Exchanging gas cylinder question (1 Viewer)

[Vanman]

Please note this is not a question about re-fillable bottles or LPG conversions - start your own thread if you want to talk about that!

Just a very simple question. Looking at the web sites there are two prices given for cylinders - with and without return. I'm not sure what will come with our new van but I presume I'll end up buying one or two. I've noticed that you can pick up empties from ebay and that would usually work out cheaper than buying with no return. So the question is and it's a two parter

Do suppliers eg Flogas, Calor, Gas Uk etc etc only exchange their own brand bottles or do they accept each others (only talking UK brands / fittings here)?

Do the sizes have to be the same i.e. if you want to buy an 11kg bottle can you 'return' a 6kg?

Thanks

 

[TheBig1]

Just a very simple question. Looking at the web sites there are two prices given for cylinders - with and without return. I'm not sure what will come with our new van but I presume I'll end up buying one or two. I've noticed that you can pick up empties from ebay and that would usually work out cheaper than buying with no return. So the question is and it's a two parter

Do suppliers eg Flogas, Calor, Gas Uk etc etc only exchange their own brand bottles or do they accept each others (only talking UK brands / fittings here)?

they will only accept their own cylinders back or for exchange

Do the sizes have to be the same i.e. if you want to buy an 11kg bottle can you 'return' a 6kg?

most allow you to change cylinder sizes in groups ie 3,9kg & 6kg or 11kg & 26kg these have different deposits on the cylinders. you pay more for bigger cylinders than small ones

 

[two]

Generally, a supplier will only exchange their own bottles. I was able to swap, once,but I think that's unusual.
With Calor, you used to be able to change the cylinder size but there may be restrictions on some. It's a long time since I last did an exchange.

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[taffybloke]

Try your local tip/recycling centre for extra cylinders. Our local one has been happy to let me have them in the past.

Mike

 

[TheBig1]

our local tip now charge people to dump cylinders and then sell them if anyone wants one

 

[xsparks]

Try your local tip people often hand them in for recycling. My son picked up a couple when he started camping, free of charge.

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[johnandi]

I've bought used cylinders locally off Gumtree (13Kg Calor for £10). Our 'recycling' centre/skips won't entertain taking any out of the compound.
Armed with the correct empty, your Calor dealer will sell you a full bottle. However, for exchanging, Calor will only exchange within defined categories - this URL shows which bottles are in each category:
https://www.calor.co.uk/gas-bottles/buying-gas-bottles/gas-refills-exchanges-returns

Good luck.

 

[Vanman]

Thanks for all the replies for once the answers are pretty unanimous!

 

[tonka]

Keep a watch on the gas deal / floats website. There is a thread on here about it. They recently did a 13kg butane at £19.95 Inc delivery to your home. No exchange bottle was needed...

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[Ivory55]

If you get a 2nd hand bottle from somewhere and have a go outdoor near you they usually swap different sizes no problem, with the exception of the calor light.

 

[Lot lover]

Our local Carrefour only charges €1 deposit for a 13kg Butane but €9 for a 13kg Propane. Are the latter made of sterner stuff?

When compared to the other costs of owning/running an MH it's not much is it?

 

[Ivory55]

France is a lot cheaper on bottles deposits then the uk.

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[two]

I'd stick with one brand (Calor) unless there was a good reason for doing otherwise. I could get a non-Calor brand locally and cheaper than Calor at one time, but stuck with the national brand because I was unsure where I'd be when I needed a re-fill. Having an odd bottle would compromise my carrying capacity and the difference is not huge. Your supposed to have a rental agreement with the cylinder but that's only of value if you want to hand it back within the first few years, to recover more of the initial outlay. You don't own those cylinders, they belong to Calor. At the moment, they offer £7.50 or more for any return, so expect to pay that much for one on (Fle)eBay.
Get Propane (red) cylinders, not Butane and make sure that the connectors (pigtails) on your vehicle are for Propane (they are most likely to be, but it'd be worth checking). Also get the larger bottle if it will fit (13Kg) as gas will be cheaper. If you're getting two bottles, check that they'll fit together in the space provided. Some vehicles only take one large (13Kg) and a small (6Kg).

 

[tonka]

http://gasdeal.co.uk/gas-cylinders/butane-gas-cylinders/limited-offer-13kg-butane2

 

[Vanman]

Thanks again. The van I'm getting advertises it holds 2x 11kg and I'm estimating that I'll only use one bottle a year (mostly on hook up with electric heating and fridge - so cooking only and not much of that) so I was thinking only take one bottle until it gets low, then add 2nd bottle for a few trips until the 1st is empty and than have a year to replace the empty one. Is there a hole in that plan?

I also read that some people carry a 13kg and a 6kg instead, not sure why that's an advantage ... ?

I'm also presuming that Butane is preferred on the Continent and as I'll be 95% UK (just the odd few days trip abroad for race meeting weekends etc.) that Propane is the way to go for me.

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[Lot lover]

France is a lot cheaper on bottles deposits then the uk.

This might be because, in this and probably most rural areas, those without town gas use bottled gas for cooking and in some cases heating as well.

 

[two]

Thanks again. The van I'm getting advertises it holds 2x 11kg and I'm estimating that I'll only use one bottle a year (mostly on hook up with electric heating and fridge - so cooking only and not much of that) so I was thinking only take one bottle until it gets low, then add 2nd bottle for a few trips until the 1st is empty and than have a year to replace the empty one. Is there a hole in that plan?

I also read that some people carry a 13kg and a 6kg instead, not sure why that's an advantage ... ?

I'm also presuming that Butane is preferred on the Continent and as I'll be 95% UK (just the odd few days trip abroad for race meeting weekends etc.) that Propane is the way to go for me.

Propane is the way to go if you plan to go out in winter. It may also be easier to find a refill for. Costwise there’s not much in it. Your plan is sound but you may have difficulty knowing when you’re about to run out.

(Unless referring to refillables,) 11Kg is the size for a large Butane bottle which is about the same size of a 13Kg Propane but with different connections. I’d change the connections to Propane but check that it’ll fit first. If it’s tight, you may need to be selective with the refills you’re offered. A few have a taller collar on the top which may make it difficult to fit in.

Those who use 13&6Kg bottles together may have that size because their locker is not large enough for two of 13Kg. There’s little point in having a 6Kg if you can fit 13Kg, apart from weight.

When you go abroad a full 13Kg should last you, so you needn’t worry about European supplies (that’s when refillables come into their own).

(Sorry, I’ve now mentioned the subject you wanted to avoid twice in one reply.)

 

[Zigisla]

Propane is the way to go if you plan to go out in winter. It may also be easier to find a refill for. Costwise there’s not much in it. Your plan is sound but you may have difficulty knowing when you’re about to run out.

(Unless referring to refillables,) 11Kg is the size for a large Butane bottle which is about the same size of a 13Kg Propane but with different connections. I’d change the connections to Propane but check that it’ll fit first. If it’s tight, you may need to be selective with the refills you’re offered. A few have a taller collar on the top which may make it difficult to fit in.

Those who use 13&6Kg bottles together may have that size because their locker is not large enough for two of 13Kg. There’s little point in having a 6Kg if you can fit 13Kg, apart from weight.

AFAIK, If we are talking Calor, Butane only comes in 7.5 and 15Kg around that size. 11Kg is only for refillables and Propane - Non-calor

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[two]

Yes, that'll be right. I forgot what the weights are for Butane (even further into the past). I knew that they were different weights/densities but had forgotten which way round.

 

[Ivory55]

Flo gas do 11kg propane bottles and they deliver to your door free of charge.

 

[deleted-member02]

Thanks again. The van I'm getting advertises it holds 2x 11kg and I'm estimating that I'll only use one bottle a year (mostly on hook up with electric heating and fridge - so cooking only and not much of that) so I was thinking only take one bottle until it gets low, then add 2nd bottle for a few trips until the 1st is empty and than have a year to replace the empty one. Is there a hole in that plan?

I also read that some people carry a 13kg and a 6kg instead, not sure why that's an advantage ... ?

I'm also presuming that Butane is preferred on the Continent and as I'll be 95% UK (just the odd few days trip abroad for race meeting weekends etc.) that Propane is the way to go for me.

I'm in the 13kg and 6kg camp, only advantage to carrying two bottles is knowing that you're unlikely to run out.
Calor 13kg propane is only a few more quid than 6kg.
We run off the 13kg bottle, using the 6kg as an emergency back up until we can exchange the empty 13kg.
It means that we're almost exclusively running on the far cheaper 13kg gas.
2 x 13kg would be ideal for winter touring but simply won't fit...

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[two]

If you can fit another large one (13Kg), then you don’t need to worry about the cost of the gas in your ‘reserve’ and can then use that as your ‘primary’, replacing your empty at leisure. If you keep using a small cylinder as ‘reserve’ you may get caught out when that, too, becomes empty. The gas in the small cylinder used to be more expensive per Kg and so there is the temptation to return to the large cylinder, once replenished, and never be sure how much is left in the other.

I hope that makes sense.

 

[kitetraveller]

We only have space for one cylinder, so carry propane, as it works in colder temps than butane.
I use a cheap digital luggage scale to weigh the cylinder to check usage; more important to us as we only have the single cylinder.
We didn't find any guages or stickers that gave an accurate reading.

 

[Khizzie]

If you are having normal calor bottles insist on having two and one full at least. ..

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[Bart]

Just fit a gas it refillable system and be done with it

 

[Jim]

On a site I'm on they only sell Flogas but I noticed he had an assortment of bottles from loads of other suppliers. He had two empty old 19kg Calor which I offered him a tenner for and he snatched my hand off

 

[skylinersi]

Flo gas do 11kg propane bottles and they deliver to your door free of charge.

just checked, and it seems if you dont have an exchange empty, theres a 30 quid charge on top!
which is a bugger as we'd like 2 11's

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[SpeedyDux]

Blimey this gas bottle exchange malarkey seems complicated.

I didn't want an aftermarket fixed gas tank because the Chunnel rules only permit them if part of the original conversion. My workaround on the next Speedy MH which only has space for one cylinder is to order the Truma 6D option for heating, and carry a Campingaz 907 cylinder for the kitchen hob use only.

 

[chaser]

just checked, and it seems if you dont have an exchange empty, theres a 30 quid charge on top!
which is a bugger as we'd like 2 11's

I have found recently flogas is no cheaper than calor, which makes it a non starter if you want to exchange your bottle somewhere else, calor everywhere, not so flogas

 

[Ivory55]

The 11kg fits in where as a 13kg does not for us. We use a 6kg calor for when the 11kg runs out then get a new 11kg delivered to home.