Propane and Butane

[steveveets]

Please excuse my ignorance but if you have a propane main bottle and wanted to carry a spare bottle and could only find butane would that be a problem?

 

[peterc10]

It would be in the winter. Butane ceases to gas off in low temperatures, so can't be used in winter.

 

[bridgedino]

The red & blue bottle's have different regulators

 

[Burgo]

No, not in the real world. We sometimes use butane in summer as it's slightly cheaper, but in winter especially if going up in the mountains use propane. Out of the two I prefer propane as if burns slightly "cooler" which makes our cadac a bit more controllable.

 

[steveveets]

Thanks Peterc10, I was thinking in an emergency (ie no propane available) and we would likely not be using in the winter.

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[Tombola]

I beleive you can get butane to propane adapters

 

[steveveets]

The red & blue bottle's have different regulators

Many thanks - is there an adapter?

 

[steveveets]

I beleive you can get butane to propane adapters

You beat me too it

 

[xsparks]

The two regulators are different threads and pressures.

 

[gpat]

I beleive you can get butane to propane adapters

I'm not sure how that would work as they need different pressures don't they?

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[Tombola]

I'm not sure how that would work as they need different pressures don't they?

not sure, Im going from what "gas it" said, that you need to add butane to propane connectors in their installation videos.

 

[Emmit]

The red & blue bottle's have different regulators

The above information is not applicable if your motorhome? was first registered after about 2002.

After then, motorhomes? (I'm referring to coachbuilts and A Class vehicles, your Avatar doesn't state) were fitted with a Regulator that
was bolted onto the vehicle itself and not the bottles.
At the same time, the different pressures that the Regulators operated on depending whether the gas was Propane or Butane was superseded by that bulkhead Reg. that accepted either gas and delivered it safely into the van.

Each bottle requires a 'Pigtail'. This is the name for the gas pipe that connects the bottle to the Regulator.

If you only want to have one pigtail that works out of both Butane and Propane bottles, you require one of these:

 

[steveveets]

The above information is not applicable if your motorhome? was first registered after about 2002.

After then, motorhomes? (I'm referring to coachbuilts and A Class vehicles, your Avatar doesn't state) were fitted with a Regulator that
was bolted onto the vehicle itself and not the bottles.
At the same time, the different pressures that the Regulators operated on depending whether the gas was Propane or Butane was superseded by that bulkhead Reg. that accepted either gas and delivered it safely into the van.

Each bottle requires a 'Pigtail'. This is the name for the gas pipe that connects the bottle to the Regulator.

That's great advice thank you - we are getting a 2007 autosleeper eton (Coachbuilt) so should apply.
Many thanks

 

[mitzimad]

The two regulators are different threads and pressures.

different threads but same pressures they changed it so every thing now runs at 30mbs

 

[Emmit]

That's great advice thank you - we are getting a 2007 autosleeper eton (Coachbuilt) so should apply.
Many thanks

Just to confuse even further, the adaptor I showed in the previous post will alter a propane pigtail into a butane pigtail BUT, big but, it will only fit the small 'dumpy' butane bottles.
The larger butane ie 6kgs and 11kgs? Butane bottles have a click on device that either allows gas to flow freely out of the bottle, an adaptor, which is what you would want or an identical looking device which regulates the flow of gas.
These regs. we're used prior to the introduction of bulkhead regs. These should not be used because, in your case, the gas would be 'regulated' twice.
If you were to obtain a larger butane bottle you would require a different pigtail entirely from a propane pigtail. There is no adaptor that would allow you to chop and change between the bottles.
That is why, the vast majority of people using non self refillable bottles have two bottles of the same type of gas, ie 2 x propane.

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[Stealaway]

Red and blue bottles in France use the exact same pigtail connection

 

[steveveets]

Just to confuse even further, the adaptor I showed in the previous post will alter a propane pigtail into a butane pigtail BUT, big but, it will only fit the small 'dumpy' butane bottles.
The larger butane ie 6kgs and 11kgs? Butane bottles have a click on device that either allows gas to flow freely out of the bottle, an adaptor, which is what you would want or an identical looking device which regulates the flow of gas.
These regs. we're used prior to the introduction of bulkhead regs. These should not be used because, in your case, the gas would be 'regulated' twice.
If you were to obtain a larger butane bottle you would require a different pigtail entirely from a propane pigtail. There is no adaptor that would allow you to chop and change between the bottles.
That is why, the vast majority of people using non self refillable bottles have two bottles of the same type of gas, ie 2 x propane.

Thanks again - two of the same type for me then

 

[Burgo]

Red and blue bottles in France use the exact same pigtail connection

And here in Spain.

 

[steve69]

The red & blue bottle's have different regulators

I have used just the one regulator for both gases with no problem. I believe some regulators are suitable for Butane and propane.

 

[Brian + Dawn]

Please excuse my ignorance but if you have a propane main bottle and wanted to carry a spare bottle and could only find butane would that be a problem?

If you need to use both, you will need to get an un-regulated butane tail or you could end up with two regulators in series. I now run my BBQ butane 13kg cylinder and my original propane 6kg as a spare. If you look at https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/using-my-bbq-butane-in-my-motorhome.245514/ This is how I did it and the suppliers

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[the1andonly]

currently have 1x 11kg gaslow 1x 15kg Calor Butane (to use up, no other use for it any more).
I have 2 propane pol pigtails. the gaslow has a pol to 21 butane converter. second converter to an unregulated butane connector as required by 7kg, 15kg blue bottles. Using this setup i can use propane, butane or fill gaslow.

NON REGULATING 21MM CLIP ON BUTANE ADAPTOR - Gas Equipment Direct

The 21mm butane adaptor for 30mbar caravan/motorhome bulkhead regulator allows you to use a 21mm butane gas cylinder on a 30mbar Bulkhead mounted caravan or motorhome regulator via a butane to w20 Pigtail.

www.gasequipmentdirect.co.uk

BRASS ADAPTOR UK POL X 21.8LH THREAD - PROPANE TO BUTANE - Gas Equipment Direct

Adaptor for connecting male POL UK regulators or fittings to cylinders with male 21.8 mm SI fittings, which are found on some UK butane cylinders and various cylinders around the world. Supplied with nitrile washer for butane end connection. 5/8" BSP-LH female POL x 21.8 mm SI-LH female...

www.gasequipmentdirect.co.uk