Disadvantages of a chassis mounted gas tank (1 Viewer)

FM02MZO

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I am thinking of having a gas tank fitted in the chassis of our 2013 Bessacarr 584, but our dealer says they are more trouble than they are worth, and wants me to have a bottle fitted instead.

What are your views on them ?
 

DuxDeluxe

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First I've heard of that...... I'm getting one fitted on Thursday.

The only thing I can think of is that it might be a bit of a faff around to turn off actually at the tank, and have heard stories of badly fitted tanks and the straps corroding but apart from that I can't see any disadvantages.
 
Mar 29, 2011
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Thats an amazing statement, I have an underslung tank and the only down side as far as I am concerned is the fact you cannot easily remove it when you sell, it gave me a big locker back , mines a 55litre with the interior gas guage I can just call in and fill up anywhere, would I have another underslung in preference to refillable bottles, yes as long as I was keeping the vehicle for a reasonable time

Dave

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Allanm

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Mine was fitted with an underslung tank from new, I think most of the Autosleeper Coachbuilt models now have them fitted as standard.
Seems to me that it could be more trouble than its worth for the dealer to fit, not for you! The biggest benefit is that you gain extra locker space.
They can be fiddly to turn off, you have to kneel down at the side of the van and close the tap under the skirt, ( mine has a cover over the tap and dial gauge so that has to taken off first)
Allan
 

icantremember

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I assume your dealer can supply refillable bottles but not a fixed tank.

We had an underslung tank fitted by Autogas 2000 about 3 years ago and as far as I am concerned there are no downsides except as mentioned above you leave it with the m/h when you sell.

Loads of benefits including a spare locker, which can still be used for bottle gas if necessary and a prety accurate contents gauge in the cab.

http://www.autogasleisure.co.uk/

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Aug 6, 2013
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Mine was fitted with an underslung tank from new, I think most of the Autosleeper Coachbuilt models now have them fitted as standard.
Seems to me that it could be more trouble than its worth for the dealer to fit, not for you! The biggest benefit is that you gain extra locker space.
They can be fiddly to turn off, you have to kneel down at the side of the van and close the tap under the skirt, ( mine has a cover over the tap and dial gauge so that has to taken off first)
Allan

If the tap on the tank itself is difficult to access ask your installer to fit one as close to the tank as possible but within easy reach (maybe in a locker?). It will still isolate the entire internal gas installation & has the advantage that a cover can be fitted over the tank inlet, outlet, gauge, and PRV all of which suffer from corrosion if exposed & not kept clean. I would not go back to bottles, refillable or otherwise, for the reasons already mentioned.
 

cmcardle75

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I am thinking of having a gas tank fitted in the chassis of our 2013 Bessacarr 584, but our dealer says they are more trouble than they are worth, and wants me to have a bottle fitted instead.

What are your views on them ?

They're more trouble than they're worth to him, as he can't be bothered to fit them.

As the user, they're great! Larger sizes, weight low down on the chassis. Lockers freed up.

My fixed tank came as built in 1978, but the later LPG engine conversion managed to re-use the filler, so filling up the road fuel means that the hab gas never runs out, either.

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Fireman Sam

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I know this is a piece-of-string question, but is it very expensive to have a tank fitted?
 

cmcardle75

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I know this is a piece-of-string question, but is it very expensive to have a tank fitted?

That will depend on your layout. If there is a obvious space with nicely spaced beams above just asking to have straps connected, it will be cheap. If you need to reposition your bathroom to the back to make room...

However, it will probably be more expensive to fit than the bottles, unless your locker isn't big enough for the size of bottles you need and needs modification anyway.

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Dec 28, 2011
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www.autogasleisure.co.uk

They use their own manufacture straps to mount the tanks and these are far superior to any others.
They will also do Funster discount. :thumb:

The only connection I have with them is that they fitted my system and I am very happy with the way they went about it.
 
Sep 16, 2013
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I love my underslung tank (Gas-It 38ltr, the one with the lugs to attach to the chassis so no straps).

With regard to turning it off being a pain, if fitted right they only need turning off on ferries or the tunnel. I have mine fitted so as soon as the main gas pipe enters my van there is a single tap to switch the gas off. I then have the usual gas manifold fitted after the main tap to isolate each individual appliance.

Can't recommend where to have a system fitted as I fitted mine myself. Maybe Dave Newell?

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Minxy

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I think that the dealer cannot fit a fixed tank but anyone can basically fit a refillable cylinder system, hence why the dealer is trying to persuade you otherwise as he' won't get any profit as he'd just have to send you to someone else to get it done.

As for a fitted gas tank versus refillable bottle, we looked at both options when we got our PVC - we already had a Gaslow single 11kg system but were considering an under-slung tank however the largest we could accommodate depending on the logistics of it was 38 litres (15.2kg) but more likely only 30 litre (12kg) so we couldn't see the point in spending £770 for a possibility of only gaining 1 extra kg of gas, or 4.2 if we were lucky! :Eeek: We therefore stuck with our existing 11kg Gaslow and even if we altered the gas locker to be able to accommodate 2 of them, it wouldn't cost anything like having a fixed tank. I would expect a 2 x 11kg bottle system from Gas-it (using steel bottles) fitted yourself would be around £330, giving 22kg in total, less than half the cost of a fitted tank and more gas capacity.

FWIW IMV unless space is tight and you need to use the gas locker for something else, I'd seriously suggest looking at the bottles instead of the tank especially as you can take it with you when you change vans so safe the expense in the future.:thumb:

http://www.gasit.co.uk/index.php?_a=product&product_id=288
 
Sep 16, 2013
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£770? Ouch :whatthe:

Just checked my invoice and I paid under £350 for the whole system. That was the tank, fill point, holes, regulator, tap, remote gauge and even a couple of metres of protected copper pipe.
 

Wildman

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My fixed underslung tank is fitted with a solenoid valve, switch it on or off from inside the van no problem. Not a problem.

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Techno

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There are no negatives at all but be sure to use a reputable installer like Chris at Autogas :thumb: check out the gallery pics on their website

My van had a system installed by the first buyer in the first month by a company who thankfully went bust, Don't accept anything that looks unprofessional!

First picture was initial expensive install second picture after I replaced it. See gas isolation is easy and euro tunnel were happy.

CA_04081321532082-M.jpg
CA_04081321543527-M.jpg
 
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deleted - asked a question that had been answered on page 2

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Last edited:

Minxy

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I fitted mine myself (then had a Gas Safe engineer check it all). That was the price of the parts without fitting.

Wissel - how difficult was it to fit? I'm quite handy on the DIY front but wouldn't want to do this myself unless I knew in advance if it was within my ability to do so.
 

voyager 1

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I have had gas tanks fitted to all my motorhomes , being disabled changing bottles was a pain
{forgive the pun}. Refillable bottles were unavailalble when i had my first underslung tank fitted/ I realised that gaining an extra locker was worth the expence of fitting the tank,so since fitting tanks to all my motorhomes since the 80`s personaly i have been happy .

Fitting your own tank may be well within the capabilities of competent DIY`ers but by the time you have sourced all the materials are you realy saving money also you have to think of insurance, any problems assosiated with gas, unless you are a registerd gas fitter you could invaladate your insurance.Personaly i would leave it to the experts gas is not a thing to be taken lightly having seen the consiquences of an explosion by poorley changing bottles.

All my tanks have been fitted by auto gas 2000 i can recomend them for doing a first rate job, it cost £350 in 2008 for my lst tank, that included everything plus they issued a safety and competence of fitting certificate wich was accepted by my insurance company.

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aba

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if I was having an under slung tank fitted I would go for the more expensive stainless steel straps.

otherwise the straps need checking on a regular basis as it wouldnt be nice if one broke and you didnt notice it thus causing the second one to break and dropping a bomb onto the road under your motorhome.

they should be part of the mot as with trucks but I'm not sure they are when it comes to motorhomes.
 

icantremember

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if I was having an under slung tank fitted I would go for the more expensive stainless steel straps.

otherwise the straps need checking on a regular basis as it wouldnt be nice if one broke and you didnt notice it thus causing the second one to break and dropping a bomb onto the road under your motorhome.

they should be part of the mot as with trucks but I'm not sure they are when it comes to motorhomes.

Autogas2000 don't use straps but build a made to measure steel frame to support the tank.
 
Sep 16, 2013
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Wissel - how difficult was it to fit? I'm quite handy on the DIY front but wouldn't want to do this myself unless I knew in advance if it was within my ability to do so.

Sorry for the delay, didn't see the post :Smile:

Mine was an easy job as I fitted the tank as one of the first jobs on my conversion.

As it was done before the floor was in it was just a case of drilling through the floor and bolting straight into the lugs on the tank. I used stainless steel bolts with large flange stainless washers and covered it all with Sika once it was bolted up to make sure it would never come loose. To fit the piping I had the van put up on ramps at a local garage and screwed it up (I used the PVC coated copper pipe) with rubber lined clips.

I guess if you can get under whatever covers your floor it's an easy job. I didn't want to use the tank straps as I've heard of them failing. I guess stainless ones would be fine though if using a tank without the bolt lugs.

Fitting the filler is also easy. Just a pre-made pipe from the tank to wherever you put the fill point. The pipe is available in all different lengths and I would suggest it's better to buy the pipe once the rest is fitted so you can buy the correct length (I bought mine all together and ended up having to buy a longer pipe).

One thing I would recommend if you fit one is covering the tank with a couple of layers of stonechip paint before fitting. I fitted my tank about 6 months before having it up on ramps to complete the installation. The tank didn't have a single mark on it (it's my everyday vehicle).

I wrote a little on my blog when I fitted the tank itself here if your interested:
.

I still need to write up the rest of the installation though :RollEyes:

Hope this helps.

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Minxy

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Thanks Wissel, doesn't look overly complicated so something for me to think about. As I already have a refillable Gaslow system, in effect I would:

  • need a suitable sized tank to install under the van in a suitable location using stainless steel straps - I'd have to use straps as I can't get under the flooring inside the van (I note your recommendation about painting it first which makes sense!)
  • utilise the same stainless steel pipe and filler as I have now (assuming the length is okay - I do have a long one!)
  • buy a replacement stainless steel pipe to run from the tank to the existing regulator if possible - see question below (the SS pipe I have definitely wouldn't be long enough)
  • need a gas level gauge to install inside the van and an isolator tap for the system

Questions:

  1. Does there have to be a regulator right next to the fixed tank, or could I instead connect the stainless steel flexible pipe to the tank and then on to the existing regulator which is in the gas locker? I'd prefer to do this so it can be put back to the 'original' system if necessary without too much difficulty (I can easily bring it up through the floor of the gas locker). It would also mean that if I want to use a local gas bottle instead (eg in Spain for example) with the regulator remaining in it's original position it can be easily accessed. If I could do it in this way then would there be any need to use copper piping for my installation at all? I assume you used it for running the piping after the regulator to your equipment and not for anything?
  2. Where did you fit an isolator so that you can turn the gas off in transit/to comply with ferry and Eurotunnel requirements? Ideally something in the existing gas locker would be best location wise I think?

If I did go ahead with this I would of course have the whole thing checked by a qualified LPG Gas Safe engineer! :thumb:
 

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