Keith Gooden
Welcome back to the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden and with me is our expert – Motorhome Matt Sims.
Matt Sims
Hi, Keith.
Keith Gooden
Usually, we’re pretty jokey. But this is a serious subject. And the reason it’s serious is that there is a lot of detail, a lot of things we really didn’t know and the fact that you could be risking your life.
Why wood burning stoves in motorhomes could be dangerous
Now, what we’re talking about today is putting stoves into campervans, caravans, pods, teepees – a great idea to burn coal or wood. But there are dangers and apparently no laws against it.
Matt Sims
That’s right. So we’ve had lots of people asking us about best practice, guidance and the rules about putting a wood burning stove or solid fuel stove into a van, teepee or bell tent. Someone had a shepherd hut – in fact, they had several – and asked the question, ‘What are the rules and the guidelines?’
And it’s actually a totally unregulated area and there are no rules or guidelines. There are rules and guidelines about fitting them into other environments. But these kinds of small, niche environments are just not regulated. It’s almost impossible to regulate them.
Keith Gooden
And what we’re talking about here is the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning. If you don’t know what that’s about, it’s known as the silent killer. And it’s a gas which is given off when you burn some wood or charcoal or coal. It’s given out into the environment, and if your stove or your barbecue isn’t properly ventilated, that gas builds up and you breathe it in.
Now, you don’t notice it. It’s colourless, it’s odourless, but what it does is it bumps out the oxygen molecules from your bloodstream and puts carbon monoxide ones in their place. And you literally just fall asleep and never wake up.
There have been many years of regulation by different governments around the world to protect people with installations, for instance, on your central heating system, which has very strict carbon monoxide legislation it has to adhere to. But as you were saying, Matt, in a motorhome or a caravan or a teepee or a shepherd’s hut, there is no law. And so people are just putting them in and sometimes putting themselves at risk.
So let’s start at the beginning. Are we panicking over nothing? Well, I would say no. I’ve got a little list here of people who just bought a barbecue into enclosed areas to keep themselves warm on a cold night. ‘Girl dies in Shropshire campsite.’ The whole family failed to wake up in the morning, and their 14-year-old daughter died from carbon monoxide poisoning. All they did was bring a little barbecue in to keep warm around.
‘Barbecue fumes linked to death.’ A 6-year-old girl died from carbon monoxide poisoning at a Hampshire campsite. ‘Man dies on a Penrith campsite – carbon monoxide suspected.’ A 45-year-old man was found dead in a camping pod from carbon monoxide poisoning. ‘Garngoch tent death.’ Classic poisoning from carbon monoxide fumes.
‘Carbon monoxide from a barbecue killed a camper.’ A 30-year-old woman died in her tent near Great Yarmouth from monoxide poisoning. Her partner survived but he lost an arm and damaged a kidney due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Now, I’ve listed them because it shows you the seriousness. And you’re going to say, ‘But those are barbecues.’ They use charcoal, they were burning it in an enclosed space, and that counts also for stoves.
Matt Sims
It does. And the important thing with a stove – there are three things, really: ventilation, allowing the smoke to escape, so having a really good flue, and a carbon monoxide alarm that works. Because in all of those sad, dreadful deaths, if there was a working carbon monoxide alarm in that environment, they would have woken up and could have dealt with it. They could have taken the barbecue outside of the tent or the environment it was in and those deaths would not have happened. Simple as that.
And carbon monoxide alarms are not expensive. They will save your life. But people still want to put a stove into an environment. You know, you take a Ford Transit van or Vauxhall Movano and you want to make your dream camper and you’re going to go away in winter or you’re going to live in it through the winter. You need a heat source, and there are a number of ways of doing that. Truma is a manufacturer of gas powered boilers, Combi boilers, and they will heat the water and the environment with blown air.
Webasto, Eberspächer – they’re companies that make diesel powered heaters. They’re common in lorries, so truck drivers use their diesel fuel to stay warm when they’re sleeping in the cab. They require an element of technical know-how and capability to install. A wood burning stove – it’s pretty easy, isn’t it? You just have to bolt it to the floor, fit a flue, chuck some wood in it and something to ignite it.
And that’s the other danger – fire. The stove will catch fire in the vehicle it’s placed in. So I wanted to unpack a bit more about this and find out what the rules and regulations and the advice are that people can listen to and get informed. And then if you’re going to install one, go for it and do it safely. Please, do it safely. This is your life and well-being that we are talking about here.
Keith Gooden
And so Matt, you’ve been on your travels around the country talking to people who have some expertise on this subject. So who have you been talking to?
Matt Sims
Well, first off, I started with a lovely chap, Mark, who owns a company called Salamander Stoves. And they famously some time ago created a miniature stove called The Hobbit. And it’s one of the most popular wood burning stoves or multi-fuel stoves used in these small environments like a van. I got to chat with Mark. He lives down in Newton Abbot, and I headed down to his base at Salamander.
Mark Lawrence from Salamander Stoves
Matt Sims
What inspired The Hobbit? What caused you to create it?
Mark Lawrence
Well, a lack of a small stove for those lovely cast iron Victorian fireplaces where the person didn’t want to have an open fire anymore but wanted a stove. But there was no stove small enough to fit, so that’s why I designed it. But then the whole small spaces craze has taken off, and my little stove has taken off with it. So yes, it’s all fantastic.
Matt Sims
And by small spaces, you mean canal boats, shepherd’s huts…
Mark Lawrence
All of those types of places.
Matt Sims
Campervans?
Mark Lawrence
Campervans, tiny homes. It’s endless, really, the little tiny spaces that it’s ended up in.
Matt Sims
So for someone listening who’s thinking, ‘I’ve got my van, I’m going to make it into my home, and I want to keep it warm through the winter.’ Their options are a Truma boiler, which will do hot water as well, a diesel heater – they’re complicated, and you need expertise to fit one of those, arguably more so than you might with a wood burning stove. That might be the perception.
So we’re going to go with a wood burning stove in the van. What would your advice be? Where should they start?
Mark Lawrence
Obviously identifying a spot in their van where one might be able to fit! I’d say the first thing to consider is what the size of the van is that you need to have really to make a stove practicable. If it’s not of a particular size, then you’ll just be sat with the doors open in your vest and pants wondering why you bothered.
Matt Sims
That’s me most nights, Mark!
Mark Lawrence
Yes, which is nice. We all like a bit of that occasionally. But imagine a summer’s day when you want to make a cup of tea, and you’ve only got the stove to make it on. You know, it’s going to be a nightmare on a summer’s day in your van. So you’ve got to think about all those aspects.
So make sure if you’re going to do it you’ve got a big enough van to accommodate one. Otherwise, you’re sacrificing a lot of other stuff for a stove. Get yourself a fire pit and sit outside with it. I would do that rather than sacrificing all that space in your van for a stove.
Matt Sims
Now, I know you famously put a stove in a Morris van, didn’t you, many years ago.
Mark Lawrence
I don’t know how famous that is. You can be the judge of that! But I did that just for a bit of fun, really. Yes, just for fun.
Matt Sims
But not really very practical!
Mark Lawrence
Not if you wanted to turn it into a campervan, no! You’d have to sleep with it between your legs, which might be tricky. You’d want to go for a big – what are those things? Sprinters and Crafters, those sorts of vans. You know, a big transit van. You can get one in one of those and it’ll work. Anything smaller than that, a T5, for example, or anything a similar size to that sort of van is really a non-starter.
Matt Sims
And is there a maximum size? I know some people have gone as big as a 7 and a half tonne lorry.
Mark Lawrence
No, there’s no maximum size. Yes, you could put one at either end, if you like!
Matt Sims
Buy two! Do you get a discount for the second one?
Mark Lawrence
Of course you do!
Matt Sims
So what other considerations? You were talking earlier about looking underneath and checking what’s underneath where you plan to put it?
Mark Lawrence
Yes, that’s basic. Before you start drawing out endless plans on your computer of where you thought it looked the best, it would be a good idea to crawl under the vehicle and have a look and see where the gaps are, so where it’s going to be easiest to anchor the thing down because fundamentally, you want to make sure that your stove is becoming part of the vehicle in that it’s bolted to it.
You can’t just stand it in the corner and hope that when you slam on the anchors it’s not going to end up in the glove box next to you. So it’s got to be well bolted down. So crawling about on the floor for 30 seconds and ascertaining where the best points are is a good start.
Matt Sims
And what sorts of things should people be looking for, then, under the van?
Mark Lawrence
Space! Cables and trunking and fuel tanks and that sort of thing.
Matt Sims
And this is so that bolts can go through the floor. You were saying earlier about how important it is that if the van rolls over the stove ends up upside down and stays there.
Mark Lawrence
Yes. So it’s got to obviously be a place where it’s easy to drop a bolt through the leg of the stove, through the body of the vehicle and then put a washer and nut on the back of it. So yes, somewhere there’s a bit of space, ideally.
Matt Sims
And then what about the rest of the stove? Obviously, there’s the flue to consider. What consideration should people give to the flue?
Mark Lawrence
Well, like I tell a lot of people, the flue really is the engine of your stove. So you can’t just pop in a bit of a drain pipe or something and expect it to work, because it just won’t work very well. And there are a lot of negative aspects of the flue not working well. So invest in a good flue.
You can potentially start in a bit of single pipe, but ideally from approximately half a metre from the exit point inside the van, you want to think about using twin wall insulated flue, and obviously, externally, you want to be in the twin wall insulated flue. It’s dearer, but it’s going to keep the flue gases that bit warmer to affect a much better draw.
So there are lots of benefits to having a much better draw. So definitely invest in a good flue. And same as with the stove, you’ve got to make sure it’s well anchored and supported so that in the event of a reversing onto a curb it doesn’t all just fall down. You’ve got to make sure it’s all well anchored and supported.
Matt Sims
One of the big risks associated with installing any solid fuel stove into an internal space is that of carbon monoxide known as a silent killer. This is the gas that gets into your bloodstream and then kills off and drains all the oxygen out of your blood and ultimately can kill you. We know how serious that is.
And I’ve referenced earlier these videos that I’ve seen online where people say, ‘Oh, well, I’m no expert,’ and they just wash their hands of their expertise and then promptly tell you and regale how they installed a wood burning stove into their van. What causes the greatest risk to an inhabitant of a van where there is a wood burning stove, and how can that be avoided?
Mark Lawrence
The basic rule of thumb, I would say, is to make sure that you’ve got adequate ventilation. So adjacent to the stove, ideally right behind it, you want to put in a 100 mil air vent that allows unfettered air to come into the space. You can even protect it from being blocked up in some way so that there’s always air coming into the space. Also, obviously, installing CO and smoke alarms in the space in the event of something blocking that inlet.
Similarly, with the pipe, the flue pipe, make sure you inspect it periodically to ensure that it’s not getting blocked up. And again, that smoke alarm and CO alarm inside will bring to your attention if something’s fallen on top of the pipe outside or a paper bag has been blown up onto the air vent underneath. You can always think, ‘Oh, well, I’ve got X covered,’ but you really want X, Y and Z covered when you’re in a van because it’s potentially a sealed box.
You don’t want to be in competition with the stove for the available air in the van, so making sure there’s an air vent that’s always allowing air in regardless of the temperature outside is a fundamental thing to consider along with that CO alarm.
Matt Sims
So what happens is the stove is drawing the oxygen out of the air. Is that right? It’s emptying the van environment of oxygen in order to burn.
Mark Lawrence
Yes, there’s no longer a sufficient draw, really. The combustion is not taking place efficiently enough to exhaust the gases. So the CO begins to sink down and is no longer being exhausted, but filling up the space in the room.
Matt Sims
So am I right in saying if you left a log in the stove and it was slow burning and really-,
Mark Lawrence
Yes, that is a real potential producer of CO in the space because it’s not combusting enough for it to be evacuating the gases. If you’ve restricted all the air in the space as well, what air can be evacuated, there’s no available air left to pull up the flue.
Matt Sims
And that point in the evening, of course, is when you finish the bottle of red and you’re starting to nod off.
Mark Lawrence
Exactly, yes. And you’ve blocked up under the door because there’s a bit of a chilly draught and shut the stove right down. That’s when potentially you can be vulnerable. But if you’ve got an alarm, when you do those silly things the alarm will remind you of that. And you’ll be able to do something about it like open the door, etc. But having adequate ventilation is paramount. It is paramount, as well as obviously the alarm.
Matt Sims
So Mark, this is, as we know, an unregulated area of using a wood burning stove, i.e., in a campervan or leisure vehicle that is going to drive down the road. But it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. What we want is for the listener to really understand the risks of doing it and the best practices that they could possibly employ to keep themselves safe when doing it. Now, you referenced a building regulation earlier that you point people to when they’re thinking about it.
Mark Lawrence
Yes. Basically, there’s a document called Approved Doc J, which is the best practice when it comes to fitting wood burning stoves in houses. And ideally, you want to stick as close to that criteria as you can.
There’s a British Standard, I think it’s 8511:2010, which references installing wood stoves in canal boats, etc. Again, it’s basically a boiled down version of Approved Doc J relating to canal boats. So there is some information out there relating to other vehicles etc., and I think there’s a new one coming out relating to shepherd’s huts, etc.
So there is information out there. But basically, it’s all boiling down to Approved Doc J, which talks about heights of flues and proximity to combustibles, etc. It’s a free download. It’s worth a scan over it. Drawing attention to that, and going back on to the point about the ventilation, is in that document they do stipulate that only a stove in excess of 5 kilowatts requires any additional ventilation. And that, in a house of a particular age, is probably true.
Take a house in the 1960s or ’70s, there’s probably enough draughts already in that house that an additional vent would make little or no difference and the stove would work okay. But it’s when people pick up that fact and then transpose it into the creation of their new tiny home, for example, which is absolutely air tight and say, ‘Well, it doesn’t require any ventilation because it’s not in excess of 5 kilowatts.’ It’s a 3 or 4 kilowatt stove, for example.
But obviously, in my mind, you can see that that’s an incorrect way of interpreting the thinking and a stove of any size requires a feed of air for combustion to take place. So I would give Approved Document J a once over, for sure.
I think there’s another BFCMA factsheet on the building regs, which basically boils down the building regs to the 12 most fundamental points that you ought to consider. That’s obviously worth a read as well, because all those points are relevant. Whether you’re installing it in a house or a van, it’s the same sorts of things that you’re considering. How close is it to combustible material? How high is the flue going to be? How much of a frontage in terms of hearth do I need to stand the stove on? All of those aspects will need to be considered.
And okay, you may well trim them in a van scenario. And you can’t actually stick absolutely true 100% to Approved Doc J, but you can still get as close as you can to it. And obviously, look more towards those safety aspects and try and stick as rigidly to those as you can.
Matt Sims
Brilliant. So, Mark, how do people find out a bit more about Salamander Stoves and The Hobbit?
Mark Lawrence
Oh, you can visit our website. I think that’s on most days. Or if you’ve got a project or something that you want to have a chat with us about, then give us a ring and send me an email with a couple of pictures. And then we can make contact and we can have a chat about your particular project and see what is going to work best for you.
David Whitehead from the National Caravan Council
Matt Sims
Thank you to Mark from Salamander Stoves in Newton Abbot. We’ll step forward in time a little bit – I’ve headed to Birmingham to the Motorhome and Caravan Show, and I’m just heading backstage to meet up with an old friend of mine and someone with whom I’m about to share the stage with in the Inspiration Theatre for the expert panel. I’m meeting up with David Whitehead from the National Caravan Council to get his take.
David Whitehead
I’m actually the director of technical services for touring caravans and motorhomes. I’ve worked in the industry for 37 years. I was originally involved in writing the European standards for caravans and motorhomes and I currently sit on the committees that are revising them right now.
Matt Sims
So what is your take on putting a multi-fuel or wood burning stove in a van that’s going to be slept in and lived in?
David Whitehead
On a road vehicle, we certainly wouldn’t recommend it. And there are several reasons for that. It was considered many years ago when we had British Standards, and the British Standard specifically excluded solid fuel heating systems from touring caravans and motorhomes.
The European standards didn’t put anything in that referenced them because our colleagues in Europe said, ‘It just doesn’t happen. Why do we need to cover it?’ So they didn’t put it in, but certainly the British Standards still in force covers solid fuel heating, but only in residential properties and holiday homes, not in mobile caravans and touring caravans.
The biggest issue we have, obviously, is these vehicles are going down the road vibrating. You are relying on a flued system that is pretty rigid to ensure the product’s combustion leaves the vehicle. Any cracks or dents in that system are going to leave products of combustion coming into the vehicle.
The caravans have not been designed for ventilation for those vehicles. The ventilation in the caravan is designed for the equipment fitted by the manufacturer. So therefore, you could be putting the consumer at risk.
Matt Sims
But couldn’t you add ventilation and make sure it’s bolted in and fixed in and it’s all fine, isn’t it?
David Whitehead
On a touring caravan, yes, but it means cutting through the whole skin of the caravan and the motorhome. You’re going to invalidate your warranty for your caravan or motorhome because you’ve actually broken into a body shell that is normally warrantied for water ingress.
Matt Sims
But for people listening to this, they might have a 20-year-old van that isn’t under any warranty, so there’s no impact there. What would you say to them if they are considering putting one of these very romantic wood burners in?
David Whitehead
These units generate an awful lot of heat. How do you prevent the equipment around it and the furniture around it being scorched or burnt? The extra weight you’re then putting into that vehicle – that vehicle is designed for a maximum weight. You’re adding to that all the time.
If you’re taking it out on the road, how secure is it going to be? Are you sure? And when you come to ventilation and products of combustion, in the past people have died in these vehicles. We want to prevent that at all costs. That’s why the ventilation standard is so strict.
It hasn’t been considered in the ventilation standard. So I would say to anybody looking to put these in, we can’t stop them doing it, so it’s entirely their choice, but there are so many things they need to consider. They need to consider ventilation, they need to consider the weight, they need to consider what’s happening to the equipment around it, and these things put off an awful lot of heat.
And what effect does that have on, for example, the bonded construction and the glues in there? Are you going to overheat those? Are you going to cause a problem there? They do give off massive amounts of heat. And they are lovely – people love them. But in a mobile vehicle, I just couldn’t recommend it.
Matt Sims
You don’t think it’s safe or sensible to do at all?
David Whitehead
No, I personally would not. I certainly wouldn’t. I put too much store in standards and how they’re written. People spend hours and months looking at these standards to write them to make them safe. Why would you take a safe product and do something that makes it less safe? I personally don’t understand that philosophy.
And certainly on a mobile caravan, a touring caravan or motorhome, the risk of the vibration down the road is so great for me that I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to anybody.
Matt Sims
So why isn’t it regulated against, then?
David Whitehead
It wasn’t when the European Standard was done. It was in the British Standard, but we moved to European Standards and the rest of Europe had never seen it. No one in Europe had done it and they didn’t think it would ever happen. So they didn’t do it. It’s being revised at the moment, the standard.
And now we have evidence that people are doing it, it will be brought up in those committees and it may well be that the next edition of our standard will preclude it. But that will depend on how the committee sees it. It’s a standard within Europe. And that’s the European experts on caravans and ventilation.
Matt Sims
If that happens, it’s regulated against and someone fits one, where do they stand?
David Whitehead
The Standards are standards. They’re not legally binding. But if a consumer was to fit one of these units and then sell the unit on, he could become liable because he’s made that modification. A manufacturer just wouldn’t do it because it wouldn’t be allowed. I don’t know of any manufacturers fitting these products now. And I don’t believe anyone’s considering fitting these products purely because most of the products themselves have installation instructions that you couldn’t meet in a touring caravan or motorhome. They’re that specific.
They’re talking about parts underneath made of certain materials which add so much weight. So it just wouldn’t be feasible for a manufacturer to do it because they wouldn’t be able to tow the caravan or be able to drive the motorhome because the weight would be too high.
Matt Sims
People are very motivated to fit them and they undoubtedly will. What regulation can you point people to that they should read and at least try and interpret so that they don’t become a statistic and die?
David Whitehead
At the moment, there are no standards for fitting these types of products into touring caravans or motorhomes. There are for boats, but boats are a totally different beast. The only thing they can go by is the installation instructions provided with the appliance and if they cannot meet them, they should not fit the product. That’s the simple rule. If you cannot meet the installation instructions, you cannot fit that product. You’re taking a massive risk.
If they aren’t meeting the installation instructions, including ventilation, then they’re doing that at their risk. And I’m pretty sure the manufacturers of the appliance won’t warranty it in a touring caravan or a motorhome.
Calvin May from HETAS
Keith Gooden
So, Matt, that was David Whitehead of the National Caravan Council. HETAS is a non-profit organisation and Calvin May is their head of technical services. If you want to know what HETAS means, it’s the heating equipment testing and approval scheme. And you’ve been to see them.
Matt Sims
I went up to see them and I had a word with Calvin and said, ‘What’s your take and recommendation for people who are considering putting a wood burning stove into a campervan?’
Calvin May
Well, as a safety organisation, installation practices are critical in maintaining safety and environmentally responsible burning. So the principal position is there are a lot of considerations that need to be taken into account when installing something, particularly if it’s in transportable accommodation such as a motorhome or a touring caravan.
At the moment, there are few or no limited regulations that stipulate the installation for these. However, there are other aligned standards that exist, particularly in the boating sector, which people can read up on to get some general guidance that they can apply in these sorts of positions, including British Standard BS8511.
Matt Sims
So British Standard BS8511?
Calvin May
Correct. Yes, it’s for the boating sector, so narrow boats, Dutch barges, and those sorts of things. But for an installation of this type, you’re effectively surrounded by an enclosed space filled with combustible materials. So it’s important that you consider the heat generated from an appliance such as this is kept from safe distances away from those sorts of combustible materials that will exist in these types of leisure craft.
Matt Sims
And what can people do about carbon monoxide, then? Because that’s a big risk too, isn’t it?
Calvin May
Absolutely. We always recommend for people in any situation to fit a CO alarm positioned in a suitable position away from the appliance at a suitable height. And again, it’s really important for the consumer to test those CO alarms when they can, every week or so, to make sure that they’re working effectively.
Matt Sims
Would you recommend that this is a good idea, putting a wood burning stove in a VW campervan, for example?
Calvin May
It’s always tricky when it comes to things on transport or nature. But for anything where space is restricted and enclosed, the principal position should be whether it heightens the risk or not. If it heightens the risk then there should be real consideration of whether it is a safe practice to do.
Matt Sims
Calvin, just remind us what HETAS is again.
Calvin May
HETAS is the heating equipment testing and approval scheme, and we are a body recognised by the government for supporting cleaner and safer installation and operation of solid fuel and biomass heating appliances.
Final advice for wood burning stoves in motorhomes
Keith Gooden
So, Matt, you’ve talked to several people on this subject. When we started this podcast, I read out a very sad list of people who had brought barbecues into enclosed spaces and either died or been seriously injured due to carbon monoxide poisoning. And we’ve established that log burners, wood burners, charcoal burners and coal burners are unregulated in this country as it stands in campervans and enclosed spaces such as pods or teepees. Having spoken to all those people, what is your advice to anybody listening to or watching this podcast?
Matt Sims
Do your research. So listen to this several times. There’s lots of helpful advice, hints, tips and places you can go and read the regulations that have been written that do apply to homes, to buildings and to leisure vehicles that don’t move, so static caravans, and really understand the environment that you are planning to fit that wood burning stove into, as Mark said at Salamander.
He’s really helpful. He’s very happy to go through your drawing and your proposed installation and advise you on what ventilation might be needed. One of the things Mark added actually was to fit a flue extension. The taller the flue, the faster the evacuation of the smoke from the vehicle. So it’s worth considering a flue extension on your campervan so when you arrive you can climb on a box or shoot up a ladder – however you do it – and get on the roof and fit this flue extension.
Make the flue taller. You can’t drive with it on, obviously, but fit that flue extension. And that will help draw the smoke and those harmful fumes away out of the vehicle into the environment. And he says it’s definitely worth investing in as tall a flue as you possibly can.
Keith Gooden
And if you arrive at the campsite, or wherever you are, and it’s raining or it’s cold and you don’t want to get on the roof and do it, remember – carbon monoxide poisoning is a silent killer. You go to sleep and don’t wake up. Get up on that roof, fit that flue extension and listen to the advice that you’ve heard here.
Get in touch with Matt and Keith
Keith Gooden
Plenty more on socials, isn’t there?
Matt Sims
Yes, we’ve unpacked this further on the show notes for this podcast. Do take a good read. Do your research. Click on the links, please. If you’re going to do it, go for it. You can create a really romantic lovely environment. I have a friend who actually has a trailer tent which he tows. It’s one of these extreme off roading trailers with a pop roof. And he said, ‘I’ll happily sit there in my pants in front of my log fire.’ But he’s got the pop roof open and the door open because it’s that hot. It’s really well ventilated.
And of course the point at which – as you heard in my conversation with Mark – the danger comes is when the fire goes out. And it’s really important. As the fire’s going out and you finish the bottle of wine and you’re starting to get ready for bed – maybe the romantic environment has worked. There’s hope for even you, Keith. You never know.
You’re just heading off to bed – that’s the point at which you must be mindful that there’s a carbon monoxide risk. So please, if you’re going to install one, install with it a carbon monoxide alarm. That will save the day. Do it as sensibly as you possibly can. Get educated and stay safe.
Keith Gooden
So how do people get in touch, then?
Matt Sims
So head to the website, www.motorhomematt.co.uk/askmatt. There’s lots of information on the website. But on that particular page, you can actually ask us a question. You can type it into the form, and press submit or you can record your question and we’ll involve your question in the podcast episode as a piece of audio.
So do record your questions, submit them to us, and we will do our best to come back to you. We’ve answered hundreds of questions in the last two weeks. Not all of them have been appropriate for the podcast, but they do inspire content as this one has been inspired today. So please, your contribution is much loved.
And if you’re listening on Apple on the podcast app, please leave us a five star review and a comment if you can. It really helps spread the awareness and the word that the podcast exists.
Keith Gooden
And what should people do for YouTube as well?
Matt Sims
Head to YouTube – you’ll find this there as Motorhome Matt. You can watch the episodes. We’re recording this one in the studio, so if you prefer to watch them as a video, you can do that on YouTube, and we’re on Facebook and Instagram. Just search Motorhome Matt.
