replacing grill with oven?

by lindadoe Tue Jan 10, 2017 2:32 pm

Dear all
Does anyone know if its possible to replace the grill compartment with an oven in the autosleeper topaz kitchen? I dont need a full oven, but a grill is not useful to me , whereas an oven would be. I dont want to remove the whole carcass, just change the grill compartment to an oven compartment? is it possible? has anyone done it safely?
Thanks ever so, advice appreciated :) wave

by Machloop Tue Jan 10, 2017 4:40 pm

lindadoe wrote:Does anyone know if its possible to replace the grill compartment with an oven in the autosleeper topaz kitchen?
Thanks ever so, advice appreciated :)

Any chance of a photo of your grill setup?

by lindadoe Tue Jan 10, 2017 5:03 pm

No sorry, photo not possible as I havent bought the van as yet...which will be a 2001 autoseleepor topaz, vw T4 van

by Greyhound Tue Jan 10, 2017 5:12 pm

Is it the same set up as this:

replacing grill with oven? 44820901

I guess you would have to find an oven the exact same dimensions to go in. If lucky I suppose you could, but I dare say you'll have a lot of messing around to have to get one in and working.

You can buy little standalone ovens. If no-one has a good solution might be better to rip all the existing units out to use for storage and insert the oven of your choice in the space available. Personally I'm not sure it would be worth all that hassle though.

by lindadoe Tue Jan 10, 2017 5:18 pm

ah! now you are sharing my thoughts...seems like a lot of hassle...but its so nice to have a slow cooking meal in an oven, which warms the camper and gets the kids back for lunch.....I love the idea of a standalone oven though - not seen those before - do they run off the gas bottle?? I ahve a crock pot for electric hook-up, but need a gas alternative for when that's not available. Thanks for the advice!

by Doris Tue Jan 10, 2017 8:42 pm

Have you thought of using a thermal cooking bag? It works on the hay box principle. You can buy a product called a Wonderbag or you can find instructions to make one on the internet. I tried making a stew in one I improvised with a Lakeland fabric cool bag and thermal wadding I had bought to make table mats. It worked well and the stew was very tasty. I am planning to sew a bag to put inside the cool bag. This would be much less expensive than buying a new oven. If it works I will post instructions.
Louise

by lindadoe Tue Jan 10, 2017 9:26 pm

Wow! That's amazing...yes please to instructions :)

by Greyhound Wed Jan 11, 2017 9:51 am

lindadoe wrote:I love the idea of a standalone oven though - not seen those before - do they run off the gas bottle??

You can get ones that run off a gas cartridge, which is basically just like a big aerosol can of butane. Here's one:
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I guess they are aimed at campers or campervans without an oven, but they're quite a nice solution as they are portable, so you could store out of the way until needed, but obviously you use up storage space you were trying to create.

by Machloop Wed Jan 11, 2017 12:10 pm

Well, this one runs off your gas if it will fit in the space, though the worktop would probably need replacing.

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by Gromit Wed Jan 11, 2017 12:21 pm

Am I being paranoid, or would some of these gas oven appliances need to be vented externally to avoid possible danger from their emissions?

I don't know, but it's worth mentioning as they are usually referred to as "Outdoor" cooking appliances, and are obviously not designed to be built in.

by PLOUGHLIN Wed Jan 11, 2017 12:31 pm

My built in oven and hob is not externally vented, is yours? Having a flame failure devices is probably more important.

by Machloop Wed Jan 11, 2017 12:46 pm

Gromit wrote:Am I being paranoid, or would some of these gas oven appliances need to be vented externally to avoid possible danger from their emissions?

I don't know, but it's worth mentioning as they are usually referred to as "Outdoor" cooking appliances, and are obviously not designed to be built in.

Well our Kingham cooker is not vented to the outside but yes I would always check and RTFM. Here is what our book says.....

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Yes, we use LPG tank [but same gas as gas bottles].

by Greyhound Wed Jan 11, 2017 1:42 pm

Gromit wrote:and are obviously not designed to be built in.

Totally agree they shouldn't be built in if it's a standalone. I'd probably be happy to use it on a worktop though, its just a case of using common sense and not sealing all the doors and windows without a budgie to check on oxygen levels ;)

by Gromit Wed Jan 11, 2017 1:46 pm

PLOUGHLIN wrote:My built in oven and hob is not externally vented, is yours? Having a flame failure devices is probably more important.

No, same as yours, and I agree about the flame failure device.

As I said, I don't know, but when adapting a potentially dangerous appliance away from the purpose for which it was intended and designed, it's always wise to be cautious. I don't know if our oven has a gas dropout to cope with any leaks, but I rather suspect that it will have. That's something else to consider.

by lindadoe Wed Jan 11, 2017 5:23 pm

Thanks all. I love that advice :"never look for a leak with a naked flame" and there was I thinking I'd light a match and check it out....
That said, I ahve kids in the van ...I never cook without a window open to be over cautious and switch of gas bottles at night "just in case". Cant help it, brain says not necessary, mother's instinct says "do it anyway"! Thanks all, have decided to carry on looking for a van with the right layout and appliances, knowing I can take an extra oven along if I want to
x

by KMRTOPAZ Thu Jan 12, 2017 12:50 am

I fitted a small gas oven in a 2001 Topaz. It went into the upper half of the cupboard below the grill. The removal of the grill was ruled out because of the shared pipework with the hob, plus other constraints. This was about 14/15 years ago, and these days I have difficulty remembering what I did yesterday, so the detail is lost in the mist ! I do seem to remember that there was a narrow grill at the back of the hob that provided adequate venting.
Nowadays we carry a small electric oven that occupies half of the top shelf of the same cupboard. We remove it and use it on the top of the sink/drainer glass, close to a 13A socket.
Now it's time to admit that we also tow a small caravan, which has a full cooker. Cheating !
Keith

by lindadoe Thu Jan 12, 2017 10:50 am

Thanks keith - yes, its that upper half pf cupboard I was thinking of adapting

by Gromit Thu Jan 12, 2017 11:27 am

I presume you have considered a Remoska??

Quite expensive for what they are, but it may be the perfect solution for what you want - and many motorhomers say they are one of the best accessory they ever bought.

Just a thought.

by lindadoe Thu Jan 12, 2017 11:53 am

I dont know what that is but I'll Google it! :)

by lindadoe Thu Jan 12, 2017 11:54 am

Ah! nice looking little device...but doesnt run on gas :(

replacing grill with oven?

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