RV FEATURE
MY GAS WATER HEATER WON ’ T WORK !
Does your van have a gas hot water heater ? If you ’ re anything like me , I ’ m willing to bet that more than once you ’ ve unhitched , opened the gas valve and switched the heater on … only to realise five minutes later that the gas heater isn ’ t , well , heating .
And that ’ s when you realise you forgot to remove the external plastic cowl that protects the inside of the heater from unwanted debris or particles . It also covers the exhaust , which is why a caravan gas hot water heater won ’ t work until the cowl has been removed . Oh , and be sure to put the cowl somewhere safe once you ’ ve taken it off . I once left mine behind and it was a $ 100 replacement part !
Don ' t leave the cowl behind !
On the subject of appliances , is your three-way ( absorption ) fridge struggling ? The efficiency of these types of fridges is influenced by the ambient temperature , but it also won ’ t work properly if the fridge isn ’ t level as a result of an un-level van . Even a slight angle will affect its performance . This is due to the fact the refrigerant gas cycles through a network of tubes . Liquid refrigerant evaporates inside a low-pressure vessel by absorbing heat from the inside of the fridge , before working its way towards a heat exchanger , passing the heat to the outside air and allowing the gas to condense back into a liquid state . But this process won ’ t work efficiently – if at all – if the fridge is at an angle . So don ’ t forget to pack a spirit level !
RANDOM , QUICK TIP
When I am unhitching , I always leave the safety chains on until I ’ m certain the van is secure , with the handbrake on and the wheels chocked . That way , if the van wanted to roll away , it would have to drag my 4WD too !
52 \