Cliffy Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-30552355 This is very tragic and a reminder to us all to take care at all times. My thoughts are with the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Fortunately extremely rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 There is very little information in the BBC report and nothing at all about what caused the fire and whether the fire incapacitated the victim or prevented escape from the motorhome. The fire occured in late evening. The police have said that the death was unexplained but not suspicious. There is nothing in the report to suggest that the cause of the fire was the motorhome itself. It therefore remains a possibility that this death was of a sort which occurs quite commonly when someone falls asleep while smoking, which causes the bedding to catch fire. If the individual is under the influence of something when this happens they don't wake up before the effects of the developing fire prevent them from doing so. This is just speculation of course and there could be other causes and mechanisms. But the point I am making is that incidents like this are not uncommon in homes and unless there is specific reason to tie it to the motorhome as the cause of the fire, it doesn;t make sense to jump to that conclusion. Nevertheless it is of a course a trajedy for the individual concerned and for any family he or she might have had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 When a habitation service is carried out is the gas system pressured up to 160 psi and checked for leaks or is the gas appliances just turned on and off just to see that they ignite ok? It's very important to check all gas pipes and joints, just because they are made of copper and brass doesn't mean they don't corrode because they eventually can do and screwed joints in particular can loosen. Not to long ago I decided to alter a flexible pipe work run and was surprised how loose one joint was, this was after a so called gas check had been carried out by a reputable manufacturer. I renewed the joint and have kept the old one as proof of where it was corroded. It looks like a stress fracture which if it had failed completely could have caused goodness knows what. It was on a fitted Gaslow system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duetto owner Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 how often do you have a habitation service? we had it done once but the van was left in such a mess never had it done again had the van since 2009 in regular use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 With respect, I wouldn't use that as a reason for not having a pressurised gas safety check carried out. A gas leak can be very unpredictable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan3956 Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 I am always sorry to hear of these tragedies People forget that gas hose has a safety life Calor quote 5 years from the date of manufacture The manufactured date is usually stamped on the hose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 rolandrat - 2014-12-22 3:07 PM With respect, I wouldn't use that as a reason for not having a pressurised gas safety check carried out. A gas leak can be very unpredictable. Also so simple to do and take just minutes. A mobile engineer did mine a couple of months ago when i had a new burner box fitted to the Carver heater. I could easily have re-fitted it myself but i don't have the equipment to pressure test. He did it as part of the job after checking all seals etc were ok and the burner operating correctly. Charged me 20 quid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Narrow boats have to have a boat safety certificate every four years, including a test on all gas appliances and a pressure test on the system. You can't get a licence without one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 rolandrat - 2014-12-22 2:41 PM When a habitation service is carried out is the gas system pressured up to 160 psi and checked for leaks RR, You had me seriously worried when you posted this and I've only just worked out what you actually meant. The gas system normally works at 30 mbar (or approx 0.5 psi) so when you said pressurise to 160 psi I thought WTF, that is OTT!!! You would never test at 320 times working pressure! You would blow every single joint apart at that pressure! I have now found a u-tube video on the Caravan Channel and they pressurise to 150 mbar (NOT psi), so I assume you meant 160 mbar as well. I thought others needed to be aware of this error in case they tried a DIY pressure test. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Bit of a cheap scate I know but I helped the chap who services our boiler to set up on his own when the company I worked for at the time had to lay him and many others off. When he carries out an annual survice on our boiler he also does a pressure test on our motorhome. I don't know what pressure he uses but the test involves pressurising the system and checking that the system holds that pressure over a set period of time. The equipment he uses carries out the test automatically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Billggski - 2014-12-22 4:54 PM Narrow boats have to have a boat safety certificate every four years, including a test on all gas appliances and a pressure test on the system. You can't get a licence without one.they don't carry out a pressure test as such, only a drop test, with a Manometer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Keithl - 2014-12-22 5:52 PM rolandrat - 2014-12-22 2:41 PM When a habitation service is carried out is the gas system pressured up to 160 psi and checked for leaks RR, You had me seriously worried when you posted this and I've only just worked out what you actually meant. The gas system normally works at 30 mbar (or approx 0.5 psi) so when you said pressurise to 160 psi I thought WTF, that is OTT!!! You would never test at 320 times working pressure! You would blow every single joint apart at that pressure! I have now found a u-tube video on the Caravan Channel and they pressurise to 150 mbar (NOT psi), so I assume you meant 160 mbar as well. I thought others needed to be aware of this error in case they tried a DIY pressure test. Keith. [/quote Thanks for that, yes you're right, just misinterpreted the terminology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 rolandrat - 2014-12-22 2:41 PM When a habitation service is carried out is the gas system pressured up to 160 psi and checked for leaks or is the gas appliances just turned on and off just to see that they ignite ok? It's very important to check all gas pipes and joints, just because they are made of copper and brass doesn't mean they don't corrode because they eventually can do and screwed joints in particular can loosen. Not to long ago I decided to alter a flexible pipe work run and was surprised how loose one joint was, this was after a so called gas check had been carried out by a reputable manufacturer. I renewed the joint and have kept the old one as proof of where it was corroded. It looks like a stress fracture which if it had failed completely could have caused goodness knows what. It was on a fitted Gaslow system. Totally agree with you, we had an issue with a joint which came lose in our MH in 2005 just 2 months after it had had a habitation check! http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/IMPORTANT-FIRE-RISK-WARNING/2254/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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