Calor Lite 6kg propane advice
Hi have recently purchased my first caravan and it came with 2 of the above gas bottles, one practically empty the other full.
I never camp with EHU as I’m generally in a field in the middle of nowhere, just an Elsan point and drinking water tap provided.
I can’t get hold of these bottles for replacement, seems they have been discontinued(such a shame). And I now don’t know what to do as the bottles I am being recommended in my head are much bigger and heavier, great until you need to lift a full one in, but also looking in the front of my caravan a 2005 Swift Challenger 480 2 berth it doesn’t even look like it has the room for a bigger bottle to sit and also then will they be the same connectors?
Comments
-
-
Donna
If you want to continue with lightweight cylinders you will either have to go for a refillable solution or perhaps change over to Flogas Light. The Flogas are dumpier so you would have to check the storage in the van. Calor do a 6kgs steel cylinder but its heavy compared with the to the Calor Lite.
David
1 -
Given that you say you won’t be using EHU, I would have thought a refillable would be the way to go, as you will be getting through quite a bit. The fridge alone will get through a fair bit, add on water heating for washing up / showers and possibly a bit of heating and using Calor will get rather expensive. Using a refillable, 6Kg will cost you between £7 and £9, as compared to £20 / £25 for Calor. Worth checking if you have somewhere convenient that will let you fill them. Morrison’s garages that stock LPG is one supplier that allow it, and the price is very reasonable at 58p a litre.
Depending how long you are going to spend away, you may also need to look at how you recharge your leisure battery. Possibly a solar panel. 12 volt is required for the fridge control panel, water pump and heating controls, plus of course lighting.
1 -
The 6kg calor lite are being withdrawn the normal 6kg calor cylinders are the same size but made of steel. Although they may be heavier They are the same dimensions as the lite,
May I suggest you take your full light to a dealer and ask if you can judge for yourself if it would be too heavy for you
Also if you look on the aluminium Collar. of your cylinders it will give the weight you could check that against a 6kg steel to see the diference
0 -
Hi Steven, I had a solar panel knowing I won’t have much access to EHU. So only really running fridge and hot water from gas and maybe a bit of heating, am usually only away max 3 nights so far.
really do need to sort an alternative though ASAP.
I thought the 6kg steels were quite a lot bigger?
0 -
I thought the 6kg steels were quite a lot bigger?
As JVB mentioned the 6kg steel Calor is exactly the same size as the light, but a fair bit heavier. The refills are also usually a few pounds less than the light. Although you are buying the same amount of gas.
0 -
Calor say that the shortage of 6kg bottles is the result of two things
1 a very large order for steel cylinders from overseas.? has been held up
2the growth in LV ownership and staycations has made present stocks susceptible to shortages until the new stock arrives,
That is before the main peak season
0 -
Unless your usage of your caravan is minimal, refillable is the way to go. I've been away for a month and used just over 20Kg of gas. At Calor prices that's over £90 compared to the cost of refilling at £28. Add in a bit of heating in the shoulder seasons and the gap gets even wider.
0 -
I've had no problem getting calor lights from my local calor supplier although the last two replacements no longer have the high/low gauge fitted I swapped a cylinder only last week at a cost of £25:95p.
0 -
I was advised recently that the Calor Gas Lite bottles have not been discontinued and stock was still being provided.
I was also able to have an empty 3.6KG calor gas bottle replaced with a 6KG calor gas lite bottle for use with a caravan I just bought.
0 -
as Donna 'doesnt use EHU' this will move the 'refillable or not' equation much closer to refillables...
however, as there are a few reports about supply issues (as there are for all forms of bottled gas) then i would still suggest a single refillable (safefill?) and another (whatever you can get) swappable bottle.
i believe you can call in for gas at sites (club?, commercial?) for a swap even if not staying there...
just expands the options....if supply returns to normal (pump and bottles) then perhaps decide then to dump one or keep both.
0 -
My Calor lite 6kg propaner bottle ran out recently (lasted 3years !) Our local DIY shop would not take it in exchange for a 6kg steel bottle. Eventually tracked down a supplier who would do an exchange. Not unduly worried as I had a 6kg tank in the caravan and a small Camping Gaz bottle in the garage
0 -
Just bought 6kg calor propane light and 13kg patio gas in my local hardware store no problems, they told me that due to shortage they are not doing any new contracts.
You can buy empty 6kg for £20 on ebay and i see Tent Hire Direct have 3 x 6kg lite full for sale at £27.95 but you have to travel to Walsall to collect
0 -
Refillable has to be the way to go especially if you are always off grid. Away for 2 or 3 days something like a 7.5 kg Safefill along with a solar panel to keep the battery topped up.
I appreciate that the bottles are expensive for the initial purchase but the cost of refilling them is sooo much cheaper than exchange bottles and you don't have to wait for them to run out before topping up.
Once your current bottles are empty you can always sell them on Ebay or similar, they're fetching silly prices at the moment.
0 -
"Refillable has to be the way to go especially if you are always off grid"
agreed, but seldom do more than 1 or 2 nights without EHU and fridge, if nice and cold will last 2 days provided nothing frozen in there, have not bought gas for some time but was shocked at the price £28 for 6kgs and £45 for 13kgs patio gas
0 -
We did have lots of electric things when we had a caravan. Not a George though.😀 However, when we switched to a MH we decided to declutter as we had refillable cylinders. Now the only things that run on electric, if on EHU, are the fridge and heating.
0 -
Testing the situation wrt to gas/bottles.
Was going to lend friends a full bottle I had in the shed that is surplus as have a Safefill and a Calor Lite, for there trip to the bottom of Kernow this past week. They left 07:00 Sunday morning finding no traffic en route. They also found a full bottle in their shed, so no need to borrow ours.
I had a look on the bay of dreams at recently sold bottles that have gone for £80.
Have put said bottle on at a silly price, lets see what response we get. If it sells for silly money, will buy a 12/240v cool box for our holiday first week of school holidays.
Might have another BBQ bottle in a yet to be tidied shed, could be cheap camping this summer with former kit realising fees.
0
