Thoughts about removing gas hob / sink combo

[icn05]

Hi all

Has anyone done the above?

Having used the van for over a year I’m thinking about maybe removing the sink/hob combo, replacing it with a counter top and just using a portable 2 burner camping type cooker

We do use the hob but hardly ever use the sink and I’m thinking a counter top could provide more useable space without being hindered by glass covering the hob & sink. Plus with the camping type hob being portable it gives the option of being able to cook outside without having to bring more kit and removing the sink would provide a bit of extra cupboard space

I’d be interested to hear the thoughts of anyone who has experience of doing this and have you any regrets?

Thanks

 

[Badjamin]

It's not uncommon for people to remove sink/hob. I'm with you on this one.

I have just bought an interior unit off a forum member with a sink hob integrated and I have no plans to connect the gas and water etc. I'll be sourcing a piece of timber to install in it's place and will be selling on the hob cooker in due course.

It's obviously a unique selling point and an expected item, more often than not, that if you buy a camper, there is a 'kitchen' installed, but as a self converter, I am not willing to commit to the amount of room the gas bottle and sink fresh water/grey water reservoirs take up in the cupboard. Also having a drop out hole in the floor for the gas to keep clear means the space in the unit devoted to this setup is probably around 60% of the overall storage capacity. And yes to save that space I could get an underslung gas and water reservoir obviously but this is a pricey option for what I believe to be something I will rarely use.

I think a lot of people on the forum will agree that the sink is essentially a toothbrush rinse and spit zone and the hob is only really useable if the van is level and only 100% necessary if the weather is terrible...

Having the versatility of a moveable gas hob to put on your work top in bad weather, or in good weather, to put on your swing out table, on the table in your awning or wherever? this is what it's all about IMO

 

[JumpShip]

We fitted a small sink and have a bamboo chopping board cut to size to act as a multipurpose cover .
We use the tap/sink a lot of the time so would miss that but we don't have a fixed hob taking up usable space or the need for a gas locker .

 

[icn05]

We fitted a small sink and have a bamboo chopping board cut to size to act as a multipurpose cover .
We use the tap/sink a lot of the time so would miss that but we don't have a fixed hob taking up usable space or the need for a gas locker .

As we have an underslung water tank I was thinking maybe fitting a swan neck swivel type tap fitted through the worktop & just using a collapsible bowl to save on the cupboard space the sink takes up but your idea is something to think about too.

 

[Badjamin]

As we have an underslung water tank I was thinking maybe fitting a swan neck swivel type tap fitted through the worktop & just using a collapsible bowl to save on the cupboard space the sink takes up but your idea is something to think about too.

I think @Bav has a boiling water tap with it's own drain... I think that'd possibly be a compromise I'd consider if an underslung water tank was already installed

 

[icn05]

Another issue is I don’t really have the tools to cut / finish a wooden counter top, and buying what I’d need just for the one job seems an unnecessary expense - does anyone know of a company who’ll custom make one to my specifications?

 

[Badjamin]

Another issue is I don’t really have the tools to cut / finish a wooden counter top, and buying what I’d need just for the one job seems an unnecessary expense - does anyone know of a company who’ll custom make one to my specifications?

For no sink or tap I'd say for the price of a jigsaw and an off cut piece of worktop on gumtree or wherever plus sandpaper and varnish/paint you'd struggle to pay over £100. I'd imagine it'd cost double that for a conversion company or even a handyman to do the work for you.

 

[Skyliner33]

A disadvantage of removing the hob/sink could be insurance. Some companies who specialise in camper insurance wont accept it if there is no hob/sink.
An option would be to leave the hob /sjink in place and just dont bother connecting them up. This also leave the option to do that if you change your mind later on.

 

[icn05]

A disadvantage of removing the hob/sink could be insurance. Some companies who specialise in camper insurance wont accept it if there is no hob/sink.
An option would be to leave the hob /sjink in place and just dont bother connecting them up. This also leave the option to do that if you change your mind later on.

Hmm hadn’t thought of that as it’d still obviously be a campervan. As well as the portable gas hob we’ve got a small induction hob so there’d still be water & cooking facilities.

Worth checking before I do anything though

 

[Ayjay]

I thought about exactly that but then decided to only go half way and free up space by taking out the gas cylinder/regulator, associated gas safe, 12L water container and tap pump fuse but leaving the domestic hob/sink combo in place. I then fitted a shelf in the cupboard where the gas was situated. The sink is used as storage for coupe of small washing bowls, tea towels and dish washing kit so it's not completed wasted space and there's still a longish flat surface, albeit partly glass. My logic in not going the whole hog was that if I ever come to sell the van, it's all relatively easy to reverse as buyers (especially newbies to campervanning) often expect a kitchen.

 

[TeeCeeJay]

Hmm hadn’t thought of that as it’d still obviously be a campervan. As well as the portable gas hob we’ve got a small induction hob so there’d still be water & cooking facilities.

Worth checking before I do anything though

Without resurrection of the whole DVLA ,is it a camper chat. In order to meet the road use / type approved regulations thing. I believe your cooker / sink have to be permanent. If you want to identify as a campervan in order to beat a 60+ speeding ticket.

 

[T6 Syd]

I've removed the hob/sink and units and going down the line of a removable pod with sink and individual portable induction hob(s). I guess, though, that I could fall foul on the insurance side if I have an accident when the pod isn't in the van and they don't deem it to be a camper van any more. I'd argue that though, with the pop-top, beds for 4 persons and a retractable awning. Still, I guess I'll let my insurer know I've made the changes - I've told them I don't have the kitchen units in but not specifically said that I won't have a sink and cooking onboard all the time!

 

[T6 Syd]

@TeeCeeJay - Hmm, I guess I'll have a dual speed van, 50/60 when the pod isn't there and 60/70 when it is bolted in. It depends what 'permanent' means, my last one wasn't as I have removed it

 

[Bav]

A disadvantage of removing the hob/sink could be insurance. Some companies who specialise in camper insurance wont accept it if there is no hob/sink.
An option would be to leave the hob /sjink in place and just dont bother connecting them up. This also leave the option to do that if you change your mind later on.

Yep. No sink/hob would also void the "it's a campervan" defence in response to an "exceeding LGV speed limits" NIP. I suspect I'd get away with arguing my drain fulfilled the function of a sink, but not having a fixed hob means my van doesn't meet the definition of a campervan.

 

[Bav]

Hmm hadn’t thought of that as it’d still obviously be a campervan. As well as the portable gas hob we’ve got a small induction hob so there’d still be water & cooking facilities.

Worth checking before I do anything though

Hob and sink need to be "permanently installed" in order for your van to meet the criteria for a campervan.

 

[Bav]

I think @Bav has a boiling water tap with it's own drain... I think that'd possibly be a compromise I'd consider if an underslung water tank was already installed

Not sure how much storage space is saved having a drain rather than a sink - some, but not much, I suspect - but you certainly get more useable worktop area.

 

[roadtripper]

The legal side is likely only to be an issue if your V5 defines you as a Motorcaravan as having fixed cooking is part of that definition.

There is no legal definition of "campervan" and some of the most publicly recognisable ones (VW California Beach) are actually registered as MPV - it's a mess.

It's worth checking the latest version as a sink is no longer included and the wording has been updated so that the "permanent cooking" can be interpreted as an induction hob or a microwave.

Internal features for motor caravans

www.gov.uk

Sterling Power seem to do a very basic induction cooker that sets in to a worktop, even if you only had it wired into the EHU and only used it occasionally for a kettle on campsites that that looks like it would meet the spirit, potentially be useful but would just be "worktop" if you never used it...

Sterling Power- Induction Hobs (IH1) | Camper van conversion electrics | Leisureshopdirect

Buy a Sterling Power- Induction Hobs (IH1) | Camper van conversion electrics | Leisureshopdirect

www.leisureshopdirect.com

 

[Bav]

There is no legal definition of "campervan" and some of the most publicly recognisable ones (VW California Beach) are actually registered as MPV - it's a mess.

Agree that it's a mess, but there is a legal definition for a "Motor Caravan" - the official term for a campervan. The definition is detailed in the Construction & Use Regs (1986) and it is these regs that determine applicable speed limits, not what's shown on the V5.

 

[Badjamin]

Sterling Power- Induction Hobs (IH1) | Camper van conversion electrics | Leisureshopdirect

Buy a Sterling Power- Induction Hobs (IH1) | Camper van conversion electrics | Leisureshopdirect

www.leisureshopdirect.com

I might get a sticker made that looks like an induction hob...

 

[Badjamin]

Okay I feel like someone has changed the matrix here. I thought panel van and van with windows was the difference between 60mph/70mph limits

I'm gonna do a deep dive in the forum now for past wisdom I feel I already know...