Gas choice in Europe

[BGD]

To the OAL originator -

 

Primary school Geography lesson 1.01: the UK is in Europe.

 

 

 

 

Perhaps you meant to say "mainland Europe".

[BGD]

Dave225 - 2011-03-30 9:04 PM

 

As a ‘tugger’ we use butane. I started with 2 Calor bottles in the front locker but as, like others, we never finished the first bottle in a season, I swopped the 2nd for a Camping Gaz 907. This is the back up, but also powers the free standing BBQ and grill, so again relieves the Calor bottle. As we do not winter camp I have seen no need to go to propane. We have EHU and electric kettle etc, so rarely use the gas.

 

I can advise of an experience in Spain last year where this UK caravan arrived on site and the owner explained he had problems with the mains electric on his fridge, so was having to use gas to power the fridge. Unfortunately, he had 2 propane cylinders of a make I had not seen before (Flogas??) but evidently popular in the Midlands. After several weeks abroad he had finished 1 bottle and the 2nd was 2/3rds empty so he was getting desperate, especially as the temperature was in the 30’s. He was switching the fridge off at night to save gas, which may not have been really economical, and as a result his wife could not store any food for any length of time. He tried all the local suppliers but all they would offer him was butane with a Spanish connector, at 100 euros a pop which he felt was expensive. We suggested getting Camping Gaz but he did not have the butane pigtail, and again he was not able to locate one locally, so he was in a bit of a fix. We even suggested getting Red Pennant to ship one out to him, but he did not feel this was any good. I have no idea how his situation ended as he left after a few days, still ‘bitching’ about his gas problem.

 

As others have mentioned Camping Gaz is available everywhere, although it is expensive for the gas. But when push comes to shove, it works.

 

 

 

I've no idea why that chap you referred to didn't simply buy an empty orange 13kg "butano" bottle (you can get them in car boot sales, 2nd hand shops etc all over Spain), for which the going second-hand price is about 7 to 10 euros.

Then take it to any Repsol garage and exchange for a full one, cost is at present 13.20 euros. NO paperwork required if you are simply swapping an empty for a full.

Then from any garage or DIY shop, or larger supermarket buy standard Spanish bottle top regulator and length of flexible gas pipe plus jubilee clips (they come as a pack, costing maybe 10 euros for the lot).

Attach Spanish pipe to your gas cupboard supply pipe in lieu of bulkhead regulator, shove the orange butano bottle into cupboard, attach clip-on regulator to the top, and job's done.

He could even sell on the butano bottle to someone else, or carry it back to Blighty for use next time he's down this way.

[Dave225]

Without wishing to denigrate him anymore than his wife did, he seemed to have rather fixed ideas and would not entertain any suggested solution. The idea of getting a 2nd hand cylinder is probably a good one, and I admit none of us thought of that. Mind you I never actually saw any for sale at any of the markets we visited, but you never know. The other thing was all the local garages indeed stocked Repsol but only butane, as far as he told us., and they were all the large size obviously for domestic cooking. They certainly would not fit the gas locker so he would have had to free stand it outside. Again his problem was the pigtail. Where we were was not near any of the major cities and locally nobody stocked. The only caravan/motorhome dealer within 50 miles could not help.

 

I may have received more than my due attention from him as I was the only other Brit on the site. The Dutch and Germans all tried to help as well, but they all carried Camping Gaz, as well as any local cylinder, and could not really understand anyone who did not. As they all told me 'you get Camping Gaz anywhere in Europe so....?'

 

Most people carry either enough gas to fully cover what they want to do, or carry something that is available, even at a price for back up. I know many motorhomes now have refillable gas cylinders or tanks, and the cylinders are available for caravans, but not yet so popular.

[Mel B]

Why didn't the chap get the motorhome dealer to fix his fridge???? 8-)

[Dave225]

Mel,

 

Sorry for delay in responding. We have been a way for a few days.

 

There was only one small dealer within 100 miles and they would have had to remove the fridge and replace the 240 volt element. Again the owner was not prepared to allow that as the cost would have been quite high. His opinion and decision, I have to say. He actually did approach Benimar who had their factory close by. However, they stated they were a factory not a repair facility and would not help either with work or spares.

 

I supect some of us would have tried a different approach, but each to his own as they say. All I realised, or was confirmed, was that in Europe a cylinder of Camping Gaz is universal, so I always carry one.