How do Canadain rv standards differ from U.S.

Lots of outdated info in this post. Why worry about a fire. All the component items in a US unit are CSA approved. The requirement for a CSA tag on your unit was stricken from the regs in I think 2013. If a unit you wish to import has an RVIA plaque ( all us units have this) then it is an acceptable substitute for a CSA sticker. Whenever this subject appears some Canadian dealers post scare BS as they want you to deal only with Canadian dealers. BUT most Canadian dealers bring in lots of used units!

Moisheh

Wouldn't two sets of compliances'z be involved?

Transport Canada - vehicle standards compliance - (the Transport Canada maple leaf label) - starting with the Registrar of Imported Vehicles admissibility list for vehicles less than 15 years old, followed by inspections for compliant lights and reflectors etc....

And Canadian Standards Association - "CSA" - for standards involving electrical and gas systems and components and related?

The problem seems to be that there is no mechanism to ensure that the proper certification is actually obtained.

The RIV list is taken as the be-all and end-all for admissibility and compliance. This of course as you put it, strange.

There's an almost endless list of cases where one government agency doesn't enforce another agencies requirements. This isn't helped any by the fact that different Provinces have different departments to administer it, electrical in some, fire code in others, general safety in still others.

I find it more than strange there would be any debate to and fro of the need for the stickers as that is a moot point regardless.

If dealers are prevented from importing into Canada and selling rigs without those stickers, all of the legal ramifications that apply to them would also apply to individuals.

Should you inadvertently manage to import, title, license and insure a rig without those requirements satisfied, you may be letting yourself in for some disappointment down the road when you attempt to re-sell the vehicle, why risk this?

The stickers are related to all of the codes applicable for manufacture and sale of units within the country of origin or intended for export, why not just read the lists provided and comply?

Wrong Lane wrote:
Holy******you guys are making this subject way more complicated than it need be! Wow!

I am commenting as an insurance adjuster with over 30 years experience, I worked as a customs officer for a few years when I felt I needed a career change (yes I did the paperwork on imported vehicles) and I currently own a motorhome imported to Canada from the USA.

To start with the CSA label thing -- well it is not an issue. If the RV you plan to import is on the admissible list then you can import it. The changes you need to make generally are in the areas of daytime running lights, seatbelts and having the speedo labeled to show forward speed in KMPH (most speedos already show both)

If you wish to violate Canadian law, go for it, but at least be factual and not mislead others into thinking that just because the CSA approval isn't required to get it across the border it isn't ever required.

Things may have changed since then, but our 2003 Komfort has two versions of the electrical set-up. The owner's manual shows the Canadian version and the US version wiring diagrams for the 120v breakers.

The Can version has mostly 15a breakers while the US version has all 20a breakers. Unknown whether the US version has the split 20/15a receptacles to go with the 20 a breakers and the 12 vs 14 wire all round.

The Can version has a three-way switch (MW- Off-WH) for one of the 15a breakers that works the microwave or the water heater.

Komfort was licensed to put on the CSA sticker at their factory in Oregon for trailers ordered by Canadians at their local Komfort dealers.

No idea what goes on nowadays.

Wrong Lane wrote:
Holy******you guys are making this subject way more complicated than it need be! Wow!

I am commenting as an insurance adjuster with over 30 years experience, I worked as a customs officer for a few years when I felt I needed a career change (yes I did the paperwork on imported vehicles) and I currently own a motorhome imported to Canada from the USA.

To start with the CSA label thing -- well it is not an issue. If the RV you plan to import is on the admissible list then you can import it. The changes you need to make generally are in the areas of daytime running lights, seatbelts and having the speedo labeled to show forward speed in KMPH (most speedos already show both)

My 2006 Challenger does not have a CSA label anywhere, yet here it sits in Canada, properly imported, legally licenced, registered with the Registar of Imported Vehicles and fully insured.

As far as not paying a claim because it does not have a CSA label. hogwash!! The insurer will pay as long as it was properly imported, and registered as an imported vehicle and eligible to be licenced in a Canadian jurisdiction. I have had a claim, with an imported motorhome, hit a deer. Guess what, claim paid, no hassles and certainly not once was the question of a CSA label brought up.

So what modifications were required on my rig when it was imported? One change only, a module was added to turn on the daytime running lights. The local Canadian Tire did the required inspection and the kid that did it had no concern with propane, electrical or other systems. He has a check list and all of the items he checks off are automotive in nature.

So bottom line, if the government has predetermined the vehicle is admissible then CSA labels or the lack thereof are not even on the radar. Non-issue for Canada Border Services or your insurer.

For our friends in the US planning to visit Canada and return home with their motorhome, ignore the list, it does not apply to you and you need no modifications. The list only concerns units that are being permanently imported and will remain in Canada and be licensed here.

Not wanting to start an argument, but your claim was not regarding a CSA component. IE. if a non-CSA component started a fire on your RV, then I would bet your insurance wouldn't cover it or any damages caused.

Oh and for the record, Customs officers only concern is if the value of the vehicle is correct, it is on the RIV list, and the sale was legit. Aside from that, it is up to whomever does the RIV inspection, which is usually crappy tire.

Holy******you guys are making this subject way more complicated than it need be! Wow!

I am commenting as an insurance adjuster with over 30 years experience, I worked as a customs officer for a few years when I felt I needed a career change (yes I did the paperwork on imported vehicles) and I currently own a motorhome imported to Canada from the USA.

To start with the CSA label thing -- well it is not an issue. If the RV you plan to import is on the admissible list then you can import it. The changes you need to make generally are in the areas of daytime running lights, seatbelts and having the speedo labeled to show forward speed in KMPH (most speedos already show both)

My 2006 Challenger does not have a CSA label anywhere, yet here it sits in Canada, properly imported, legally licenced, registered with the Registar of Imported Vehicles and fully insured.

As far as not paying a claim because it does not have a CSA label. hogwash!! The insurer will pay as long as it was properly imported, and registered as an imported vehicle and eligible to be licenced in a Canadian jurisdiction. I have had a claim, with an imported motorhome, hit a deer. Guess what, claim paid, no hassles and certainly not once was the question of a CSA label brought up.

So what modifications were required on my rig when it was imported? One change only, a module was added to turn on the daytime running lights. The local Canadian Tire did the required inspection and the kid that did it had no concern with propane, electrical or other systems. He has a check list and all of the items he checks off are automotive in nature.

So bottom line, if the government has predetermined the vehicle is admissible then CSA labels or the lack thereof are not even on the radar. Non-issue for Canada Border Services or your insurer.

For our friends in the US planning to visit Canada and return home with their motorhome, ignore the list, it does not apply to you and you need no modifications. The list only concerns units that are being permanently imported and will remain in Canada and be licensed here.

There's a quirk in the system though, that is that the required standard is in most cases pretty much on the honour system.

Unless, that is, you are unlucky enough to have some reason to interact with the government or an insurance company.

Since compliance is required by legislation for instance it's illegal for an insurance company to pay a claim on an non-CSA approved unit.

Now that's not to say it doesn't or won't happen, it's a very real possibility. A friend of mine imported a class A m/h and found out when he took it to his insurance agent for an inspection. The CSA label Watson the insurance companies checklist and the underwriter refused to cover it for anything except P L & P D (and only then after much pressure) until it was brought into compliance.

BTW, the actual differences between CSA and US spec. are not huge, but some experts somewhere decided they were required for safety.

Most of them result from the fact that Canadian building and electrical codes are amongst the most stringent in the world.

Always wise to check before making a purchase. Last year in our park in Mission, Texas, a French Canadian was selling a very nice B on a sprinter chassis. I can't remember the mfg, but I think it was Gulf Stream. He had bought it in the late spring and drove it home to Quebec. He was turned away at the border because it was one of the rigs that is inadmissible into Canada. He drove it all the way back down to Mission, Texas, then flew home.

That was the first I had heard about this, but obviously, it's been in practice for a while.

Dale