Should I have a Gaslow system fitted (1 Viewer)

[andyman]

I have had my Gaslow system for 4 years. Total cost was £420 so far it has saved me about £250.
If you want to move it from one van to another there is more work involved changing 4 years worth of calor.

 

[GWAYGWAY]

I would like to change from my small gaslow bottles to two 11kg ones as I have plenty of room and could go longer on them So if someone want to change to small from large because of a new van not having room them contact me.

 

[Peter & Elaine]

I have refillable bottles on our van
When I bought it it had a 11kg gas low then I bought a 11kg gasit bottle plus the pipe work and fitted it my self in about 30 minutes at Newark show 2 years ago
Best thing I ever did and as lpg is now at about 55p per litre it's a no brainer
Works out at about £1 per kilo I don't have any auto change over just run one empty turn next one on then fill up next chance I get
Last week we used 7 litres over 2 and half days with hot water and heating on constantly
Would I go back to standard bottles no way in hell the only thing I may have done is fit a tank system then I could have used gas Locker for storage

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[Techno]

I would like to change from my small gaslow bottles to two 11kg ones as I have plenty of room and could go longer on them So if someone want to change to small from large because of a new van not having room them contact me.

with or without gauges ?

 

[Scuba Steve]

Thanks for the advise from all of you, it's clear to see that it is well worth having a gasit system fitted, just need to decide which one I should now have?
This site is great and I'm loving all this honest advice

Cheers all

 

[john kyte]

About french gas containing more butane than English gas-----
Yes I think so
I had a fiat ,Eldiss Autostratus,,powered by petrol or LPG
Lpg worked perfectly in UK,,but in France [on french gas] the carburettor would often freeze and the engine stop,,,usually when idling while navigating roundabouts,,halt signs etc. this was in the summer,,what would it have been like in winter?? The worst place to stop,,,leaving for a couple of minutes the engine would start and go again---but always embarrassing

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[gus-lopez]

[QUOTE="DavidG58, post: 1318043, member: 24833"

as for refillables and for that matter anything costing several £100's I am firmly of the opinion that once folk have spent that kind of money they will always sing its praises, justifying it on money saved etc. but payback is pretty slow in reality, I reckon I spend about £100 / year on Calor bottles so even if pump gas is half the price it is going to take a few years to recover the spend, unless you intend to keep the same MH it is marginal on price alone, even accepting it can be moved, that is hassle some of us don't want / need
so to summarise, I am in the no to refillable camp quite probably on my own, but may well change now we are retired and hope to be abroad more often [/QUOTE]

The OP by his original post is spending an average of £23/weekend. For 6kg or 12 litres gas. Say an average UK LPG price of 60p/litre & he'd be saving around 15 quid /week . Payback wouldn't be long & he'd soon be in profit.

 

[DavidG58]

[QUOTE="DavidG58, post: 1318043, member: 24833"

as for refillables and for that matter anything costing several £100's I am firmly of the opinion that once folk have spent that kind of money they will always sing its praises, justifying it on money saved etc. but payback is pretty slow in reality, I reckon I spend about £100 / year on Calor bottles so even if pump gas is half the price it is going to take a few years to recover the spend, unless you intend to keep the same MH it is marginal on price alone, even accepting it can be moved, that is hassle some of us don't want / need
so to summarise, I am in the no to refillable camp quite probably on my own, but may well change now we are retired and hope to be abroad more often

The OP by his original post is spending an average of £23/weekend. For 6kg or 12 litres gas. Say an average UK LPG price of 60p/litre & he'd be saving around 15 quid /week . Payback wouldn't be long & he'd soon be in profit.[/QUOTE]

sorry, still disagree, OP didn't say how many weekends he will go away per year, but he would need 30 winter weekends away to get payback, far more in summer, most MH's will not be out anywhere near enough in winter to justify it on price alone

I do see other benefits, man handling the bottles being something I hadn't really considered, but a valid point, we park right next to the cage where we normally get gas, so not really an issue for me (yet)

 

[Scuba Steve]

We tend to be away every other weekend throughout the whole year, in fact we are out more during the winter as those dark cold nights are so boring at home, it's far better to be out in the fresh air up some hill or dale and into the pub afterward
I think it sounds like a trip back to Vanbitz to get a Gaslow system fitted
I must say Vanbitz we're very friendly and helpful and although I here what everyone is saying about being easy to fit, this is a gas system and I wouldn't touch it at home so would prefer to get it fitted by a professional, plus they also have a cracking site and wouldn't mind a pub crawl round Taunton

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[Brian and Jo]

we are considering Gas Low when our van arrives.purely for the ease of use and the conveinience
Brian & Jo

 

[Chockswahay]

Now I am worried on a few counts

@chockswahay clearly remembers something I have mentioned in my past ramblings, trouble is I have very little recollection of anything past

Hi @DavidG58 , i was referring to this thread (entry 381) ....

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/durness-it-is-decision-made.99796/page-20

My personal view is not based on money but convenience

 

[DavidG58]

Hi @DavidG58 , i was referring to this thread (entry 381) ....

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/durness-it-is-decision-made.99796/page-20

My personal view is not based on money but convenience

Thanks Chocks, I was right about my ramblings, but remember it well now you have reminded me

I am OK with the convenience justification, but also wonder is there a negative side, where LPG may not be available if you are a bit remote, I am thinking Durness again, they sold Calor in the village, but I reckon it could be a good few miles to get LPG, note to @Techno100 , not too bad in summer with limited use, but a cold period and not checking could be an issue maybe?

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[Chockswahay]

I shouldn't worry about availability, there are many places where Calor is NOT sold either........... just depends on where you go and how long you stay there. The real advantage with refillable tanks is just that.......... top em up any time it's convenient (you can't do that with Calor)

 

[Techno]

I can last a week in extreme conditions with 44 litres

 

[Chockswahay]

I can last a week in extreme conditions with 44 litres

Yup, me too, and it's a nice feeling

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[Jim]

I remember the days of dragging around all those different bottles from different countries. You'd buy in Europe, pay a premium for the bottle and the gas, and sometimes need to buy a regulator too, then they would sit in the garage for years couldn't even give them away.

Also, Sod's law says just before a big trip we've got half a bottle but really need a full one for the trip, so we'd swop out bottles for full ones leaving us an array of bottles at various stages of emptyness or we'd lug another.

For me the convenience of a refillable system and the ability to top up any time, far outweighs any initial cost issues, and then when you consider that even the most casual user will eventually cover the cost with cheaper gas. For me it's a no brainier.

 

[colinw]

1 x 11kg refillable system £178 . 1 x 13kg calor £66 ( from their website , don't know if there is a deposit also .)
LPG refill approx £12 , calor approx £24
So 10 refills to offset initial higher costs , you've bought it , you own it , you can move it on to next van .
If you have to pay for installation it would take a little longer to pay for itself.
This is the monetary side of the discussion , the ease of use and convenience have already been highlighted .

You could always carry a spare connection for a calor bottle just in case of emergency .

 

[scotjimland]

If you had asked me this question ten or fifteen years ago it would have been a different answer..

Back then LPG stations were not nearly so common .. and almost non existent in Spain ..

now.. everywhere.. almost every fuel station has LPG. even Spain is getting in on the act.

As @Jim said.. for sheer convenience can't be beaten.. some things are just better because they are..

only country that is behind the times is Morocco..as far as I know none.. but knowing that if going there you have an alternative connection for the local bottle.. dare I say BBQ point..

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[Finvarra]

We are going to France for the first time, in three weeks, for three months. At the mo have 6 and 11 kg calor, which was fine touring the UK. Thought we would be OK using electric on aires,(not planning on using campsites) so we thought the gas would last us. Then discovered that the electric on aires is not on all the time, eeeeekkkk!!! So we might have to go,on campsites, expensive. So we,ve ordered the Gaslow which arrived today, and we reckon that what we save on campsite fees will pay for it within a couple of months. Plus peace of mind in always having gas. We,ll have the 11kg Gaslow plus the 6kg calor, so all options covered, I hope. Plus it means we can wild without having to worry.

Cheers
Lesley

 

[scotjimland]

Thought we would be OK using electric on aires,(not planning on using campsites) so we thought the gas would last us. Then discovered that the electric on aires is not on all the time, eeeeekkkk!!!

Not quite correct..

some aires have EHU that is on all the time.. I can think of several off the top of my head.. Cap Breton, Mimizan Plage, Honfleur, Stenay .. and many more..

others you pay per hour... and some have neither.. no hard a fast rule

 

[Finvarra]

Oh, right Jim, thanks for that. We just got the book All the Aires, and it seemed to indicate that electricity was limited which we hadn't give a thought to, and as we have no electric cooking facilities in our van (apart from a microwave which I never use), we thought we had better get the Gaslow installed. Well this will be an adventure for sure, never knowing what to expect

Lesley

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[Reallyretired]

Some aires have ehu on all the time for all pitches and some are free. These are few and far between though.

Related more to the OP, we could do 3-4 weeks in France on 2x13kg calor, but this often involved changing a half empty one before going to make sure we had two full ones, so further expense. A 13kg calor is heavy. I am a great fan of our 2x11kg alugas set up, whether it pays for itself or not.

 

[Huwmari]

I'm interested in the Gas IT system. Has anyone fitted one of these to an AS Symbol (2004). Wondering what size tank and whether the welded on feet or strap system are best for this vehicle.

Brian

Hi Brian, My husband fitted our GasIt system without any problems at all. The GasIt staff at Caernarvon were fantastically helpful - 01286 832443. They will tell you all you need to know. I don't know whether a tank is suitable for your vehicle but we have our bottle in the gas cupboard strapped in with a mounted filler inside the cupboard. This makes for simple refilling and we're saving loads of money. Hope this helps.

 

[Tincataylor]

Hi there - we changed our bottle system for the Gas-It 22 litre 11kg refillable bottle. It's half the price of the GasLow system and works a dream. We have been on the road in Spain and Portugal for nearly 3 months and the Repsol garages are really good as keeping Autogas. It's so cheap to fill up and this size cylinder lasts around 3 weeks - that's for heating morning and night, cooking including the hobs and oven and if you need to run the fridge or hot water on gas.

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[Brian_K]

Hi Brian, My husband fitted our GasIt system without any problems at all. The GasIt staff at Caernarvon were fantastically helpful - 01286 832443. They will tell you all you need to know. I don't know whether a tank is suitable for your vehicle but we have our bottle in the gas cupboard strapped in with a mounted filler inside the cupboard. This makes for simple refilling and we're saving loads of money. Hope this helps.

Thanks.

Rightly or wrongly, I've decided to run without a spare wheel (close to 35kg with brackets - van seems a little perkier as well, although that could be just psychological). Amazing how much space that frees up underneath, so plenty of room for an underslung tank. I'm going to try the rest of this year with the 6kg Calor and just see what my consumption is.

Brian