Driving and Gas

[edriver]

Can anyone help please. We are very new and learning as fast as we can so please excuse any questions which may seem really daft to you pro's ! We are going to the UK from Spain during the Christmas/ New Year break and we will be organising a solar panel in the UK and a higher amperage leisure battery (Ours at the moment is 95 amp/hours we are going for a 120), to bring back here to Spain. In the meantime we are very conscious of electricity usage in our MH so we have been using the fridge on short trips on gas from the on board butane gas bottle supply. What we need to know is can we leave the fridge on during our trip to the UK with the Gas supply left on or do we have to transfer it to battery whilst driving then change back to gas when we park up for the overnight stops as we wont be using camp sites on the way up. Your help will be very much appreciated.

 

[Munchie]

Battery when driving to save on gas!

 

[jonandshell]

Not using the fridge on 12 volts whilst driving makes no sense.
You are not saving the leisure battery by doing so. The fridge is supplied by the alternator via the starter battery and fridge relay whilst the engine is running. You are not taking anything from the leisure battery at all!
If you do wish to leave your gas turned on for other reasons, ie heating on the move, you really should use a secumotion hose and regulator in the interests of safety.

 

[edriver]

Another lesson well learnt! Thanks to you both for your excellent advice which I will take and remember. All this learning is great!!

 

[Techno]

And the gas must be isolated on the ferry or the tunnel

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[bobandjanie]

If I remember right your going soon, you will need to use Propane, it will be to cold for Butane to gas off. Bob.

 

[Minxy]

Welcome to the fun house edriver.

Don't assume that your fridge will work from the battery/12v when the engine isn't running either! Whilst there are one or two European made MHs that allow for this (a Rimor we had for example did) most do not, so if you leave it on 12v when parked up/on the ferry etc it will NOT work ... we didn't realise this when we were new to motorhoming and learnt the hard way (melted ice cream!).

 

[edriver]

Hi Bob, Can I get Propane in Spain and will the regulators be the same or do I need 2 sets of regulators 1 for butane and another for propane?
Hi Andy what do you mean by 'Isolated' ?
Thanks
Den.

 

[Techno]

turned off at the bottle

 

[bernardfeay]

I know somebody, not me of course, who turns the fridge on when he leaves home and it stays on over the channel, while driving and while stopped. Even when the gas tanks are being topped up the gas stays on. He is a very naughty boy. But it's not me.

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[bobandjanie]

Hi Bob, Can I get Propane in Spain and will the regulators be the same or do I need 2 sets of regulators 1 for butane and another for propane?
Hi Andy what do you mean by 'Isolated' ?
Thanks
Den.

Hi Den, yes you can get Propane, and they have the same regulator on all Spanish bottles, I have found Repsol easier to swap butane for propane and better still if you go to a depot,
Bob.

 

[edriver]

Thanks a million for this great info. It's times like this that one appreciates the real value of this great web-site that creates a 'family' of helping hands!

 

[Rapido925M]

Bear in mind that the temperature is going to be reasonably cold anyway. Unless you have effective habitation heating whilst on the move, you could probably leave the fridge off (unless you have stuff in the freezer). Someone told me they get extra mpg by doing this: I tried it on my last trip and I don't know what the mpg was, but the fridge stayed cool - Gordon

PS AND we have good habitation heating!

 

[edriver]

Hi Bob just one final question on the swop from Butane to Propane if you don't mind, will I need to take out a contract etc or will they just take my half full bottle of butane and charge me for a full bottle of propane i.e. as if I was buying another bottle of butane?

 

[bobandjanie]

Hi, we have just exchanged repsol butane for propane at the depot at villa nova, but here in Javea the garages only have butane.
The site has Cespa and we use propane and they stock both on site, but if anyone comes with repsol the lorry comes the following day and exchanges like for like, but we have swaped repsol bottles for propane at garages if they have them, or if you see the gas truck ask the driver, I'm sure you can get hold of one without another contract, we have never taken one out. If you take half a bottle in you will loose it. I think they say use it or loose it. Bob.

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[Judge Mental]

In theory if you have truma securemotion valve you can drive with gas on, otherwise If something unfortunate happened your insurance would probably be void. Personally would not risk it! 12 v fine when driving. We turn bottles off at valve when on the road....ruptured pig tails can happen!

 

[markh]

Isolating gas on ferries isn't required, the deck crew don't care if it's on or off, alternatively if you ask at check in, the loading staff will park you where you can use an electrical hook up on the ferry, before the onslaught of 'no you can'ts' I always hook up on Brittany ferries it is no problem at all, there are dozens of plug points

 

[jumar]

Hi edriver, which part of Spain do you live, there are many Funsters who could answer your questions face to face. We are in the Murcia region. Happy motorhoming.

 

[Theonlysue]

Use 12v whilst driving. I understand that you should not drive with your gas on.
when you get to the ferry, advise them you need hook up. You may need a three into two pin french adapter.
When in spain, you are supposed to apply for a gas certificate so that you can buy your first bottle, but someone is usually selling one.
the Spanish regulators are about eur 10 and say on the box if for propane or butane.
if on campsites, electric may be expensive, approx 40 cents a kw. Some sites give you a couple of kw included in the price. Using heating at the mo in Benicassim, Spain, as cold at nights.
I have solar, but when we had some rainy dull days, I did hook up for 24 hours as batteries were getting low.

 

[movan]

Use 12v whilst driving. I understand that you should not drive with your gas on.
when you get to the ferry, advise them you need hook up. You may need a three into two pin french adapter.
When in spain, you are supposed to apply for a gas certificate so that you can buy your first bottle, but someone is usually selling one.
the Spanish regulators are about eur 10 and say on the box if for propane or butane.
if on campsites, electric may be expensive, approx 40 cents a kw. Some sites give you a couple of kw included in the price. Using heating at the mo in Benicassim, Spain, as cold at nights.
I have solar, but when we had some rainy dull days, I did hook up for 24 hours as batteries were getting low.

Sue, could you explain 'gas certificate', please?

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[Emmit]

Joy,
The Spanish are bureaucratic to the extreme.
Once upon a time, when you applied for a gas bottle they insisted, at great cost, that you have your 'habitacion'(sic) checked, (whether it was a house, flat or caravan,) to make sure that it was fit to use the gas.
The last time I visited Benicassim all they did was send off a copy of my passport which now shows that I live at Benicassim???

 

[movan]

Joy,
The Spanish are bureaucratic to the extreme.
Once upon a time, when you applied for a gas bottle they insisted, at great cost, that you have your 'habitacion'(sic) checked, (whether it was a house, flat or caravan,) to make sure that it was fit to use the gas.
The last time I visited Benicassim all they did was send off a copy of my passport which now shows that I live at Benicassim???

Thank you.. much appreciated.

 

[Theonlysue]

I am camped at bonterra at benicassim. They would not supply me with a Spanish gas bottle without them copying my passport and sending it to the gas suppliers, who would bring a new bottle when they came to the campsite. Bearing in mind, they have full bottles here to swap over for used one. By the time the certificate had been issued, I had gone to Castellon and filled up my refillable ones.

 

[Theonlysue]

I am camped at bonterra at benicassim. They would not supply me with a Spanish gas bottle without them copying my passport and sending it to the gas suppliers, who would bring a new bottle when they came to the campsite. Bearing in mind, they have full bottles here to swap over for used one. By the time the certificate had been issued, I had gone to Castellon and filled up my refillable ones.

 

[Reallyretired]

In theory if you have truma securemotion valve you can drive with gas on, otherwise If something unfortunate happened your insurance would probably be void. Personally would not risk it! 12 v fine when driving. We turn bottles off at valve when on the road....ruptured pig tails can happen!

In the unlikely event of a pigtail rupturing then the secumotion valve at the bottle end will close. This is why you have to hold in both buttons, the one on the regulator shuts off if there is a broken pipe on the low pressure side, and the one at the bottle if there's a problem between the bottle and the regulator

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[Judge Mental]

Sorry for the missunderstanding but thats why I said without a securemotion valve turn gas off at bottle. Personally would not have another as have had 2 failures when travelling nothing but hassle! I now choose more reliable valves and isolate...better safe than sorry!

 

[edriver]

Hi Everyone, I am going to see about a propane gas bottle tomorrow now that I have located a place that sells them, my concern is that IF it isn't just a straight swop, i.e. Butane bottle out, connect Propane bottle to the same regulator and away we go, I will have no time for any changing of equipment etc. If the worst comes to the worst and I have to go with my Butane bottle of gas does this mean that it isn't going to work because it's too cold on the trip from Spain to the UK driving up through France? My bottle is in a secure and insulated cubby in the side of the MH and the piping runs inside the vehicle. Help!

 

[Minxy]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that you won't be able to exchange a Spanish bottle (butane or propane) for a full one in the UK as they are totally different, unless your gas locker can take 2 bottles, it would be wise to definitely get a full one if you are coming to the UK for a while and intend to use the gas for heating as well as the fridge and cooking as you are unlikely to last more than a few days if we have a cold spell and you don't have electric hook up (EHU). I wouldn't recommend you 'buy' a UK bottle either (Calor) as they are extortionate to say the least ... £30 or so to do a 'contract' for an empty one, then up to £30 for the gas!

If you have a bottle mounted regulator you can easily change it for a propane one as it's just a case of taking the old one off the rubber gas pipe (or get a new pipe as it isn't expensive and is a good safety measure anyway) and simply fix the new regulator to the rubber gas pipe, pop the regulator on the bottle and attach the other end of the pipe to the locker connector (you'll need spanners!).

If the weather is cold, even with your butane bottle being in a locker, it will still get very cold overnight and you will probably find it won't 'gas off' so at best there'll be no morning cuppa, at worst no gas for a lot longer!

 

[tonyidle]

You can connect a propane bottle to the same regulator but you need a new 'tail' (the hose from bottle to regulator) because the bottle connection is totally different. If the outside temperature even approaches freezing point you will not manage with butane because as you draw off gas the bottle cools dramatically and the liquid in the bottle ceases to vaporise. With butane this occurs around 0degC. With propane it occurs around -40degC.

 

[gus-lopez]

I'm totally lost & I live here ???
A Spanish gas bottle whether Propane or Butane & whether Repsol , Cepsa or whoever & regardless of full size or half size, has one Fixed regulator that fits them all. I use & have used & swop one to another butane & propano.
Any outlet point that stocks propane & butane will swop either for the other.
The advantage of Cepsa bottles is that the actual bottles are 7kgs lighter then Repsol ones.The amount of gas in them is identica.l

In mine I keep one regulator for all & any Spanish bottles complete with rubber hose from regulator to union nut at other end;
one calor (left hand threaded) regulator for propane with rubber hose to union nut at other end ( This is an adjustable regulator which means in excessively cold weather with low temps , you can increase the flow of gas );
one (I'm desperate !! lol) Camping Gaz regulator, & hose to union nut.
It just means I can i can undo the union nut & swop the lot in seconds without any fiddling with hoses ,clips ,etc.

Joy,
The Spanish are bureaucratic to the extreme.
Once upon a time, when you applied for a gas bottle they insisted, at great cost, that you have your 'habitacion'(sic) checked, (whether it was a house, flat or caravan,) to make sure that it was fit to use the gas.
The last time I visited Benicassim all they did was send off a copy of my passport which now shows that I live at Benicassim???

They still do . renewable 5 years cert for any property ,etc. Any insurance fire claim & no certificate, no pay out.

I am camped at bonterra at benicassim. They would not supply me with a Spanish gas bottle without them copying my passport and sending it to the gas suppliers, who would bring a new bottle when they came to the campsite. Bearing in mind, they have full bottles here to swap over for used one. By the time the certificate had been issued, I had gone to Castellon and filled up my refillable ones.

Get bottle at car boot 5€ or so empty. Then swap as & when !

Hi Everyone, I am going to see about a propane gas bottle tomorrow now that I have located a place that sells them, my concern is that IF it isn't just a straight swop,

See first part of this post.
¡Buen Viaje !

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