Habitation test

The Whichwayers

The Whichwayers

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Hi, we've been fulltime in our moho for almost 5 years and never had a hab check. I sort most things plumbing , electrics etc but not gas. Im thinking mostly I need a gas check as damp isnt an issue , do you all have both or just seek out a gas engineer ? Do gas engineers cover motorhomes or is it too niche ? Cheers in advance
 
The Whichwayers said:
Hi, we've been fulltime in our moho for almost 5 years and never had a hab check. I sort most things plumbing , electrics etc but not gas. Im thinking mostly I need a gas check as damp isnt an issue , do you all have both or just seek out a gas engineer ? Do gas engineers cover motorhomes or is it too niche ? Cheers in advance
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We had an LPG Refillable System fitted in Jul 2021 by Autogas Leisure [2000] [now gasit.co.uk] and were told that no annual inspections would be needed, unless we ran into perofrmance problems. I think we may have a problem with a gummy regulator after many Spanish lpg refills, so I hope to visit Charlie in Thirsk very shorlty to get the system checked and repaired/upgraded [looking at auto cut-off supply valve to avoid the stop after 25 metres because I forgot to turn off the gas ... :ROFLMAO:]

Our M/Home is 10 years old on 1st June, so Hab Checks are unlikely to add any value *if* we decide to sell [unlikely]. I do have invoices and a spreadsheet record of all servicing/repairs/maintenance work undertaken on the M/Home - what was done, by whom, at what mileage and the cost, so that should reassure any potential purchaser 🤞

Steve
 
marchie said:
We had an LPG Refillable System fitted in Jul 2021 by Autogas Leisure [2000] [now gasit.co.uk] and were told that no annual inspections would be needed, unless we ran into perofrmance problems. I think we may have a problem with a gummy regulator after many Spanish lpg refills, so I hope to visit Charlie in Thirsk very shorlty to get the system checked and repaired/upgraded [looking at auto cut-off supply valve to avoid the stop after 25 metres because I forgot to turn off the gas ... :ROFLMAO:]

Our M/Home is 10 years old on 1st June, so Hab Checks are unlikely to add any value *if* we decide to sell [unlikely]. I do have invoices and a spreadsheet record of all servicing/repairs/maintenance work undertaken on the M/Home - what was done, by whom, at what mileage and the cost, so that should reassure any potential purchaser 🤞

Steve
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I was thinking more about the fridge, truma , hob system 👍
 
The Whichwayers said:
I was thinking more about the fridge, truma , hob system 👍
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Truma say the water heater only needs intervention if something fails, but we do descale the boiler annually with ClearTabs citric cleanser, and it flushes out chunks of calcium every time! One of our gas rings was playing silly devils in Spain this winter, but I cleared the detritus from under the burner, and all was well. Fridge is ok on LPG until it isn't. Most members seem to get away with cleaning out dust/rust from the burner area when problems arise; I was told by a local Caravan/M/Home Service Engineer that a 'proper clean' would involve the entire fridge/freezer removal [grill over the fridge/freezer housing] but that, as long as the ignition burner has a strong blue flame, a quick clean out of the debris from the lower vent area would suffice

Hab checks only report on problems/looming issues - any repairs/replacements will be an extra cost and a follow up appointment

Steve
 
The Whichwayers said:
I was thinking more about the fridge, truma , hob system 👍
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The fridge either works OK or it doesn't. There is no oil to change, no tappets to adjust.
Trumas need no maintenance. I was told that in person by their engineer at UK head office, though he did clean the fans for me.
The hob 'system' is there before your eyes. You can easily see whether it is working well or not.
Habitation checks are nice little earner for dealers, and a way to wriggle out of warranties for makers. However, if a habitation check finds damp, an early fix of the leak could save a fortune.
 
Never had a hab check done on 11 vans. If stuff breaks down, repair or replace, had to replace one oven/hob, but I used it being broken to lower the price when I bought it.
 
I had a Hab check last year 2025 , my mhom is 10 years old this year so decided to have one done.
They checked all the dampness around the mhom, electrical examination and gas testing.
My local motorhome repair/ service man was very thorough .
 
ted47 said:
I had a Hab check last year 2025 , my mhom is 10 years old this year so decided to have one done.
They checked all the dampness around the mhom, electrical examination and gas testing.
My local motorhome repair/ service man was very thorough .
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What benefit did this provide you?
 
Some get them done annually, on a new van I'd get it done, but once out of warranty, save the money it'll cover most repairs but damp so get a good damp meter, .
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Some get them done annually, on a new van I'd get it done, but once out of warranty, save the money it'll cover most repairs but damp so get a good damp meter, .
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The guy I bought my motorhome from had the hab check done on its first anniversary but when he saw how much it cost vs what they did he never bothered again!
 
My van had a fresh hab check when we bought it 2 yrs ago, however it really meant nothing judging by the amount of things that were not spotted.
Can't say I would be in any hurry to get one done myself, like others say keep an eye on things and fix accordingly.
Only benefit would be as some sort of reassurance to potential buyers should you decide to sell, although that depends if Stevie Wonder carries it out or not.
 
Our nearest MCEA is a lass called Sally, over Halifax way, and she is well on top of her game, I'd use her for anything.

We used to have a bloke in Leeds, but he was worse than useless, stunk of cigarettes, and he actually did a terrible job on my wiring (ask Merlin). I used him a few years ago, and he refused to charge me as he was there three hours and managed to do feck all.

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Molly 3 said:
I have local mobile caravan man that dose my gas check at home ,Sheffield.
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Hi Marchie
I’d appreciate details of your man. We’re near Sheffield, and may need a gas certificate for trip to Germany.

From my post on Wildcamping…Planning a trip to Black Forest but…I have read on another site that Germany has since 2025 been requiring biannual gas certificates for motorhomes. Despite this not being required of non-German registered vans, there are nevertheless reports of some campsites and stellplatzen refusing access to vans without.

Has anyone on here had any experience of this. Most habitation checks in UK seem only to give a tick on a checklist for gas, and don’t issue a certificate.
 
Barge1914 said:
Hi Marchie
I’d appreciate details of your man. We’re near Sheffield, and may need a gas certificate for trip to Germany.

From my post on Wildcamping…Planning a trip to Black Forest but…I have read on another site that Germany has since 2025 been requiring biannual gas certificates for motorhomes. Despite this not being required of non-German registered vans, there are nevertheless reports of some campsites and stellplatzen refusing access to vans without.

Has anyone on here had any experience of this. Most habitation checks in UK seem only to give a tick on a checklist for gas, and don’t issue a certificate.
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HHi Barge,

Baz of @Molly 3 fame posted re the Sheffield Gas Engineer, so, unusually, II can plead 'not guily'with confidence!

Steve
 
If you ever think you'll need to claim on the warranty then you'll need an annual Hab check. Don't be late with it either!

I've stayed in a few paid aires in Germany but have never been asked for any certificates. There are plenty of free stops so go elsewhere.

Test equipment used for gas checks during hab checks
Continuity meter ensuring that the pipework is bonded / earthed to the chassis and earth pin on the hook up socket

Gas flue analyser to ensure the burn is good.

Manometer on the regulator to check for leaks.
You can get leak spray which bubbles on a leaking joint.

For your own piece of mind
Get a working CO alarm

Check rubber hoses aren't cracking. Officially the bottle hoses are 5 year or 10 year life.
Refillable tank hoses have the date printed on them.
Refillable tanks have a life expiry too. Thinking 10year but check with manufacturer

Gas dispersal vents - check they're not blocked/covered with stuff.

Make sure the manifold labels correspond to the correct appliance

Check the FFDs (Flame failure device)
For example with all the hobs lit, turn off the gas supply. In less than 20sec you should hear 1 clunk per hob as the FFD shuts off the gas to each. Without touching the hob control knob re open the gas supply and see if gas comes out of the hob (hear it, smell it try to ignite it). It shouldn't until you push the knob in.
Some hobs have a safety cut off for when the lid closes.
Some oven doors cut the gas to the grill when closed.
Some windows have a switch that kills the heater/boiler (the flue is below the window)

As mentioned before clean the dust away from burners/heaters.

Check for corrosion. Especially fridges and the pipe work underneath the van.

MAKE SURE THAT ANY EXTERNAL VENTS ARE SECURE. (Especially the fridge ones)

You know your van better than anybody else
If something is unusual get it checked out.
 
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