Calor adaptor to allow LPG filling (1 Viewer)

[scotjimland]

Usual arguments against. so to answer a few points. It appears to me the "O" ring has been added to allow easy hand tightening. I prefer the nut (Std) adapter. .

Hi Roger

I never thought of that, but like you I would much prefer a nut and spanner with no O ring .. there is a potential risk, albeit small, for the O ring to fail and blow out while filling ..

Other than that, I agree if you have a modicum of common sense and can read it's as safe as filling a car with petrol , maybe even safer ..

The MAN from Calor is never going to say it's safe or legal .. however, some Autogas stations are not allowing bottle filling. They come out and inspect before tuning on the LPG pump.

 

[1948]

evidence based ???

pros and cons from a lot of funsters. in my formal line of work changes to applications and practices are only make from evidence of datas collected SO IS THERE ANY REPORTS OF ACCIDENTS FROM USING THIS KIND OF DEVISES THEN!!!!! Have to say that I am tempted to buy one of this devise banifits seems to outweight the so call denger????

 

[markymark]

Many thanks for the help and advise given so far:thumb:

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[lebesset]

well , I have been doing it for 25 years as well as running vehicles on lpg , and I have never seen an accident nor heard of one
but I have been in a bottle refilling factory , off the truck , onto the refilling line , fill , back on the truck
inspection ? test ?

the truth is all bottles are designed to be refilled
having had 3 80% valves fail over the years I don't trust them
I run the bottle / tank empty [ and don't leave the tap open when it is , it pollutes and the volume of gas left is infinitesimal ] , then put in the rated amount
there is a HUGE margin for error
the rated pressures are

runs at about 10bar , rated to run at 15bar
test pressure 30 bar

in fact when the bottles are filled with butane they are mostly filled to at least 85% eg in spain they fill the bottle rated for 11Kg propane with 12.5 Kg of butane

I have known someone killed by over-inflating a tyre though

the reality is that if you completely filled the bottle because you couldn't multiply by 2 correctly , the bottle would NEVER burst ; the reason you should NEVER , EVER do this is because for this application we need gas in the pipe , not liquid ....therefore you need sufficient gas at the top of the bottle to ensure no liquid comes up the pipe...you could have a nasty accident when making that cup of tea !

now , I can't speak for the quality of the equipment on offer , haven't seen it ; I had mine turned from a brass bar , threaded for normal european thread [ like a calor 4.5 Kg dumpy butane ]on one end , and to take the adaptors for the various pistolet's on the other
but , as someone here said , if you can't do this you shouldn't be driving a motorhome ...whether or not you want to is your business , but it is certainly less dangerous than putting petrol in your car , petrol vapour is far more volatile

btw mark , not like a petrol pump ; you connect it up , check all is correct , then press a button on the pump ; if you stop pressing , the pump stops ; there is also an emergency stop button in case the pump goes wrong ...I pressed it by mistake once , wasn't popular as it tripped an isolator switch !

also had a look at the kit advertised , it looks a bit of a bodge to me , although the adaptors to the various systems are correct with the correct O ring

 

[cyclingdoglucy]

lpg filler kit

hi mark.
haveing read all the posts on this on the use of the filler adaptor, i agree that everyone have got it right on the way of filling 80% & all the other safety issues on how to fill your bottles.
however there is another way & that is to buy the gaslow filler kit £60 , fit it to your vehicle & connect to your bottles inside your locker via the right (connector) to the calor bottle , this way you fill up like anyone else , with no bottles visable , the filler as a non return valve in , next layby etc stop & shut the gas bottle for extra security , the only downside is you fill only one bottle at a time . i fill a 13 kg & 6 kg & work to a low fill of 20 & 9 ltr fill , why over fill ? as far as what happens in france i have not been there yet. but no doubt i will be looking for another adaptor to fit mine ?, someone will make one . i hope this helps .
regards.
mr bean:Cool:

 

[1948]

hi mark.
haveing read all the posts on this on the use of the filler adaptor, i agree that everyone have got it right on the way of filling 80% & all the other safety issues on how to fill your bottles.
however there is another way & that is to buy the gaslow filler kit £60 , fit it to your vehicle & connect to your bottles inside your locker via the right (connector) to the calor bottle , this way you fill up like anyone else , with no bottles visable , the filler as a non return valve in , next layby etc stop & shut the gas bottle for extra security , the only downside is you fill only one bottle at a time . i fill a 13 kg & 6 kg & work to a low fill of 20 & 9 ltr fill , why over fill ? as far as what happens in france i have not been there yet. but no doubt i will be looking for another adaptor to fit mine ?, someone will make one . i hope this helps .
regards.
mr bean:Cool:

hi
i am new to mh and may be wrong, red bottles has got only one outlet for connection. so will have to connect kit to bottle/ remove kit/ connect to regulaor So where is the advantage

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[yoshi]

Been using one for ages.. Know of more and more people using them ( note..I KNOW people who use them.. not know of a man who's brothers hairdresser said he used to know someone who might have had one .. So no myths, no nasty hearsays,, no guessing, no I thinks... just reality and factual reference

They are as dangerous as anything else..

A car is dangerous.. a ladder is dangerous, a pencil is dangerous and a keyboard can be lethal.. Fortunately filling a bottle safely is far easier than using any of the above instruments so providing you stick to some fairly rudimentary rules there should be no issues at all

You always make sure the bottle you intend to fill is completely empty ( once a bottle stops delivering gas to me I leave the tap wide open until it is time to be filled )

A 6 kilo bottle should be filled with 11litres of LPG ( I personally do not bother to be exact but for safety err towards lower.. So usually about 10.5 to 10.8ish ltrs )

Never fill near an open flame ( might sound like a daft one but better to SAY it than not.

Remember, every day all over the UK the same pumps are filling up LPG tanks on cars.
Same filling attachment, simply a different container !

I use several different garages to fill up at..
Never once had an issue

The govt certainly would not have an issue because the tax percent on automotive gas is higher than on non-automotive stuff

The first time I filled up at the local garage I actually hid behind the van .. Same concern as a lot of others !!.. Went in to to pay and the chap said 10 ltrs mate ? Filled up a bottle then ?

Yup

Thought so .. we get loads in from the caravan site up the road


So there you go
I am sure there will be garages that will not approve, as some places employ peeps who either like to show off their supremacy ( !! ) or interpret rules to suit their own beliefs ( Sainsburys here in Thetford will not allow me to fill my 4 gallon jerry can with petrol for the geny for instance !! )

You hiding John well theres a first time for everything

 

[cyclingdoglucy]

lpg filler kit

hi
i am new to mh and may be wrong, red bottles has got only one outlet for connection. so will have to connect kit to bottle/ remove kit/ connect to regulaor So where is the advantage

hi 1948.
correct only one outlet ?, disconnect gas pipe & regulator , attach the filler kit pipe connection , fill one red bottle , drive away & reverse the connections.
regards:thumb:

 

[Terry]

pros and cons from a lot of funsters. in my formal line of work changes to applications and practices are only make from evidence of datas collected SO IS THERE ANY REPORTS OF ACCIDENTS FROM USING THIS KIND OF DEVISES THEN!!!!! Have to say that I am tempted to buy one of this devise banifits seems to outweight the so call denger????

Hi I have read hundreds of pages about filling adapters and never read any reports of them going wrong :thumb: unlike other bottles with sticking floats ,leaking joints etc, etc,
GAS ADAPTER
There are no joints, pipes, knuckles valves or floats to go wrong or leak, just a simple well engineered adapter that screws onto your bottle
Use a two bottle system ie 1 full to replace empty 1, just as you did years ago.
Remember to refill only total empty bottles to avoid overfilling.
Refill LPG bottles are only filled to 80% of total volume.
One litre of LPG weights ca. 500 grams.
13 kg bottle at 80% = 26 litres
6 kg bottle @ 80 % = 12 ltrs
3.9 kg bottle @ 80 % = 7.8 ltrs
Calor gas on there web site even say that bottles can be filled up to 87 % so this will allow for any difference in temperatures!!!!
Fasten the bottle in the van
Fit adapter
Open valve
Fit filling gun turning 90 degrees C,Wise and lock on/cock
Dispense required amount of gas (see above)
Close valve
Uncock turn 90 degrees anti CW,Disengage filling gun
Replace gun into holder and pay for fuel
Remove adapter and store for next use
If you cannot follow these simple instructions then do not buy a filling adapter and carry on paying through the nose for refill bottles!!!
If you can understand and follow the above then buy an adapter and start saving money
terry

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jaws]

Yes of course they are going to say its "highly dangerous" if its perfectly safe.
See where you stand when it all goes wrong, I trust that will be your defence "theres nothing in the deal for them".
Better still why don't you ring Calor yourself?

Well you gotta larff really ! Whatever !!

 

[Autoquest]

Personally, I weigh mine after each fill - I've never filled up in France but if I did it would be around ten litres instead of the usual eleven (6kg bottle). I also invert my 'empty' bottle for a few hours with the tap open before filling (living in the middle of nowhere has its advantages...) You'd be amazed at the stuff still in there (and don't stand upwind while you do it..)

 

[shortcircuit]

Really pathetic bunch of scrimpers for a few bob. With these knocked up adapters do you have any form of recourse on the supplier if it does go wrong? I doubt it. Your insurance company would have a great let out if it went wrong and what would be worse is anybody was injured in an incident then the claim would be straight to you.

A fortune buying a MH, to scrimp, Sad.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Autoquest]

Thanks for a useful post

 

[1948]

Thanks for a useful post

since when abuse is useful, may be i am missing the humour

 

[Jaws]

Funny that.. I thought the same...

And for me it is not about scrimping .. It is more about convenience and in all honesty not being tucked up !!

Still, perhaps Shortcircuit, as you consider £260 ( the amount saved so far ) a few bob*, you are probably a person of 'independent means' ..
Me not being silly am happy to doff my cap to your elevated position and enquire if the master has any odd jobs I could do for 'few bob'*

And as Sir Shortcircuit has spoken I spose we are all wrong and you are right Sir

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[tommytli]

i was going to say there's always one but it seems we have 2 .

i have a friend that fills the bottles up for a living and the company use something very similar to the 1 we use so they cant be that bad.

 

[shortcircuit]

As usual you are blinded by greed with your narrow responses.

I will repeat "With these knocked up adapters do you have any form of recourse on the supplier if it does go wrong? I doubt it. Your insurance company would have a great let out if it went wrong and what would be worse is anybody was injured in an incident then the claim would be straight to you."

Think about it

 

[tommytli]

As usual you are blinded by greed with your narrow responses.

I will repeat "With these knocked up adapters do you have any form of recourse on the supplier if it does go wrong? I doubt it. Your insurance company would have a great let out if it went wrong and what would be worse is anybody was injured in an incident then the claim would be straight to you."

Think about it

I will repeat " these adapters are the same as the ones used by a major gas company my friend fills gas bottles for"

the only issue i would state is over filling then you would get liquid gas through your system BUT if any 1 is that stupid and cant follow the simple instructions of only filling the bottle to 80% make's me wonder how they ever passed their test to drive there motorhome in the 1st place

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[shortcircuit]

Again you have failed to address the issue of how an insurance company would react.

Your friend may fill bottles by use of an adaptor however it will be in a controlled environment and are scales used?

Unfortunately there are many who could make simple mistakes and to denigrate them as stupid and not fit to drive a MH gives no credit to your posting

 

[tommytli]

what mistake could be made other than over filling?

 

[scotjimland]

what mistake could be made other than over filling?

forgetting to pay for the LPG ...

seriously ..

forgetting to turn off the bottle valve BEFORE removing the filling gun

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Wildman]

A fortune buying a MH, to scrimp, Sad.

I often see this point made, there are those who spend a fortune on a motorhome and still have money to waste. Others who scrimp to get the motorhome who are then left scraping for every penny. We are not all well off or do you suggest we go back to a tent if we have to think about cost. It also seems that when I ask a seller what does it do to the gallon the reply is invariably no idea never checked. once again showing the difference between those who substitute an all expenses paid 4 weeks holiday a year for an expensive Motorhome that only gets used 4 weeks a year and those who buy a motorhome because they cannot afford expensive holidays or just like the freedom it provides. Like it or not we are all gypsies, travelers, new age, old age whatever so don't go getting snobbish about our hobby.
An insurance company would only be bothered if the adapter was a home made affair, otherwise it is no different to using a Gaslow bottle or fixed tank. (to date no problems have been caused by a failure in a refilladapter, however at least three valves a year fail on Gaslow and similar tanks. There is so much drivel spouted against using a gas refill adapter I can only think the people doing so have a vested interest in selling refilled bottles. every penny saved is more fuel in the tank, sorry I forgot you don't count the cost of putting fuel in the tank.

 

[Jaws]

Again you have failed to address the issue of how an insurance company would react.

Your friend may fill bottles by use of an adaptor however it will be in a controlled environment and are scales used?

Unfortunately there are many who could make simple mistakes and to denigrate them as stupid and not fit to drive a MH gives no credit to your posting

And again you have either failed to read posts in your haste to condemn ( I am fairly sure without any personal knowledge, only that gleaned from people who will be so far biased as to deemed as giving information of no value ).

The possible mistake(s) have been listed repeatedly..

If you would like to give me a quick call on the telephone I would be most happy to chat to you and explain in as great detail as you wish exactly what is done when refilling a bottle. I can be reached on 01842 754415 or 0781 8822887 from 9 am to 10pm daily

I personally would much rather fill a gas bottle than do a lot of other nasty chores .. One that springs to mind is 'toilet duties'
Just exactly how many diseases and horrid things could you catch doing that charming little job I wonder ? :Blush:

As to insurance companies... Have you bothered to telephone and ask your broker ?
I did at 0905 this morning as it was quite possibly a valid point you had raised.
He did not know the answer but asked by insurers to call me back ..

A nice young lady just phoned.

Where did I fill the bottles ?
At garages
Do you use a pump designed to deliver LPG to cars and trucks ?
Yes
Do you observe the safety regulations posted at places you fill up ?
Yes
Then providing the place or places you fill up at have no objections, we consider they would be the experts more than us, and therefore have no problem with the practice.

Now THAT is fairly sensible coming from a large insurer ...
As the questions were asked in such a formulaic manner and within a short period of my original query to a broker, I cannot help but get the feeling the question has been asked many times before !

 

[hilldweller]

seriously ..
forgetting to turn off the bottle valve BEFORE removing the filling gun

Now that paints a picture and a half on a forecourt. As you release the filler you are hit by a high power jet of freezing liquid/gas, you have to get your hand to just where it's all coming from, your hand immediately freezes, you start coughing and then from the corner of your eyes, you see all these moving vehicles just doing their best to create that one spark that spells Armageddon.

I know an electronics engineer who burnt down a petrol station due to a design error of his, he did say that they were particularly unhappy about losing it. Of course he had full product liability. But Jo Public, now how long would it take to pay for a filling station.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jaws]

forgetting to pay for the LPG ...

seriously ..

forgetting to turn off the bottle valve BEFORE removing the filling gun

Even that matters not if you have a posh adaptor Jim ! The one way check valve in the one I use works a treat

 

[scotjimland]

Even that matters not if you have a posh adaptor Jim ! The one way check valve in the one I use works a treat

fair comment, but if you forget to close the valve and unscrew the posh adaptor ..
woooooooshhhhh

and I never trust check valves..

 

[madbluemad]

If you would like to give me a quick call on the telephone I would be most happy to chat to you and explain in as great detail as you wish exactly what is done when refilling a bottle. I can be reached on 01842 754415 or 0781 8822887 from 9 am to 10pm daily

Hi Jaws, Quick one. Do you do house calls.

Jim

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[JJ]

Now that paints a picture and a half on a forecourt. As you release the filler you are hit by a high power jet of freezing liquid/gas, you have to get your hand to just where it's all coming from, your hand immediately freezes, you start coughing and then from the corner of your eyes, you see all these moving vehicles just doing their best to create that one spark that spells Armageddon.

I know an electronics engineer who burnt down a petrol station due to a design error of his, he did say that they were particularly unhappy about losing it. Of course he had full product liability. But Jo Public, now how long would it take to pay for a filling station.

Hi Brian... the "adapter" I bought surprised me by having a one way valve in it so even if you forget to turn the bottle off after filling no gas comes out after removing the pump (apart from the usual little bit which I believe happens with all systems)

JJ

 

[hilldweller]

(apart from the usual little bit which I believe happens with all systems)

JJ

Yes I think they all do except the new Euro one someone posted details a while ago, this claimed easy to plug in and leakage free. Never seen one and we don't have that adaptor anyway.

 

[Jaws]

Hi Jaws, Quick one. Do you do house calls.

Jim

Yes I do !! But there is a small visiting fee..
Involves 12 gallons of tea, several plates of chips and a decent Chinese before I leave !!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}