What Gas?
We're taking delivery of our first Motorhome on 26th and the options of different types of gas are not as simple as I thought. Propane, Butane, refillable? The dealership are pushing the refillable option at nearly £500 for a 11kg and a 6kg bottle. I understand the convenience. However, that's £380 more expensive than the exchangeable option. I'd really appreciate some experienced advice please.
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Firstly, I'd recommend Propane as Butane does not vapourise at low temps. As for the other options, consider just how much gas you are likely to use. Will you be using a lot to run the fridge off-grid or cooking a lot? If you don't think you will use a lot of gas, then I'd go for the cheaper option. Yes, refills are dearer, but infrequent.
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Hello Gw,
I would wholeheartedly agree with the advice of the two previous replies. However, I would add another couple of factors to consider. Will you be doing a lot of touring in Europe? Will you be visiting German Christmas markets or going skiing? Do you have a bad back?
If you do either or both you will need to exchange gas cylinders in Europe, where Calor gas is not available and small Campingaz a very expensive option and would freeze in winter. Refillable allows you to get LPG throughout most of Europe.
Before we moved to refillable we had different exchangeable gas bottles for France, Germany and Spain/Portugal with different “pigtails” for the regulator for each bottle type. It is also now more difficult to get a French exchange bottle than it was. Each System adds to the cost and carrying different bottles can be problematic on longer more extensive tours. Further, if like us you visit parts of Europe in the middle of winter, you can easily experience temperatures between -10C and -20C. We have at German Christmas markets and although there is often electricity on Stellplatzen (motor home overnight parking areas) there is not always the amperage to fully heat using electricity. Further, electricity is often metered and an expensive heating option.
Refillable removes the need to lift very heavy gas bottles in and out of the motor home.
Finally, will you be “rallying” offgrid most weekends? If so refillable might be worth considering.
Having said all that if you are going to tour the UK using sites and CLs with the odd trip to France in summer and don’t have a bad back, go for an exchangeable Calor propane setup would be my advice.
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Is ALUGAS the lightest? I would imagine that Safefill is probably even lighter and has the added advantage that it can be taken on its own to a refilling point should that be required.
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It is still possible to get Calorlite if you look around, but I suspect quite difficult/impossible to start a new contract on them. Eventually, Calor are expecting to bring out a replacement for Calorlite, but the last time I looked, dates for this seemed very 'unclear'.
David
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if you travel abroad and/or you have trouble physically exchanging bottles and/or you use a decent amount of gas by camping at CL/THS or rally events, then refillable is the way to go.
its easy to fit one (but in your case the selling dealer should do it) and you can get an 11kg single bottle system with filler and hoses for around £300.
its not necessary to have two bottles....in your case you would only increase capacity by 50% but double the cost....
i only have one 11kg and have no problem refilling when required.
i also have space (and pigtail) for a second large Spanish bottle should we decide to stay long term on a site and not move the van....
i would be pushing the dealer harder to include this as part of the deal....
good luck.
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If you're thinking of Safefill as an option, you will be extremely lucky to get hold of one. I think I managed to source the only one left in the North of England, yesterday, and did a round trip of 200 miles to grab it. Even Safefill don't have any. I did find out why - and couldn't believe it - and I don't think I dare publish the reason on here.
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I think that there are still a few of the smaller 5kg and 7.5kg bottles about. I was after a 10kg bottle last month and safefill told me where there was one in n Wales, unfortunately they wanted stupid money. I tracked one down in a chandlers in Norfolk. The supply has been an issue all the time. The current on is mark 3 I have also got a mark 1. The mk1 is actually heavier than a Calorlite.
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We have Gaslow one large bottle and a calor light as a backup in case we run out (not happened so far) but we could also use same space to use a local bottle if away for a time (Spain is very cheap apparently). You will find with a MH you use more gas as the fridge auto switches when you stop and you will likely be off grid more so refillable is hte best way to go IMHO.
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Neither DD. More to do with certain pressures being put on someone who manufactures their valves. He also manufactures for someone else. 'Nuff said.
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I can't see a MHer choosing Safefil over a 'fixed filler' system as there is a risk that the stand alone bottle (SF) won't be permitted, whereas there is rarely an issue with fixed filler type systems.
also, the MHer always has his MH with hime when filling on holiday, doesn't he?.....so,why a removable refillable?
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Had I been starting from scratch with a MH system, I'd have probably gone for Gaslow or similar but as I had my Safefill from the caravan....
It does have the advantage that you can see how much gas is left.
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Distilling some of what has been said already.
As a new motorhomer you have to "learn the trade" and one of the big mistakes is to be like a kid in a sweetshop as regards accessories. Go slowly and buy what you need as you identify and understand your needs. Accessories are a multi-million pound industry for a reason !
You certainly need one gas cylinder and depending on the size of your van and the capacity of the gas locker possibly two. Hopefully the supplying dealer will give you at least one as a freebie. It should be propane then you dont need to worry about winter use it will be fine however cold. Buying a refillable depends on frequency of use if you google you may be able to find a calculator to guide you.
http://ourleapoffaith.co.uk/the-refillable-gas-question. If your use is low but you plan to go to Europe for more than a couple of weeks a gaslow system will save a lot of worry and faff using/connecting to local cylinders . No point in having two cylinders though. Just one and keep it topped up with a "Calor" one as a backup.
Hope this helps
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Most important that you think carefully about how much gas you will use. Motorhoming in Europe in the summer with hook-up on every site you will use tiny amounts of gas. We have an LPG tank and I used around 3kg in 5 weeks.
So, if that’s the case then forget about large investments in Safefill or anything else and buy a refillable cylinder. The best in the UK are Gas Light as they are - the lightest, transparent (so you can see the level) and have clip-on gas attachment. HOWEVER, the main stockist is Homebase and who knows how long they will be around!
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Here we go again. Nothing to do with Merve, this forum or the Club.
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Correction, I meant “exchange” cylinder not “refillable” if you are on EHU in summer and using little gas.
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"also, the MHer always has his MH with hime when filling on holiday, doesn't he?....."
No.
I have helped a M'her out by disconnecting his cylinder, putting it in my car and driving down to the nearest LPG station in Portugal to get it refilled, as a matter of convenience to him - he did however cook a damned good meal on his gas BBQ afterwards.
This particular LPG station preferred to fill empty cylinders rather than those in a MH where he could not be certain of how much needed to go in.
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I would go for refillable, we paid £139.00 for our safefill after 8 fills your saving has paid for the bottle,
current Morrison price £1.11 per kilo
calor propane £3.80 per kilo
that is £16.69 every time you fill 6 kilo's
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For me as a caravanner, the biggest issue is weight. If I want a certain size, I will go for the lightest, even if only a coule of ounces! These days, because of the user payoad and the 'flimsy' nature of many vans, lighest is best, as far as I'm concerned. If Im looking for 6kg, I'm going for calor-lite..... it is still available if you already have a bottle!
David
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Hi John Thommo,
We also have a new motorhome and we were very surprised to find that we only use one 6kg bottle of propane every 7 months or so. We always use EHU for our fridge & heating but use the gas bottle for cooking & barbecuing. There is only the 2 of us but we do cook meals on the hob and oven to the same degree as we do at home. Our friends who have a older MH which uses gas for the heating and fridge say a gas bottle lasts them a lot less than our 7 months
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We normally are away for 160 + nights away useing EHU with gas used for some cooking and have now had our latest 6kgcalor propane in use for over two years and still got some "slopping" about when checked,so to go for any other type of cylinder system would be silly to say the least
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