Is your caravan illegal?

There has been much talk about what laws apply as soon as a caravan is hitched up and moving on the road. But what about laws for its use at camp?

Imagine if there were no caravan standards. I like plenty of width in my caravan fit-out, so no need for this slide-out business, I’d order my caravan four metres wide. Green is a nice colour, I like green. So I would have green brake lights on the back. Or maybe just on the front.

Thankfully, you think, none of that can happen – but only thanks to caravan laws. But as it is a ‘road vehicle’, most caravan compliance is about the legal requirements that apply to a caravan on the road.

So we’ve all heard about knowing your legal weights and knowing about how to choose legal tyres, but this is all related to keeping the caravan rolling down the road happily – and legally.

But what about when your road-registered caravan is parked up at camp? Do anything you want, right?

There are laws that apply primarily to the fit-out of your caravan when you have stopped at camp, too. Then there is some equipment that is not a legal requirement, but having it just might save your life.

Reading the rules

The technical requirements that make up VSB1, the Federal document that prescribes what makes a caravan legal, are mostly about safety when the van is on the road. Basically, the Feds don’t want people towing caravans that cause death or injury on the road.

But there are also sections of this Federal standard that are mostly about keeping people safe when camping in their caravans. There are rules in VSB1 (and ADR 42) that apply primarily to the fit-out, and if your caravan doesn’t comply, it's not legal.

Preventing gas leaks

LPG is used to cook, heat water, run a eutectic fridge or even heat a caravan but there are safety requirements relating to the gas fit-out. It goes without saying that LP gas is flammable, and if there’s a leak, it can be dangerous.

LPG concentrations as low as two percent will ignite in air, but at high concentrations, gas displaces air to cause asphyxiation. LP gas is bad stuff if it leaks.

Gas compliance is not strictly speaking a Federal requirement – it falls to states. All VSB1 says is: “The local state or territory registering authority should be consulted for acceptability of LPG installations requirements. In cases where the local state and territory does not mandate a minimum requirement then manufacturers are required to comply with Australian Standard AS 5601-2004 ‘Gas installations’.”

All states and territories have a word or two to say about gas installations, but the bottom line is that if you're unsure about the quality or compliance of existing gas fittings or want a new gas installation (such as installing a gas heater to your van), get it done by a licensed gas fitter.

A gas detector, which will set you back about $100 or less, provides great peace of mind.

Solar panel installation

Solar installations are getting common on caravans and there are compliance rules around them. Solar fitment has to comply with AS/NZS 5033, which states there is no need for a licensed electrician to do the install provided that the system does not exceed 60V DC or 35.4V AC.

Note that the physical fixing of the solar panels to the roof has to be done correctly too. There have been instances of solar panels flying off caravans. If it happens to be yours, well, it might end up costing you more than just a replacement.

Be a bright spark

Electrics, as far as 240V AC goes, should be obvious. There are legal requirements in AS/NZS 3000:2007 and AS/NZS 3001:2018, even if you only hook up the van to a portable generator – it must comply with these regulations.

There are installation certification laws for all states except Victoria (where, incidentally, about 95 per cent of caravan manufacturers are based). There is no legal requirement to be a licensed electrician to install a 240V system in a caravan in Victoria.

Needless to say, don’t muck around with the 240V AC system in your van – only let a licensed electrician loose on it, if you need repairs or modifications.

You don’t have to be an electrician to work on a caravan’s 12V DC system, provided that it's not where the 12V DC is linked or crosses over with the 240V system.

There are a few laws relating to the caravan body or fit-out that have nothing to do with towing on the road. For example, a caravan or trailer equipped with cooking facilities or living or sleeping accommodation must have only outward opening or sliding doors. This is to make it easier to get out quickly if there is a problem in the van such as fire.

The ADR 42 regulations also state that at least one such door must be located on the left-hand side or at the rear. Again, this is for the safety of the occupants, although it’s a bit of an unusual law. You’re unlikely to pull on the road shoulder to access the van, let alone set up camp, where having an off-side door might be a problem with passing traffic.

Caravans must also be provided with a fire extinguisher(s), selected and located in accordance with Australian Standards AS1850-1994. While there's no law saying you must have them, an approved fire blanket and smoke detectors are a smart investment for any caravan, as is a suitably rated caravan jack.

Air-con requirements

While you’ll probably never need to worry about this law, if you have an air-conditioner fitted to the caravan, there are laws under the umbrella of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, that say you cannot vent the refrigeration gas into the atmosphere.

So needless to say, get a refrigeration specialist to repair a faulty unit; don’t try to fix it with Google and a screwdriver!

Leaky toilets

While you can’t help but think of the classic Australian film Kenny when you read this, Australian Design Rule 42, in part, says, “No vehicle must be equipped with a closet or urinal the contents of which can be discharged directly on the road.”

The ADR goes on to say,  “... every closet and urinal must contain non-inflammable and non-irritant chemicals of such character and in such quantity as to form at all times an efficient deodorant and germicide in respect of the contents of the tank, closet or urinal as the case may be; and no lavatory basin or sink must drain into any closet or urinal or into any tank into which a closet or urinal empties. The closet or urinal must vent directly to atmosphere”.

So it’s a legal requirement to make sure your toilet cassette doesn’t leak, and that you use the right chemicals in it.

There's one thing that the Feds have not enshrined in law (give them time): How you orient the roll on your caravan’s poo ticket holder is entirely up to you...

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