JonnyJeep Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 As I like to travel abroad for several weeks at a time, I am finding that I need to take more gas with me. I have a Swift Bolero which will only hold two 7kg butane bottles. I am thinking of having an LPG tank installed and wondered if anyone has had this fitted and whether it was worthwhile. Would I need the same type of connection for filling abroad as I use in England(?) Also I would be interested to know who would undertake this type of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 Why bother with a fixed tank, just fit two Gaslow refillables in locker with a changeover valve and an external filler on locker door. I have this setup and the two bottles carry enough gas for around seven weeks of my use during summer months when heating is not used much. You will need two adaptors that cover all Europeon fittings. Fitting is a diy job but any m/h dealer will do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 Perhaps worth adding that the latest Gaslow bottles have a level-gauge (presumably mechanical) that makes having a single-bottle system more practicable. I always felt that the impetus behind the 2-bottle Gaslow system with changeover valve was that it wasn't really possible to know how much LPG was in a Gaslow bottle until the bottle actually became empty. An accurate gauge should get round this limitation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatdad Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 rupert123 - 2008-07-01 6:33 PM Why bother with a fixed tank, just fit two Gaslow refillables in locker with a changeover valve and an external filler on locker door. I have this setup and the two bottles carry enough gas for around seven weeks of my use during summer months when heating is not used much. You will need two adaptors that cover all Europeon fittings. Fitting is a diy job but any m/h dealer will do it. Didn't think you could fit the filler into the door ? Just fitted the two bottle gaslow system to my van. Took about an hour and a half. Didn't fit my filler into the side wall but inside by the bottles on a bracket. System works fine filled up no problem at local LPG station in Swadlincote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 We had the Gaslow 7K bottles on our previous van and it was fine. However, because we want to do longer touring and full timing in our new van we have gone for the fitted tank. We had it done at MTH in The Forest of Dean. It cost £620 for a 60 litre tank. This is roughly the equivallent of 4-5, 7K bottles. Both systems, I feel, are better than Calor or a similar make as there is no need to change adaptors or cary different bottles when in Europe. It is also a lot cheaper to fill up too than Calor etc! It is down to preference and the way you use your van at the end of the day, but certainly for flexibility go with refillable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowan Lee Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 We have an LPG tank fitted under our van, for the simple reason that we wanted to free up the gas bottle cupboard, which used to take two 11kg bottles, for a generator. We went to Autogas 2000 near Thirsk and they fitted a 40 litre tank for around £600. We find it absolutely excellent, it lasts for ages and we have an LED readout on the dash so we can monitor the levels. As others have said, you buy adaptors to suit different countries For us it was the perfect solution. However, if all you need is to be able to fill up whilst abroad, it is probably not cost effective for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 Derek Uzzell - 2008-07-01 7:10 PM Perhaps worth adding that the latest Gaslow bottles have a level-gauge (presumably mechanical) that makes having a single-bottle system more practicable. I always felt that the impetus behind the 2-bottle Gaslow system with changeover valve was that it wasn't really possible to know how much LPG was in a Gaslow bottle until the bottle actually became empty. An accurate gauge should get round this limitation. I have never found this a problem Derek. When you open gas locker, in my case every time I empty toilet cassette, keep toilet fluid in their. I look at valve if it has turned red I know one bottle is empty so have a couple of weeks to top system up before second bottle runs out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Rupert: My comment was really just cost-related. The original Gaslow bottle had no level-gauge and, being made of opaque metal, there was no way of easily telling how much LPG was in it. The cheapest refillable Gaslow system would comprise just a single bottle, but you then risk running out of gas. To sidestep this potential risk meant opting for 2 bottles and (for the sake of convenience) a changeover device to swap automatically between bottles. Having the on-bottle gauge makes having a single-bottle Gaslow system a more realistic option, though, if a motorhome owner has a vehicle that will only accept 6kg bottles, he/she will most probably opt for 'your' arrangement to obtain greater overall capacity. I use a 5kg 'plastic' refillable bottle with my Hobby, plus a 6kg Calor back-up. I'd almost certainly be better installing a 11kg + 6kg Gaslow system (which I think the Hobby's gas-locker should just handle), but I shan't do this because I'm just plain too tight-fisted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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