On June 6, the RV industry Association (RVIA) board of directors approved the following motion regarding vertical clearance requirements for the installation of exterior griddles on RVs:
“Exterior griddles on RVs shall have a 30-inch minimum vertical clearance between the cooking surface and either combustible or noncombustible materials. If present, combustible material above the griddle shall be covered with a minimum 28 U.S. gauge sheet metal. This program requirement will have an effective date of Sept. 30, 2024.”
Please note that the deviation severity was determined by the Standards Steering Committee to be an “A” deviation. The RV Industry Association RV Handbook, section 5.4.7 will be revised to reflect this new program requirement. A code change proposal will be drafted and submitted for the 2029 edition of the NFPA 1192.
This issue was reviewed at the October 2022 Heating Technical Subcommittee meeting due to a lack of sufficient information on and/or conflicts of information between installation instructions and data plates. After efforts were made to clarify requirements, including the forming of industry task group to look at options to resolve the issue of necessary clearances for griddle installations, the Standards Steering Committee ultimately directed staff to draft this Program Requirement.
For more background information, view the latest Standards News Bulletin (member login required).
For questions, contact Bryan Ritchie Vice President Standards at britchie@rvia.org or Curt Richardson Director of Inspection Services at crichardson@rvia.org.