Gas safety in a campervan

Non-negotiables

A gas locker should be sealed from the habitation area, ventilated low to the outside, and strong enough to hold the bottle upright in a crash. Drop-out vents exist because LPG is heavier than air. Skipping them is not a clever weight save.

Use gas-rated hose and fittings. Keep joints accessible for leak tests. Fit a regulator suited to the bottle and appliance. Do not mix leftover plumbing parts into a gas circuit because they were in the box.

Install mindset

Dry-fit everything. Soap-solution or electronic leak-detect after pressurising. Never hunt for leaks with a flame. If you are not competent with gas work, pay someone who is. The cost is small next to a fire, and it is small next to an insurer refusing a claim.

Plan the locker so you can change a bottle without dismantling the kitchen. Cold fingers on a dark layby are a poor time to invent access.

Sign-off and insurance

Many insurers and future buyers expect a gas safety check from a competent person. Build that into the schedule and the budget. Keep certificates with the van paperwork. Photograph the locker, vents and labelling while it is open.

Alternatives

Induction and portable outdoors cooking remove gas from the cabin. They shift load onto electrics and payload instead. Pick consciously. A hybrid approach (outdoor canister for weekend trips, no fixed gas) is common and perfectly sensible.

If you smell gas, ventilate, shut the bottle, and do not sleep in the van until it is fixed and tested.

Figures in this guide are planning estimates. Confirm weights and prices against real products, and have gas and electrical habitation work signed off by a qualified person.