Refillable Gas -v- Exchange bottle gas

[DDJC]

If there is a dedicated thread to this question, I'm sorry, but I can't find it.

I use Gaslight for heating, cooking and external bbq. These are the fibreglass bottles that you get from Homebase. I have a large and a small bottle as this combination is easier to get into our very snug gas compartment. I also use the same gas for the bbq. But it seems to be incredibly expensive and I am quite conscious that if Homebase runs out (like today), I can't get gas and I doubt that in Yerp, there are many retailers of Gaslight.

Our bus has an integrated regulator and I am happy to change pigtails and valves, but is there some sort of extra fitting that a registered service engineer has to fit?

So my question is, do I switch to refillable bottles? We go to Yerp (esp France and Italy) a lot, so availability of filler points is important, both in UK and abroad. We like the lighter weight of fibreglass bottles, but it isn't a deal breaker. I don't really want a fixed gas tank, and I definitely don't want to refill non-refillable gas bottles, despite being told how easy it is. I've enough to worry about with Covid to not need the extra worry of incinerating Mrs DDJC's freedom bus, because she might be a tad irritated if I did that.

I've heard of:
Gas IT in 6kg, 11kg & 18kg
Gas IT Easyfill
Gaslow Direct Fill in 2.7kg, 6kg & 11kg
Safefill 5kg, 7.5kg & 10kg
GasBank MULTI

Are there any others?

What I am hoping for is that someone has done a comparison to weight the pros and cons of bottle v refillable. Has anyone (who isn't a gas dealer) looked at this thoroughly?

Many thanks,

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

We started off years ago with calor exchange bottles, then had gaslow, more expensive to install but lots more convenient and the gas is a lot cheaper. Found it easy to refill home and abroad. Would nt do without a refillable now. And it's probably paid for itself also by now.

 

[DDJC]

We started off years ago with calor exchange bottles, then had gaslow, more expensive to install but lots more convenient and the gas is a lot cheaper. Found it easy to refill home and abroad. Would nt do without a refillable now. And it's probably paid for itself also by now.

When you say, more expensive, what additional installation process is required? I am taking it that you can take them out to refill or refill them in situ? Am I right?

 

[mikebeaches]

Safefill is a different set up to the others you've listed. The bottle has to be disconnected from the van in order to refill it, whereas the others don't.

For a long time we managed with a pair of 6kg Calorlite bottles, but they don't work for spending extended periods abroad. They are also a hassle having to be disconnected and replaced each time more gas is required. And because they're not available abroad, we found we were frequently having to discard half full gas bottles so we could have 2 'full' ones to go to continental Europe.

Solution, we got 1 x 11kg Gas-it refillable fitted and we still carry a single Calorlite for emergency use. Works perfectly for us and solves all the problems. It wasn't too expensive and the gas is much cheaper than Calor in any case.

There didn't appear to be any additional parts required - our set up was professionally fitted on our drive, but it all look pretty straightforward. Oh, I guess the extra bit is the external filler point, which in our case is set within the plastic bumper. All good.

 

[peterc10]

Forget Safefill if you go to Italy. They are only supposed to dispense Autogas to vehicles using for propulsion, so you will have no chance if you take a bottle out to fill, or even open up the gas locker to fill it. Also you will not be able to get any UK bottles exchanged anywhere in the rest of Europe.

Go for proper refillable bottles with an external filling point if possible. That way you will have no problems filling in most of Europe. We went for 2 x 11kg bottle Gasit system. Refilling is a lot cheaper in most countries in Europe, and especially the UK, when compared with buying it in exchange cylinders.

Having said that we like our system because it is so much more convenient. We never move the bottles at all and it is as simple as filling up with diesel.

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[Scotsblood]

Don't forget Alugas! When considering weight, and with payload issues many have to, these are by far the lightest refillables that can be 'plumbed' into the van to give a fixed refill point and reduce potential filling difficulties and access cheaper gas.

Chris Wise at Autogas 2000 will talk through the possibilities with you, I ended up fitting a single 14kg Alugas cylinder. That's almost 28L of propane and the cylinder itself only weighs 7.5kg, less than the 8.3kg of a single standard 6kg Calor Propane and not too far short of half that of a 13kg Calor at 13.2kg!

My first fill cost £16.05, 27.2l, whereas a 6kg Calor now costs £23.45 to exchange. I will never willingly go back to exchange cylinders.

 

[Jev88]

I currently have the simple 6Kg Propane exchangeable bottles (surely cheaper than Homebase bottles???) and keep the little 3Kg bottle as a spare emergency.
I plan to replace the 6Kg with a Gas-It (slightly cheaper than Gaslow) refillable - with the filling port in the side of the Motorhome so i can easily top up on garage forecourts, but will keep the little 3Kg bottle as emergency as before. GasIt single bottle set up with filling kit is currently £240 approx (assuming I ticked the right accessory boxes).

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

To buy gaslow or gas it, both are similar systems, are around £240 for a 2 bottle x6kg system. If your lucky you can get some secondhand on here a bit cheaper. You need to check your locker bottle capacity as its probably better to go for the 11kg if possible. If you have an existing calor bottle you could also use this alongside the refillable as a back up if you run out of lpg. Switch to the calor till you can refill the refillable and then back to lpg. Quite honestly we top up on lpg whenever we see it available and just apologise if its only £ 2.50 worth, just say "thought it would take more." lol. Never been empty and don't have to drag out bottles. Etc. I belive calor now is somewhere around £25 for a bottle swap 6kgs max lpg is around 80p litre, 6kg is approx 11 to12 litres so £9.60 for a full 6kgs.although never filled a bottle from empty. My fill point is inside the locker, never had any issues filling but some folks have and prefer an outside filler.
Lots of posts on here for refillable.
It's easy to do yourself and all kits are available from suppliers. If your not handy there are plenty of funsters that will give you a hand also.

 

[DDJC]

It's easy to do yourself and all kits are available from suppliers. If your not handy there are plenty of funsters that will give you a hand also.

I love the positivity of some of the funsters, but find generally that there is a gross over-estimation of my ability to differentiate between a hammer and a spanner!

You say do it myself? Very broadly, what does it involve? And can the gas bottles be removed easily or is it a real chore?

 

[DDJC]

Forget Safefill if you go to Italy. They are only supposed to dispense Autogas to vehicles using for propulsion, so you will have no chance if you take a bottle out to fill, or even open up the gas locker to fill it.

So is any form of gas re-filling not allowed in Italy?

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[Hymerbell]

If there is a dedicated thread to this question, I'm sorry, but I can't find it.

I use Gaslight for heating, cooking and external bbq. These are the fibreglass bottles that you get from Homebase. I have a large and a small bottle as this combination is easier to get into our very snug gas compartment. I also use the same gas for the bbq. But it seems to be incredibly expensive and I am quite conscious that if Homebase runs out (like today), I can't get gas and I doubt that in Yerp, there are many retailers of Gaslight.

Our bus has an integrated regulator and I am happy to change pigtails and valves, but is there some sort of extra fitting that a registered service engineer has to fit?

So my question is, do I switch to refillable bottles? We go to Yerp (esp France and Italy) a lot, so availability of filler points is important, both in UK and abroad. We like the lighter weight of fibreglass bottles, but it isn't a deal breaker. I don't really want a fixed gas tank, and I definitely don't want to refill non-refillable gas bottles, despite being told how easy it is. I've enough to worry about with Covid to not need the extra worry of incinerating Mrs DDJC's freedom bus, because she might be a tad irritated if I did that.

I've heard of:
Gas IT in 6kg, 11kg & 18kg
Gas IT Easyfill
Gaslow Direct Fill in 2.7kg, 6kg & 11kg
Safefill 5kg, 7.5kg & 10kg
GasBank MULTI

Are there any others?

What I am hoping for is that someone has done a comparison to weight the pros and cons of bottle v refillable. Has anyone (who isn't a gas dealer) looked at this thoroughly?

Many thanks,

Just had these fitted. About £500 all in. Don’t forget to get the brass adapters for different countries.3 of those £45. Had GasLo in my last van....couldn’t do without it. Remember dragging exchange gas bottles in and out of the locker when skiing for many years pre refillable

 

[MisterB]

Have you considered an underslung tank? Take a look at Tinleytech for ideas of cost as they sell kits. Or reputable suppliers will also fit for a total cost of around £700 +

 

[DDJC]

Just had these fitted. About £500 all in. Don’t forget to get the brass adapters for different countries.3 of those £45. Had GasLo in my last van....couldn’t do without it. Remember dragging exchange gas bottles in and out of the locker when skiing for many years pre refillable ☹

But can these be taken out easily? I have a BBQ that needs them as well?

 

[DDJC]

Have you considered an underslung tank? Take a look at Tinleytech for ideas of cost as they sell kits. Or reputable suppliers will also fit for a total cost of around £700 +

I'd be scared of ripping one on the crappy Italian roads! What sizes do they come in?

 

[Lenny HB]

So is any form of gas re-filling not allowed in Italy?

Yes, they are not allowed to fill hab tanks and bottles, but if one garage says no you can almost guaranty the next garage will fill you. Same in Spain but I've never been refused in Spain.

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[Lenny HB]

If you fit a refillable system you won't regret it, no more putting your back out changing bottles, just top up when needed don't have to waste gas to make sure you have full bottles before a trip.
Soon pays for itself we have 2 x 14 kg Alugas the cylinders are half the weight of steel ones.

 

[Hymerbell]

But can these be taken out easily? I have a BBQ that needs them as well?

Well they can be but i think an external gas point is easier. Not sure if there is an adapter that you could screw on. I carry a Large Camping gas as well for the BBQ.

 

[Lenny HB]

Well they can be but i think an external gas point is easier. Not sure if there is an adapter that you could screw on. I carry a Large Camping gas as well for the BBQ.

View attachment 391574

If you are storing gas not in your gas locker you need some drop vents for safety.

 

[AnnK]

I would just point out measure the opening of your gas locker before you make a final decision, neither safefill (any size) or the gas it 11kg bottle would fit in our Swift locker because of the width. In the end we have a 6kg gas it

 

[Barclaybasher]

Well they can be but i think an external gas point is easier. Not sure if there is an adapter that you could screw on. I carry a Large Camping gas as well for the BBQ.

View attachment 391574

And Campingaz is available almost everywhere in Europe

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[Barclaybasher]

If you are storing gas not in your gas locker you need some drop vents for safety.

Didn't have a drop vent in my boats

 

[DDJC]

Well they can be but i think an external gas point is easier. Not sure if there is an adapter that you could screw on. I carry a Large Camping gas as well for the BBQ.

No sorry, I am not being clear. I have an external gas point for the smaller moho bbq, I am talking about taking out a gas bottle to use on my big bbq in the garden! Seems a bit of a waste to have two different types of gas supply in use.

What can I say? We like bbqs

 

[MisterB]

I'd be scared of ripping one on the crappy Italian roads! What sizes do they come in?

the specialist companies will advise on the max size if you tell them the make and model of your MH. id i was going down the path of NEW installation of some sort of refillable system, i would really hard to get a good sized underslung, it frees up another external locker, which is also an advantage, taking into account vehicle loading of course.

 

[Tykatem]

Entered in Error

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Didn't have a drop vent in my boats

Why?

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[peterc10]

You say do it myself? Very broadly, what does it involve? And can the gas bottles be removed easily or is it a real chore?

It involves doing up connections in gas pipes and making sure they don't leak. It also involves drilling a hole through our motorhome wall or skirt to fit an external filler point. If you are at all worried pay a professional to get it done. The bottles and the connection hoses never need to be removed once fitted. You fill up via the external filling point. Our bottles have not been removed for over 4 years.

But can these be taken out easily? I have a BBQ that needs them as well?

Get an external BBQ point fitted, makes it much easier. Just plug the hose into the BBQ point.

So is any form of gas re-filling not allowed in Italy?

Officially not. But the only time I was refused service was on a motorway near Milan. Once we got further South the law was ignored, as long as you had an external filler. In one case the guy on the hose (you are not allowed to self-serve) asked me "engine?" and I said "yes" and he filled it up. After all I have got an engine in my motorhome haven't I?

 

[Hymerbell]

No sorry, I am not being clear. I have an external gas point for the smaller moho bbq, I am talking about taking out a gas bottle to use on my big bbq in the garden! Seems a bit of a waste to have two different types of gas supply in use.

What can I say? We like bbqs

Crikey watch out for those arteries ! I have a separate gas cylinder for my home BBQ. Can’t be arsed lugging gas canisters around....but I don’t know...presumably if you get the correct regulator but others would be more knowledgable than me.

 

[peterc10]

Entered in Error

That's what the Bishop said to the actress .................................

 

[Lenny HB]

Didn't have a drop vent in my boats

That's because it would have sunk.
It's a requirement in Caravans & Motorhomes.

 

[peterc10]

No sorry, I am not being clear. I have an external gas point for the smaller moho bbq, I am talking about taking out a gas bottle to use on my big bbq in the garden! Seems a bit of a waste to have two different types of gas supply in use.

What can I say? We like bbqs

Just use a Calor or similar for home, that is what we do. Cannot be bothered to pull out the bottles from the motorhome.

And the purists would say that if you really liked BBQs you would be buying charcoal not gas

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