Importing recreational vehicles with gas installations
Regulation 17(1) requires that "every person who owns, operates, or uses any fittings, gas appliance, or gas installation must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the fittings, appliance, or installation is in a safe condition, is operated in a safe manner, and is maintained in a safe condition."
As the owner, an importer of an installation in a recreational vehicle has an obligation to ensure that any vehicle gas installation is in a safe condition. Compliance with the caravan code, NZS 5428, can be used by importers as one means of ensuring that "all reasonable steps" are taken in respect of safety.
Although an imported gas installation may have been safety certified in its country of origin, it is quite probable that the gas installation has only been certified for propane gas. New Zealand LPG is a mixture of propane and butane. Running a propane-only appliance on the New Zealand mixture may have critical safety consequences. Unless the appliance can be shown to operate on butane and propane, Energy Safety recommends the appliance is removed.
If you import recreational vehicles equipped with gas installations, you are also an importer of gas appliances. As such, the obligations outlined in the section above entitled "Importing (or manufacturing) gas appliances for recreational vehicles" apply to the installation importer as well.
Importers of new installations should register with Energy Safety and make a declaration for each model of appliance that is fitted in their recreational vehicle range. The performance and safety of appliances in second-hand installations may not be the same as when it originally came from the manufacturer. Energy Safety consider that it is more appropriate for such appliances to be considered a "one-off" appliance and a paper based declaration for each and every appliance will need to be completed by a competent person.
Energy Safety consider the following items are critical for safety:
- ensure that a gas appliance is safe in all reasonably foreseeable circumstances (regulation 13);
- ensure that every gas appliance has a supplier declaration completed (regulation 15A); and
- take all reasonable steps to ensure that the installation is in a safe condition (regulation 17).
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