Carb Cleaner wrote:
JaxDad wrote:
Carb Cleaner wrote:
Certification, from who?
Without being a member of RVIA you would have to obtain certification from an independant company like QAI or one the handful of other companies qualified to do the work.
RVIA is a self-certification by the manufacturer, stating that they met the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard for Recreational Vehicles. The RVIA performs "surprise" inspections to verify compliance. They're private Asscociations, not Government Agencies. It seems ridiculous to require the little oval sticker for staying in a COE site. Simply because you aren't a member of RVIA and can't get a sticker, doesn't mean your rig isn't as safe, or safer, than RVIA standards. How many people use space heaters in their rig that aren't UL listed? Does anybody check space heaters? Is every repair ever performed on a RV required to have a stamp of certification? I'm not saying it isn't true, because I haven't researched the laws involved, I'm just saying it's silly. I do, however, understand the COE wanting to have the illusion that your neighbors' rigs are safe. Regardless of the laws and motives, it's baloney.
The RVIA, much like the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, is a money interest and they really don't give a rat's pituty about your safety.
The QAI seems largely applicable to food preparation safety. I'm not sure what they have to do with other systems in an RV. I didn't delve, very far.
You touched on it, but then missed it again. It's nothing to do with a 'little oval sticker', it's about certification that an RV complies with Federal laws.
Yes, NFPA and ANSI compliance are federally mandated. It's federal safety stuff, it's fire, electrical, plumbing and life safety, I don't see it as silly. More & more campgrounds (both private and publicly operated) are requiring all units on the property to be certified. If they look out the window and see a commercially-produced RV they aren't going to go looking, but if it looks homemade, things change.
BTW, QAI does lots of stuff, see their website.
QAI LABS RV Certifications.A good friend of mine imported a MH into Canada, the insurance company required the agent to take a picture of the certification sticker and email it to them before they would give him anything more than a 30 day temporary binder to get it home on. That binder was also ONLY minimum liability, no comprehensive, fire, etc., until he proved it was a Canadian compliant unit.
More & more though it is being checked since municipalities are making it a requirement of the zoning and the by-law enforcement officers are enforcing it. The advent and popularity of "Tiny Homes" (cabins built on top of car carriers) is a great deal of the cause of this new proactive enforcement.
Basically though this is one of those quirky deals where there's not much active enforcement of the law. Kind of like riding a motorcycle with a helmet that isn't DOT approved. You could likely get away with it for ever, doesn't mean it it's legal.
