Gas in Italy
Hi, we bought our 1st caravan (a Bailey Pageant 6 birth) 4 weeks ago and we are currently 3 weeks into a trip around Europe with the kids.
We ran out of Gas in Switzerland 2 days ago but were unable to swap our gas bottle for a full one as I've since learned the Swiss use a different system.
We're now in Italy (lake Como) for 3 weeks and they also use a different system so I'm still without gas.
We have an empty 6kg Calor gas propane bottle.
Please help. What have other members done to source more gas whilst in Europe?
Comments
-
The usual options are to buy a local bottle, possibly with a suitable connector, a camping Gaz bottle ( expensive way of doing it) or, and this is the hindsight option, switch to a refillable gas system either fixed or removable bottles and refill at LPG pumps at garages. You won't get Calor anywhere on the continent.
If I were in your position, I'd get a Camping Gaz 907 bottle and adapter for the holiday, swapping as required at camp sites/ supermarkets and upon return home explore the refillable options.
2 -
Good advice CY, we used to carry 2 Calor 6kg plus a Camping Gaz 907 when we went to Europe initially, but these days we have refillables.
Justineurope......virtually every European country has its own type of gas bottles so this can be a big problem on a longer trip.
Camping Gaz is the only cylinder which can be exchanged in most European countries, though I do know they do not have the larger cylinders in Norway.
If you decide to go down the refillable bottle route eventually, be aware that you will not find LPG in Switzerland or, if I remember correctly, Luxembourg, Austria and Denmark, so check out availability on one of the LPG websites first.
1 -
Obviously I am not remembering correctly then!
Will note that for future reference, should we ever get abroad again.
Certainly did not see any in Denmark, we made sure to fill up in Germany.
Edit: I see that on the site Merve refers to, which we have used for UK , they now list 4 stations in Denmark, so the situation is obviously fluid. I also see quite a few listed in Switzerland.
I think we must have been using a different station list before, this one is much more comprehensive.
0 -
ok, how long are you away after being in Italy?
if going home you could buy a large (13kg?) Italian bottle (and pigtail) and use this now, and then swap it for a full one on the journey home, if necessary.
if you have other countries to visit, you could buy two Italan bottles and hope that these will last ypu till you get home....the gas will still be OK to use for uk trips and then you can dispose of them (perhaps on eBay).
if you are away in other places for longer than two large bottles will last then this is going to be expensive as you'll need some different local bottles.
this might point you back to CY suggestion of campingaz but these are tiny and very expensive....
either way, you need to weigh up the amount of gas youll need and how many more differnt countries you are visiting.
for your next trip, perhaps refillables, or at the vary least, start out with a larger supply than one 6kg bottle.
perhaps the Italan bottles will come in handy on the next visit, in this case, that's the way I'd go...
1 -
I would agree that Camping Gaz is the easiest route to follow, assuming you can source a suitable pigtail. It is outrageously expensive compared to other brands, especially if you have to buy a new cylinder! Just think that if you don't go for the Camping Gaz option you may have problems accommodating one of the larger cylinders in your gas locker and it could cause a problem with noseweight.
David
1 -
Aside from the fact you will have some issues getting a supply of gas, I just wonder why you have run out of gas in such a short time. If you are using sites and have hook up (EHU) then a 6 kg bottle should last for ages.
We did 8 weeks last autumn with a 6 kg bottle and came back with very little used out of it. We have a gas BBQ and we used it, we also used the cooker hob and grill inside the van. What we don't do is use gas to heat the van and hot water if we are on a campsite or to cool the fridge.
If you haven't used gas for these things is it possible you have a leak??? when you get a new bottle please be careful and make sure you check for a leak or it will be an expensive mistake.
1 -
good point, TG....I was assuming the op might have left with a aprt full bottle (assuming it could be easily exchanged) or that some of the sites had metered electric and they had used gas in lieu...
1 -
Wow thank you all so much for the outpouring of knowledge. Loads of ideas here.
We're away for another 6 weeks (split equally between Italy and France) and should only need gas for cooking on the hob and oven - we'll use hook up for heating. I'm going to try your recommendation of Camping Gaz 907. Do you think that I'll be able to find a suitable connection?
I'm pretty confident we don't have a gas leak but thanks for thinking of this. I bought the caravan 2nd hand, it came with lots of things most of which I practiced with in my driveway before setting off but I never checked how much gas was in the cylinder. I suspect we set off on our 9 week road trip with fumes in the cylinder assuming it was a commodity item.
I've heard mention of different millibars between the different systems? Do I need to worry about this?
Thanks again
0 -
if you have a bulkhead regulator it will cope with any type of gas cylinder...
you will need an adaptor as in my picture, but you'll see it must attach via the sticking out thread halfway up it...(your uk Calor one won't be of any use....)
there is a pigtail you can buy called a 'butane' hose...
this has a female left handed 21.8mm thread on the non-regulator end....which is the std thread that all adaptors use to connect to, so your campingaz ADAPTOR screws in here.
0 -
I was wondering much the same, but did not like to comment,adversely.
The OP was, IMO, very brave, or possibly a little naive, in venturing abroad after owning a van only 1 week.
Our previous van we used here only for the first year, and likewise with the current one, which turned out to be a good decision as it happened.
0 -
Just to be clear, it is in theory illegal to fill up with LPG in Italy for anything other than engine fuel. All pumps are attended and unless you find a garage willing to bend the rules or it is not realised you want gas for cooking etc, you won't get a refill.
peedee
0 -
Replacement and new propane gas cyclinders are relatively cheap to buy here in Italy (at least they are on the North Adriatic coast). You will need a different regulator but most hardware (Ferromenta) shops sell them for a few Euros. A 6kg Calor bottle normally lasts us for two return journeys to Italy (one week each way) but in early April this year it was so cold on the way down we used a whole 6kg bottle. If you use your gas for heating you will soon use a 6kg bottle. I may be worth investing in an electric hob whilst you’re in Italy too.
0 -
Dave, why a different regulator? most modern vans have a bulkhead regulator and all bottle hoses will go through this, won't they?
i thought the bulkhead versions were 30mb and covered off most other 'pressures'...?
so, unless you have an on-bottle regulator in your van, im pretty sure you mean a 'different adaptor' as in my earlier post?
0 -
Update. I found a shop near Lake Garda who were able to refill my existing Calor Gas bottle. Problem solved. They did it within the hour for £30. We are back cooking on gas again. Thanks for all the suggestions.
0 -
calor Gas bottles aren't designed to be refilled by anyone other than Calor...
refillable bottles have a 80% fill cutoff to prevent overfilling, your shop man would have either calculated this by weight (based on the contents when you handed it over) or didn't bother at all....
IMV, filling non-refillable bottles is something I wouldn't go for, but others are happy(er)....
for future trips you could take a Safefill (or Gaslow/Autogas equivalent) refillable cylinder to take to an LPG point.
good luck...
0 -
good idea David, and (amazingly) you can bring it home and use any left over in the UK
0 -
Hi guys (AD & BB) thinking of doing the same re Spanish bottle, do they do the small 6kg though? not sure we want to lug around a big bottle.
We are planning to go Sept - Nov this year and might need the gas for heating on our home bound drive.
0 -
BB, you’re right. If an installed regulator is used then only an adapter is required. In our permanent Fendt caravan we still use a bottle mounted regulator. Like Another David we also take a Camping Gaz 907 (with bottle mounted regulator) with us in the motorhome and this supply is ‘T’d into the installed pipe work on the downstream side of the fixed regulator via isolator valves. Again like AD we rarely cook on gas in the c’van and use electricity almost exclusively other than when BBQing (is there such a word??)
1 -
Hi TG, I got my Repsol 11kg at Bonterra, I think it was about €25 but that was for rental and the first bottle of gas...refill around €14 like AD.
In fact, I got a Cepsa 13kg first but the plastic collar/handles were very prominent and made routing the gas hoses a pain, so when it ran out they let me change it for a Repsol 11kg which is identical to my Gaslow 11kg (smaller and neater handle) so that was fine.
injust had a look on the Repsol website but couldn't see a 6kg but I know that DD had one which he sold on eBay.
in fact, there's an 11kg quarter full one on eBay now £5 here if you can fit it in the locker. will save you getting a contract and can swap when empty for a full one at a site or any Repsol station (all over the place).
in fact, if you took a quarter full one and exchanged it when it ran out, you could leave the Calor at home...
as I mentioned above, remember that you won't need a Spanish regulator (you have a bulkhead one) just an adaptor (Jumbo) which can be bought here so you're all set up....you'll need to change the hose for a 'butane' one with the female 21.8mm left hand thread which attaches directly to the Jumbo....OR you'll need this POL to Butane adaptor into which you screw the Jumbo.
just be aware (I don't know if AD found this) but the Spa ish bottle connection is a clip on, not a screw like Calor or some other Continental's, and some Jumbo adaptors can be really tricky to push down on....just ensure the black collar is pressed down tight...but even then, they can mysteriously 'pop off' the top of the bottle.....no gas worries though as this leaves the bottle 'off'.
perhaps someone can offer a bit of hands on the first time, or paractice at home if you get everything first.
0 -
We have a french "le cube" 7kg bottle with a clip on regulator: it's handy for our cadac bbq which we've fitted with a clip-on regulator. Le cube is available all over France ( butane and propane) and the regulator or adaptor comes with your first purchase. Not Italy, I know!
Why not ask your Italian campsite to loan/sell you a bottle for your 3 week stay on their site?
p.s with 6 births (sic) no wonder you're running out of gas:-)
0 -
Thanks AD and BB for the info. Will give this some more thought while away on this trip (tomorrow)
The idea for Autumn is to travel through France in September, then onto Spain for October then back through Spain to Bilbao for the middle of November. Getting a small Spanish one would be our preferred option, (size and weight) failing that we could get a French one before going into Spain. As we always use sites and it should be warm/hot enough until the end of October we shouldn't need it other than the journey back up from Caceres to Bilbao in November. Probably won't need it but I'd rather have gas than freeze if its an early winter
0 -
A few years ago we bought a Antargaz Calypso lite weight bottle and regulator in France We were away last year for a month thought we might empty it, but we didn't, so we are away this year for a month and hopefully might be able to exchange it this time cheaper than the UK
0 -
Le Cube uses the same clip-on regulator as Gas Light ( formerly BP) which is available at Homebase.
0
