Gas Bottles

[hogger]

Hi all

We've been looking at a Hymer on sunday and it has fittings for two calor gas/propane cylinders rather than the gaslo system. Is this any good. and does it mean lugging them out and in when needing changing?

thanks in advance

 

[kevenh]

Yes. Calor gas bottles are exchanged not refilled.
The 6kg/7kg bottles are easy enough to swap out. imo.
No idea of larger sizes as my locker is just for those sizes I mention.

With gas & bottle added together the 6kg/7kg are <20kg

 

[Boringfrog]

Would say 99% of UK motorhomes use Calor.

 

[two]

Would guess that 20% use refillable.

 

[tonka]

Calor or similar like Flogas will mean lugging bottles in and out. Heavy on the large bottles and expensive if you use a lot of gas.
Gaslo, gas-it or alugas system can always be fitted later.
Another alternative is Safefill bottles, lightweight and refillable.

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[kevenh]

If you can get a red propane Calor gas bottle for free/not much £££, you can use that while deciding what gas storage method suits you.

As first timers buying from a dealer we got a gas bottle fitted via the Calor exchange scheme so the cost was discounted in our pricing agreement.
To help with the logistics we later got a 2nd one from Facebook cheap.
Recycle centres are a possible place for a starter/2nd bottle.

edit: getting the 1st bottle via Calor is expensive. & what I'm suggesting you avoid - especially if going refillable when you've looked into it is an option.

Edit2: I'm still low on detail!!! If you get a Calor bottle of the right class for free or cheap, you have something to exchange for a full Calor gas bottle. Without one, Calor will rent you one & it's expensive but at least only a one off cost.

 

[hogger]

thanks everyone. So it's not a problem to have the calor/propane exchangeable ones then? I think the sales guy said there is space and fittings for 2x11kg. I bought a smaller dumpy one last year for camping and we've never used it yet.
What was interesting is he said that not that not all garages in the uk or abroad have the gaslo system to refill. True?

 

[PG’s trips]

Just taken my 11kg and 6kg calor gas bottles in for the winter. The lugging around Is not that bad. Quite surprised how much gas we have gone through in our first short season motorhoming so I can see why LPG is popular amongst some especially for longer trips across Europe which is why we bought the MH. Will be researching gas a bit more over the winter, plenty of time to do so.

 

[two]

Your dealer has misled or confused you.
You cannot get Calor abroad.
You can get gas to refill a refillable bottle.
Refillable is more expensive to start but cheaper in the long run.
If you don't use much gas, it could be a very long time before recovering your outlay.
Start with Calor and see how you go.

 

[kevenh]

thanks everyone. So it's not a problem to have the calor/propane exchangeable ones then? I think the sales guy said there is space and fittings for 2x11kg. I bought a smaller dumpy one last year for camping and we've never used it yet.
What was interesting is he said that not that not all garages in the uk or abroad have the gaslo system to refill. True?

1. I am only juggling a couple of propane bottles. The learning curve isn't too steep. I bought a hand held gas leak sensor & that has been very helpful, I found you really do need to get them quite hard hand tight shut. I hadn't quite pinched mine off & the gauge warned me.
Also, I learned the hard way that my locker needs the right side bottle fitted first. If, in my locker, you fit the left side first no amount of pushing will get the 2nd bottle in
2. Do you mean LPG on forecourts? From other funster posts there are now more UK forecourts taking out LPG filling points than putting them in. It's not a EU wide policy yet those, afaik

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[hogger]

Your dealer has misled or confused you.
You cannot get Calor abroad.
You can get gas to refill a refillable bottle.
Refillable is more expensive to start but cheaper in the long run.
If you don't use much gas, it could be a very long time before recovering your outlay.
Start with Calor and see how you go.

Oh dear, getting more confused now.

 

[kevenh]

Oh dear, getting more confused now.

The dealer mentioned Gaslow as being harder to fill UK - & maybe they mentioned the EU.
Gaslow is a refillable solution.
In the UK it does look like it's getting harder to use forecourt to refill them. Not sure about the EU.

 

[hogger]

If you can get a red propane Calor gas bottle for free/not much £££, you can use that while deciding what gas storage method suits you.

As first timers buying from a dealer we got a gas bottle fitted via the Calor exchange scheme so the cost was discounted in our pricing agreement.
To help with the logistics we later got a 2nd one from Facebook cheap.
Recycle centres are a possible place for a starter/2nd bottle.

edit: getting the 1st bottle via Calor is expensive. & what I'm suggesting you avoid - especially if going refillable when you've looked into it is an option.

Edit2: I'm still low on detail!!! If you get a Calor bottle of the right class for free or cheap, you have something to exchange for a full Calor gas bottle. Without one, Calor will rent you one & it's expensive but at least only a one off cost.

Yes I got my dumpy one from Go outdoors for camping last year and I had to buy the bottle which was around £70. At refill or exchange time it will cost me around £25 so to buy 2x11kg is going to be expensive

 

[hogger]

I just saw a gaslo bottle for sale in the classified section here. If it's getting more difficult to fill these on Uk and euro forecourts why would you get them?? have I got this right?

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Hi all

We've been looking at a Hymer on sunday and it has fittings for two calor gas/propane cylinders rather than the gaslo system. Is this any good. and does it mean lugging them out and in when needing changing?

thanks in advance

Yes it does,but you could always start with one refillable,and that's probably all you will need in reality.one refillable and one calor.there are always some refillable s on sale somewhere. The calor as a back up.

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[tonka]

Yes I got my dumpy one from Go outdoors for camping last year and I had to buy the bottle which was around £70. At refill or exchange time it will cost me around £25 so to buy 2x11kg is going to be expensive

As an example. I have 10kg safefill bottle. Refill cost me £9.. all refillable cost more to start but you save when it comes to filling.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

There is a safefill bottle in the classified section ,a gaslow 11kg for not much more than the rental agreement of a calor bottle.

 

[rosalan]

Let me try and make it clear about Gaslow. All the re-fillable bottles are, as far as filling them, the same.
If you intend travelling anywhere outside of the UK, Calor or other UK gas bottles are not generally re-fillable or exchangeable. Every EU country have their own Gas bottles which are not exchangeable outside of that particular country. LPG is available throughout this country but from less outlets than previously. However, as refilling is very much an occasional activity, there are more than enough in most areas to satisfy. Outside of the UK, you really benefit from having re-fillable bottles of any make.
Hauling 11kg bottles in and out of your van is not fun and they can bang your van.
Fitting Gaslow or any of the other re-fillable bottles is relatively straight forward and can be carried out by most dealers.

 

[two]

Oh dear, getting more confused now.

Fear not.
Keep asking questions.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Just taken my 11kg and 6kg calor gas bottles in for the winter. The lugging around Is not that bad. Quite surprised how much gas we have gone through in our first short season motorhoming so I can see why LPG is popular amongst some especially for longer trips across Europe which is why we bought the MH. Will be researching gas a bit more over the winter, plenty of time to do so.

Why do you take them in for the winter?

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[RubyOptics]

I just saw a gaslo bottle for sale in the classified section here. If it's getting more difficult to fill these on Uk and euro forecourts why would you get them?? have I got this right?

I'll try to help you here. So, with the system the van currently has, you "rent" the bottle and buy the gas. What this means in practise is that if you don't already have the bottles, the first time you get them it will be a lot of money. After that first time, you then exchange "your" bottle when it's enjoy for another one which is full. How long that takes will vary as you can probably imagine.
One of the big reasons people for a gaslow type system is cost.
From a quick glance online, is looks to be about £30 to exchange your 11kg gas bottle. That cost can quickly mount up. An 11kg gaslow bottle holds approximately 22 litres of LPG so you'll need to do the math with your local LPG process to see what savings you would get. The other reason is convenience. In Europe, they use different bottles to the UK, do you can't just go and exchange your bottle at a petrol station the same as you would in the UK. You will also need a different hose from the bottle to the reducer which is fitted to the van. These aren't expensive but don't forget them or you'll end up driving around trying to find one at the worst possible time!!
We live in Poland and if just doesn't make financial sense for us, given that we can exchange our 11kg bottles for about 7 pounds.

 

[hogger]

There is a safefill bottle in the classified section ,a gaslow 11kg for not much more than the rental agreement of a calor bottle.

Yes and I would be interested in it but probably miles away...unless they can post it

 

[PG’s trips]

Because mh going into storage and ‘the book‘ told me to take the bottles out first.

 

[two]

You don’t buy a bottle/cylinder from Calor, you rent it (I once read some graffiti in a pub toilet proclaiming something similar about the beer there So you never actually own the thing at all. You can return it to Calor later and recover some of the fee you paid if you have only had it a few years (and still have the original paperwork). Once you have one Calor bottle, you can usually swap it for another of a different size if you want, so you should not be limited to the size you first purchased (some swaps are more difficult than others). The cost per litre of gas drops, the larger the cylinder (and will also last you longer). Calor is widely available in this country but it’s a good idea to have more than one bottle so that you’re not caught short when one runs out unexpectedly (which is likely to be at night, in foul weather). Calor is not the only supplier over here: the others may be cheaper but not as widely available. There’s nothing to stop you using different suppliers’ bottles together, the connections are the same (for Propane in the UK).

Refillables are bottles that you own and keep. You just add gas when you want. A benefit of a refillable is that you can get away with one bottle more easily because you can fill it to full at any time and know exactly how much you have. It is also much cheaper per litre than what you pay to Calor. Maybe I’m lucky, but I have a choice of local filling stations and have not had difficulty finding supplies here or abroad. The regulator connection for a SafeFill is the same as for Propane bottles but the others (GasLow/GasIt/AluGas) will require a set of slightly more complex pipework. SafeFill can be refilled in situ or by removing the bottle, as you would with a Calor one (SafeFill are lighter, though). GasLow/GasIt/AluGas remain in the vehicle at all times (unless you remove them to use in another van.

Gas suppliers abroad will not exchange a Calor bottle for one of theirs, so it’s extra hassle but ‘doable’: You will have to buy/rent a local variety and it may also need an adaptor to connect your regulator. A full Calor cylinder may last a full trip in Summer, though. With a refillable, you can top-up abroad if you need to (but may need an adaptor to suit their fill-nozzle).

It is a lot to absorb. Take time and you’ll soon be telling others all about it too.

 

[gus-lopez]

So it's not a problem to have the calor/propane exchangeable ones then?

No apart from the high cost of exchanging them

or abroad have the gaslo system to refill. True?

2. Do you mean LPG on forecourts? From other funster posts there are now more UK forecourts taking out LPG filling points than putting them in. It's not a EU wide policy yet those, afaik

Still plenty of places in the Uk to fill up & no problems in europe. Here in Spain they are all installing them lately .

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[Jimbohorlicks]

I've not heard of anyone getting any money back from Calor on a "rented"cylinder,but,I stand to be corrected.

 

[monzer]

steven jackson Where are you based? I am wanting to swap my 11KG Gaslow bottle for a multi valve type so will have it for sale shortly.

 

[two]

I've not heard of anyone getting any money back from Calor on a "rented"cylinder,but,I stand to be corrected.

You've just heard it from me!
I may be out of date now (40+ yrs). When I first 'bought-in' I signed an agreement (which I read). The returnable fee reduced very quickly (down to nothing in about five years if I recall correctly).

 

[Podney]

So,are you confused? I would be!

It depends what you are using your van for and for how long.

We use ours for 1 or 2 week holidays in the uk,plus several long weekends in uk,plus three weeks a year in France. We mainly use CL’s and CS’s with eh. So,for us,two small 6kg propane bottles last for age.

IF we were having much longer trips,and/or wilding,I would consider refillable.

 

[tribalbrit]

To re fill an 11kg Gaslow cost me £13 last week at local garage.

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