499/440_34.pdf My experience is that many motorhomes don't need to have extra low-level ventilation specifically installed as the manufacturer manages to let plenty of air in by not properly sealing fridges, lockers or entrance doors. The 'need' for such ventilation harks back to when naked-flame heaters were being fitted to leisure vehicles and I would question whether it's realistic nowadays - with modern motorhomes/caravans - to anticipate the type of carbon monoxide build-up that was a genuine danger historically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 We have some habitation drop outs and they are a bl**dy nuisance! They are in the corners of the moulded habitation door step and are very draughty and noisy on the move as they allow the cold aire and road noise in, so I stick cushions over them. At night I do the same otherwise the poor dogs would freeze as they sleep opposite the door. *-) Soooooo .... am I safe to do this or not? 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Ther'e not ventilation vents Mel. They are where some clumsy oaf climbed aboard with Totectors on and kicked holes in the panels. (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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