Gas bottle adaptor

[Guest John Lewis]

I have a 2004 reg'd 'van with the new fixed gas regulator and it is fitted with an adaptor for propane bottles only. I will need a different adaptor for each type of gas bottle that I may use in the future. But I have heard mentioned that there is now available an universal adaptor to go with the new fixed regulators. Can anyone confirm that is correct?

[Guest Brian Kirby]

John It should only be the "tail" that may need to be changed - that is the flexible high pressure neoprene rubber tube that connects regulator to bottle. You may possibly need to change this if you change from Propane to Butane while staying with the same gas supplier. Your gas supplier can advise. If you change supplier, whatever the type of gas, you'll almost certainly have to change the tail to one having the new supplier's bottle connection. The regulator ends are all now supposed to be universal, so even if you buy gas abroad, provided you also get the corresponding tail, you shouldn't need to change anything else. Brian

[Guest PeteC]

H John Brian is correct You should just need to hange the tail, or more likely the connector at the end of the flexible pipe Propane has a Left Hand thread Butane a Right Hand thread You should also be able to get adaptors to suit gas bottles in whatever country you go to, but doubt if you will ever need to; unless of course you go for extended holidays We go for 3 months & on the last 8 weeks in Holland (in a cool spring) we used half of a 9lb size (is it 3kg ?) of propane I carry a butane regulator but normally only use propane all year round Incidentally I uderstood that the "NEW" fixed regulators were only fitted for this year - I may be wrong but with the new things the pressure is different I would WRITE to mmm technical dept

[Guest Mel E]

If you've got propane, stick to it. Butane freezes and stops working at below freezing temperatures, where propane doesn't.

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

As Mel E says, propane is the only sensible choice for trouble free all-year-round motorcaravanning. There is also the advantage in this country that all UK exchangeable propane gas-bottles (except for Calor's special Patio Gas ones) use a standard LH-threaded connector irrespective of size of bottle or gas-supplier. Abroad is different of course.

[Guest PeteC]

Hi Mel, Derek I have used propane all year for quite some time in Spain must villages use propane for laa domestic cooking etc Dont know what the fittings are like though i just wonder with all this to do about gas fittings just how long a gas bottle lasts with you all As I said we only have space for two small bottles and alwas bring back at least one part bottle, some times one full and a bit bottles after 12 to 16 weeks

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

PeteC: Depends on the weather, but I allow for about half a kilogram (1 litre) of propane per day just for cooking, water heating and running the fridge. But factor in gas air-heating and anything goes - my current Truma C6002EH uses nearly half a kilo per HOUR at full blast. I've got a 5kg user-refillable bottle for primary use, plus a 6kg Calor for back-up. Fixed 30mbar regulators were used on certain non-UK-built motorhomes (eg. French-built 'vans) some little while before they were adopted as the UK standard. Worth adding perhaps that it's the 30mbar gas-pressure that's the EU standard not the fixed regulator. New German-built motorhomes often start life with an on-bottle regulator that fits their own propane containers.