Other than my bed, the kitchen is probably my favorite part of the van.
On my first build I only had a two burner hob and no sink, which made cooking and washing dishes quite tricky. As I 95% of the times cook my meals, I wanted to have a little more freedom on what I could or not cook (aka can’t cook pasta in a city parking unless you’re willing to drain your pasta outside your van) and so decided to start looking for a more practical solution.
As the kitchen space is super limited, I really needed something basic and compact. After a bit of searching I came across the Dometic HSG 2240 model, a very sleek 2 hob sink combination with glass.
The combination does come with a user manual with directions for the installation, but I thought a little visual guide would not hurt!
1. TRACE YOUR LINES
In the manual section there are the measurements for the hole you need to cut on your worktop. I you are a good student, check those out and then trace the outline to your worktop. If you are a little dumb like me or simply lazy, just use the cooktop itself to trace the lines and then take them in by about 2 cm (once you cut the hole you’ll be able to adjust it to fit the cooktop).
2. CUT OUT THE HOLE
The easiest way it’s probably to cut the worktop using a jigsaw. Note that I had already cut the back of the worktop to fit with the curves of the wall of the Kangoo (which took ages and a lot of cursing).
3. FIT THE COOK TOP
Check that the cook top fits. Mine didn’t at first (cause of course I did not follow the rules, you can call me a rebel) so had to cut a little more here and there till I fit snugly.
4. SEAL
Apply the rubber band that comes with the sink/hob (peel the off the film and attach it to the border of the unit), then apply some kind of water sealant to your worktop. My worktop is a made out of laminated chipboard from IKEA definitely not water resistant (but cheap and cute) so I wanted to make sure it was super water tight.
5. FIX THE PROVIDED SCREWS
The last step to fix the cook top is to fix the plastic brackets on the sides of the unit to the worktop itself. The brackets are tightened by the screws placed on the top of the unit so all you need to do is to place your brackets and tighten (you will see what I mean when you look at the unit).
6. WIRE THE IGNITION BUTTON
Connect the ignition button to your power source. I’ve added two little buttons on the side of the kitchen to switch on and off the tap and the ignition button but that was just a a whim, you can wire it directly to your leisure battery.
7. CONNECT YOUR GAS
To connect the unit to the small gas bottle I have fitted a 8mm fulham compression nozzle to the metal tubing of the unit and then fixed my gas hose to it. You can find the full guide on how I installed the gas on the post “How to get gas in your van”
8. FIX THE TAP AND WIRE YOUR TAP
Fix the tap to the unit using the provided washers and plastic fitting. Note that the tap does not come with the unit (unless you are buying a set) so you will need to buy that separately.
10. CONNECT YOUR WASTE WATER PIPE
Fix the drainage plastic fittings that come with the unit and connect your waste water pipe using jubilee clips.
11. CONNECT THE CLEAN WATER PIPE
Connect your clean water pipe to the tap water inputs. The tap I have has two inputs: one for hot water and one for cold water. I only use cold water so I connected only one pipe. Secure your pipe using jubilee clips.
12. CONNECT TO YOUR WATER SYSTEM
My “water system” consists in two simple 15 liters tanks placed under the unit. Connect according to your layout.
13. ENJOY YOUR FIRST COFFEE
And ta daaaaan! You have a beautiful sink hob combination, ready for you to cook, wash and do all of that useful stuff!
*This post does contain affiliate links. Affiliate links allow me to make a small earnings from any purchase you make through them, at NO additional cost to you.
** I was lucky enough to get this combination sent by Dometic. Be assured that I did the research myself and chose the product before I knew it would be sent to me. All opinions are definitely my own!
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Good afternoon or evening…🤔 Marina…or morning maybe,
I was wondering if you would recommend this hob/sink combo after having used it for a while now?
And about the installation, I would like to know if this would fit on a thiner worktop, I mean, if I leave less space in the depth between the combo and the front edge, not the back one against the kangoo wall…OMG English is not my mother tongue, I struggle to explain myself…did you get what I mean???
If so 👏
And to finish with, are you happy with the size of the sink???
Thank you so much for all the explanations you give us, please keep on blogging, vlogging and so on…😃
Maryline
Hi Maryline!
I’m not sure I understand your question correctly but technically yes the combination should fit just fine on a thinner worktop and yes, you could leave a smaller gap between the sink and the edge of the worktop (gosh it is hard to explain! 🙂 ) but I wouldn’t reccomend going too thin or the structure will be quite weak! I would definitely go again for this hob sink combination I love it. The sink is a perfect size for me and I just love that when it’s closed it can be easily used as a table. The only thing that annoys me is that food and dirt tend to fall in the little space where the knobs to switch on the gas are and it’s difficult to get it out! Let me know how the conversion goes 🙂
Thanks Marina for your answer.
Actually I have another question, this time related to the van, why have you chosen a Kangoo, for the mechanic, for the strength and longevity of the model or just maybe because of the opportunity?
I haven’t started my renovation yet as I am still working this year but should begin next fall after I have left my position here.
I was also wondering how is it possible that you are good at so many fields???
-renovation / construction / electrical stuff / plomberie…
-living alone
-languages
-making your jewelry
…plus those I don’t think about now…
Would you one of those days make a video about your background to explain us which path you went through to achieve all of those skills???
🙏
And if by any chance you come to Switzerland near Zurich, you are more than welcome to my place if you need a warm shower or anything else, while I still have a home…
Maryline
Awwww thank you so much Maryline, so sweet of you.
So, the Kangoo was a bit of an impulse buy, it was the first vehicle I went to see and I was so excited about the prospect of leaving that I bought it (it was also very very cheap). I didn’t do much research before hand and had no clue what I was getting into. Luckily it worked out at the end and I am not regretting my decision 🙂
As for skills: I am one of those people that can do many things but isn’t particularly good at anything if that makes sense. I think we can all be decent at everything unless we tell ourselves we can’t. Our first barrier is definitely our mind, second barrier is managing time (i so struggle with that).
Yes, I’d love to make a video specifically on my background, I’ll add it to the list, thank you for the idea 🙂
Hugs,
Marina and Odie
Dear Marina,
I am so blessed that you take time to answer me!!!
I know exactly what it is to push oneself over the limits our background and mind have set for us.
I grew up in town with no real connections to nature until the day when I told myself I wanted to learn to live a more frugal life. So I left all my stuffs behind and hit the road for 3 years, hitch hiking and volunteering in farms with the WWOOF, as you experience it now. This led me to become a shepherdess in the Alpes of France for 5 years and now I work as a Nanny in Switzerland for the moment until next year when I finish my contract.
I am planning to road trip next year, or at least to buy a car and transform it next year and start to explore afterwards…
Alain, thank you for the answer and hope to hear from you soon!!!
Have a nice evening
Maryline