Wood and worktops

[Herbenny]

One of the few jobs I need sorting on the van is this space. There used to be a seat there which we removed and we are left with a small gas locker.
As we want to carry a bigger gas bottle we intend to make a cupboard with a work top with easy access from the outside to the bottles. It will be fully lined and checked to make sure all is safe !

I have found company called Moorlands who can do the wood to match. Not sure on work top yet.

I want to maximise storage so any suggestions would be great

 

[trevskoda]

I dont like doors on the outside of van so gas & toilet cassette etc are on the inside, less for little hands to pri open.

 

[mark61]

I dont like doors on the outside of van so gas & toilet cassette etc are on the inside, less for little hands to pri open.

I think the idea is to access the cupboard from the outside when the side sliding door is open. No outside door.
Thats my understanding anyway.

 

[caledonia]

I think the idea is to access the cupboard from the outside when the side sliding door is open. No outside door.
Thats my understanding anyway.

I think they are referred to as whoosh bang doors mark. Can’t think why

 

[n brown]

in all the vans i've fitted out ,i've never used metal in a gas bottle cupboard ,seems an unecessary expense

 

[Pudsey Bear]

It does not require a metal lining, if it goes bang, it won't stop it anyway, but it does need to be sealed at all the joints so it doesn't leak into the hab area, and some of the soft brown weather stripping around where the door closes, which needs to close over the opening and not into it, you also need a dropout vent below the cylinder and any joints.

 

[Boris7]

One of the few jobs I need sorting on the van is this space. There used to be a seat there which we removed and we are left with a small gas locker.
As we want to carry a bigger gas bottle we intend to make a cupboard with a work top with easy access from the outside to the bottles. It will be fully lined and checked to make sure all is safe !

I have found company called Moorlands who can do the wood to match. Not sure on work top yet.

I want to maximise storage so any suggestions would be great

Bit confused, your images show a downward arrow suggesting you want the reduce the gas locker space, but you’re saying you want a bigger gas bottle? That said if you want to raise the cupboard, add a worktop and match the existing finish that’s easy enough.

As for the gas bottle, not my area of expertise but logic tells me my gas locker has a mesh floor, that makes me thing the gas is heavier than air, which makes me think your if your existing gas bottle is in that cupboard there must be a mesh floor below and if that’s so you’ll be ok.

Again not my area of experience but I’m thinking Trev will pop along and confirm either way.

 

[trevskoda]

Stainless steel would be my idea of a worktop, easy to wipe clean.

 

[n brown]

gas bottle cupboards have 3 sides and a front that is a frame for the door ,[ if you have one ] . this MUST have a 50mm upstand at the bottom . this ,with the other 3 sides , forms a well that will contain any escaped gas . the floor of the cupboard must have a hole drilled in it of at least 40mm to allow any leaked gas to drop out . i would recommend some way of holding the bottle so it doesn't become part of your head ,in the event of an accident
none of this is a legal requirement , just self preservation

 

[trevskoda]

Thats what mine is like but with a second level hole shelf about 6 ins up which the bottle drops down into with cutouts in it for gas to drop to bottom floor with a gas drop out, a second strap also to secure, this is i a cupboard with a inside door, of and on taps and regulator are all in there too.

 

[Herbenny]

I think the idea is to access the cupboard from the outside when the side sliding door is open. No outside door.
Thats my understanding anyway.

Spot on mark

Bit confused, your images show a downward arrow suggesting you want the reduce the gas locker space, but you’re saying you want a bigger gas bottle? That said if you want to raise the cupboard, add a worktop and match the existing finish that’s easy enough.

As for the gas bottle, not my area of expertise but logic tells me my gas locker has a mesh floor, that makes me thing the gas is heavier than air, which makes me think your if your existing gas bottle is in that cupboard there must be a mesh floor below and if that’s so you’ll be ok.

Again not my area of experience but I’m thinking Trev will pop along and confirm either way.

Ignore my illustration I still draw matchstick men
But yes there is a vent already there. The cupboard will be the same height as the one already there near sink. There won’t be much to move pipes etc it’s just making a bigger cupboard as nbrown suggest securing the gas bottle …
I wouldn’t mind a drawer and a shelf, I do love a shelf ….
That being said I think I’m going to leave it to a professional

 

[Pudsey Bear]

I didn't take many pictures of the gas locker, I hope this helps in some way.

All corner joints were stixalled and screwed, the sides were very well screwed down and stixalled to te floor, not the top as LPG is heavier than air and why as Nigel says there needs to be a minimum 50mm upstand on the side which has the door, and a dropout vent, I went bigger to 50mm.

My cylinder was a refillable, which complicated things a little.

And I used this to seal the door

Diall Brown Self-adhesive Draught seal (L)6m (W)9mm (T)5.5mm

Reduces draughts entering the home to improve comfort and help save energy.

www.diy.com

 

[Herbenny]

That looks really good and it’s really helpful
if there wasn’t gas pipes involved I would be tempted to try ourselves but your picture has definite given me some ideas. I wouldn’t of known about the door seal so that’s useful to know.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

funny thing is, I'd never done anything remotely like it before, didn't even have any tools apart from mechanics stuff, but I enjoyed it so much despite sleepless nights trying to figure stuff out to do the next day, I worked 10-4 every day, and it took me about 9 months, slow worker, but it had to be right as I'd never get permish to do it again.

I just started with where will the batteries live and went from there clockwise around the van solving problems on the fly.

More pictures of the whole build here.

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

 

[Herbenny]

Pretty impressive considering you didn’t have experience … looks very professional

 

[trevskoda]

I just started with where will the batteries live and went from there clockwise around the van solving problems on the fly.

Flys, do change your undies more.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Flys, do change your undies more.

I'm glad that you're on here Trev, you make me seem so much more sensible :

 

[merl]

Seriously consider insulating the interior, after all the inside is open to atmosphere because of the vent and will be cold so you'll potentially have just 12mm of ply separating interior and exterior. (Our current van had the bed directly over the gas locker, the mattress had a black mold mark directly over the locker and nowhere else). I lined ours with 20MM XPS insulation, including the door and underside of the top. New mattress and no black marks now.

 

[n brown]

i make things like this when i'm bored

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Pretty impressive considering you didn’t have experience … looks very professional

that was the idea, I did have help from the SBMCC forum mainly on gas and electric, the rest is knowing where to source special ply and molded plastics and then just putting it where you need it, there were only too goofs really, Heki not square to the actual body so it's on the piss as you look up at it next to the top lockers, I aligned it with the roof trusses, shame Citroen didn't fit them truly square, and I ran out of ply for the side next to the kitchen worktop and the support for the top lockers and had to joint it.