SafeFill
An old topic it seems but....... I am about to upgrade our caravan with one that has a safefill gas bottle supplied with it. It seems this is an old and well discussed topic but I was wondering if the refilling situation was getting any better? Or is it worse? Also, does anyone have any insight into the future prospects for LPG availability?
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You're right - this has been discussed many times and there is also a dedicated group on FB which is a good source of information. For me - the deciding factor would be whether or not there is a re-filling station reasonably close to home. For me - there is - and it's unlikely that they will be getting rid of their pump anytime soon because they also sell motorhomes with a requirement for re-filling with gas - plus there are still a lot of taxis out there still running on LPG.
We are not heavy gas users - I have two Safefills and bought them primarily to save weight although the savings on gas means that they have now paid for themselves - a few times over. I just make sure they are topped up before we go and have never had to refill mid-trip and chase around looking for LPG stations.
That said - this year- as metered electricity is being introduced at more sites, I have found it significantly cheaper to run some things on gas and therefore I suspect our gas consumption will increase in the future.
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If your new van is coming equipped with a Safefill you start with a big advantage.
Certainly LPG availability across the country is patchy but assuming your van can take two cylinders you could carry the Safefill as your primary source and a small exchange cylinder as a backup. You have nothing to lose.
I understand Flogas is widely available nationwide, now more so than Calor I believe.
If you go abroad you will find LPG (GPL) widely available whereas Calor, Flogas and the like are not.
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If you’ve got the cylinder it’s certainly worth giving it a try. I topped up our system yesterday at Morrisons at £1.55 a kg. Calor works out around £4.60 a kg. You could download the myLPG.eu App, this would show you local outlets. If you’ve a Morrisons nearby that stocks it, they are one of the cheapest and allow the filling of Safefill. The app usually states if Safefill is allowed and there is a telephone number to check if not. It also shows the last date someone reported gas available and the price.
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I read something recently that LPG might be part of the solution to reducing carbon emissions. I cannot remember what it was about but what did click with me was that garage LPG pumps might be around longer than many, including me, thought. In my area it was difficult to get for a period but even the local Shell garages, who were alleged to have given up selling it, are still selling it and it is now much easier to come by than a year ago.
peedee
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We’ve had one now for several years and never had a problem either here or over there. I filled mine last week at Morrison’s in Rhyl. Used to fill up at the Shell garage in Oulton Broad but about 18 months ago stop allowing Safefill filling. I’m well satisfied with my choice to purchase the bottle
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Not a Safefill but Gaslow for us. One 11kg refillable and, as LLM suggests, a second slot for a 'local' bottle. For us, this will be a large Repsol bottle which is great to have for our Spanish winter tour. It means we don't have to move off site in our 'long term' stint.
some folk do the same with a French bottle...best of both?
we have a 'home' LPG station about 6 ml away, great for south or SE trips and another a bit down the M5 for SW trips.
with myLPG you can check out stations en route, while one locally is nice, it's not necessarily essential.
good luck.
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Thank you all, I think I feel a bit more comfortable about the safefill system, although something inside tells me I should have kept one of my old Calor Bottles when we sold our last van.
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scrap metal dealers are now buying gas bottles that are being phased out by calor, e.g. the 4.5kg, the Calor lite,
I have 2 full 6kg cylinders in the front locker, 4 x 4.5kg, 3 are full, salvaged from caravans that were going to scrap, 1 approx 50% full now, i bought this full for £10. I use the 4.5kg for fueling the BBQ. As we dont use a lot of gas i am not anticipating buying any more before we hang up the keys and park the caravan
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I have had a safefill for about 7 years, benefited from cheap gas, though I sometimes have to drive over 1/2 an hour to sauce it, why the majority of Shell garages won't let me fill I cant understand.
But next year we are going back to Cornwall again, but it looks like the 2 places to fill up aren't on the refilling list anymore, so it looks like they have stopped selling L.P.G.
Luckley when I gat rid of my calor bottles a few years ago, I kept 2x 7kg butane ones, I just hope I can exchange them for 6kg propane
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