Gaslow v alugas

[jupe]

Had an underslung LPG tank on our last motorhome (courtesy of MTH who've now left for warmer climes I belive) but of course you can't take them with you when changing vans. We were intending to have gaslow cylinders fitted before our next trip round europe but then I came across reference to alugas. I can see the benefits of lighter cylinders but they don't seem to be so popular - can someone enlighten me as to the reason/s for this, or maybe I just don't have the right contacts!!! Any help here would be great before I commit my money.

Jupe

[terry1956]

Hi, I know nothing about alugas, but Gaslow do alloy cylinders and its an easy DIY job to fit, took me just over an hour to fit twin auto charge cylinders. cost above the price of the system £10 for some gas detector fluid and gas conection sealer, and a few nuts and bolts to fix the charge over valve, best bit of kit I ever fitted.

michael

[Derek Uzzell]

terry1956 - 2010-01-19 9:51 PM

 

...Gaslow do alloy cylinders...

 

My understanding was that Gaslow only marketed steel cylinders, but perhaps that's no longer the case?

 

This is an earlier Gaslow/Alugas-related thread:

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=17836&posts=14

 

One technical advantage that Alugas cylinders apparently have over the Gaslow bottles is that their design includes a 'liquid protection tube'. This is a simple protective device that minimises the risk of gas in liquid form passing through the cylinder's outlet. It would be (potentially) beneficial for people intending to run gas heaters while the motorhome is being driven, when LPG will be slopping about within the gas bottles.

[zulurita]

I had a 11 kg Alu cylinder fitted march 2008 before MTH closed.

 

So far I have been very pleased. No leaks and filling up in France has been easy.

[kontiki]

You could always give Nick at http://www.fesautogas.co.uk/equipment_types.htm

Fes Autogas a call. Found him helpful to give advice on whats available & prices.

I bought my Alugas from them but I think they also stock the MTH bottles. People only seem to think there is Gaslow but there are quite a few other less well known re-fillable bottles/tanks available.

[lennyhb]

I see that one of our regulars, Dave Newell is listed as an Alugas reseller.

 

Dave,

Please can you tell us the weight saving with them.

[Derek Uzzell]

lennyhb

 

Assuming that you want to compare 'weight savings' on a like-with-like basis gas-cylinder-capacity-wise, it's still going to be difficult to provide an exact answer to your question.

 

My Alugas leaflet gives the empty weight of their 11kg-capacity user-refillable cylinder as 6.3kg. This bottle has a detachable carrying handle, but it's not stated whether the 6.3kg datum includes the handle's (small) weight or not.

 

An empty current 11kg-capacity Gaslow cylinder weighs approximately 11.5kg. However, 2008-onwards Gaslow bottles have detachable carrying handles and are claimed to be 10% lighter than previous versions, so some significant variation seems to be possible. (An empty current 6kg-capacity Gaslow cylinder weighs approximately 6.9kg)

 

I've extracted the Gaslow data from:

 

http://www.motorcaravanning.co.uk/pdf/Gaslow_08_14-17_Refillables.pdf

 

Regarding EMPTY 'exchange only' gas cylinders, the Caravan Club's handbook gives the weight of a Flogas 11kg-capacity propane cylinder as 13.2kg. BP Gaslight 5kg or 10kg propane containers weigh 4.5kg or 6.7kg respectively. Calor 6kg or 13kg propane bottles weigh 8kg or 15.7kg respectively, while a Calorlite 6kg propane cylinder weighs 4.52kg.

[Mel B]

Derek Uzzell - 2010-01-21 8:09 AM

 

An empty current 11kg-capacity Gaslow cylinder weighs approximately 11.5kg. However, 2008-onwards Gaslow bottles have detachable carrying handles and are claimed to be 10% lighter than previous versions, so some significant variation seems to be possible. (An empty current 6kg-capacity Gaslow cylinder weighs approximately 6.9kg)

 

Detachable handles ????? How????? 8-)

[lennyhb]

The shroud around the top of the cylinder unbolts for permanent installations like my ones show here you can see the lugs where they were attached, these are steel though.

 

 

 

[Guest Tracker]

They don't look like Gaslow bottles Lenny?

 

What make are they please and as they seem to be in a locker designed for 2 x 6 kg Calor what capacity and dimensions are they please?

[Tdmer]

I had Autogas 2000 fit 2x11 kg. Alugas just over a year ago. The reason less weight than Gaslow, less expensive at the time, less cost, and conveniece to fill up when abroad, and no worry of running out of gas when wild camping. One of my better purchases.

Rick

[Guest JudgeMental]

Re lennys, look like STAKO bottles (mine supplied by the late MTS) they have a decent meter on the top, I use a small mirror to read mine.....

 

[lennyhb]

Tracker - 2010-01-21 8:05 PM

 

They don't look like Gaslow bottles Lenny?

 

What make are they please and as they seem to be in a locker designed for 2 x 6 kg Calor what capacity and dimensions are they please?

 

Hi rich,

 

I think they are Stako made in Poland very common on the continent they were fitted by the Belgium dealer, same size as a standard German 11kg or Gaslow if you want me to check size let me know..

 

They are 11kg cylinders the locker is about 2 - 2½ inches lower than original I ripped the bottom off in Slovenia so when I repaired it decided to give the van a bit more ground clearance.

 

One good thing about these cylinders is they have accurate float level gauges gauges that measure right to the bottom of the cylinder, only thing is they are on top of the cylinder so you have use a mirror a bit tight on my modified locker.

 

Sometime when I get around to it is to make a hinged perspex cover in the top of the locker so I can see the gauges & turn the gas on & off inside the van by just lifting the seat base, it's always me that has to turn the gas on or off when it's raining cats 7 dogs.

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

Hi Lenny, not a good idea. gas lockers should be sealed to the interior and only open to the outside :-S

 

If anything unfortunate were to happen, your insurance company would have a perfect reason not to pay out.....thats if you where still alive to make the claim*-)

[lennyhb]

Eddie,

 

I may be dumb but not that dumb.

 

Joking apart any cover I make will be sealed.

 

Sealed or unsealed locker if the gas bottles blow while I'm in the van I don't think I'll be around to make a claim.

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

I've a few-years-old MTH/STAKO leaflet. The empty weights given for the user-refillable bottles were:

 

12.0/9.6litres capacity - 11.4kg

26.0/20.8litres capacity - 17.3kg

36.0/28.8litres capacity - 22.0kg

38.0/30.4litres capacity - 22.3kg

42.0/33.6litres capacity - 23.6kg

 

The two capacity figures indicate a bottle's total capacity, followed by it's maximum refill capacity (ie, the amount of LPG that will be present in the bottle when the safety/shut-off valve cuts off the LPG pump's supply). From the leaflet's photos it looks like the bottles at that time probably had non-detachable carrying-handles. The STAKO website is www.stako.pl

 

I remember someone using a screw-in 'marine' hatch-fitting (like a giant version of the threaded cap on many motorhome water tanks) to gain access to the gas-bottle valves in his coachbuilt motorhome's gas locker. (There was a piece in MMM about it.) It's not uncommon for panel-van conversions to have the bottles accessible from within motorhome's living area. Some coachbuilt designs also have the door to their gas lockers inside the motorhome's 'garage'. In both instances the door to the locker should be hermetically sealed when closed.

 

(If you've ever wondered what "MTH" stood for, it's Mini Truck Hire - a long Forest of Dean story.)

 

 

 

[lennyhb]

Wow that's quite a weight saving about 22kg for a pair of 11kg bottles didn't realise the steel ones were so heavy.

 

May have to look into changing as we always run right on the weight limit, have looked at re-plating to 3850kg don't like the restrictions it imposes and it would probably encourage more junk to be carried. Keeping to 3500 does impose self discipline but an extra 20kg would be useful but is it worth the outlay?

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

As you've already expended a good deal of lolly on a dual STAKO-bottle system, you'd need to be made of money to replace those cylinders with Alugas ones.

 

Don't forget that, unless you install an external (and frighteningly expensive) contents sensor/gauge, there's no visible way of knowing how much LPG remains in an Alugas container.

[hymer1942]

But the gaslow guages are unreliabe [ very ], I have one that works sometimes and one that shows full all the time. even when empty. Barrie

[lennyhb]

Thanks for all the info Derek.

 

I did get the Stako's as a freebee from the dealer it was a bit of extra discount as my mate & myself order 2 vans of the dealer at the same time so he gave us both the Stako set up free, but I still loathe to spend a 2 or 3 hundred to save 20kg or less, 'er indoors will have take less cloths.

 

 

 

 

[Mel B]

Why not just remove one of the bottles completely? With a refillable system you don't really need 2 bottles anyway.

[lennyhb]

Prefer to have a decent supply of gas on board they are only 11kg (approx 20L) which isn't that much gas & don't like having to make special trips to fill up, LPG is not always conveniently available.

One cylinders lasts us about 2½ weeks in the summer less than a week in winter.

 

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

lennyhb - 2010-01-23 10:17 AM

 

One cylinders lasts us about 2½ weeks in the summer less than a week in winter.

 

 

Are you nudists? *-)

[lennyhb]

Only in Germany, don't like being the odd one out.

 

We rarely use Mains or sites with facilities both like a hot shower in the morning, also use the oven a lot for heating part baked rolls for breakfast & we do tend to run the heating a bit hot much hotter than we have the house.

Taking advantage of cheap fuel approx ten quid a week on average for LPG house costs 3-4 times that.

 

 

 

[Whiskeymac]

I only have one large refillable gas bottle, fitted by the last owner and have never yet run out, but there's always a first time.  He (the PO) told me that refilling stations were rare in Spain so he plumbed in a Spanish exchangable cylinder when going there to avoid the problem.  I have yet to sort out plumbing for a second tank but it's probably simplicity itself, based on its past use.