Gas Installations – Compliance in Caravans and RVs

Gas Certification

If your caravan or RV is to have ANY LP Gas appliances installed, you are required to have a Gas System Compliance Certificate issued by the holder of an LP Gas Licence. This certificate is also required in order to register the vehicle. The Australian Standard for LP Gas installation is AS5601 and the detail of this Standard must be complied with or other action taken to create equal or lesser risk. A current certificate must be issued each time a caravan is sold, even if the certificate issued with the previous sale is less than three months old. A new inspection must be carried out and new certification issued should at any time any repair or alteration be done to the original LP Gas installation. Only a licenced LP Gas Fitter may carry out any work on any part of a gas installation including the removal and replacement of appliances.

Gas Flue Terminals in Recreational Vehicles (RVs)

Proper ventilation must be considered when fitting an annex to any RV (motorhome, campervan, camper trailer, or caravan). Gas appliance flue terminals must terminate and discharge outdoors. A flue terminal cannot be terminated indoors (i.e. inside an annexe) — this is to prevent excessive build-up from the products of combustion, condensation, or other toxic conditions, such as carbon monoxide (CO) build-up. Examples of flued gas appliances:

• refrigerators (if of the 3 way type)
• hot water heaters
• room heaters

DIY Tip – Install gas appliance flues on the RHS (offside) of the van and away from windows. This way if an aftermarket annex is added later the gas system is not compromised. Flue terminals under a covered area If the area is covered, such as that under an awning or within an annex:

• • the area must be open on two sides and the flue terminal located to ensure a free flow of air across it is achieved
  • in the case of a fan assisted flue, the area can be open on one side, if the terminal is within 500mm of the opening and the direction of discharge is towards the open side.

If in doubt, consult an authorised gas-fitter before proceeding. Please note: the standard AS/NZS5601.2:2013 specifies the minimum safety requirements for fluing gas appliances installed within recreational vehicles. It is an offence for a person to cause an existing gas system to not comply with the standard. Disclaimer: This article was provided to help customers with compliance and was correct as at time or writing – Sept 2016. Customers MUST make themselves aware of the relevant Regulations and Standards as at their build date and ensure they comply with them.