Calor bottles discontinued
Comments
-
As a user of Calor's "Lite" ever since we bought our caravan in 2016 I've been trying to find stockists for FloGas locally, (Northampton) but the website is greyed out and won't let me enter location, nor will it show anything properly. Are they holding back for some reason, or is it just my browser playing silly games?
I also looked at Gaslight's website, but at £200+ for a cylinder I looked away again.0 -
I think the comments made about this on John’s you tube channel are really interesting. The thrust being this is really a sales pitch for power banks and whilst SOME fuel stations are getting rid of lpg, there are plenty that are not, And there are other outlets such as some Motorhome suppliers e.g. Brownhills, and Marquis. One of the issues at present is not the number of outlets but the actual availability of the gas. Somewhere I read that there are some production issues and being winter priority is being given to those with large tanks for heating homes. Supply will improve as weather improves.
Given the number of vans with underslung tanks or refillable cylinders already in use, and for sale if lpg for vans were to disappear in the next year there are going to be an awful lot of cheap second hand vans!!
0 -
No problem with Flogas website on my PC using Chrome. Having said that I decided to look at the price of a non exchange Camping Gaz 907 cylinder, about £100 if you don't have an exchange cylinder. Time to get the two redundant ones I have in the garage dusted down on the internet me thinks!
David
0 -
As posted by others it is at times like this a true members club would come into its own, providing leadership and communicating major changes affecting large numbers of members in timely fashion. We will all find individual solutions, though am sure more could have been done as a Club. Now, I wonder whether I could cut and weld a few old bottles to fit?
2 -
Like myself there must be many caravan and motorhome owners for which the discontinuation of 3.9kg sized gas bottles will cause a major headache.
I am one of the many thousands of VW camper owners, whose van has a locker tailored for 3.9kg bottles. Maybe all those effected should return their bottles for a refund!
Perhaps the club could publish a list of alternative suppliers. 🤗
2 -
We're not huge users of gas, but when it became obvious that Calorlite was no longer going to be an option, we moved to Safefill - mainly because the weight of the alternative steel canisters. I really do think that filling station forecourt outlets will become a thing of the past for obtaining LPG. However, we have quite a few 'non-forecourt' outlets locally where it is possible to get LPG, including Jackson's of Arley - a large camping shop/ outlet, Carver's Building Supplies, Wolverhampton and several places in Birmingham. Whilst they are not exactly on our doorstep, they are places we pass over the course of a week, so I can't imagine it being a major problem for us.
I got my Safefill bottles from Jackson's a couple of years ago. They told me that they have no intention to stop supplying LPG, especially as they spent so much money installing the system...
David
0 -
Just found an empty 15kg butane bottle under a load of gear in the back of the shed.
As we no longer use butane I thought I'd swap it for a propane bottle of similar size.
Never used to be a problem but it is now! Seems it's now necessary to take out a new rental agreement before you can make the swap!
Looks like a trip to eBay or similar will be required in the future.
0 -
i have 4 x 4.5kg calor butane in the garage 3 are full 1 used but still plenty left, i bought these on local web site for £80, only use gas for BBQ when away so i reckon these 4 will probably see my caravaning days out, also have a 13kg patio gas bottle that we have used once for one of those patio heaters, this is just propane so i reckon if i made up a suitable connector we could use this also, just not user friendly for transporting but fastened down over the axle should be ok provided i dispense with the 2x6kg lights in the front locker 1 full, very rarely use gas in the caravan, never realised i had so much gas.
0 -
Having as we do an AutoSleeper with bespoke gas box suited to the 3.9/4.5kg size Calor bottle I have been concerned about the non availability of this size. The discontinued Calor bottles of this weight measure 250 diameter by 340 high, and are a fairly snug width fit, and only have about 35mm on the height to spare.
I have just called in on our local FloGas stockist and measured their 3.9/4.5 bottle sizes.
It seems that FloGas have two sizes of bottle at this weight, one is around 270 diameter and 340 high, the other is 250 diameter and 370 high. The latter seems to be the more 'modern' bottle. I am hopeful that the latter bottle size will fit in our gas compartment with minimal modification. I rang FloGas and they said they have no intention of stopping any bottle sizes.
I have emailed Calor at least twice with no response, so will be switching over to FloGas as soon as my bottles run out. I hope that the Club switch supply to FloGas on their sites so that all bottle size availability is maintained.
I hope this information is useful to folks now that the season is about to start.
0 -
Southwold Tpaz,
"I hope that the Club switch supply to FloGas on their sites so that all bottle size availability is maintained."
Now that is an interesting thought. I wonder how members, in significant numbers, could go about suggesting this to the club. Surely the sales through club sites must account for a significant % of income. In areas were natural gas is not available and the club site uses LPG would it also be possible for the club to consider the change of supplier.
I really do doubt that the club would consider such an action, even if it would be for the benefit of the majority of members. If they did I foresee three possible results of the club suggesting to Calor a change of allegiance.
- Calor respond with with a reconsideration of there plans.
- Calor say hard luck we are not doing anything, switch to Flogas at the end of your contract.
- Sod all, ie Calor does nothing, the club do not push the issue and life continues.
I think option three would be the most likely outcome.
Colin
0 -
While there are a small number of sites that sell bottled gas through the club the overall majority of on site gas sales are through the site staff themselves. Calor are still struggling to cope with continued staff shortages at the main depots.
JK
0 -
‘CC Ltd did not’
typical, well only to be expected as there was no financial gain for it
5 -
That is strange in a way because they can lobby but they are very selective in how they do it and usually don't go out on a limb themselves, they always do it with other organisations!
Anyway, good result, even if it wasn't the Club pushing for it.
David
0 -
I think Calor are nasty doing this, old camper vans can't fit a 6kh under the bed, calor response is use camping gaz, but a 2.72 kg camping gaz is as much as 7kg of calor butane
0 -
Dont hold your breath on this one, was at my local Calor stockists yesterday swopping out an empty 6kg lite for a normal 6kg LPG, he had a cage full of empty 4.5kg butane cylinders that he said Calor were refusing to take back, so if they are refusing to take them back i guess they have no way of knowing whether they are servicable or not, and the more they refuse to take back the quicker they will be phased out .
Some local firms now offering money for empty Calor cylinders, not enquired as to how much they are offering, guess they go for scrap. I now have 2 x full 6kg LPG and 4x 4.5 KG butane, picked these up cheap cheap on ebay before the rot set in. I think this will see me through my remaining caravaning days.
0 -
Hi everyone,
Further to the March issue of the Club magazine where the Club's Technical Team addressed the issue of cylinder availability in the Ask Your Club section, I just wanted to share with you some information here too on this situation which the Club's Technical Manager has shared with me.
Firstly, starting with some background. A combination of issues such as the pandemic and Brexit have caused issues for the supply of LPG cylinders for some time, but to be fair, there were issues before those factors arose too. Cylinder suppliers have told us for many years that they never see a significant proportion of their cylinders ever again after initial distribution.
Announcement of the intended withdrawal of the Calor 6lite cylinder was as long ago as 2017. We heard a rumour of wider cylinder withdrawals around the middle of last year and raised a concern at industry meetings.
We received notification of Calor's withdrawal of the Cube, 3.9kg Propane, 4.5kg Butane, 6Lite Propane and 12kg Butane cylinders on 18 January 2023, just two weeks before the withdrawal was to be implemented.
In terms of impact within our particular sector, however, it's perhaps not as serious as it may be in the other sectors, such as boats, for instance. The smallest Calor cylinders are by far not the most common sizes used. Most of our members would tend to use a 6/7kg cylinder or larger and were already aware of the loss of the 6lite from the market.
Those needing to find an alternative small cylinder have options from Flogas and perhaps from Campingaz for those who don't use very much gas (given the price of those cylinders). Our Technical Manager at the Club received the following from Flogas when querying their ability to support this market:
Flogas is committed to the small cylinder market in 2023 and beyond. At Flogas, we understand that smaller cylinder sizes are a lifeline for people who have a limited or unique space, including within caravans, boats, and motorhomes.
Flogas are committed to supplying the small cylinder market and we will continue to offer our 3.9kg propane, 5kg gaslight, 4.5kg butane (for summer or indoor use) and Campingaz® products. These, along with our larger cylinder sizes are available from our depots, through our extensive stockist network as well as our online website shop. We recommend that customers call ahead to ensure the specific size required is stocked prior to making a journey.
Our cylinders are compatible with either a clip on or screw on regulator and sizes vary so please check this when choosing a new cylinder. The information’s on our website and it’s simple to change to a different regulator if needed.
We are doing all we can to support the specialist markets who rely on these sizes and will continue to work hard to increase our stocks of smaller sizes given the recent changes in the LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) cylinder market. Flogas’ logistics teams, dealers, and retailers are working in partnership to meet the needs of our new customers. However, this will take time so please be patient as we move through this transition.
We remain committed to providing our customers with the best possible service and products, and we are confident that our small cylinder sizes will meet the needs of a wide range of customers.
Safety is our number one priority and Flogas cylinders receive regular inspection and maintenance to keep you safe. You can find out more about gas bottle safety on our website including guidance on how to store and handle Flogas cylinders.
If you have any questions or would like to place an order, please don't hesitate to contact us.______________________________________________
"They have also responded publicly with Matt Lightburn, General Manager for Flogas Cylinders commenting:
The recent market changes in the supply of small gas cylinders have taken us by surprise. The team at Flogas are doing all we can to support these specialist markets with their additional need.
Flogas are committed to the continued supply of small cylinders via our stockists nationwide or on our web shop.
We recognise that motorhomes often have unique and limited storage space. Our bottles vary in size slightly, to ensure a good fit in your unique space, we recommend collecting from a local stockist in person. Bottles are compatible with either a clip on and screw on regulator and sizes vary so please check this when choosing a new cylinder. It’s simple to change to a different regulator if needed."
In addition, Flogas shared some of their market development plans, with new outlets for their cylinders on the way. It would be naive to assume Flogas will have no supply issues, clearly, but we have no reason to question their commitment to doing the best they can and in developing their market share in the leisure sector.
We have also seen appreciable take-up in our sector of various makes of user-refillable gas cylinders (SafeFill, Gaslow and Gas-It being the most common suppliers). All of these offer small capacity cylinders and they suit those with relatively high gas usage and/or those who tour extensively in Europe, where cylinders exchangeable only in your home country are a liability.4 -
Thank you for some long awaited feedback from the Club Rowenna.
Just as an aside I wonder whether you could give some feedback to the club in general. There have been numerous occasions where members have expressed dismay at the total lack of communication from the club, which if they reached out and kept members informed on all available channels would not only cut off wild speculation but would also garner a more favourable feeling towards an Executive and hierarchy that seems detached from its members.
2 -
I switched to Safefill which have different size options to suit most caravan/motohomes. It cost about £150 to buy the 11KG cylinder but you do save almost 2/3rds on gas. However if you are a permanent electric hook up user it is questionable whether you can really recover the outlay especially as you are instructed to get them checked after 10 years (at what cost?). I also wonder how long garages will have gas outlets due to the switch to electric cars. I am slightly disappointed with the build quality of Safefill which has a plastic outer protective case which has cracked. Also after carrying out a refill the safety valve seems to stick and needs a bit of screwing and unscrewing onto the regulator to get it working.
0 -
Calor have decided not to immediate withdrawal of the 3.9kg (propane) and 4.5kg (butane)
products. However they will still be withdrawn but no new bottles will be made. As long as bottles are within date and not damaged, they will be serviced, refilled and returned to a retailer. This means these smaller Calor gas cylinders will be harder to find over time and only available from Calor Distribution Centres.At least it gives folk a chane of finding refills and longer to make a change to something else.
peedee
0
