Gas Certificates for caravans in Spain

From memory of when we last lived in Spain (2012) the whole subject of gas was an issue for various reasons and whilst I cannot guarantee that what I write below is fact it may give some understanding to what may be new events.

There has only recently been any mains gas in Spain and the vast majority of those who use gas do so via bottled propane. It often gets delivered to the house by a lorry that collects the empties which are left on the street to indicate the house that is awaiting a replacement. As such the Spanish laws dictate that each user had a gas safety certificate, which I think had to be updated every 5 years, and the main national supplier 'Repsol were the ones often used. I am not sure whether Repsol were the only ones licensed to carry out this requirement but there were many reported scams of people knocking on doors claiming to be checking the gas supplies saying they were from Repsol. Many Spanish pensioners fell afoul of this scam and paid good money to fraudsters with the certificate not being worth the paper it was written on.

When you first try to get your initial bottle of gas I believe you have to produce this certificate and another requirement I understand is that only Spanish 'residents' are eligible to purchase it. When you get a refill I understand these formalities are not adhered to and so long as you are exchanging an empty one they ignore the checks at the petrol stations where much of the gas is purchased.

I recall speaking in 2012 to a main caravan/motorhome dealer about what would I need to do if I wanted to get a Spanish gas bottle for my motorhome and they said they would be able to provide the necessary gas safety certificate (directly or otherwise I did not ask) and supply a bottle. I was of the view that this was done slightly underhand because I was not resident.

I also understand that camp sites who supply gas bottles will also let you have one for the duration of your stay on their site and you return it when you leave. This may well be their way of circumventing the 'resident' requirement but I seem to recall the one I spoke to told me they would need to see my certificate.

I also seem to recall a UK couple I spoke to in 2013 who over wintered in Spain using Spanish gas telling me they had to get the gas system inspected there but they bought empty bottles from the Sunday flea markets so they could exchange them at the petrol station where bottled gas is very cheap, both Repsol and other makes

Campingaz is only available from a given hardware shop in any geographical area so not all are able to sell them. I have purchased a refill over the counter with no questions but have never bought an empty one so do not know what may have been needed.

I think it is a sensible way to protect people from risks of explosion and death and you would be right to then wonder why the UK allows anyone to buy a bottle of gas with no checks. Spain is very burocratic and laws like this are very common, keep people in employment and also safeguard the community.

With a bit of luck someone from the Club will come along and give a definitive answer to the current legislation and how to achieve compliance for us travellers.

Hope this helps and not hinders. Regards, Roy

That should read above that I have never bought a brand new Campingaz bottle, not an empty one.

I have just checked what it says on my annual habitation service sheet and it lists lots of checks about the gas systems and I would hope this would suffice and whilst like peedee it shows it is an approved workshop there is no formal accreditation or qualification
shown on it for the examiner. I will chase that up I think in view of what this post suggests. Regards, Roy

Find it rather odd that a campsite would ask for a relatively unknown certificate and turn business away, I doubt if the majority of owners either carry or even know of such a certificate. We had a motorhome with a refillable tank and that came with a certificate
for the tank itself.

It's not an "unknown certificate" in Spain, it's a legal requirement for a caravan to have a gas certificate before they can supply gas.

Morning all

This is not something I have heard of before. I have sent an e-mail to the RACE in Spain and asked one of my colleagues to contact some of the campsites we work with to check if there is a requirement.

Val - can you go back to the forum where you found the information and ask for the names of the campsites?

I will post again once I have some replies (but please remember this is Spain so it may take a week or two!)

Morning

My lovely colleague Carmen from the RACE in Spain has sent the following reply:

Good morning Hazel,

I have talking to some campsites in Alicante and no one has heard about this. I have also called to Repsol Gas Department and it seems that no one knows about this service of certification for caravans.

So, could you ask your member the name of the site that gave them the letter and send me a copy of the letter.

With this info, I hope to get more details on this matter.

I am still waiting to hear back from the campsites that we work with.

Val – it would be really good if I could get a copy of the letter that was given out, so I can send it back to Carmen.

Thank you very much Roy

I know its off topic JimE but can you please tell me if the electric at Bonterra park was metered? Regards, Roy

Thanks for your feedback JimE

Hazel, the original post doesn't mention a site, but I've asked the person who posted it just which site they were on.  However, further down the list of replies is this one:

We are currently staying at Marjal Costa Blanca where you can 'rent' a Spanish Repsol gas bottle for a €30 deposit which is refundable when you return the cylinder. However, you have to show the gas certificate for your caravan before they will let you
have a cylinder.



Good news is it costs €13 to fill an 11kg cylinder! 

This is another post from the originator of this thread on the 'other forum':

Thanks everybody

We are staying at La Marina Resort, and the main supplier of gas for this site next year will be Repsol.

As SKH indicated, Repsol are only carrying out the Spanish law, and I have no problem with this, as gas safety should be of upper most importance to all caravaners. The site has asked Repsol to certificate and carry out the test for €18, which is still
a lot cheaper than the UK - if a test was ever to be asked for by Calor. If you are not going to buy Spanish gas, then no certificate is required. As previously mentioned, this has to be produced when taking a new contract out for a bottle or replacing it.

This is our 4th winter in Spain, having also stayed for the first year on Marjal Costa Blanca which, by the way, is a Caravan Club recommended site (also a Camping and Caravan tour site).  In all this time we have used Cepsa, which is now not the preferred
supplier for La Marina Resort, but I am sure Cepsa will be carrying out the same tests as Repsol.

Please note that the tests are not required for BBQs and portable gas hobs, although you will still need a certificate if you use Spanish gas.

We are having our gas regulator and pipework tested shortly, and will let everybody know should any problems arise.

Thanks to everybody who has replied to this topic.  Weather here great and not looking forward to coming back to the UK!!