Niche Camper Van gas locker question

I converted my van ages ago and although I fitted a full kitchen that works on gas I never take a gas bottle with me as we always cook outside or in the awning. I would like to complete the work so need to fit a gas locker with dropout etc. My issue is that the bed clearance is only 320mm and all of the boxes I have seen are around 340.  320 is the lip height I could pinch another 10+mm if I unbolted it temporarily then rebolted when fitted but that still doesnt seem enough. Got me thinking. Has anyone constructed their own from ply or fitted a plastic one?

Under the bed is the only realistic location as the kitchen has drawers and a fridge and the side units are slim as we went for a wider bed.

Could you add an underslung LPG tank ?

I used an IP rated metal electrical enclosure, once bolted to the van I hole sawed through the box and floor of the van to fit the drop vent, it was years ago so don’t have a link or anything but might be worth a search as I seem to remember the enclosure I found was the perfect height for the gas bottle and might just fit under your bed

Random search to get you started, something like this…

https://m.vevor.com.au/electrical-enclosure-c_10749/vevor-carbon-steel-electrical-enclosure-box-300-x-200-x-150-mm-wall-mount-ip65-p_010554930447

Sorry, can’t seem to add a link to a post anymore 😂

@elshalimo thanks. For something used so infrequently I don’t want to go to that trouble. I have thought about fabricating something and using a 904 size bottle which would probably last us ages.

@mrjmt yes lots available but using a 907 bottle means that all of them are 10-20mm too high. Thanks for that link I will get my tape measure out.

Got an underslung tank fitted on my T5 somewhere near Chester for around £500….

On our new van we got told by a gas fitter to go for a diesel cooker.

Just one fuel sources on board. Tapped the main tank already for the Webasto so only needed to fit a T piece for the cooker.

No more looking for LPG station/somewhere that will exchange a bottle (bigger problem that expected in different countries).

No open flames in the van.

Cooker also works as a heater.

Not having the problem of 50 mbar in Germany, 80mbar in Sweden or 30mbar in Greece.

No more gas Tests and having to change regulator (test every 2 years in Germany, replace regulator after 5, tank after 10).

I made a metal one that was ultimately signed off by an gas engineer:

Any gas compartment needs to be ventilated to the outside of the vehicle

This is from the 2002 edition of BSEN1949 (there was an update in 2011):

[…]

2. Cylinder Compartment

2.1         Requirements for the construction of the compartment

With the exception of 2.3 below, cylinder compartments shall be sealed from the inside living accommodation part of the vehicle and shall be accessible from the outside of the vehicle only.

LPG cylinder must be positioned away from heat sources (exhaust system) as described in 2.4 below.

The compartment must be designed so that cylinders can be secured rigidly (to prevent cylinder movement when the vehicle is in motion) and in the upright position with the valve uppermost (to ensure only gas [vapour] can be drawn from the cylinder and not liquid LPG). There must be means of securing cylinder/s at both high and low level.

Access to any connections, changeover valves and pressure regulators must not be obstructed.

Replacement of cylinders must be possible without disturbing any installations or ancillary equipment.

Devices to secure cylinders in position must be able to be opened and closed without the use of tools.

No appliances, components or fittings shall be installed in the cylinder compartment that can cause damage the LPG installation or ignite escaping gas. (E.g. batteries or uninsulated electrical components etc.)

[2.2…..]

2.3         Cylinder compartments accessible from inside the vehicle

For motor caravans where penetration of a type approved base vehicles bodywork would be required to provide external access, internal access to the cylinder compartment would be permitted providing the following conditions are meet:

The compartment can contain a maximum of two cylinders each having a capacity of not more than 16kg.

Access to the cylinder compartment from the inside living accommodation part of the vehicle is only provided via an attached sealed door or hatch. The bottom of such a door or hatch must be a minimum of 50mm above the floor level of the cylinder compartment.

If the cylinder compartment accessible only from inside of the vehicle cannot be ventilated similarly to that referred to in 2.2 above, the following alternative arrangements must be made:

Ventilation may be provided by a single duct providing the following measures are taken:

Only one cylinder may be installed with a maximum of 7 kg.

The duct shall have a minimum diameter of 20 mm.

The maximum length of the duct shall not exceed 5 times the internal diameter of the duct, but may be extended to 10 times the internal duct diameter to avoid interference with under-floor flue outlets.

The duct shall be at low level in the floor and resistant to LPG.

The duct shall fall throughout its entire length to the outside of the vehicle.

I’m sure that there was a requirement that the locker was made of ‘fire resistant’ material, but can’t substantiate this at the moment – certain types of GRP were OK, as was ply lined with (thin) metal.

Getting accurate information about the requirements is difficult!

It cost me ~£100 to get the metal parts cut/bent to my design and I assembled it myself.

Raise the bed by 20mm?

@pocpoc it is M1 rated raising by 20mm would be a big job.

I made a plywood box, with sealant on all joints and a nice big drop vent through the van floor. It’s a top loader and the lid has a foam rubber seal and ‘clamp down’ catches on the lid. It’s obviously not fire rated like the metal ones, but I’m happy with it.

https://www.t6forum.com/threads/gas-safety-locker-vents-and-connection.21693/#post-554270

Oh yes, forgot to say I mounted a strap inside the box to restrain the bottle

Don’t forget that calor are stopping sales of the smaller butane tanks, campingaz is a (albeit expensive) option but you might want to consider sizing for the larger 6kg  propane tanks if possible.

Our old Talbot Autosleeper Harmony has the locker at the base of the MDF wardrobe/cupboard… not sure if its compliant with current regs but has a floor vent and holds two of the now defunct 4.5kg bottles with a strap.

We deliberately went for a wider bed which meant compromising the width of the side cupboard, making it quite slim at the back of the van. Lots of usable space there but only about 8″ wide. It was the right decision. I am 6.1 and Mrs Surfer is 5.9 so the smaller bed would have been a nuisance. What we have works fine. Its all about compromises in small vans hence now finding space for this, and one of the reasons we will be buying a caravan at some point :-)

Calor are all too big I think. So Campingaz is our best option. I know it can be a pain finding them etc but our use would be so small we can live with that. I think I will fabricate a wooden unit that fits regs with associated drop outs etc based around the 904 bottle.

Thanks for all your comments!

The diesel cooker/heater looks like a great option.