Cold air from vent under cooker.

[dannya123]

Hi All!

I am new to all this so still learning.

I recently purchased a Bailey 760 (2019 model) and so far it has been perfect, I took it away this weekend, and being cold I have been using the heating, the van has been at a good temporature but I have noticed a massive draught coming in from a vent under the cooker.

Any ideas why this vent is there?

Thanks,
Danny

 

[audiorob]

Not sure that it's easy to be certain from the photo, but it is likely to be a gas drop vent in case of leakage from the cooker unit. You will find others (sometimes circular holes covered with grid mesh in strategic places. These are essential safety items and should not be covered or blocked.

 

[dannya123]

Cheers, I did think it must be something to do with gas safety. Would be good to know if other vans have the big draught though, seems to get worse when its windy so I may put the side skirts on to see if that helps.

 

[otherclive]

If your fridge is close to the cooker you may find that behind the fridge or intervening unit there are voids. The fridge external vents on the caravan sidewall can cause droughts. In winter you can fit fridge vent covers that help fridge efficiency in cold conditions, reduce droughts but still allow safe low level venting if there should be a gas leak.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Caravan manufacturers have include prescribed amounts of fixed ventilation which is there to ensure the occupants get enough fresh air. Don't forget that not only you and your family (ad animals in some cases) need the air, but also the gas hob and oven also need air to burn correctly.

There are also stipulated requirements for gas drop out holes associated with gas applaince with gas connections that are inside teh habitation space.

The fridge , water heater and space heater will all use "room sealed" combustion and draw their air from outside.

As CLive has pointed out sometimes the close proximity of the fridge and its ventilation requirements can add to the problem, but don't do anything to obstruct the ventilation.

If you are convinced its too much, then do get a certified caravan engineer to review and advise before attempting to reduce the ventilation.

 

[Dustydog]

The vents are deliberate as said by others. Do not block them. It maybe that the oven , and indeed the fridge are not a good fit in their housings. As Prof says get a professional to check .

 

[Buckman]

The draught is probably coming through the outside fridge vents. You can purchase covers that clip over the vents. They also help with the fridge keeping cool in the winter.
They look something like THIS. There are different vents foir the different fridges and you will need the model number to get the correct covers.

 

[Beachball]

We have fridge vent covers on our caravan that in storage it just stop creepy crawlies getting in through the winter period while the van not in use

 

[Raywood]

We have had draughts coming from around the fridge on earlier caravans. If it is that powerful then I doubt it is the caravan ventilation. I would look to see if you can find a source for the draft other than the vent which looks from the photo to be a bad fit. You should not block the fitted ventilation but if you find other sources of cold air then these can be blocked. Usually the source will be the fridge vents and a badly fitting panel letting the air in.

 

[CustardAvenger]

I have the same issue/feature... there is an intentional gap under the under-cooker cupboard, almost identical to yours. As the dog sleeps opposite the cooker at night, I've taken to putting a towel down as a draught excluder.

 

[robbymax]

before my caravan we had a narrow boat and you take great care regarding gas appliances so before you block anything make sure have good working detectors

 

[Raywood]

I take the point. From my experience the problem with the OP's complaint is almost certainly a badly fitting panel. If you find that then it is not a case of blocking the vents, but you do have to be sure of what you block. The caravans in built ventilation will be through proper vents in the floor so it is easy to see if you are likely to block these. I think boats might be a particular problems as floor vents are not possible there.