Gas certification (RGI) for food trailers in Ireland
Any LPG gas installation on a food trailer in Ireland — fryers, griddles, hot plates, ovens, bain-maries, water heaters — must be installed and certified by an RGI-registered installer (Register of Gas Installers of Ireland, rgii.ie). This is required by law under the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006 and is a non-negotiable requirement for insurance, festival vendor approval, and FSAI compliance. This guide covers what RGI certification involves, what it costs, and how to keep your trailer's cert current.
Why RGI certification matters
Without a current RGI cert, no Irish festival or major event will let you trade — Electric Picnic, Body & Soul, the National Ploughing Championships and the GAA grounds all check vendor paperwork at gate-in. Insurance won't cover claims involving uncertified gas. FSAI/EHO inspections will flag uncertified installations as imminent risk. And in the worst case, an uncertified gas installation that fails can cause a fire or carbon-monoxide incident with criminal liability for the operator.
Find an RGI installer
Search the public RGI register at rgii.ie — filter by county, contact RGIs in your area, get 2-3 quotes. Tell them: number of appliances, gas type (LPG cylinder typically 19kg propane in trailers, occasionally butane for smaller setups), pipe runs, and whether the trailer has an existing installation that needs re-certification or a fresh install. RGIs typically come to the trailer for the inspection rather than the trailer going to them.
What's in the inspection
A typical inspection covers: gas pipe integrity (pressure-test for leaks, typical 30 mbar standing test), regulator condition + age (replace every 10 years, sometimes sooner), appliance flame quality and combustion efficiency, ventilation adequacy (a flueless gas appliance needs ~50 cm² of permanent ventilation per kW input), gas-cylinder compartment ventilation and bottom-vent (heavier-than-air LPG must vent low), emergency shut-off valve placement, and labelling / signage. The RGI logs everything on the official Notification of Gas Works (NGW).
Cost + validity
A full new install certification on an Irish food trailer typically costs €350-€700 depending on appliance count + complexity. A re-certification on an existing install (no work done, just inspection + cert): €150-€300. The cert is generally valid for 12 months — annual re-cert is the norm. Cost is the supplier's, not the festival's — but budget for it as a recurring annual operational expense.
Keep paperwork on the trailer
Festival gate-in security will ask to see the cert + the latest NGW. EHO inspections will ask. Insurance audits will ask. Keep the originals on the trailer in a waterproof folder, plus a digital copy on your phone. When the cert expires, do not trade — insurance is void from the moment of expiry, and one event check-in will catch it.
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