So here's the detail on how I got a Smev 911 into the space that used to be occupied by the Westy spirit burner. The background to this mod is that a previous owner removed the spirit burners themselves and wedged (and I do mean wedged
) a CampingGaz gas cooker underneath. On the face of it it was a clever bodge - the gas burners poked up through the original holes and you could access the knobs by dropping down the flap under the cooker.
But... and it's a big but... the bodgery involved was just too much and included bent gas lines and the like. I wasn't happy with it. If I'd been able to source the original spirit burners I probably would've done that and had done with it. But without the burners I had no choice but to look for a complete replacement gas unit.
This isn't as easy as it sounds. The Westy space is smaller than most combo hob/sink units, and there's also very little depth for the sink. After a lot of head-scratching and measuring, I realised the Smev 911 was the only viable option. It fits and looks factory :clap but there's a fair bit of fiddling around needed, and (as you'll discover) it's not quite how I'd like it. But here's how it looks:
Pretty neat, huh?
Here are the mods that need to be done:
First, the Smev's a bit smaller in overall dimensions than the Westy unit it replaces, which leaves a hole in the worktop. Easily solved with a custom sized piece of stainless:
The new layout also means you can't use the old Westy splashback/drainer. So that goes into the recycling, and it's time for a new piece of stainless, cut to fit around the latch, and screwed to the lid:
The Smev also has no provision for routing or siting a tap. Luckily there's space to drill a hole for the Westy hose, and if you can live without the shower facility there's plenty of length to re-route the tap to the far side. The original Westy tap hook also works perfectly well in this orientation:
We're not quite finished yet...
The Smev sits a bit more proud than the Westy cooker. I found that the stove knobs fouled the lid slightly, preventing me from closing it fully. Holes in the right place in the splash back might help, but I simply filed the tops of the knobs down until they didn't hit the lid...
Flipping the sink and burners also puts the plastic spice racks rather close to heat from the stove, so I use a cheap, heat-proof craft cutting mat wedged between the lid and latch. It's not especially elegant, but it gives me peace of mind (particularly because I had all those interior plastics rather expensively refinished
)
Clearance between the sink and fridge is tight, but there's enough room... just!
Waste and inlet hoses need to be routed behind the top drawer. The waste hose is pretty much level, which means the sink drains rather slowly - but I've had no problems. There isn't enough room behind the drawer though, so the interior needs to be shortened by a few cms. It's fairly straightforward with a hacksaw, file and some Araldite...
The bit I'm not happy with is the siting of the gas bottle. It lives in the wardrobe, strapped into place. This gives a nice short run of gas hose to the stove and easy access for turning on and off, but it's not a gas-tight box and I don't yet have drop vents installed. Still scratching my head a bit on that one, but in the meantime I'm fastidious about turning off the (brand new) regulator when it's not in use (I'm fully expecting a ticking off about this arrangement, so I'd like to flag up the fact that I'm aware that it's not ideal and I'm trying to come up with a solution. Copy at your own risk, etc.)
Overall, though, I'm very happy with the look and function and it's a nice finishing touch for the van
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