GAS BOTTLES IN ENGINE BAY?????????????????

[snaresbrook]

Hi
Is it the norm for the gas bottle to be on the nearside of the engine bay as my girlfriends dormobile is.

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Thanks

 

[Fortunate Son]

Yep - early dormobiles had a plywood base fixed down to the LHS platform tray to strap camping gaz bottles to using webbing type straps with buckles. (This plywood tray is what encouraged corrosion to lower rear corner / platfrom tray - I've just spent the last 3 months grafting in new rear corner!).

I think later Dormobiles (X-overs onwards) had gas in cupboard behing drivers seat and some people reckon on this being safer (provided that the cupboard has a hole in floor to let any escaped gas to exit van). Personally mine is still as the good folk at Dormobile intended, though I have replaced regulator and rubber lines and had system pressure checked by corgi engineer.

FS 8)

 

[Silver Camper]

I've seen several other Dormobiles running with gas bottles in the engine bay - I think they were designed to hold a gas bottle and a spare in there, secured in a wooden cut out bit (I met someone who actually still uses the original wooden frame!) Theres a photo of a Dormobile original brochure somewhere...is it on here?.. that shows the two bottles being stored there.

Having said that, I still haven't run mine wth the gas bottle there, but with the added assurance that 'Oilybay' off KC, who is a fireman with lots of experience with VW Camper fires ..apparently..stores his there, making sure that my fuel lines are checked every year and hopefully fitting my fire suppression kit..courtesy of Araron on here, I'm going to have a go this year.

 

[Guest]

those gas bottles are designed to withstand tremendous heat and pressure externally, it would take alot of heat from a big fire before one would go off. I dont think an engine fire would be enough.

 

[Araon]

I stumbled upon a website where the guy had cut a door through the rear corner and partitioned that portion of the engine bay off... was extremely well done and looked the bollox with a vw handle as well, if i can find it i'll post a link, but i suspect it is one of those that get lost never to be found again....

That said there shouldnt be a problem if your fuel lines are in good order the engine bay is free of crap and the added bonus of an automatic fire extinguisher :wink:

 

[easy]

I stumbled upon a website where the guy had cut a door through the rear corner and partitioned that portion of the engine bay off... was extremely well done and looked the bollox with a vw handle as well, if i can find it i'll post a link, but i suspect it is one of those that get lost never to be found again....

That said there shouldnt be a problem if your fuel lines are in good order the engine bay is free of crap and the added bonus of an automatic fire extinguisher :wink:

would love to see that 8)

 

[dp]

those gas bottles are designed to withstand tremendous heat and pressure externally, it would take alot of heat from a big fire before one would go off. I dont think an engine fire would be enough.

I agree - probably safer than the petrol tank in a 68 (or splitscreen) where there's no firewall.

 

[Araon]

would love to see that 8)

I'll have a look later tonite, I cant remember what I was looking for and there was this guy with easy access to his gas bottle looked well cool, if I remember right he'd punched louvres into it to.....I knew I should have bookmarked it... :roll: