Magnetic strip for monitoring levels for LPG cylinders (1 Viewer)

Feb 19, 2015
1,776
1,249
Norfolk
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35,161
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Globecar Campscout 2013
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Since 2016
Having just had to go out in the cold to change cylinders (as one ran out in the night) we are interested in any gadget that might help.
We heard of a magnetic strip you can attach to the outside that tells you how much is left in there. Does anyone know about these?
Alternatively is the fitting of a LPG reading guage not too pricey and who would do that for us? Any thoughts welcome. We are on our first ever voyage in our new Hymer.
 
Nov 3, 2013
3,165
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Portugal
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Fiat Ducato Auto Wildax
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C/van since '73 .M/h.2009
Hi.
We had an M strip years ago,it was very hit and miss so Gauge for us.
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Khizzie

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Jul 26, 2014
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since 2002
Had a couple of those strips ,didn't work for me ,but cheap enough to do your own research as some people rate them .Roy

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OP
OP
Jac Sprat
Feb 19, 2015
1,776
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Globecar Campscout 2013
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Since 2016
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What did the guage cost and where could we have it fitted?
 

SuperMike

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Apr 28, 2010
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Winnebago Sightseer
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11yrs, but many years a tugger.
I never had any luck with those magnetic things. You can also get a gauge like this, but never tried one.

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icantremember

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Sep 2, 2010
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since 2005
Somewhere in my shed I have one of the magnetic lpg indicators .... if I can find it you are welcome to have it!
However they are notoriously inefficient and I would say that with experience you will have a better idea of your cylinder contents.
We now have a bulk underslung tank with a contents gauge on the vehicle dash board but when we had two cylinders and one was getting low I would change to the full one in the evening for the night and change back in the morning so it would run out during the day.

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Armytwowheels

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Aug 10, 2012
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Good morning
You can definitely get auto change over gadgets from Truma. We have one fitted on our van, when it changes a red light shows on the panel inside to show that it is on the second bottle. It's quite useful as it constantly reminds you that you need to fill up. When it is on the primary bottle it shows a green light and when on the second bottle a red light shows.

As others have said the magnetic strip, although cheap, did not work for us on a past van.

As for cost, it will depend on what system you have fitted already.
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Enword

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May 20, 2014
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Nov 3, 2013
3,165
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Portugal
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Fiat Ducato Auto Wildax
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C/van since '73 .M/h.2009
Hi
Sorry to be misleading,we tried the m/strip and it did not work,so did as you had to do,ALWAYS in the rain/dark. We then bought two Safefill cylinders,these are a Plastic type Re-Fillable cylinder,that have clear panels to see the level of the contents through.
However,our first m/home had a bulk tank fitted underneath,with a traffic light type gauge,the second m/h,had Gas-low,and the one we have now is an u/slung tank with a series of lights.
Where to sorce a gauge ? You could do worse,by not looking up, "Autogas 2000 Thirsk ?" or "Gas it" on the web,i think both have fitting country wde
There is also several very well thought of Funsters who supply these and more services to fellow funsters,all can be recommended.
Silly me ,Autogas has an advert on the right hand column as i am typing this....LOL www.autogasleisure.co.uk

I WILL wake up soon,promise....
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Khizzie

Free Member
Jul 26, 2014
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Le Repaire,Thiviers,France
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since 2002
I never had any luck with those magnetic things. You can also get a gauge like this, but never tried one.

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This is what I now have and its quite a good indicator of the level in bottle. You can google them and also find it cheaper than this one. Roy
 
Jul 1, 2010
3,191
32,323
SW Northumberland
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12,394
MH
Hymer B 588 DL
Exp
Since September 2010
We used the magnetic gauges on ships to check various types of liquid gas levels, trick is to position strip then hold a cloth soaked in hot water against it for a short while. Empty space above liquid level obviously absorbs heat so giving a good indication of where level is.

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magicsurfbus

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Oct 11, 2010
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Since 1997
One that definitely doesn't work is the little plastic clip gauge supplied by Gaslow on their refillable cylinders.

You can usually get a rough idea by feeling the cylinder - LPG is very cold.

We also had one of the 'proper' Gaslow pressure gauges fitted next to the regulator, and during the winter when local temperatures hit -16C the brass mid section split. When I turned the gas on to heat up the van for its spring clean, almost a cylinder full of gas leaked out through the safety vent in the gas compartment. Fortunately it didn't ignite. I sent the faulty part back to the manufacturer for replacement but they never explained why it had failed.
 
Feb 27, 2011
14,670
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15,452
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Self Build
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Since 2005
I tried the mag strip one and it didn't work for me. Your usage may vary as they say.

The plastic gauge on the top of refillables has proven next to useless and I guess based on usage better.
 
Jul 29, 2007
6,526
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Ipswich
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32
MH
RV and PVC
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30 years
The pressure inside an LPG cylinder is controlled by its temperature, not by how much is in it.

Ian

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Movinon

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Feb 1, 2012
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UK
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Lots
The most accurate way is weighing scales. Foolproof :)
This is true. I used to carry an old set of cheap scales for this purpose, but taking the gas bottle out to weigh it can be a bit of a slog. I've always found that an accurate (if lazy) method of assessing the level of gas is to know how much you use in a day in the first place. I've tried using a pressure guage but it wasn't accurate enough to be of any use.

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C

Chockswahay

Deleted User
I'll give a full reply when you do the same :)
OK :)

I think the auto change over is really useful to avoid the very thing that the OP has experienced. We have a Gaslow system fitted and never have to worry about the gas 'stopping' at an inconvenient time. I am not suggesting that the valve eliminates the need to 'check'......... it simply avoids nasty surprises(y)

There are many previous threads on the forum where people have 'ran out' at an inconvenient time ........... too cold, heavy rain, high winds etc. With the auto valve all of that grief is eliminated .........guaranteed :D

I'm not suggesting they will save money or tell you how much gas you have exactly. Simply that when the valve changes over you know it's a clear case of 'one used, one left'.

What's not to like?
 
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C

Chockswahay

Deleted User
Having just had to go out in the cold to change cylinders (as one ran out in the night) we are interested in any gadget that might help.

I was offering up my choice of gadget (y)

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