There are generally four different types of RV stoves (or RV ranges or cooktops): propane-fueled, diesel-fueled, alcohol-fueled, and induction. The vast majority of RVs, however, come with propane stovetops. CSA ANSI Z21.57-2010 (R2021): Recreational Vehicle Cooking Gas Appliances details test and examination criteria for recreational vehicle cooking gas appliances for use with liquefied petroleum gases or for use with natural gas convertible for use with liquefied petroleum gases.
History of the RV
People once camped in private rail cars that were pulled to sidings along train routes. In 1910, there were few gas stations, few paved roads, and no highway system. However, the pace of camping’s modernization increased when inexpensive automobiles began appearing, leading to a new freedom to people who did not want to be limited by the rail system. With incomes rising, car sales exploded. At the same time, vacations became more widespread. Soon, Bachelder’s horses became motor vehicles, and all the middle classes started to embrace camping.
The first RV was hand-built onto an automobile in 1904. This proto-motorhome slept four adults on bunks, was lit by incandescent lights, and included an icebox and a radio. Over the course of the next decade, well-off tinkerers continued to adapt a variety of automobiles and truck chassis to create even more spacious and comfortable vehicles. The first motorhome was created by Pierce-Arrow, an American manufacturer of luxury cars, in 1910. The vehicle was called the Touring Landau: a Pierce-Arrow touring car with a modified back seat that could fold down into a bed. It allowed for a comfortable sleeping space for two people, making it a practical vehicle for camping and traveling.
In 1915 Roland and Mary Conklin launched their Gypsy Van: a 25-foot, 8-ton conveyance that functioned as a compromise between camping and hotel travel. The Conklin family departed Huntington, New York on a cross-country camping trip in the Gypsy Van. It was custom-built by Roland Conklin’s Gas-Electric Motor Bus Company to provide a maximum of comfort while roughing it on the road to San Francisco. The family’s journey was so widely publicized that their invention became the general template for generations of motorhomes. The appeal of motorhomes like the Conklins’ was clear for campers—those open to the idea of coupling their motor car with camping equipment and hitting the road. Since the early 20th century, the motor home’s technology has sophisticated and standards like CSA ANSI Z21.57-2010 (R2021) assure safety in the RV.
What Is CSA ANSI Z21.57?
CSA ANSI Z21.57-2010 (R2021) applies to newly produced compact cooking gas appliances constructed of entirely new, unused parts and materials, intended for installation in recreational vehicles, including recreational park trailers:
- For use with propane gases only
- For use with natural gas convertible for use with propane gas
This American National Standard and National Standard of Canada providespecifications for safe operation, substantial and durable construction, and acceptable performance of recreational vehicle cooking gas appliances. It defines a recreational vehicle cooking gas appliance as an appliance for domestic food preparation, providing at least one function of (1) top or surface cooking, (2) oven cooking or (3) broiling and having design features enabling it to meet the special conditions connected for use in a recreational vehicle.
Larger cooking gas appliances intended for recreational park trailers are covered by the Standard for Household Cooking Gas Appliances, ANSI Z21.1. Our blog post ANSI Z21.10/CSA 4 (Water Heaters) explains the standards in the ANSI Z21.1 series for gas water heaters.
Cooking Appliances Applicable to CSA ANSI Z21.57
CSA ANSI Z21.57-2010 (R2021) applies to cooking appliances designed to be recessed into, placed upon, and attached to the construction of a recreational vehicle. Built in units are further classified as:
- Top or surface unit. A unit for installation in or on a counter top.
- Oven unit. A unit for installation in a cabinet, wall or partition, or for installation on a counter. It may be a separate oven, may be equipped with a broiler that uses the oven burner, or may serve as a broiler with a burner in the upper portion of the oven.
- Broiler unit. May have an open top or be enclosed, may be a separate broiler, or may be combined with a rotisserie.
- Combinations of “-a,” “-b” or “-c” above, or any other cooking device that may be for similar installation.
- Convertible unit. A unit for use with natural gas and propane gases with provisions for the simple conversion from one gas to the other, equipped with double coaxial main burner orifices and a convertible gas appliance pressure regulator.
CSA ANSI Z21.57-2010 (R2021): Recreational Vehicle Cooking Gas Appliances is available on the ANSI Webstore.
