LPG availability in France

Ridgeway

Ridgeway

LIFE MEMBER
Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Posts
4,079
Likes collected
7,867
Location
Lausanne
Funster No
20,102
MH
NiBi Arto 85E
Exp
Since 2012
Was a bit surprised over the last few months in France and have encountered quite a few limitations:

  1. Service stations that advertise LPG but don’t have any fuel in stock
  2. Service stations that advertise LPG but the pump was out of order
  3. Service stations that advertise LPG but you have to pre-pay what you need, difficult to know how much you’re going to put in really….
And finally last week at an Esso station the guy came out and said that Esso have banned the filling of LPG for camping cars based on a recent forecourt accident 🤷‍♂️OK to fill a car but not LPG for cooking/heating ie a camping car.

Is it just me ?
 
No afraid not, it appears to be a growing trend since Total banned M/homes from filling with Lpg.

Robert
 
Ridgeway said:
Esso have banned the filling of LPG for camping cars based on a recent forecourt accident 🤷‍♂️OK to fill a car but not LPG for cooking/heating ie a camping car.
Click to expand...
This has been the case for some years in France, in fact I think it has always been the law..

When I had the RV with an LPG tank I was refused several times in France, reason given was it was for heating and cooking, and not for propulsion.. this was back in 2007/8 .. before the forecourt accident.
 
Last edited:
Ridgeway said:
Was a bit surprised over the last few months in France and have encountered quite a few limitations:

  1. Service stations that advertise LPG but don’t have any fuel in stock
  2. Service stations that advertise LPG but the pump was out of order
  3. Service stations that advertise LPG but you have to pre-pay what you need, difficult to know how much you’re going to put in really….
And finally last week at an Esso station the guy came out and said that Esso have banned the filling of LPG for camping cars based on a recent forecourt accident 🤷‍♂️OK to fill a car but not LPG for cooking/heating ie a camping car.

Is it just me ?
Click to expand...

We had a problem this summer finding LPG pumps in France.

mylpg.eu app was unreliable as they listed places that sold butane/propane in bottles but no pump. In the end I rang ahead to any station to check.

I think that a lot of stations that have gone over to 24/7 and auto pumps have taken the LPG pumps out - maybe for safety reasons.

I do not understand the logic of banning filling on the basis of use. The liquid gas goes into a certificated cylinder in liquid form: the same for car or MH. It only turns to gas when you use it away from the forecourt.

Maybe our resident gas expert would have a comment.

It was all much easier in Germany and even more so when back in Poland where 50-75% of filling stations sell LPG.
 
I only fill in France if desperate, their gas has high levels of oily residue.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
nicholsong said:
I do not understand the logic of banning filling on the basis of use. The liquid gas goes into a certificated cylinder in liquid form: the same for car or MH. It only turns to gas when you use it away from the forecourt.

Maybe our resident gas expert would have a comment.
Click to expand...
One of the reasons is tax.

Fuel for vehicles is taxed at a different rate to fuel for heating/cooking.

In theory vehicle fuel stations should not be selling LPG to motorhomes, and places that sell LPG to motorhomes and boats should not be selling to vehicles.

However as the difference is small and the amounts in the general scheme of thnigs are tiny, most places (and Chancellors) are not that bothered.
 
Belgium is the place to go for LPG and adblue. Dont every buy adblue in Luxembourg !!!! That made the Swiss look cheap !
 
We didn’t have a problem in our March-June wanderings through France/Spain. Avoided Total - but they’re usually expensive anyway. Some Repsol in Spain refused and others didn’t. Some supermarket stations (Intermarché usually) required an attendant who was only there up to noon. I found mylpg.eu usually good at finding an alternative nearby. Sorry you didn’t
 
  • Like
Reactions: DBK
scotjimland said:
This has been the case for some years in France, in fact I think it has always been the law..

When I had the RV with an LPG tank I was refused several times in France, reason given was it was for heating and cooking, and not for propulsion.. this was back in 2007/8 .. before the forecourt accident.
Click to expand...
We got refused at an Avia on the A12, had to ask for the manager. The RV is an LPG conversion.
 
Ridgeway said:
Service stations that advertise LPG but you have to pre-pay what you need, difficult to know how much you’re going to put in really…
Click to expand...
Go in pay more than you need, then after filling go in and get your change 👍🏻

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Landy Andy said:
Go in pay more than you need, then after filling go in and get your change 👍🏻
Click to expand...

Of course you can do that but 2 transactions and 2 visits to queue up… I’ve got better things to do. I usually avoid gas stations where you need to go in and pay and much prefer the more efficient pay at pump method.
 
I can't say Ive ever had a problem filling, but now having a 120l tank, means I dont have to do it very often.

I'm under the impression that some of even the mainstream manufacturers PVC's have tiny underslung tanks so they don't have to find room for the bottles, that could be a problem. I also remember meeting a guy in Morocco with a small A class with a very small tank -16kg??
 
We rarely need to fil in France, and I always use supermarkets for diesel, very few of those have lpg. Most motorway services have lpg though, whether they let you have any is a different matter.
Mainly fill up in Spain and UK where there doesn't seem to be a problem.
 
kev54 said:
We didn’t have a problem in our March-June wanderings through France/Spain. Avoided Total - but they’re usually expensive anyway.
Click to expand...
We got lpg at total in France for €0.83 and €0.97 so quite cheap compared to €1.04 at carrefour.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Fill up twice every trip to France. Never had an issue yet, even with an internal filling point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DBK
The only problem I have encountered is 3.5m height barriers which are a pain when you are 3.7 high, sometimes you can bypass the barrier sometimes not.
At one just before the Spanish boarder the pipe was long enough to reach us in the HGV side.
Pay before is easy they just take a charge for a guessed amount, you fill go back in after filling and get charged the correct amount, that's the wife's job.
 
Brains said:
One of the reasons is tax.
Click to expand...
I think that's why getting LPG in Italy on a motorway service area can be problematic. If you turn off the motorway and find a garage in a town they will generally be happy to take your money. :) .
 
Total has only been concerned about safety and motorhomes since the inception of 'Total Energy', a supplier of gas bottles now available at all their stations and increasingly at supermarkets.

Robert
 
Brains said:
One of the reasons is tax.

Fuel for vehicles is taxed at a different rate to fuel for heating/cooking.

In theory vehicle fuel stations should not be selling LPG to motorhomes, and places that sell LPG to motorhomes and boats should not be selling to vehicles.

However as the difference is small and the amounts in the general scheme of thnigs are tiny, most places (and Chancellors) are not that bothered.
Click to expand...

DBK said:
I think that's why getting LPG in Italy on a motorway service area can be problematic. If you turn off the motorway and find a garage in a town they will generally be happy to take your money. :) .
Click to expand...

I knew about the tax difference in Italy but Brains are you sure it applies in France?

Anyone else know?

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top