Gas bottles
There is a thread on here relating to gas bottles but it is a couple of years old now and things have changed, mostly because Calor don't sell small bottles any more.
About nine or ten years ago I bought a Safefill bottle. It has paid for itself. Not only on my being able to buy much cheaper gas, but the sheer convenience of going on a trip knowing that we have plenty of gas.
When I first bought the bottle there was an ignorant jobsworth who wouldn't let me fill the bottle but these days I have not had that problem at all. I bought the adaptors for Framce amd Spain but have never needed to use them.
I can see the level of gas in my bottle and check it before I leave home. I have a fuel station close by that sells LPG at a veey competitive price so if I need to fill up, I do.
If you have the space in your locker, get a refillable gas bottle. You won't regret it.
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But £200 for starters.
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Gives the flexibility to camp where you wish, on Aires or other stopping places but also the gas is available in any country in Europe..
The initial cost is soon recouped by using a few stop overs rather than sites..and you have an asset you can sell if it doesn't work out and the gas is a third of the price of bottled gas.
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I have had Safefill for a number of years and enjoy the saving in gas prices. I wonder how much longer garages will stock and sell gas enabling refill with the move towards EVs etc. My other reservation regards to the poor quality of the Safefill outer casing which from early on saw the joined sides separate. Also after a refill the valve sticks shut even when the regulator pipe is screwed tight. I have to screw and unscrew the lock nut and let a little gas out after which I can retighten and all is fine. Is Gaslow a better piece of kit?
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I too have witnessed many stockists lost to us but what becomes more of a concern is that every time a Calor bottle was filled a check was made on it. This is not so with the removable refillable bottles we fill ourselves and those permanently attached to the motorhome/caravan. These are not checked on MOTs and I’m not sure all habitation services check the integrity of the tanks. Not all of us bother with habitation checks either.
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Good points and although i am a Calor user so hopefully am covered by the Calor safety procedures that are in place, In a slightly different context I have been subject to metal corrision e.g. spare wheel slung underneath my Sorento, which, when i came to use it was totally flat, corrosion had caused the rim to loose air and although only small pockets round the rim was sufficient over time to cause the tyre to loose all air. Spare wheel as with underslung gas tanks are not part of the MOT, nor the service.
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would have thought that having a full service the spare wheel would have been part of the checks carried out, obviously not and the service manager told me that if the wheel was easily accessable they would check it, and that is at a Kia dealership, cant get the staff these days, but my Calor 6kgx2 cylinders are ok in the front locker and Calor appear to be working normal now, not that i use a lot of gas
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Rufs, I was surprised to read the spare wheel is not part of the MOT. My understanding is you do not need to carry a spare wheel but if one is carried it must be in serviceable condition as it could be fitted to the vehicle.
Colin
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One issue for those buying either vans with a fixed tank or portable refillable bottle, is the life period of that tank/bottle, some suggest tanks need to be replaced after ten years, some sooner. I’ve seen quotes ranging between £600 and £800 to do this.
A similar situation, but not as expensive maybe, would apply to portable refillable bottles. I guess this expense needs to be factored into the cost effectiveness of purchasing such systems.1 -
I'm guessing the suggestion is based upon the fact that the tank is a pressure vessel. Good practice would be to have the vessel tested, which I believe is the case when "normal" gas bottles go back for filling.
Colin
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I don't know much about the 'installed tanks', to be honest. I am a bit neurotic about gas though.... I'm one of these folk who switch off the gas at the cylinder as soon as we've finished cooking the meal, and I always disconnect the pipe from the bottle when we travel. It's a pity they haven't yet found a solution to the bottles having to be disguarded after 10 years. I wonder how long the metal bottles last before they are sent for scrap?
David
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I'm one of these folk who switch off the gas at the cylinder as soon as we've finished cooking the meal, and I always disconnect the pipe from the bottle when we travel.
I'm with you on that one David. Mind you OH has a great sense of smell and smelt gas once and since then I changed to turning things off.
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Me too, not very much of a problem even when it is raining. However I don't disconnect when travelling as I believe in touching the locking nut as little as possible.
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Turning off the gas bottle at night is something we used to do in the 70/80s as that is what my dad used to do. Nowadays we rarely do this.
However what I ensure is that I never turn on the gas until I am certain the Alde is operating on electricity. We all learn by our mistakes and I found out that the Alde really devours gas!
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Posted on 06/12/2023 19:39 by Wherenext.
I'm one of these folk who switch off the gas at the cylinder as soon as we've finished cooking the meal, and I always disconnect the pipe from the bottle when we travel.
Each time you break the seal you increase the risk that it will not reseal safely when it's reconnected.
If it's a rubber or fibre seal it should be replaced each time it's released or if it's a metal to metal seal it needs to be kept scrupulously clean as even the smallest bit of contamination can cause a problem.
As Nellie suggest it is best left alone. If you are concerned about equipment leaking inside the van you should turn off the isolation (safety) valves which are designed and intended for that purpose.
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I have just ordered a Safefill 7.5kg bottle for our new van conversion based on recommendations on this forum. It is slightly wider than the Calor cylinder but according to Wildax it will still fit. We have an LPG supplier nearby but the main reason for ordering it was that it is light with a visible level and I wont need to change the whole cylinder when half full and off to France for 4 weeks.
A couple of observations. I didn’t realise that you were allowed to fill a bottle at a garage with an LPG pump - do you need an extension adapter or will the nozzle fit? Concerning the sticking valve, Safefill recommend using a pigtail with an O ring seal to reduce wear on the valve. I also note that the first fill should be 10 litres maximum (14 litres after that). Anybody know why?
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"I also note that the first fill should be 10 litres maximum (14 litres after that). Anybody know why?"
It's because the air that's in the cylinder from new has to be displaced. With regard to the extension adapter - I keep one in my car - just in case I come across a garage which has the guard around the gun and the extension is needed. So far - never had to use it but for what they cost it's worth having one just in case.
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I agree that the Alde can get through a lot of gas, but we find the opposite regarding operation. Ours will only use gas if it has no electricity, or when starting to heat and the weather is very cold. It prioritises using electricity, and of course it cannot use gas at all unless gas is selected on the control screen.
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There was some correspondence a few years back suggesting that portable bottles could not be refilled at garage with LPG pumps. My local ASDA garage has an LPG pump so can I simply place my Safefill bottle on the ground and top it up?0
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Some places may allow you to do this others are not so keen on it and certainly abroad they do not allow it.
When we had our coach built MH we installed Gaslow bottles and an external filling point.
We now have a PVC but it has an underslung tank 26ltrs. Much better as no loss of space in van for bottles.
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Have a look on mylpg.eu for garages near your location that still retain an LPG pump. If filling on the Continent you will probably need different adapters to connect up.
Their listings of garages with LPG pumps normally state if refillable bottles are allowed
If your local Asda is unattended like ours is then I'd just go for it.
Also don't be alarmed when attaching the pump for the 1st time or from empty if you hear a sound like a massive fart! It's just getting rid of surplus air
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Hitchglitch, you will definitely need adapters to use the LPG pumps abroad different ones for each country, although some countries are the same as others.
Just checked, France, Italy, Poland, Slovenia have the same size.
Germany, Austria, Belgium same size.
Spain and Portugal are the same.
So 3 different sizes if you go to these countries.
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If it a Safefill, a Safefill filling extension may also be required 😉.
Safefill kit: Safefill Set
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Thanks to all. I had an underslung tank on my previous motorhome so am familiar with filling LPG. Also have used pumps in France using the adapter which I still have. Various YouTube videos show bottles being filled at garages so will give it a try. The bottle arrived yesterday and it is impressively light and of course has great grab handles and transparent walls for viewing gas level. Remind me why clunky Calor bottles are so popular?
We have ordered a Wildax Europa van conversion for delivery in March. The purchase of the gas bottle was a necessity as Wildax have stopped fitting underslung LPG tanks. They also now fit a very low power consumption compressor fridge and larger solar panels. I expect gas use to be minimal as it will be for cooking only hence no need to go to the extra cost of, say, Gaslow with external filling point. Once a year top-up of the Safefill bottle will probably suffice and their are currently three LPG stockists in the area.
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