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Date:         Sat, 6 Jun 2015 17:05:40 +0000
Reply-To:     Poppie Jagersand <poppie.jagersand@YAHOO.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Poppie Jagersand <poppie.jagersand@YAHOO.CA>
Subject:      Bringing a North American spec Westy to Europe: tips and mods
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

I have a US spec '85 camper in Europe. I keep it together with a friend there, and we both take part in maintaining and using it. Some mods to make gas and electricity work work in Europe: Propane: Different countries in Europe have different propane standards, tanks and fittings. Most European campers use removable BBQ type tanks instead of a fixed tank.I bought some propane hose, a 5kg tank. Mounted the tank behind the passenger seat using a 1/4 circle of rubber screwed to the van and a tie strap. You can see it in the box on the first picture here:http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~jag/Pictures/1406GerSwedenSelect/part1.htm Our US vans have 30mBar propane regulators. Europe uses 50mBar. At first I bought and tried to use a variable regulator, but it was difficult to adjust. Then I just bought a standard, easy to find 50mBar regulator. I have run fridge and stove on 50mBar since 2006 with no ill effects. (Note that flow through orfices rises not linearly, but with the square root, so appliances will run not 70% hotter but 30%. (sqrt(50/30)) (One might bring a US regulator, but I think threads are different) Since our van is in Europe for years it is also registered and insured there (Germany). This requires inspection. Inspectors insisted that by European standards, all appliances should have a separate shutoff valve. There are kits to buy for this and mount under the sink. For temporary visitors the hose and BBQ tank mod is easy to do (buy tank, Eur 30, hose Eur 6, regulator Eur 6), but the shutoff valve mod can be ignored if you are not going to register the van locally. (You can drive up to 1 year on foreign plates as a tourist. You do need insurance.) Electricity:European RV standards use an annoyingly big plug. The westy version required about twice as large cutout as the US one. Circuit breaker and outlets inside have to be changed to 220V also. I'm not sure if the heater coil on the Westy fridge can be easily changed to 220v. An 220-110V step down circuit could also be used. (I run the fridge on propane) At the campsite most Europeans use an RV->regular adapter, a windup 25m regular extension cord, and a regular -> RV adapter to plug in. This of course negates any safety of the special RV plugs. For a temporary visitor it might be enough to buy an regular extension chord and replace the plug end with the RV type plug. With a dual battery setup we don;t need to plug in for 1-2 day stay, but run the batteries down on longer stays.  Emissions decal required to enter cities.Since a few years back many cities require a green Euro 4 emissions certification sticker to enter. After replacing the catalytic converter our US spec 1.9l wasserboxer passed the test. (Regular US spec Diesels will not get green Euro 4 emissions certification.) Table:In the US and Canada we camp in national and state parks. These all seem to have picnic tables. European campgrounds didn't so on the first trip we sat either in the Westy or on the ground. After that experience we cut down a foldable wood picnic table to fit behind the drivers seat, and bought two small folding chairs. http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~jag/Pictures/1406GerSwedenSelect/IMG_20140606_091249_sm.JPG Martin (82 Westy 1.9TD in Canada, 85 Westy1.9 gas in Europe)VW Westy Diesel Home |   | |   | |   |   |   |   |   | | VW Westy Diesel HomeVolkswagen Westfalia Diesel Home Page Living with the Westy Engine and Driveline Body Mechanical Not long ago I used to tease and laugh at people with more than one... | | | | View on www.cs.rochester.edu | Preview by Yahoo | | | |   |

 


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