Caravan newbies

Greygit
Greygit Forum Participant Posts: 167
edited February 2016 in New to Caravanning & Touring #1

Hi.

We are Motorhomers (on our fifth van)who are seriously thinking of selling our motorhome and getting a caravan so we are caravan newbie’s. At the moment we are in a campsite in Spain and we have asked various questions of caravan owners on the site but so
we don’t bore them all to death can anyone give us information regarding gas?

 In the Motorhome we have two 11Kg Gaslow bottles and a Gaslow connection pipe which allows us to run a Spanish bottle through the Gaslow filler connection when one of the bottles are empty. Can I ask how other caravan owners cope with foreign bottles and
gas supplies when abroad?

Thanks.

Comments

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2016 #2

    im sure theyre no different than MHers....if they use gas then they have three choices...

    bring enough with them....

    use a local exchange bottle..

    use a refillable system...

    having a few extra hoses and adapters might allow flexibility between option 2 and 3, as you do....

    the long termers ive seen in caravans just stand a local bottle outside their van with a long hose to the vans regulator.

    just curious, but why the move to a caravan if you've enjoyed the freedom you have in a MH in Europe?

    good luck with your deliberations....  

  • ADP1963
    ADP1963 Forum Participant Posts: 1,280
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2016 #3

    I can't help you on this one Greygit, but you will no doubt get an amount of pricless information soon from the seasoned abroad caravaners,be patient and watch. Laughing

  • Pippah45
    Pippah45 Forum Participant Posts: 2,452
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2016 #4

    Safefill refillable for me with the adaptors for France and Spain although I am not sure how easy it is to find gas points in Spain - someone will come along and tell you I expect!  I will be interested in the change to caravan too. 
    Smile Probably all the reasons I tug! 

  • reynoray
    reynoray Forum Participant Posts: 106
    edited February 2016 #5

    I don't find any problem with the caravan and gas.   We occasionally give the heating a boost and we regularly use the cooker rings, grill and oven.  We started with two 6.5 kg Calor Lite bottles on board but now just carry the one but just make sure we have a reasonably full one before going away.  We go for six weeks at a time and have yet to make any impression at all into one bottle in that time.  I would confidently go out for as long again and not worry about the gas.

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2016 #6

    You can buy the appropriate adaptors for foreign gas bottles I think Gaslow sell them. The question would be will your Spanish bottle fit in the gas locker if it does then no problem if not you will have to source a longer hose so the bottle can sit outside.
     It may also be worth thinking about having an auto change over head. So you don't have to faff about swapping the pig tails about when gas runs out. 

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2016 #7

    I don't find any problem with the caravan and gas.   We occasionally give the heating a boost and we regularly use the cooker rings, grill and oven.  We started with two 6.5 kg Calor Lite bottles on board but now just carry the one but just make sure
    we have a reasonably full one before going away.  We go for six weeks at a time and have yet to make any impression at all into one bottle in that time.  I would confidently go out for as long again and not worry about the gas.

    Just for the record. I estimate that I used 4kg of gas over 2 nights last weekend. It is dangerous to generalise, and gas consumption depends hugely on how, when and where you caravan. 

  • Biggarmac
    Biggarmac Forum Participant Posts: 364
    100 Comments
    edited February 2016 #8

    It all depends on what time of year you are going abroad.  If in summer you may use very little gas and a calor bottle will suffice.  However if you are going in winter you will probably use gas heating to avoid tripping electrics on sites.  If you are intending
    to go abroad or offgrid often then safefill will be cost effective and give peace of mind.

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2016 #9

    it seems a shame that you have a perfectly servicable refillable gaslow system but will you be using it...?

    i ask because you will need to install it in your caravan (like Kjell does) so youll have to fill on route.....

    many caravanners use safe fill as they can use the car to take the bottle to be filled.

    either Repsol or Cepsa are making a huge improvement in their lpg pump availability.... 

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited February 2016 #10
    The user and all related content has been Deleted User
  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,670 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #11

    I would agree with BB and AD, it will depend on how you plan to holiday.

    We always take EHU, but if it is metered, and expensive,  we use gas for heating/HW.

    We only go abroad March-June and/orSeptemb/October, so not in the coldest part of the year.

    We have 2 fixed Gaslow 6kg bottles, and have no problem filling up en route as we never stay more than 7-10 days on one site.  We wanted to have 11kg bottles, but they were just a little too tall to fit.

    It was easy to fit the system in the van, we have the filling point in the side of the front locker.

    If we were overwintering in say Spain, we would get a local bottle.

    If you stay for several weeks on a site, refillables and/or local bottle would be easier.

     

  • Greygit
    Greygit Forum Participant Posts: 167
    edited February 2016 #12

    Thanks for the info each, that’s another thing sorted..

    Re the change to a caravan, we go to Spain every winter for 3-4 months and get very jealous when we see caravan owners drive off for the day in their tow cars and we have to hire a car which can get very expensive, but on top of that  is the financial aspect
    in that our Motorhome is probably parked up for six months of the year but we still have to tax and insure it along with our old Mondeo.

    There are defiantly advantages and disadvantages to both Motorhomes and Caravans but apart from the financial and as we like to visit medieval villages and mountain roads(minus the van) we thought a caravan would probably suite us better as we have run into
    problems with motorhomes on numerous occasions on narrow roads and streets but when using just a tow car it should be less stressful.......fingers crossed.

    Again thanks for the feedback.

  • Pippah45
    Pippah45 Forum Participant Posts: 2,452
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2016 #13

    Yes Grey it's the freedom to go on what I call my mystery tours that keeps me as I am!  I hope you enjoy the change.

  • reynoray
    reynoray Forum Participant Posts: 106
    edited February 2016 #14

    I don't find any problem with the caravan and gas.   We occasionally give the heating a boost and we regularly use the cooker rings, grill and oven.  We started with two 6.5 kg Calor Lite bottles on board but now just carry the one but just make sure
    we have a reasonably full one before going away.  We go for six weeks at a time and have yet to make any impression at all into one bottle in that time.  I would confidently go out for as long again and not worry about the gas.

    Just for the record. I estimate that I used 4kg of gas over 2 nights last weekend. It is dangerous to generalise, and gas consumption depends hugely on how, when and where you caravan. 

    Write your comments here...My comment was not a generalisation, in fact it was very specific.  I gave a brief description of my pattern of usage and of timescales.  That is my experience (we do more than 60 nights a year out in the van including 40 nights
    on the continent) - if the person asking the question thinks that their usage pattern would differ greatly from mine then they would take that into account.  

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