First night away questions.

roadrunner 45 · Jun 25, 2015

Hello All,

We are staying in the Cali for the first night and I need some help/advice-

When going to sleep how do you lock the doors, to keep safe?

Do you leave the window open for ventilation?

Is there a quiet way to open the sliding door during night for toilet trip?

That's it for now.

Thanks.

WelshGas · Jun 25, 2015

If you have the roof up then you will have the ventilation grills in the canvas. If not leave one of the front windows open a cm or so.
I lock the vehicle with the switch on the Drivers door. Doors locked from outside but can be opened from inside. Internal alarm is off.
Switch off cab and footwell lights with switch on console by rear view mirror.
No way to switch off side door lock closing mechanism.
Have fun.

If you get some front window wind deflectors then you can leave the window open slightly without the rain getting in.

Gavinskii · Jun 25, 2015

I never lock the door, I suppose I might do in a dodgy aire or something.
Generally we have the pop top open so plenty of ventilation through the fabric.
We have one of those small pottys which is inside, however before we got that just used the sliding door and generally SHMBO sleeps through everything!!

Have fun and report back, now just make sure you have your head end slightly raised or you might have a non alcohol induced headache!

Hotel California · Jun 25, 2015

Remember one important thing...!

If you lock the door by the switch inside on the drivers door , go to sleep and get up at night to go outside ( toilet )....unlock it first whit the button on the driversdoor or take the remote with you at all time.
If you don't and you just open the sliding door from the inside , witch can by simply pulling two times the handle , and you get out the Cali closing the sliding door you will be spending the night under the stars if no one else is in the Cali to unlock the doors .

motacyclist · Jun 25, 2015

hotel california T5 said:
Remember one important thing...!

If you lock the door by the switch inside on the drivers door , go to sleep and get up at night to go outside ( toilet )....unlock it first whit the button on the driversdoor or take the remote with you at all time.
If you don't and you just open the sliding door from the inside , witch can by simply pulling two times the handle , and you get out the Cali closing the sliding door you will be spending the night under the stars if no one else is in the Cali to unlock the doors .

Good point, I noticed that it's very easy to accidentally lock the sliding door when closing it ...

Hotel California · Jun 25, 2015

Did it once , lucky that the wife was in the pop-top still sleeping...

Larkrise · Jun 25, 2015

We have never locked the van so far, but have not stayed on roadsides etc either. We usually have the top vents unzipped in summer and don't fully shut the sliding door ( just so it catches but not locks) since I am usually up several times in the night.

roadrunner 45 · Jun 26, 2015

Thanks for the help.

Also how do you fit and connect the gas ?

motacyclist · Jun 26, 2015

roadrunner 45 said:
Thanks for the help.

Also how do you fit and connect the gas ?

Does your van have the adaptor which screws directly into the bottle? Your Cali should have come with an adaptor which fits on the Gaz bottle. However, it is easy to unintentionally leave this connected to the Gaz bottle when you sell the van, leaving the subsequent owner with a puzzle.

roadrunner 45 · Jun 26, 2015

Hello,

Yes there is a pipe with an attachment in the space where the bottle goes , I assume this is it... Does it just screw on the blue gas bottle?
The gas bottle has a red cap ... Do I just remove this and screw/push it on?

motacyclist · Jun 26, 2015

roadrunner 45 said:
Hello,

Yes there is a pipe with an attachment in the space where the bottle goes , I assume this is it... Does it just screw on the blue gas bottle?
The gas bottle has a red cap ... Do I just remove this and screw/push it on?

Yes, unscrew the cap and screw on the attachment. If it doesn't fit, then there is a piece missing. All the info is in the California Supplement which comes with the van; or if you don't have it there is a copy in the "Downloads" section.

AlanC · Jun 26, 2015

The gas bottle has to be the Blue Camping Gaz 907 bottle. This has a blue handle screwed into the top which has to be removed, but kept safely. You will need this when the bottle is empty in order to swap it with a full one.

The connector with the regulator attached is screwed onto the bottle. There should be a rubber wedge on a string which is used to stop the bottle rattling around in the centre of the water tank.

The tap on the regulator has to be opened and there is another one under the cooker which also has to be opened. This one should be inline with the gas pipe. Then you should OK to light the burner.

Alan

jimandcaz · Jun 27, 2015

Re the gas... The lovely camping supplies shop I went to came out to my van in the car park, and hooked up first gas can I bought and explained it all for me

IanE · Jun 27, 2015

Further to Larkrise comments re the sliding door - if you do close it as he/she describes, so it catches but doesn't lock, you won't make half as much noise in the quiet of the night

SimplyDubs · Jun 28, 2015

hotel california T5 said:
f you don't and you just open the sliding door from the inside , witch can by simply pulling two times the handle , and you get out the Cali closing the sliding door you will be spending the night under the stars if no one else is in the Cali to unlock the doors .

Well there you go then, another difference between the T5 and the T5GP models... Our '09 sliding door stays unlocked if you open it with the double pull you mention.

Also, I've always found closing it slowly and then pushing the back lip so the close assist pulls it the last of the way is the quietest. (I tend to get up early, 5am or so) a couple of hours before the girls)

Hope you got the gas sorted.