Gas-low butane or propane (1 Viewer)

Oct 21, 2014
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Hi We are about to pick up our very first Motorhome in the next two weeks... And just wondered what people think about the gaslow system.... And also butane or propane which is preferable...
Many thanks
 
Dec 30, 2008
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Gaslow is a very good system and propane the most popular, good luck with your motorhome.

Eric
 
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R

Robert Clark

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Gaslow is great
Just remember to turn the taps off, on top of the bottles

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Apr 25, 2012
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When we bought the current van we had a twin 11kg Gaslow system fitted and we keep it topped up, though two cylinders would last for months to be honest. I think (but am not 100% sure) that the ga we fill up with at LPG garages is mostly propane (ie not pure propane). Anyway, although the system cost about £500 when we had it fitted, no more humping heavy cylinders and the cost to fill is so much cheaper. I think you can find lots of old posts and threads on this subject here, and there are other companies besides Gaslow who fit this sort of system. Gary
 
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Zigisla

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I am having the same dilemma as well. My new unit will have a hose coming through the bulkhead connecting to a regulator which then connects to the bottles. I only have a 7Kg Butane, as my others were nicked from the folding camper, but the garage says he will swop it for a 6 kg Propane as the unit comes with the propane connector as standard. I am used to a bulkhead regulator on my folding camper, so the single hose looks weird to me. As the unit hasn’t been delivered yet, I still have the options to change to refillables or remain with the single propane. The Sunlight’s online manual does state 2 x 11Kg capacity.
So which one?
 
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Popeye

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Hi @Annie21220, I picked my new van up back in May and it went straight to @eddievanbitz for several jobs but Gaslow was top of that list. My new van is far more Gas Hungry than the old one but I haven't had to lift a bottle since then.

The gauge shows fairly accurately when one of the bottles is empty and filling it has varied between £6 and £8.30 but of course if it was the old exchange system, sometimes I would return a cylinder that still had some in it just to be sure I wouldn't run out whilst away; what a waste. I reckon that at £21-£24 a cylinder compared to NO Waste and around £7.00 for a fill without factoring in the hassle of carting bottles in and out I will get my money back in just two or three years.

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Apr 22, 2013
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I have a fixed tank under the NH, but I have heard good reports of Gas-low systems. You need to to get the Gas-low cylinder(s) installed in your MH with a filling connector outside the MH, usually in the skirt. You then fill the cylinders at an LPG filling station, known in France as GPL, and sometimes called Autogas. This is usually propane but is allowed to vary a bit in warm climates.
 
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Apr 25, 2012
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Depends on your priority. We wanted less hassle filling up as we were going on a three month tour into France, Spain and Morocco and I just didn't want to be lifting heavy cylinders in and out (and it gets tougher the older you are of course). Then there is the fact that you cannot get straight replacements for the sort of refillable cylinders commonly used in the UK when you are abroad. I would always opt for Gaslow, or something similar.

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Badknee

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When we were tugging we used butane in summer and propane in winter as butane freezes @ I believe about +1 or 2 degrees C.
We chose Gasit with an external fill point
image.jpg
image.jpg
 
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dave newell

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"When we were tugging we used butane in summer and propane in winter as butane freezes @ I believe about +1 or 2 degrees C."

Sorry to be a pedantic bugger but Butane does not freeze at that temperature. That is the boiling point of butane. Ambient temperatures around or below that will mean the butane does not boil and turn to vapour. Propane's boiling point is around -47 C which is why it will work all year round.

D.

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Badknee

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"When we were tugging we used butane in summer and propane in winter as butane freezes @ I believe about +1 or 2 degrees C."

Sorry to be a pedantic bugger but Butane does not freeze at that temperature. That is the boiling point of butane. Ambient temperatures around or below that will mean the butane does not boil and turn to vapour. Propane's boiling point is around -47 C which is why it will work all year round.

D.
Fair enough Dave, so in retrospect butane don't work when it get cold, stick with propane. (y)
 
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sedge

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It's usually the regulators that freeze, anyway, isn't it? But on a Moho, with the regulator being more 'enclosed' than in the A frame gas locker thingy on a caravan, I should think that would be a lot more rare, wouldn't it?
 
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Badknee

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It's usually the regulators that freeze, anyway, isn't it? But on a Moho, with the regulator being more 'enclosed' than in the A frame gas locker thingy on a caravan, I should think that would be a lot more rare, wouldn't it?
No the differend gasses work at different temps, propane works at much lower temps.

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Nov 12, 2015
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Isn't LPG/Autogas at petrol stations a mix of propane and butane?

The reason to use butane is it has a higher calorific value therefore you get more bang for your buck but below a certain temperature it will not 'gas' and stays liquid so is not suitable for really cold winter use.

We are now looking to change from a caravan to a MH and are thinking about a gaslow system as we will not likely have a cooker with electric hob so our gas usage will go up plus I expect we will use more Aires in France etc. in future so have to power the fridge and hot water by gas.
 
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Easyliving

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We have had a Gaslow system fitted almost from the off. When we bought a new van 3 years ago part of the deal was the dealer had to move the system from the old van to the new.

If you plan to travel in Europe (surely most motorhomers do?) for more than a few weeks then refillable cylinders really come into their own. Gaslow can supply all the adaptors so you can fill up anywhere. LPG from a garage costs a lot less than in a replacement cylinder from Calor etc.

Paul
 
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Antonio

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Think you will find that the LPG mix depends where you are and that in southern Spain the butane% is higher than in the UK. Also that altitude affects the boiling point. I used propane in the house in Andalucia as I was 2,000 ft A.S.L. and it got very cold in winter. I have a gas low bottle and a propane one in the MH. I plan to get a Spanish propane bottle as well when I go back to Spain. Bit of a pain having to carry an extra bottle, but I have the room.

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vwalan

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We have had a Gaslow system fitted almost from the off. When we bought a new van 3 years ago part of the deal was the dealer had to move the system from the old van to the new.

If you plan to travel in Europe (surely most motorhomers do?) for more than a few weeks then refillable cylinders really come into their own. Gaslow can supply all the adaptors so you can fill up anywhere. LPG from a garage costs a lot less than in a replacement cylinder from Calor etc.

Paul
i changed my cepsa bottle wednesday. 12kg only 14.35 euro . usually in spain swapping bottles is alot cheaper than using autogas /gpl.
plus its only about 4 quid to swap maroc bottles in morocco.
you do really have to be using alot of gas even in uk to get your outlay back. in uk use a 19kg bottle much better price than the small bottles .
 
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Zigisla

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£626:50 for a full twin 11kg Gaslow system, plus £132 to fit (see thread on modifications - New van needs dealer to fit). You can get an awful lot of Calor refills for that!! and a long time to recoup especially if only weekending it in the UK.

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scotjimland

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£626:50 for a full twin 11kg Gaslow system, plus £132 to fit (see thread on modifications - New van needs dealer to fit). You can get an awful lot of Calor refills for that!! and a long time to recoup especially if only weekending it in the UK.

You can fit Gasit for about half that cost..

but it's not just about running costs, if that were the only reason to buy it would talk a long time for most of us to benefit financially.

It's about the convenience of not having to lift heavy bottles, which gets harder as we get older, and when abroad being able to fill up at any Autogas outlet .. otherwise you have to buy different bottle and regulator for each country

I fitted a Gaslow system with auto change-over valve and an with external filler point..

DSCF2329.JPG
 
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Zigisla

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You can fit Gasit for about half that cost..

but it's not just about running costs, if that were the only reason to buy it would talk a long time for most of us to benefit financially.

It's about the convenience of not having to lift heavy bottles, which gets harder as we get older, and when abroad being able to fill up at any Autogas outlet .. otherwise you have to buy different bottle and regulator for each country

I fitted a Gaslow system with auto change-over valve and an with external filler point..

View attachment 82912

There are sooo many threads on the pros and cons of re-fillable gas systems, as I have found out by asking very similar questions, but the OP wanted a thread on the Gaslow system and I believe that cost should be a consideration as well as having the ease of use and not having to lift heavy bottles in and out in order to balance the argument for and against. There can be no doubt that gaslow / gas fit etc are great and certainly have their place, but if you don't use much or you can manage to lift the bottles in and out, then they may not be for everyone.
 
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vwalan

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abroad you get adaptors so you can run uk regs . hamiltons gas do them in uk.
i run old fashioned butane reg ideal for german french morocan bottles and the 35mm clip on adaptor i use on spanish bottles all use same reg. my uk butane uses a calor clipon to old butane reg.
this year i am using a 19kg flogas as back up but a cepsa 12kg bottle will be the main use gas.
every where in spain they are available in a day or so. last year i came home with half the 19kg botle not used. in 6 months used about 4 spanish bottles .
i usually find in spain they will lift the bottles in and out for you with out asking .

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scotjimland

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There can be no doubt that gaslow / gas fit etc are great and certainly have their place, but if you don't use much or you can manage to lift the bottles in and out, then they may not be for everyone.

yes, absolutely agree, and provided you only go abroad in summer for a few weeks or so.. For winter travel and for long terming abroad you use a lot more gas... refillable or bulk tank come into their own
 
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vwalan

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i use gas for water heating , room heating cooking , and use gas lights almost every night . yet find 4sometimes 5 bottles are all i use all winter in spain etc . in maroc you cant fill auto gas etc so you will need maroc bottles . in spain spanish bottles work out cheaper than auto gas , i really cant see the need . mind i do have a calor tank at home i used to use on several vehicles in the past but then realzed foreign bottles worked out best . if going maroc take a spanish and maroc bottle if only doing spain /portugal a uk and spanish work fine .in portugal they will swap repsol bottles even if spanish repsol.
 
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scotjimland

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@vwalan what you say is perfectly true, but there no right or wrong way.. just what suits the individual..

for example, not many have space to carry a 19kg propane bottle .. which I have also used when staying on a site for a couple of months...

.. many ways to skin a cat..

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Easyliving

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There is a simple calculator here which aims to give you a cost comparison between Gaslow and normal Calor cylinders and tell you when you might break even. Its a bit out of date now maybe but you do have to buy a lot of gas to get your money back!

Paul
 
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vwalan

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@vwalan what you say is perfectly true, but there no right or wrong way.. just what suits the individual..

for example, not many have space to carry a 19kg propane bottle .. which I have also used when staying on a site for a couple of months...

.. many ways to skin a cat..
hi, yes i just think more should give the motorhome converters hassle for not building in larger gas bottle lockers .
every time someone buys a m,home with a little locker the manufacturers assume they have it right.
insist on bigger lockers . use larger bottles ,i swapped my flogas for 27,36 for a 19kg just before coming away. even then the lad in the depot lifted the bottle into the locker just to be helpfull.
if folk dont realize other ways they just follow . i say be hard on the m,home builders let them know.
 
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jonandshell

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Can anyone tell me why you would buy butane?
It stops vaporising when you need it most, when it gets cold!
Pointless!!!!:doh:
 
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