how do you know gas is near empty (1 Viewer)

duetto owner

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May 7, 2009
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Using propane gas the red tanks on the motor home is there a way of measuring when they are near empty before they go empty sucking in the sludge from the tank.

on my medical oxygentanks they have a gauge but cannot find they for propane if they exist can someone post the info please.
 

Jim

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Jul 19, 2007
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Tried a couple of systems and I never found a reliable way of knowing how much gas we had left. The only fool-proof way I found was to have two bottles. When one emptied, swop it and then immediately buy another.
 

davejen

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Aug 21, 2008
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Hi, duetto, I don't think there are any gauges like your oxygen ones you describe , but you can get stick-on ones that give you an idea. Also some people weigh the cylinder full and empty on bathroom scales. Whether it's practical to out scales under th bottle on your van I don't know, but you could try it.
Regards, Dave:thumb:

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Wildman

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May 30, 2008
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propane is a liquid, when the pressure drops it becomes a gas, any residue will be at the bottom of the tank, gas leaves at the top. no problem, you know it is empty when the gas goes out. a gauge will only show when the last of the liquid has turned to gas and the pressure drops otherwise it is constant. Only genuine way is to use see through bottles then you can see what is left, why bother just carry a spare.
 

Baggins

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Nov 15, 2008
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And why do they only ever run out when you're useing them?........

And why do they only ever run out when you're useing them?........

I find mine almost always runs out overnight when the fridge has used up the last dregs so struggling bleary-eyed with the gas spanner before I get a cuppa.

I had the luxury of an automatic change-over valve/connection on the last van but a bit pricey for sake of small inconvenience.

BW

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pappajohn

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Aug 26, 2007
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Using propane gas the red tanks on the motor home is there a way of measuring when they are near empty before they go empty sucking in the sludge from the tank.

on my medical oxygentanks they have a gauge but cannot find they for propane if they exist can someone post the info please.

if there is any 'sludge' in the bottom of the bottle you aint getting it out.... unless your bottles are upside down.:winky:

as roger (wildman) said the gas is in liquid form until a valve/tap is opened then the pressure drop will allow the liquid to turn back to gas.
the gas is only taken from the top of the bottle, not the bottom.

depending on weather conditions you can get a 'frost' ring form around the bottle giving a very rough idea of the remaining gas.....the ring only forms where there is liquid gas.
 

dshague

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Aug 22, 2007
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the new calor light weight bottle as a gauge fitted don't no if its accurate got them in locker at moment but have never looked when it runs out just change it :ROFLMAO:
 
OP
OP
duetto owner

duetto owner

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sludge someone told me not to let them go empty as sludge residue will get in the pipes.

is this an old wives tale. is it ok for it to empty out, the M.H. carries two bottles so that would be ideal.

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Wildman

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May 30, 2008
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And why do they only ever run out when you're useing them?........

I find mine almost always runs out overnight when the fridge has used up the last dregs so struggling bleary-eyed with the gas spanner before I get a cuppa.

I had the luxury of an automatic change-over valve/connection on the last van but a bit pricey for sake of small inconvenience.

BW

Automatic changeover valve just insures you end up with two empty bottles at the same time.
 

45eEver

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Apr 15, 2009
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If you loosen the strap and weigh by hand, or slosh your "reserve cylinder", you'll soon tell if not fully full Duetto.
Well after a bit of practice anyway.

Remember to tighten the strap afterwards.

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Geo

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Jul 29, 2007
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Yes you can run them right out:thumb: without any danger of taking up anything into your pipes, the sludge story is a Myth/windup:Doh:
Geo
 

45eEver

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Apr 15, 2009
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To add to what Geo wrote.

The sludge is very real.
You'd be amazed how much there is in some 47kg cylinders.

The idea of it getting up the pipes from a gas feed cylinder is a myth.

Sometimes it squirts out of liquid feed cylinders, and puts the fire out.

A risk with refilling your car from an inverted 47kg cylinder I'm afraid.
Takes a long time to sort the mess out as well.
 

vwalan

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i have cut many a gas bottle for scrap n make woodburners never seen any crap in the bottom of a bottle. thats propane/butane bottles. make nice barbies too if cut length ways. also used on trikes as fuel tanks . :thumb:

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Kon tiki

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Oct 11, 2007
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I bought a luggage weighing scales from B&M Bargains for £1.99, weighs up to 22 kgs. They have the same ones in TJ Hughes at £4.99.
I have one 11 kg refillable Alugas bottle, I am going to drill a small hole above the botle which will be under the side seat. I worked out I can weigh the bottle by having a string tied to the bottle through the hole. I am going to weigh it after I fill it with the pipes connected, although it won't be accurate it will give me some idea of what gas I have.
 

GJH

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I believe that the gauges on the Calor Lite and BP Gaslite bottles are float gauges which signal the level which the liquid propane has reached. I don't know how accurate they are - our gas locker won't fit the BP ones and I object to paying the premium for the Calor ones.

Our gas locker takes two 6Kg bottles. As mentioned by others you know when one is empty by it running out. You can then switch to the second bottle and have plenty of time to replace the empty one before it, too, runs out.

Graham
 

derekfaeberwick

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B.P. gaslite has a clear viewing panel and my auto changeover, forget which one it is, turns red when the designated bottle empties giving plenty time to replace it. :thumb:

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45eEver

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Apr 15, 2009
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i have cut many a gas bottle for scrap n make woodburners never seen any crap in the bottom of a bottle. thats propane/butane bottles. make nice barbies too if cut length ways. also used on trikes as fuel tanks .

Must have been all my hard work emptying them VWAlan.
 

DuxDeluxe

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Just to put the sludge myth into context, I worked for the last 8 years of my time at sea on LPG ships, mostly carrying crude butane and propane from the oil terminals in mid east to Europe/Japan.

Very occasionally the tanks would be gas freed for entry and even on a 15 year old ship, there is so little rust /debris that you could still see the builders "chalk" marks. Sometimes a bit of a sweep up was needed especially after carrying liquid ammonia (just to get rid of the smell)

It is possible to get debris into a tank, but 6/11 kg cylinders? I don't think so, and as pointed out above you're drawing vapours not liquid. I would have assumed that any liquid draw off (for an LPG powered RV) would have comprehensive filter arrangements

Hope that helps

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davetthedon

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Mar 25, 2009
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Covering all the Bases....

Just to make sure we don't run out, I have a 15kg French Butagaz Propane, A 15kg Calorgas and 2 Campinggaz 907's just in case. You can't get calor in europe, and you cant get Butagaz here, campinggaz only lasts for a few days at most, especially when you cook roast dinners for 5, use the hot water, and gas fire!! Who'd have women on board? Bless 'em. :cry:
 

Sundowners

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We can always tell when ours is running out, for some reason, we can smell it a couple of days beforehand, it smells light a dead rat or even a smelly grey tank. It took us some time to work it out, but it does it everytime. We always carry a spare.

Nigel and Pamala
 

davetthedon

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Mar 25, 2009
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We can always tell when ours is running out, for some reason, we can smell it a couple of days beforehand, it smells light a dead rat or even a smelly grey tank. It took us some time to work it out, but it does it everytime. We always carry a spare.

Nigel and Pamala

That sounds dodgy! I'd get a carbon monoxide detector if I were you. I know you can't smell CO but it sounds like a burn mixture problem with the cooker or fire or whatever. Also get it serviced. Too late afterwards.

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45eEver

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Apr 15, 2009
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Dux, the stuff in the bottom of the consumer cylinderers either came from the pumps that moved it into the consumer cylinders.
Or consumers put it in.

The industry I was in to use liquid from from normal gas feed cylinders by turning them upside down.
Liquid feed cylinders were often difficult to obtain.

We used to support the cylinders at about 35 degrees to prevent rusty oily water getting in the delivery line.

Occasionally, we got grollies in the liquid propane.

It may well be that in recent years, standards have improved.
They needed to.

Sludge was fact.
The idea that the sludge could carry through in the gas is myth.
With a bit of luck, sludge in cylinders is history.

Stacker trucks can run off aluminium cylinders made by Worthington.
Worthingtons are expensive, especially since you have to buy them.
Worthingtons have to be inspected internally at regular intervals because the sludge from LPG can or could have a corrosive effect of caustic sludge on aluminium.
Worthingtons are fairly common in the States.

Your ammonia is caustic by the way.
 
Nov 28, 2007
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Sundowner is right, you can smell the difference when you are about to run out.
This is something i first noticed many years ago, i have been motorhoming since 1964 and both myself and the wife have noticed this many many times, she usualy tells me the gas is running out i can smell it.
We have used calor for years and now use a gaslow bottle as well, they are all the same I have no idea why as it happenes on any vehicle i have had new or old.

RD
 

45eEver

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Apr 15, 2009
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Funny Money, when you say you can smell it.

Do you smell the difference: -

When it burns with an open flame (cooker ring)?
When it burns with an enclosed flame (heater)?

When it's switched off?

Between when you turn the gas on and when you light it?
Ie unburnt gas.

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Feb 9, 2008
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There are devices on the market that can give an indication of how much gas you have, but only an indication.

Simplest way is to carry two bottles. If you are worried about weight then you can do as I did when towing a caravan, have one big bottle, in use, and a small bottle on stand-by. I still have the small bottle never having filled it for 5 years and its still over half full. How do I know? Put it on you shoulder and gently rock back and forth and you can get a reasonable idea of how much is left as the liquid gas sloshs back and forth.

Rgds
Bill:thumb:
 

Tony Lee

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Sep 28, 2008
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That sounds dodgy

Betty always knows when the gas is within a day of running out.

I think it is because the LPG odouriser (mercaptan?) settles out a bit and is concentrated at the bottom of the tank and is more noticeable when you are lighting the gas.
 

barryd

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We had a Gaslow system fitted a couple of weeks ago. Im sure most of you are familiar with them but if you’re not basically it’s a refillable gas bottle. They fit a cylinder in your gas locker and you have an LPG filler cap on the side of the van. You turf up at the filling station and just top it up just like you were filling up with diesel (Don’t actually put diesel in it!). They fit a filler cap on the side of the van similar to the one where you put your diesel. Im really pleased with it. After 4 days away last weekend and having loads of heating on, the fridge on all the time, a couple of showers and the cooker and oven used quite a lot we topped up on the way home. We had used nearly 8 litres but it just cost £3 something to replace. There is a gauge as well which appears to work but like every other gauge in the MH it’s probably not very accurate. We bought it mainly for the convenience and the fact that we can fill up abroad as well without too much bother. I have to admit though that having been shown how to use it at the fitting place the pump I stopped at the other day was different so I had to ask for help which was a bit embarrassing! I also got a standard 6KG propane bottle just in case the Gaslow runs out and we can’t get LPG or are in a country where it is scarce but hopefully I will never need it. I think the whole thing cost about £260 fitted with a continental adaptor thingy as well. LPG on the pumps is about half the cost of bottled gas. Before I had it I tried a couple of these stick on gauges you can buy of eBay for a couple of quid. Crap. Don’t work!

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