Debs753979 Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Can anyone tell me what you do for gas supplies if you plan on touring for say a year around Europe? Debs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 UK calor cylinders will be useless abroad as you won't be able to (legally and safely) get them re-filled. As far as I'm aware, the most obvious options open to you are: 1) refillable fixed gas tank 2) refillable gas bottles without a fixed filler 3) refillable gas bottles with a fixed filler 4) use European gas bottles The first will mean that you will free up your gas locker so given you extra storage, the down side is that it will cost a bit to do, you will have to find a suitable location for it under your van and you may/may not be able to transfer it to another vehicle in the future. The second will mean that you will still need to buy refillable gas bottles and use your existing gas locker and will need to open the door to fill the bottles as required at gas outlets in the various countries. The only problem with this is that you may find some places won't allow you to fill the gas bottles directly/at all. The benefit of this system is that it can be easily removed and transferred to another vehicle. The third option is to use your existing gas locker and put in refillable gas bottles but also get a filler fixed permanently to your 'van to refill them with, this will for all intents and purposes give you very little problem abroad as you won't have the problem of being seen to be filling removable bottles. Whilst you can remove and transfer the bottles to another vehicle, the fixed filler will have to stay put so you would have to pay for this to be installed again or you'd have to remove it from the other vehicle and patch up the hole somehow. The fourth option might work depending on where you intend to travel to, the problem is that the various European countries don't have the same bottles so you could end up not being able to fill them as you move from country to country. By far the best options are nos 1) to 3) above. There are various companies in the UK who can fit these systems for you, or indeed you may be able to get them done abroad possibly cheaper. No doubt some of the other 'gang' on here will pop up shortly with more advice. Mel B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 On other option (not recommended, just included for completeness) is Camping Gaz, which you can get practically everywhere but costs a truly frightening amount for small bottles - especially here in the UK. We used this in our old van, never had trouble getting supplies all over Western Europe. Extra advantage for us then was that we only had a very small gas locker, so this was the only way we could carry two bottles (which you should always do with "exchangeable" ones, otherwise you always waste the last bit!). But it's not cheap. We've now got Mel's "Option 3," in the form of a Gaslow system, and this is much cheaper (to run) and very convenient. We've found that LPG is available all over France, but not common in Spain. Others will no doubt advise about other countries - we're newcomers to this system. I suspect it all depends where you're planning to go. One other thought - have you seen any of the reports about "gasless vans"? Apparently as well as compressor fridges (which use less elec so can be left on battery power for much longer) and diesel-powered heating (which we've got), you can also get a diesel-powered cooker, so the only kind of fuel you use at all is your road-fuel. Don't know how good this kit is, or how expensive (or indeeed how I'd feel about cooking on diesel!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs753979 Posted May 1, 2008 Author Share Posted May 1, 2008 Thank you for your responses. We are thinking of touring most of Europe from Latvia right down Solvakia, Croatia, Greece, over to Italy and then hopefully along and over to North Africa. Do any of you think this will narrow down my options of 1-5? Debs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 we have toured France for the last two years, and managed with 2 bottles of propane.( We do have an electric plate on our cooker and take elec kettle) which we use in campsites. You can buy local gas, and change valves in several places. We can,t do this as our gas locker will not take their bottle sizes ,its not deep enough Have fun touring ! We're off next week for this years trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 forgot to say three months touring around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 This subject has been discussed repeatedly and in considerable depth on the Motorhome Matters forum. Given the length of the trip and how wide-ranging it will be, provided that the motorhome is large enough to accept it, I'd opt for a LPG tank (Mel B's Option 1). There is the possibility with a fixed LPG tank of also employing 'local' gas bottles (this methodology is not uncommon with USA RVs) using an "Extend-a-Stay" arrangement. See http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/lp-gas/50525.htm I'd also recommend a visit to Barry & Margaret Williamson's website on http://www.magbaztravels.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Debs, go for a re-fillable system. Either a tank or bottles depending on your personal preference and your vans' (and wallets!) size/weight. We had them and had no trouble at all when touring France & Spain for 12 weeks. If you look on the "other" web site, (Motorhome Facts), there is a link to a map of Europe and you just click on the required country and up they pop! (It is on the left hand side about a third of the way down.) It costs about 45-55 p a litre in the UK to re-fill from a filling station. You can get 2 full bottle for less than a single Calor bottle, (size dependant of course). And it's even cheaper abroad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puzzled Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 In Parts of Italy yoy cannot refil refilable gas bottles at filling stations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 If you put the re-filling point on the outside skirt or wall of your van and not IN the gas locker, it is no different than a filling point for a gas tank for the vehicle, then no one will know and it can be our little secret! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Tomo3090 - 2008-05-09 8:24 AM If you put the re-filling point on the outside skirt or wall of your van and not IN the gas locker, it is no different than a filling point for a gas tank for the vehicle, then no one will know and it can be our little secret! ;-) - as long as you don't fill up the diesel tank at the same time. Bit of a giveaway, that! Even so, I suppose if you do the gas first, by the time they work out that it's not your "road-fuel" it's too late. They can't really make you give it back, and they won't refuse to sell you the diesel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Have no fear we have filled our Gaslow fitted with externel filler at the same time as filling with diesel all over Europe, including Italy, and have never had any comment or problem. Just another strange scare story methinks! Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 I use one 6kg refillable, backed by a 6kg calor propane, backed up by a Camping gaz 907. We spent approx 12 weeks away in Spain & Portugal refilled once in Spain and twice in Portugal and actually used the 907 as first back up which we exchanged in Spain on or way home. I don't recall using the Calor at all. Our filler is inside the gas locker and at each refill the attendant needed to be called as each procedure was different and this was our first time using refillable cylinders, and this caused no problem whatsoever. Both Spain and Portugal are difficult to find refill stations, Spain is worst than Portugal as you need to go to dedicated LPG stations. The one in Spain we used was in Granada on the old Malaga Road. I couldn't find the one near Alicante airport but since we where going to the Alhambra it was not a problem. The next time I intend to buy a Spanish bottle from a flea market that I know sells 2ndhand bottles, Cepsa I think and then pass it onto another visitor before I leave. There are loads of of 2ndhand bottles at fleamarkets, and when you think abou it its not surprising, some countries run on LPG. I've still got an old French bottle from a previous time and a friend has an old German bottle, so you can just switch them about. There are a few Brits touring with all the attachments for refilling all types of bottles including Calor and Camping Gaz I've met some. In some eastern european countries gas stations will refill any bottle. I've seen this myself in Romania. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potjoe Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 (lol) just filled up gas bottle in Gremany with filler on the outside price €0.76 per ltr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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