Lpg in france not good (1 Viewer)

[niggle]

just back from france,,,while away i was refused 8 times ????? once in calais,le touqet,berk sur mer,ou,le tre port, dieppe, and two others i cant rember,,,,,all had pumps off till you whent and asked for the gas,at dieppe the french m/h people blocked the pumps tiil the police arrived and were told its the law not to let the refillable gas bottles be filled, boy did they argue with them but to no avail ??? .this morning i called the head office of gas low and was told yep there ok ??? rubbish i said the frence police told us they were not,they then tryed every excuse to say they were ??? the police officer even said it is now common place all oaver france at many super markets to say no ,,, the only glimmer of hope is fill up on the motor way but so they cant see where you are putting it,,and yes he owns a camping car ??? he said they are all having to buy bottles from super markets an change them ? the law as it stands is in france[ no refillable bottles ] and no gas for heating or cooking you must only use bottles that you buy,, dont belive the companys in the uk as all they want to do is shift the kits they got all ready so the story goes on,, fill up at dover is you like hot food or want to keep warm??? be warned

 

[Munchie]

Is your filler in the locker where they can see the bottles?

 

[hilldweller]

That's bad news.

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[JJ]

This has not been my experience in France but I will have an opportunity to check this out as I journey through it next week...

Maybe things have changed since last November.

JJ :Cool:

 

[Munchie]

Haggers posted that he filled up several times with no problem a week or two ago. :thumb:

 

[chatter]

If i remember rightly, cant remember where in france but a motorhome filling with gas caused a fire and explosion which closed the garage and surrounding area down for a while. It was posted on a forum but i cant remember which one.

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[scotjimland]

If i remember rightly, cant remember where in france but a motorhome filling with gas caused a fire and explosion which closed the garage and surrounding area down for a while. It was posted on a forum but i cant remember which one.

On Fun here

Link Removed

 

[haganap]

is it not you that started this thread before? and also stated that all aires are to be changed and privatised?

apologies if not but I am sure that is what some one said the last time this was raised.can not think that much has changed in the 3 weeks I have been back? and we filled at Caalais to the French mountains without a problem.

 

[bobandjanie]

Well for the last 4 years we have done mainly Germany, and if we get any problems filling our bottles or should I say ' FIXED TANKS WITH EXTERNAL FILLER ', we will not be spending 6 weeks or our money in France in May / June / July. And it will be back to the 3 day gallop down to Spain in winter. Bob.

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[ticktok]

Hi,
We are driving through France and most of Spain in a couple of weeks, I have a Gaslow kit that I was going to fit before going but will not fit it now just in case. I will ask about LPG when I fill up with fuel and report back.

 

[Jaws]

We have a single 11kg bottle gaslite system..

We do all our cooking, some heating and of course hot water when off hook up with it.

Filled it up in October and the meter has yet to drop ! ( yes I know it will not move until its down to about a 1/4 but hey ! )
( And yessssss.... we have been away a few days in it.. Well 35 days on the Spanish trip, 10 days all over Essex in November inc the Fun meet, a few days around and about over new years period )

I would just fill up and stop worrying ( unless you are some sort of weird person who likes to spray raw gas in the air LOL !! )

 

[sedge]

I have to say I think the fire/boiler takes more gas than the fridge and cooking - although as well as the hob and grill I regularly use the oven to cook meat, bake cakes & puddings etc. So we do normally need a refill when away for 2+ weeks off hook up. Well we are never hardly on hook up TBH cos we don't do campsites - so all heating and hot water normally has to be by gas. We only put the water on when we are going to have a shower though and just boil a kettle for washing us, washing up etc. So far have only stayed on one aire which had showers (Stenay, excellent LOL)

Because we only have small bottles (6kg are they?) the locker door not being wide enough for larger ones - I am getting very very twitchy at the moment about this gas business and hoping for a heatwave in France over Easter cos that's when we are going next!

oh:

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[Goose]

Gosh, I'm really surprised the OP had trouble refilling in France. Just refilled our Gaslow in Cancale, Ille-et-Villaine, Brittany today. Only thing that irrritated me was the 10 Euro fill versus 6 Euros near Tavira in Portugal on last refill over a month ago.

To the poster who is having second thoughts on Gaslow...don't. Just do it.

Since May 2010 we've toured just about every European country bar Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland. Refilling the Gaslow has been a dream for the most part. Biggest difficulty is Spain because of the lack of filling stations (but there are selected locations kindly pointed out by other members in previous posts).

We were turned down 3 or 4 times in Italy with cries of "Bomba, bomba" by the attendants. But they were generally older fellows, ignorant of Gaslow's brilliant 80% filling-cutoff (or perhaps the younger attendants had more of a cavalier approach to life than their older peers).

In my experience:

1. The bigger filling stations in France, such as the ones linked to the big supermarket chains, don't even carry GPL.

2. Any full-service filling station requiring the services of an attendant to dispense the GPL presents a risk of you receiving the shock-and-horror-arms-in-the-air-bomba-bomba-no-way reception.

3. Find the service station where you can fill yourself. There are plenty of them. They tend to be those ones with a cashier in a little kiosk and no other attendants to interfere.

4. Don't be put off with the occasional "No". Whilst I admit 8 rejections does seem a lot compared to our 3 or 4 in 8 months, the brilliance of the Gaslow system can't be beaten.

Going to order a second Gaslow bottle the moment we get back to the UK.

 

[dave newell]

I don't understand the OP's remarks about Gaslow and other refillable cylinder providers. How is it their fault that SOME fuel stations in France are being difficult? Gaslow state their cylinders are legal and that is quite true, they are legal in the country they're being sold, in this case the UK.

This is like saying I do something wrong in providing cruise control as there are certain roads in Belgium where you are not allowed to use itoh:.

D.

 

[bobandjanie]

This is like saying I do something wrong in providing cruise control as there are certain roads in Belgium where you are not allowed to use itoh:.

D.

OK, I just had to ask cruise control / Belgium.... illegal? Jane

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[JeanLuc]

OK, I just had to ask cruise control / Belgium.... illegal? Jane

Indeed - on certain busy motorways in Belgium it is illegal to use a cruise control.

Philip

 

[haganap]

Indeed - on certain busy motorways in Belgium it is illegal to use a cruise control.

Philip

well they say you learn something new everyday. I have travelled extensively in Belgium on motorbikes, cars and Motorhomes. yet I have never seen that sign.

Maybe I should start looking for road signs as oppose to cake shops:Blush:

 

[JJ]

Cruise control banned... !

...as teenagers would say "Yeah right..."

...that is going to be easy to enforce...

JJ

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[iandsm]

LPG in France

I thought I would send an enquiry to the French Tourist Agency, after all, they should know of any problems. As can be seen they do not know of any issues.


"We are travelling to France for a two month holiday in our motorhome (camping car) in the near future. I have read recently that there may be difficulty in filling our LPG reservoir.. This is a permanent professionally fitted system comprising of two bottles which cannot be removed with a remote filler which uses the same filler nozzle as LPG for motor cars. There are many users of similar systems in France, Germany Spain etc.

Last year we were in France for three months and had no difficulty in obtaining LPG at petrol stations and I know that many others, both Englash, French and German have had no trouble. However, I have heard that some people report that they have been refused access to LPG at petrol stations recently. I understand that the filling of portable LPG bottles is forbidden in France, as it is in the UK. Indeed, there are signs in petrol filling stations and on LPG pumps to this effect. But I do not believe this restriction applies to permanently fitted systems. Of course, if it did then motor cars would be unable to use LPG for fuel, which I doubt will ever be the case.

I expect that three may have been some local confusion over what the customer was putting the LPG in, i.e. a properly fitted permanent system of just a portable gas bottle.

Are you able to supply any information please".


Here is the reply:


France Tourism Development Agency to me


"Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your enquiry.
Sorry we do not have any information on LPG stations so please try on the web site of the Ministry of Transport. http://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/ please try the motorway petrol stations there should not be any problems.
Bon voyage.
Do not hesitate to contact us for further information.
Richard FIOLKA
Information Officer"

 

[scotjimland]

I thought I would send an enquiry to the French Tourist Agency, after all, they should know of any problems. As can be seen they do not know of any issues.

Perhaps they haven't read this news report nor aware of the Shell notice ?

http://lci.tf1.fr/france/faits-divers/2009-09/explosion-dans-une-station-service-sur-l-a10-4863482.html

Google translation

A quiet service station located near Orleans was rocked Tuesday by a loud explosion, which would have occurred, according to preliminary results of the survey, close to an LPG pump. Two occupants of a camper, originating from the Puy de Dome, which was a stop on this area of the A10 motorway near Orleans, to refuel, were seriously injured by fire ensued.

First on-site medical facilities, two people were taken to hospitals in Tours and Paris. "Their prognosis is not in danger," says one from the police. Technicians criminal identification have mobilized to take samples and attempt to provide specific evidence in the investigation. "We scan all the hypotheses. The only certainty for now is that it is an accident," said Lt. John Charles Wiplier the squadron county road safety in the Loiret.

The station closed for security reasons

Shell has also initiated an internal investigation. "We have no evidence to determine the precise causes of the accident," said Bruno Rosenthal, head of corporate communications. "We know that the driver of the camper has completed the first full-diesel for his vehicle that runs on diesel and he then moved his camper near a terminal to run another LPG filling in a other storage undetermined at this time. That's when the fire broke out, "says the same source.

Recordings from CCTV cameras have been recovered by investigators. "As a precaution, we informed all our retailers offering this fuel, and put up new signs reminding that [HI]the use of LPG pumps is solely dedicated to LPG powered vehicles[/HI]," said Shell. The service station was closed for an indefinite period.

 

[iandsm]

LPG

Yes, I doubt they are aware of it, after all it is dated Sept 2009 and I know that many motorhomers have been filling with no problems. Of course there have been refusals and probably always will be. However, it still seems to me the majority do not have a problem.

I go to France in two weeks or a two month stay, I will report back.

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[JJ]

Just popped into a French Shell petrol station on the N10 near Ruffec and topped up my Gaslow bottle with €9 of gas. :thumb:

Ok... I didn't call into the station and ask the girl on the desk if I could fill up my refillable bottle... and I did have an outside filler... but I report as I find not as I read!

JJ

 

[scotjimland]

Just popped into a French Shell petrol station on the N10 near Ruffec and topped up my Gaslow bottle with €9 of gas. :thumb:

Ok... I didn't call into the station and ask the girl on the desk if I could fill up my refillable bottle... and I did have an outside filler... but I report as I find not as I read!

JJ

Thanks JJ ..

did you see any signs saying that the use of LPG pumps is solely dedicated to LPG powered vehicles, ?

 

[JJ]

Thanks JJ ..

did you see any signs saying that the use of LPG pumps is solely dedicated to LPG powered vehicles, ?

Not sure Jim There was some sort of small notice but my French wasn't good enough... I think I would have understood it had it said that... The girl was much too busy selling special priced Mars bars to worry about the LPG pump...

JJ

PS. I bought 2 bars...

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[haganap]

Just popped into a French Shell petrol station on the N10 near Ruffec and topped up my Gaslow bottle with €9 of gas. :thumb:

Ok... I didn't call into the station and ask the girl on the desk if I could fill up my refillable bottle... and I did have an outside filler... but I report as I find not as I read!

JJ

dont believe you JJ,

Got any photographic evidence?

 

[haganap]

So, in the interest of helping our OP whom again reported this for I think the 3rd time. Once insisiting that we all had to have a certificate.

What advice can we offer him/her?

It appears, Niggle was refused at 8, yes, no less than 8 places and subsequently went cold.

So what is it different about you Niggle? What do you think you are doing wrong/different to everyone else (myself included)

Maybe come back and post exactly what you done at these 8 garages and the ones before and we will be able to assess if there is indeed something you are doing that is different to the rest of us?

It may actually help us to help you and any others that are refused.

 

[Heyupluv]

So, in the interest of helping our OP whom again reported this for I think the 3rd time. Once insisiting that we all had to have a certificate.

What advice can we offer him/her?

It appears, Niggle was refused at 8, yes, no less than 8 places and subsequently went cold.

So what is it different about you Niggle? What do you think you are doing wrong/different to everyone else (myself included)

Maybe come back and post exactly what you done at these 8 garages and the ones before and we will be able to assess if there is indeed something you are doing that is different to the rest of us?

It may actually help us to help you and any others that are refused.

You may have hit on the answer there haganap.....see how and what niggles is doing when he try's to refill his inboard or Gaslow tanks...... What is he doing different to the other funsters and yourself who are getting LPG / PLG gas from the Auto pumps.....oh:

Mel:thumb:

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[Gromett]

I am seeing this topic in a number of places and it is starting to irritate me slightly. Some people are saying they were refused but are not stating whether they have to open a locker door to fill or not? oh:

This seems to be the most important question??? Does the OP have an external filling point or does he have to open a locker door. If everyone who has had a refusal gives this information we may get a better idea if this is the cause or not:thumb:

Karl

 

[jhorsf]

Just popped into a French Shell petrol station on the N10 near Ruffec and topped up my Gaslow bottle with €9 of gas. :thumb:

Ok... I didn't call into the station and ask the girl on the desk if I could fill up my refillable bottle... and I did have an outside filler... but I report as I find not as I read!

JJ

Thanks JJ and may I say you are looking very plain and drab in the photo:thumb: (private joke see I remembered JJ)

 

[Heyupluv]

I am seeing this topic in a number of places and it is starting to irritate me slightly. Some people are saying they were refused but are not stating whether they have to open a locker door to fill or not? oh:

This seems to be the most important question??? Does the OP have an external filling point or does he have to open a locker door. If everyone who has had a refusal gives this information we may get a better idea if this is the cause or not:thumb:

Karl

I agree Karl........:thumb:

Mel

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