Under-Bed Storage Area.

My Unimog campervan has a permanent bed across the full width of the rear of the body. To support this bed and to strengthen the body it has a welded metal frame fitted.

At each side of the body is a 700mm square lockable hatch allowing external access to the storage area under the bed.

The left hand section houses two 6kg propane cylinders, the centre section houses two Elecsol 200AH 12 volt leisure batteries and the right hand section is used for general outdoor storage (tables, chairs, fire wood, bikes etc.).

In order to avoid the risk of an explosion in the event of a gas leak the left hand compartment is sealed to the inside of the campervan and ventilated to the outside. Because propane is heavier than air it is important to provide ventilation at floor level.

The two propane cylinders are mounted over the wooden rings and strapped into the black plastic brackets. The shaped wooden bar on the right fits over the collar of each cylinder.

The central battery section also has two plastic tubes fitted through the floor that vent any hydrogen generated by the batteries whilst charging.

The upper part of the central compartment is accessible from inside the body and is used for general storage.

As well as housing the two 6kg propane cylinders the left hand compartment is also used for the 30m fresh water tank filler hose.

The hose (food quality) is wound on a garden hose reel mounted on the compartment door and is permanently connected to the fresh water tank via a filter.

To reduce the strain on the hose reel when driving on rough roads it is supported by a strap at the top and when the door is closed by a thick rubber strip on the outer edge of the shelf.

When the vehicle can be parked close to a tap the short hose (seen coiled on the shelf) can be used without unwinding the full hose reel.

If water has to be pumped (from a river or well) a 24volt submersible pump (bottom left hand corner) can be attached to the hose and powered from a socket mounted under the floor.

I have added a water pre-filter (10 micron) between the hose reel and the fresh water tank to prolong the life of the drinking water filter and to allow more reliable chemical treatment of water in the fresh water tank