Cadac Safari Chef gas pipe

[Banus]

We have a Cadac Safari Chef 30 that we plug into the external BBQ point on our Swift 480 Challenger which is located at the front corner of the van. I am wondering if it would be possible to increase the length of the gas pipe by say 1m to bring the BBQ more into the centre of the van to give me a little more protection from the weather. However I’m wondering if increasing the length of the gas pipe by a mere 1m will affect its performance. Your thoughts please.

 

[woodsieboy]

Our Cadac hose is approx 4 metres long, not noticed any problems

 

[Gagakev]

Same as Woodsieboy mines also 4.0m long, still cooks the bangers etc.

 

[ProfJohnL]

A 1 meter longer hose is unlikely to cause any significant problem. But your reference to "bringing it closer to the centre of the caravan" I assume you mean further into the awning is a slight concern. The use of BBQ even a charcoal one inside a closed awning is seriously dangerous, as they give off quite a lot of Carbon Monoxide ( the silent killer). They should only be used out side or where there is extensive ventilation.

 

[JTQ]

The use of BBQ even a charcoal one inside a closed awning is seriously dangerous, as they give off quite a lot of Carbon Monoxide ( the silent killer). They should only be used out side or where there is extensive ventilation.

Sorry, but I don't I agree with the wording, "even a charcoal one".
IMO the use of a charcoal BBQ in an awning is the more dangerous of the two, from carbon monoxide levels.

For years the frame tents we used featured kitchen areas, here they were designed for gas hobs. From a monoxide issue it is provision of adequate to over provided ventilation that seems to be the critical requirement.
All said, on every count it has to be safer outside with gas, and charcoal BBQs should never be inside.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Sorry, but I don't I agree with the wording, "even a charcoal one".
IMO the use of a charcoal BBQ in an awning is the more dangerous of the two, from carbon monoxide levels.

For years the frame tents we used featured kitchen areas, here they were designed for gas hobs. From a monoxide issue it is provision of adequate to over provided ventilation that seems to be the critical requirement.
All said, on every count it has to be safer outside with gas, and charcoal BBQs should never be inside.

I agree that charcoal is potentially the worst, as many people think CO is only produced by a compromised flame, so the lack of an obvious flame belies the danger.

But also many gas BBQ's allow fat and juices to drip into the flame and onto the burner bar and can compromise the flame pattern. Anything that causes the flame to produce orange or yellow tips or even complete flames is producing high levels of CO. It's this corruption of the flames that helps to produce the authentic BBQ flavours.

Proper camping cookers will have been designed and tested for compliance with the emission regulations, and as such will produce minimal amounts of CO, and that will continue as long as they are maintained and used properly. when used in kitchen tents with good ventilation, and appropriate fire precautions should be OK. But BBQ's are not the same as cookers and the risks are much higher not only from CO but also from fat splatter and the possibility of ignited fat droplets being ejected and set fire to nearby materials.

I maintain the advice not to use a BBQ inside an awning.

 

[Banus]

Thanks for that guys and I agree that a BBQ of any description should never ever be used in an awning or any enclosed space. An absolute recipe for a fatal catastrophe whether it be fire or CO poisoning. However, nowhere in my post did I mention putting it in an awning! In fact we dont have one only a sun canopy open on all sides and front.
Re the length of the pipe, I'm pretty sure that somewhere in the instructions (which I can no longer find!) it mentioned that the gas pipe shouldn't be any longer than 'x' which is what I've got. However, based on the above I shall today be investing in a 3-4m pipe.

 

[ProfJohnL]

There is no legal limit for the length of a gas pipe. The criteria is the appliance must be able to receive gas between the permitted pressures limits. There is advice which says a flexible pipe should only be long enough for the intended purpose and it should not present a snag or trip hazard.

Some pipe sellers may have their own policies about the maximum length of pipe they are prepared to supply, if so phone around until you find one that will supply the desired length.

I advise do not buy gas pipe or electrical wiring from auction sites. its often not manufactured to the UK legal standards and can be a dangerous product. (been there and done it)

 

[Banus]

Many thanks for that. Some interesting stuff there. I'll be buying my gas pipe from Chichester Caravans at Upton Warren nowhere near Chichester and in fact between Droitwich and Bromsgrove. They have a parts / accessory / spares dept thats absolute chaos and you can lose yourself in there for hours, a real Aladins cave.

 

[woodsieboy]

FWIW our pipe is black, not the orange rubbery type, as I said never had a problem with the Cadac when using it, from memory we bought it in a dealer that was happy to supply whatever length we wanted off a roll

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Our pipe is 5 metres long.
Allows me to bring it around under the sun canopy.

 

[Banus]

Our pipe is 5 metres long.
Allows me to bring it around under the sun canopy.

That's exactly what I want to do, but so far I've FAILED!!!!
When I requested a 3m length he apologised and stated that he was only able to supply me with a max length of 2m due to Health & Safety regs!! However he could supply me with 2x2m lengths and a kit to join the two pieces. Crazy. I shall shop around.

 

[Buckman]

Many thanks for that. Some interesting stuff there. I'll be buying my gas pipe from Chichester Caravans at Upton Warren nowhere near Chichester and in fact between Droitwich and Bromsgrove. They have a parts / accessory / spares dept thats absolute chaos and you can lose yourself in there for hours, a real Aladins cave.

They are not far from us and we always used them to always buy our caravan from them. The shop as you say is total chaos. When we bought extra length pipe for gas appliance, we bought from B&Q at a fraction of the price and it was exactly the same as the one sold by Chichester caravans. Also saved us over £20k!

 

[Ferrodo]

My CADAC pipe is 5 meters long as well and it doesn’t give me any problems. The reason I have it that long is to keep the CADAC away from the awning to stop fat splatters. It also helps to site the CADAC regarding wind and levelling up.

 

[Banus]

Brilliant and good to know. I visited the CADAC website and it stated that the pipe shouldn’t be longer than 2m so you don’t run the risk of losing pressure!
On that basis I’ve now obtained a 3m length ( didn’t take much finding and that’s all I really needed) and look forward to sizzling bangers!