StuartO Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 My re-fillables were starting to look rusty around the edges and the rubber hoses were also past their sell by date, so I took them out to do a refurb. The rust was only very superficial but it didn't look good; the cylinder which got most road splash up the gap at the bottom of the gas locker was noticeably blistering under the paint. I tried manual wire brushing but that was hopeless but I bought some "flap disks" for the angle grinder and they worked very well indeed. I tried red Hammerite spray paint but that wouldn't cover and would have needed lots of coats to I switched to ordinary brushing smooth Hammerite and it was superb. Easy to apply and one coat was enough. Colour match for my red Stako bottles was excellent - and I think Gas-It bottles are the same colour. I ordered replacement stainless steel hoses which more expensive but a better job; the net result is a very tidy pair of re-fillables again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Just out of curiosity, how old are your bottles? And was there a reason for choosing the Stako system over GasIt and Gaslow? Cattwg :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 My re-fillables were installed professionally (by Peter Hambildon) in 2006, when the MH was newly imported by Bundesvan, so Peter fitted a Truma wall-mounted 30mBar regulator and auto-changeover device into a virgin gas locker. It was a well trodden path for Peter and he was used to using Stako bottles, which he had to modify (by cutting down the top guard ring) to get into the Hymer locker. Stako bottles were supposed to be the bee's knee at the time and I don't think Gaslow and Gas-It had become so prominent. A couple of years ago I got him to upgrade the system to incorporate a crash-sensitive Truma regulator and also a Truma remote gas valve, so that we can shut off from inside. Then I learned that these bottles had a life of 15 years (or at least some re-fillables do) so I have contented myself with a cosmetic refurb (plus replacement pipes) at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJB Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Thankfully there aren't many reports of faulty gas bottles *-) :-D I believe that some of the major suppliers suggest a 10 year lifespan?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmold Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 According to Gas-it, there is no need for private consumers to have their tanks recertified after 10 years but they do suggest an annual inspection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 EJB - 2019-01-17 3:19 PM Thankfully there aren't many reports of faulty gas bottles ...... I never heard of any - although I understand that firefighters are very cautious about their presence in a fire because they can split and explode. A friend made a brazier out of an LPG bottle by cutting the top half off and it was surprising how thin the steel sheeting is from which they are made - probably only 2 or 3 mm. (So I did make sure the rust I removed did not reveal any significant underlying pitting of my bottles.) LPG cylinders operate at only 12 Bar (i.e. 12 atmospheres) of pressure when filled, so well, well below compressed gas cylinders, for example compressed air cylinders operate at 200 bar or more and so have much thicker walls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 paulmold - 2019-01-17 4:39 PM According to Gas-it, there is no need for private consumers to have their tanks recertified after 10 years but they do suggest an annual inspection. GAS-IT’s advice is here https://www.gasit.co.uk/support/knowledgebase.php?article=33 I detest this sort of statement. If it’s true that "Under current UK & EU law, privately owned end-user owned refillable gas bottles do not need to be legally tested every 10 years as normal gas bottles do...” I want to be told which current UK & EU laws say this so that I can decide if the advice is indeed correct. Prior to GAS-IT’s statement, motorhome-forum received wisdom was that after a specified period of time (10 years was usually quoted) any ‘user owned’ LPG-bottle would require testing and - assuming that the bottle passed that test - recertification. Gaslow appear to believe that’s still the case according to the advice on this link https://tinyurl.com/y893xuy8 Periodic testing of user-refillable bottles was discussed in this 2015/2017 thread. https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Hydraulic-testing-of-refillable-gas-bottles/37497/ and the Vehicle Certification Agency’s advice can be found here https://www.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/dangerousgoods/lpg-cylinders.asp Pages 52-57 of this 2016 report may also be worth looking at https://www.wlpga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/GCN-Report-Managing-the-Life-Extension-of-an-LPG-Cylinder1.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevina Posted September 14, 2019 Share Posted September 14, 2019 My Stako bottle is precisely 10 years old and it's definitely time for a replacement. I've had my moneys worth, probably 80-100 refills mostly in France. Out of curiosity I took out the level gauge to see if there was any oil inside as I've previously had to drain oil out of my reguator and changeover valve. I estimate there are about 2 tablespoons of oil in the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.