GAS IN EUROPE

[Derek Uzzell]

Regular inquiries on motorhome forums relate to obtaining gas supplies in the UK or abroad and the potential problems caused by non-standardisation. Motorhomes vary radically in size, design and the manner in which they are used, so it's seldom possible to provide a black-or-white answer as the gas arrangements that may be great for UK touring may be hopeless if your motorcaravanning is primarily in Europe or vice versa. (For convenience, I shall use the words "Europe" and "European" to relate to European countries outside the UK.)

 

The first (and perhaps most important) thing to bear in mind is that UK 'exchange-only' gas-bottles (such as Calor containers) are not exchangeable outside this country. So what can UK motorcaravanners do about gas during extended trips in Europe? There are several options.

 

A. Take as much UK gas as the 'van can carry and hope it lasts. This is a viable strategy for shortish trips, or if campsite 230V hook-ups are continuously used and all heating, cooking, refrigeration, lighting, etc. activities are arranged to use mains electricity. In such a scenario gas usage is essentially nil. Many UK campers can eke out small gas reserves for several months by regular employment of campsite hook-ups. This strategy won't suit a more-gypsy lifestyle though and, of course, if your UK gas-bottles do become empty (through usage or a fault), you won't be able to exchange them until you get back to the UK. Historically, UK-built 'vans have tended to be designed around Calor's 7kg/6kg bottle size. In such cases it's most unlikely that Calor's 13kg/15kg bottle can be used instead, but it may be possible to employ the slightly smaller containers available from alternative gas suppliers like Flogas. Using 2 x 11kg Flogas bottles instead of 2 x 6kg Calor canisters will almost double your gas reserves. (Information on UK gas-bottle dimensions and availability can be found in the Caravan Club handbook. This also contains a useful section on Calor bottle refilling in Ireland.)

 

B. Use Campingaz. The price of canisters varies considerably country to country, but it's generally poor value for money. The gas is butane (so unsuitable for really cold weather use) and the biggest bottle holds less than 3kg of gas. But Campingaz bottles are widely available in many European countries and in the UK.

 

C. Use 'autogas'. This is a mixture of propane and butane gasses, with the proportions varying from country to country. UK autogas is close to100% propane and is obtainable as vehicle fuel at many service stations. It's similarly available throughout Europe, though the number of supplying outlets in particular countries varies significantly. To carry the gas your motorhome will require a fixed refillable gas reservoir (ie. a gas ‘tank’) or you will need to buy a user-refillable gas-bottle. Although the filling-connector is not standardised Europe-wide, the number used is limited to three and adapters are available. (There's a lot of stuff on LPG, autogas, refillable bottles, etc. in previous forum discussions.) It needs to be accepted that some service stations selling autogas in the UK (and abroad) may prohibit the filling of refillable bottles. Having said that, if you ask service-station employees anywhere to fill your bottle for you they will very likely refuse. These are "USER-refillable" bottles and, if you anticipate problems refilling them yourself, you should avoid them. The ratio of propane to butane in autogas is unpredictable and, in extremely cold conditions, this may lead to vaporisation problems for motorcaravanners using this product for 'domestic' appliances within the motorhome.

 

D. Use the exchange-only gas bottles employed in the country where you are touring. Some modifications may need to be made to your 'van's gas-system to allow such bottles to be employed, and what these adaptations are (and how simple the process involved will be) will depend on your motorhome's existing system. It also needs emphasising that UK-built motorhomes with gas-lockers designed around 6kg/7kg (or smaller) Calor bottles may have trouble accommodating European gas containers as these generally have a larger cross-section.

 

Combinations of these options are perfectly normal. So a UK motorcaravanner might use A plus B - a couple of UK bottles with a Campingaz cylinder as a back-stop. Or C + D - an autogas tank for use when travelling around, with a local exchange-only bottle brought into play when your large motorhome (eg an American RV) is campsite-parked for long periods and you are reluctant to move it. Or A + D - a twin-bottle system comprising an exchange-only 'foreign' bottle with a UK bottle as a temporary 'change-over' back-up.

 

(Exchange-only bottles can be refilled in some European countries. This practice carries inherent risks and is frowned on by all responsible leisure authorities. It may well be illegal (it certainly is in France) and it will definitely break the hire contract regulations for this type of bottle.)

 

It is practically impossible to refill (legally!) a 'foreign' exchange-only bottle in the UK, so European motorcaravanners visiting the UK long-term face the same potential problems regarding replenishment of gas supplies and have the same options as we do going 'over there'. They have some advantages however. The gas-bottles normally used in European leisure vehicles tend to be larger-capacity than ours (13kg or 11kg propane instead of our 6kg propane), so they can carry more gas to begin with. Also, simple end-of-hose adapters may be readily available in their native countries to allow connection of UK bottles to their vehicle's gas system. For example, in France, one can purchase a range of adapters permitting a selection of non-French propane bottles to be connected to a French motorhome, or to allow a French 13kg propane bottle to be connected to a 'van with a UK or German gas-system.

 

Just two main gas-pressure standards (28/37mbar or 30mbar) for leisure-vehicles currently exist covering Europe and the UK. (There is also a superseded 50mbar pressure that may be found on older German vehicles.) However, there is a wide variety of national gas-bottle connector types. The UK uses a standard connector for all its generalised metal propane containers, but several different connectors are employed for our butane bottles. Historically, France had a standard connector for all its 13kg bottles, but the various smaller sized French bottles recently introduced use different connectors. As far as I'm aware, other than Campingaz containers, the only gas-bottle that crosses national frontiers is "Le Cube", a smallish plastic container marketed by Butagaz in France, Holland and Portugal.

 

As a UK motorcaravanner's first venture abroad is usually to France, it's worth looking at the preparations that might be taken for such an initial trip. (For people planning to start off with another country the same basic principles should apply.) Clearly you don't have to take any preparations if you're certain the gas in your UK bottles will last for the full duration of your stay abroad, or you are going to use Campingaz and your motorhome is already set up for this, or you've already got a user-refillable bottle or tank. But if you intend to use French bottles during your trip, or think you might need to, then this might help. (Most French service stations stock gas bottles and obtaining one will involve a deposit for the bottle plus the cost of the gas. However, unlike the UK, the French exchangeable gas bottle market is very competitive and tempting special offers abound.)

 

Essentially, the gas-systems in UK 'vans can be split into two types - Old System (OS), where an on-bottle 28mbar (butane), or 37mbar (propane), regulator connects to the motorhome's fixed gas pipework via a low-pressure hose, or New System (NS) where a 'fixed' bulkhead-mounted 30mbar regulator connects directly to the motorhome's pipework and is attached to the gas-bottle via a high-pressure hose. With OS the regulator and gas must match: with NS butane or propane can be used with the same regulator.

 

If you have OS and use butane, the logical thing to do is to employ a UK 28mbar regulator with a female-threaded connector suitable for Calor's 4.5kg cylinder. Adapters are readily available in the UK to allow this type of regulator to be linked to Calor 7kg/15kg cylinders with 21mm clip-on fittings, or to Campingaz containers with their screw-in connection. So you've got maximum flexibility within the UK. The threaded connection used on Calor's 4.5kg cylinder matches that of French large metal gas-bottles, so you can connect your UK butane regulator directly to a big French butane bottle without any adaptation being required. If this option is not viable (French bottle too large?), then a 20mm clip-on adapter will allow the regulator to be used on ELFI, MALICE or TWINY butane cylinders or a 27mm clip-on adapter will fit the Le Cube butane container. (Both adapters are available in the UK or in France, but as Le Cube is a unique shape, a French 27mm adapter may be the better choice.)

 

Old System (OS) with propane is trickier, as the UK regulator will have a UK-standard male left-hand-threaded POL connector. In theory it has been possible in France to buy an adapter to convert the UK propane connector to the standard French screw-on fitting. However, I've never spotted any on accessory-shop shelves and distributors were forever out of stock when I inquired about ordering one. So, if you want to employ French propane containers, you'll normally need to replace your UK 37mbar regulator with a French equivalent. You could choose a standard French propane regulator that screws directly on to their large metal bottles and use the 20mm or 27mm adapters I've just mentioned to connect to the smaller French propane containers. (Although the connector-type differs according to the bottle-type, unlike the UK it doesn't differ according to whether a bottle has butane or propane in it.) Alternatively, you could replace your regulator with either a 20mm (eg. ELFI/MALICE/TWINY) or 27mm (Le Cube) French clip-on propane regulator. French propane regulators normally seem to be sold without the 'nozzle' for pushing into a flexible hose, but the nozzle is available separately.

 

Similar, but simpler, principles will apply to UK motorhomes fitted with New System (NS). If you're accustomed to using butane, your bulkhead-mounted 30mbar regulator will most probably already carry a high-pressure ‘pigtail’ hose with a female-threaded connector to fit a 4.5kg Calor butane bottle. So the advice for OS butane applies. If you're using propane, then swap the high-pressure hose for the butane one just mentioned. This will attach directly to a French large metal Regular inquiries on motorhome forums relate to obtaining gas supplies in the UK or abroad and the potential problems caused by non-standardisation.

 

(A small number of (mainly German) motorhomes use a bottle-mounted 30mbar regulator that connects directly to German propane bottles and uses a low-pressure hose to connect to the vehicle's fixed gas system. You can obtain an adapter to permit this regulator to be used with UK propane bottles but it probably makes better sense to have the system converted to NS with a fixed 30mbar regulator.)

 

Countries like Greece and Italy, Sweden, Spain and Portugal, etc. have their own types of bottle connector. The easiest way to decide what you might need if you wanted to use their gas containers on your motorhome is to obtain a copy of Gaslow's brochure as this lists a wide range of hoses and adapters that can be purchased in the UK.