chick2 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Has anyone ever used a Dometic Gas level checker? If so, did it work ok or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Nope !, but at the price, it is worth a try ! Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 There are (at least) two other products on the market intended to perform a similar function. One is called "GASLEVEL" and was discussed here: http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Gas-Level-Indicator/27084/ I later bought one of these. It works after a fashion, but seems to dislike the thick steel used on larger Calor bottles and the design makes it impossible to take a reading near to where there's a welded seam around the bottle. (Consequently, I wouldn't recommend a GASLEVEL.) Truma offers the "LEVELCHECK" http://www.truma.com/uk/en/gas-supply/tips-levelcheck.php This costs £60-£70 in the UK (but it does have an LED torch!) and the demo model on the Truma stand at an NEC Show worked perfectly. The Dometic-labelled product is described in more detail here: http://www.dometic.com/enuk/Europe/United-Kingdom/News/The-NEW-gas-level-checker-pen/ http://www.dometic.com/f670b721-d3dc-4b8b-a414-9123d19585a4.fodoc It ought to work OK, though one should expect the caveats stated for the Truma level-checker to apply equally to the Dometic one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 chick2 - 2013-08-22 3:44 PM Has anyone ever used a Dometic Gas level checker? If so, did it work ok or not? Answers, Yes and Yes! I bought one off the Dometic rep at the Auto-Trail factory rally earlier in the year at an offer price which I thought too good to not give it a try and yes it really does work. The rep was using baby wipes to clean and 'wet' the cylinder to get a reading (a bit like using gel for an ultrasound in a hospital) but on reading the instructions Dometic (then) recommended something like penetrating oil (the instructions are in the MH) so I use spray Silicon oil which I find to be the best as the baby wipes dry out too quickly. I reckon you can judge the level to probably +/- 5 mm which to me is very accurate. Obviously you cannot get a reading over the weld but other than that they are really, really good. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike B. Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Buy a luggage scale from the £ shop, weigh the bottle, deduct the tare weight of bottle-that's how much gas you've got. Worked for me for years and still going strong Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Mike B. - 2013-08-25 9:55 PM Buy a luggage scale from the £ shop, weigh the bottle, deduct the tare weight of bottle-that's how much gas you've got. Worked for me for years and still going strong Mike But that entails disconnecting and removing the cylinder to weigh it and with a full 13 kg cylinder coming in close on 30 kg that is no mean feat! The Dometic level check lets me measure the liquid level even when the cylinder is in use. And it's a 'Boys Toy' to boot :D Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike B. Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Keithl - 2013-08-25 10:12 PM Mike B. - 2013-08-25 9:55 PM Buy a luggage scale from the £ shop, weigh the bottle, deduct the tare weight of bottle-that's how much gas you've got. Worked for me for years and still going strong Mike But that entails disconnecting and removing the cylinder to weigh it and with a full 13 kg cylinder coming in close on 30 kg that is no mean feat! The Dometic level check lets me measure the liquid level even when the cylinder is in use. And it's a 'Boys Toy' to boot :D Keith. :-D If it comes in at £60/70 as Derek quotes, I think I will carry on 'struggling' Bearing in mind this tool only allegedly tells you where the gas is present in the bottle, you'd still have to do the maths as to amount ie quarter full/third/half etc that is left. I accept you don't have to lift the bottle with this but lifting one once in a while to me seems a lot more cost effective and you can't use the Dometic tool to weigh your suitcase when you fly off on another holiday! Mike :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Mike, I believe the Dometic level checker retails at around £30 (I paid £25 as an offer) and gives a 100% confidence in the liquid level in the cylinder. If there is liquid present at the point of checking you get a green light and if no liquid or a false reading you get a red. So if it shows green you are 100% confident that there is at least that level of liquid present. I am more than pleased with mine and actually mark the cylinder when I take a reading so I can see my gas usage over time. In my books it was £25 well spent! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick2 Posted August 26, 2013 Author Share Posted August 26, 2013 KeithI - Was this on a normal cylinder or a Gaslow? Or does it work on both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 I only use it on 13 kg Calor propane cylinders. It will not work on any refillable as the internal components, ie level float and 80% cut-off valve, upset the ultrasonics. No ultrasonic gauge will work on them :( Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Mike B. - 2013-08-26 3:39 PM ..If it comes in at £60/70 as Derek quotes, I think I will carry on 'struggling'... Mike :-D The £60-£70 price I quoted was for Truma's equivalent to the Dometic product. The latter's price is given on the Dometic website as £29.95 and there's this warning in the user guide: "What it cannot be used on - Plastic bottles, user-refillable bottles (because internal components can deflect the measurement signal), bottles smaller than 200mm or greater than 350mm diameter." (I provided links to the relevant Dometic webpage and to the user guide, so there's no excuse!!!) The Dometic checker's on-line asking-price does seem to vary, so shop around if you want one. (The same product is marketed in the States by Moscap Engineering, but not with the Dometic branding. Asking-price there is about $50) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick2 Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 So the conclusion appears to be that the Dometic doesn't work on Gaslow bottles, which I have, and I'm stuck with the useless plastic gauge that Gaslow supply with the bottles. Or is there an alternative that works on re-fillable cylinders? Any help appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 chick2 - 2013-08-27 10:46 AM So the conclusion appears to be that the Dometic doesn't work on Gaslow bottles, which I have, and I'm stuck with the useless plastic gauge that Gaslow supply with the bottles. Or is there an alternative that works on re-fillable cylinders? Any help appreciated. As is explained on Page 2 of the Gaslow brochure http://www.gaslow.co.uk/pdf/Gaslow-2011-brochure.pdf the gauge will only be capable of accurately monitoring a bottle's contents-level between 50% and 18% full. This limitation is due to the swinging-float mechanism that operates the gauge and any gas-bottle - refillable or otherwise - using a similar system (and I think that means all refillable bottles marketed in the UK) will have a restricted measurement range . (If you are aware of the 50% - 18% limitation and are criticising your Gaslow gauge for being inaccurate within that range, that's another matter of course.) There are alternative systems to the three mentioned above. This is an example http://www.vanmeenen.com/LPG-autogas-Vlaanderen/lpg-camper-motorhomes/alu/gas-level-indicators.pdf But these systems are all designed for 'empty' exchange-only bottles and are unlikely to work properly when there are mechanisms within a bottle's interior. If establishing exactly how much LPG remained in a refillable bottle (from full to empty, easily and without weighing the bottle) were of paramount importance, I believe the only way to know this would be if the bottle was not opaque and the contents-level could be seen. In the UK that means a "Safefill'" container (now 20 litres capacity) http://www.safefill.co.uk/our-cylinders.html but these have their own limitations when it comes to refilling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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