# fitting a cooker



## happy campers (Jul 20, 2010)

hi...just thinking out loud here...is it possible to fit a "normal" electric or gas cooker into a motorhome? ie one that goes in a kitchen in a house, or is the wattage too different? thanks guys 

oh yes....and are they easy enough to fit?


----------



## vwalan (Jul 20, 2010)

hi, you may (will )have problems making a house electric cooker function in your van .but you can use a lpg domestic cooker. i do ,full size big oven .they can be much cheaper to buy than a camping one. i decided way before i built the truck i needed a full cooker and a full size sink drainer .i used a sit on sink drainer so washing clothes etc are much easier. it helps if you start with a big van or truck. or a nice box on a chassis cab. to run a domestic cooker on leccy would i think mean a very loud geny beating away. cheers alan.


----------



## Firefox (Jul 20, 2010)

Even if you are on a 240v hook up, many sites limit the current 10-15 Amps so you'd be struggling to run a full domestic cooker in many places.

You're best limiting any appliances you use to about 2000 W ie 10 A or less. In some foreign locations it's even less than that


----------



## Deleted member 207 (Jul 20, 2010)

I'd seriously doubt that a 240V 4 ring, oven and grill could be hooked up in a van safely without some serious work on the electrics and circuit breakers - and as Firefox wrote the onsite power may end up causing dramas if the fuses flick out at 15Amps. Powering with a genny might be possible but it would need to be well above the 10 to 15Amp smaller units you can easily carry - a trailer mounted genny would do the job!! Plenty of newer vans have low wattage microwaves or even those toaster ovens but usually only draw around the 10Amps.

On the gas front - you just need to be sure that the stove has all the "flame out" safety bits installed - I've seen a few camping cookers installed in vans and even with the sticker "Do not use in enclosed spaces" people still use them. Big 4 burner, oven and grill combos can consume large amounts of oxygen and you'd need to consider both upper and lower vents to ensure adequate air supply and venting of fumes. 

I was at an Ag Show on the weekend and saw one of these in action Ozpig


----------



## vwalan (Jul 20, 2010)

travellers have been making similer from gas bottles for years . many have them in their trucks put the chimney through another gas bottle you can heat water constantly with the fire on. fill the bottle at the top have a tap at the bottom .works a treat ,but not exactly stealth . stinking smoke every where.just a new name for wood burner.


----------



## happy campers (Jul 21, 2010)

ok guys thanks....will forget that one then lol! unless we can find an lpg one.

i just thought i'd seen full size ones in some of the conversions in here, but maybe they just _looked_ like them!


----------



## vwalan (Jul 21, 2010)

full size lpg are easy to get some times you can just change the jets on a natural gas /town gas cooker. mine was made in italy so i think they use alot of lpg there. i find mine great .except its grill is in the oven .wish now it was seperate. but big oven good for xmas dinner and mince pies etc.


----------



## al n sal (Jul 21, 2010)

Hi whilst doing the latest conversion we thought about using domestic lpg cookers, but what put me off was thinking about the racks ontop that sit around the rings... now i hate the rattling noises that you always get on campervans, and unless you stored these away somewhere, which would mean even more storage needed, then they would drive me insane. also what if I had to brake hard, didn't fancy one of those bouncing off my bonce. at 50mph..

so I visited magnum motrhomes in grimsby and bought all seprates, all had slight dings or scrapes on them so got them cheaper. Ken the owner and his family are easy to talk to and a wealth of build knowledge. happy to advice and no I'm not on commision just always found hem very helpful.

al


----------



## vwalan (Jul 21, 2010)

i dont hear a rattle from anything in mine .have had few drawers open etc if i forget to batten down .ha ha. 
actually the cooker stays together very well .i do go off roading with it all. think some bought conversions would be a bit busted if they followed us where we get to. nice dainty catches dont work in my van . foget those magnet ones. big hook n eyes for me .cak do some good strong catches for the roof cupboards though.


----------

