new gaslow question

[antony1969]

many thanks for replies to previous gas question , fingers crossed from late january next year we intend to tour europe for a number of months mainly staying on sites but will also do a little wild camping . We have 2 6kg gas bottles , I presume that by mainly staying on sites our use of the gas would be limited therefore we should only need to exchange a few times . I am tryin to limit my spend before we go and if we can do without the cost of installing gaslow then that would be good but if opinion is to install it then so be it . If keeping standard bottles I presume adaptors are easily purchased from service stations etc , thanks

[Mel B]

Hi Antony

 

Unfortunately you won't be able to exchange your Calor bottles abroad for refills as they are not available in mainland Europe. The only one that is available here and abroad, as far as I'm aware, is Camping Gaz which is extortionate!

 

You have the following options:

 

1) Buy a bottle for the country you are in, along with a regulator, and then exchange it as and when you need it. The down side is that you'll have to then get shot of it (if you don't want to keep it) when you come home and, if you intend on traveling in a lot of different countries, the bottles are not interchangeable, ie the French ones won't normally be exchangeable in Spain etc.

 

2) Obtain one of the filling adapters that are available to be able to refill Calor bottles - this is not a recommended practice but some people do it - personally I would NOT risk it but some do. I have heard tales of difficulty with filling though as the adapter fits directly onto the bottle and therefore filling it can easily be seen and halted, that's not to mention the risk of injury .... gas is very very cold ... get it on you when filling and you're in real trouble.

 

3) Buy a single Gaslow bottle - a large one if it will fit (11kg from memory) along with the filler point and pipe, bracket and a S/S pipe from the bottle to the regulator. The bottles have a gauge on them so you can see how much gas you have left and once it drops simply top it up again - there's no need for a second bottle.

 

Of the above, 3) offers the most convenience and least hassle - yes it costs a bit to get in the first place - around £230 when we did it last year - but once you've got it you are going to benefit by being able to buy gas refills at a much cheaper price, and obviously should you change vans you can transfer it across easily. With the amount of time you intend to spend in Europe you'll find that you reap the benefits much sooner than those of us who only use our vans for a 5-6 weeks a year.

 

IMV, from what you propose to do, the Gaslow system is the way to go.

[vindiboy]

If you are staying on sites presumably you will have an Electric Hook up, this will help conserve your gas, lots of camp sites will loan you a Gas bottle and Regulator , you will only pay for the Gas and Gas Foreign is much cheaper than UK, another headache for you is Electric connectors for converting your hook up lead to fit the Continental ones, these are available cheaply from UK Camping suppliers or on line .

 

 

:-) :-)

[vindiboy]

You CAN get Calor bottles refilled in Portugal, and you can buy adaptors for refilling your Calor bottles yourself, I don't do this but am sure someone will be along to tell you how. You can also change Spanish REPSOL bottles of gas in Portugal all over at REPSOL petrol stations, don't you just love Motorhoming, Confusing aint it.13 kg Repsol gas was 13-50 euros when I was in Portugal earlier this year, refills that is. :-) :-) :-) (lol) (lol) (lol)

[Brian Kirby]

antony1969 - 2010-07-03 8:24 PM many thanks for replies to previous gas question , fingers crossed from late january next year we intend to tour europe for a number of months mainly staying on sites but will also do a little wild camping . We have 2 6kg gas bottles , I presume that by mainly staying on sites our use of the gas would be limited therefore we should only need to exchange a few times . I am tryin to limit my spend before we go and if we can do without the cost of installing gaslow then that would be good but if opinion is to install it then so be it . If keeping standard bottles I presume adaptors are easily purchased from service stations etc , thanks

You say tour Europe for several months commencing January.  January is cold, and days are short, so you will need to run heating for quite some time evenings and mornings.  Even if you plan heading straight for southern Spain, you have to cross France and the rest of Spain, and both can be very cold.  You will need heating for that part of your journey.

If you have electric heating you may not be able to use it.  Many sites are closed in winter, those that are open cannot be assumed to have enough Amps to allow electric heating, and most non-site stopovers will not have electricity at all. 

So you will need to use gas heating, and gas heating, especially in cold weather, eats gas - so you will need a plentiful supply of gas.  If you can fit 13kg cylinders - or even just one - in lieu of the 6kg, so much the better.  If all you can fit is 6kg cylinders, I think you will definitely need to fit two refillables, with some means of detecting when the system switches to the second cylinder, so you know when to re-fill.  If you can install a 13kg cylinder, I would, I think, do so, but would still install two refillables.  Reason?  If you have an exchange cylinder as back-up, every time you switch to the back up you use some so, at some point, you won't know if the back up is still reliable.

Mel is right about exchanging cylinders across borders - you can't!  I doubt whether the hassle of trying to trade back part used cylinders as you leave one country for another, and then trying to source an alternative cylinder plus possibly a pigtail/regulator (depending on your installation) in the new country - before the reserve (but what nationality would that be?  :-)) runs out, is worth the trouble, compared to a full refillable system.

If you can fit two 13kg cylinders it may be worth taking a Calor exchange cylinder as back up, and fitting a single 13kg refillable as the main gas source, because 13kg of gas, even in cold weather, will last a few days.  If not, just forget the exchange cylinders altogether and go for refillables - or get a tank fitted instead and use the gas locker for storage of hook-up cable, ramps etc!

Make sure you leave home, and travel with, your fresh water tank full, and fill whenever you see a working tap.  Many water taps are unavailable, or frozen, in winter, and getting fresh water can be a real problem.  Empty grey waste daily, to prevent the waste tank freezing at night, or leave the waste tank outlet open to discharge over a bucket, and "chuckit" every morning.

Check heating and water systems thoroughly, well before you leave, so you have time to fix and re-test any problems before you go.  Once you have filled the fresh water tank before departure, turn on your heating at low level, and then leave it running, if temperatures are forecast to drop near freezing and, if your heater is a Truma blown air system, stick a clothes-peg on the Truma automatic dump valve to prevent it all draining away - just in case!

[jhorsf]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220631833115

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

Wonderful......But how do you stop the valve filling to the recommended 80% *-)

[jhorsf]

you take your finger off the pump button and the gas flow stops at the litres you decide, how many 80% floats fail lots, if you cannot work out how to fill an empty gas bottle then do not fill it

[Syd]

We have a similar set up and it works quiet well, I ALWAYS start with an empty bottle, I have the filler fixed to the car as if filling the car, because most garages will not allow you to fill a bottle at the pumps, the pipe leads into the car the empty bottle is placed inside the car, conected and once at the garage it is filled, once filled turn the bottle off, drive to an empty area well away from the everything and open the filler conection OUTSIDE the car as quiet a lot of gas remains within the pipe, then return to the caravan and fit the bottle back into the caravan.

Parts can be purchased from a gas filling company in Thirsk

Will try to get their details if you want them

 

One important point to remember and that is Gas is NOT very readilly available in Spain

[crinklystarfish]

As posted, many forecourts won't allow loose bottles to be filled so if you went the 'home-made adapter route' you'd need to rig up some form of externally mounted filling system and then go through the faff of disconnecting bottles, connecting filler pipe, having trapped LPG whoosh into your gas locker when disconnecting filler pipe, and reconnecting supply etc. Also, you'd really need to start with an exhausted bottle to get the 80% cut-off right. More faff and hassle - and even risk of damage and injury.

If you were going to the trouble and expense of such a Heath Robinson system it would be far more convenient, and safer, to buy at least one purpose built refillable bottle (commonly referred to as 'gaslow' but others are available). The cost wouldn't be that much more.

For the use you've described you will need some form of refillable system or your trip will be dominated (read possibly spoiled) by the need to preserve your supplies and source bottles / regulators / adapters / pigtails depending on what your current system is and what local gas you can find.

Yours is one of the few cases that might be better served by a deisel heater. It would cost a fair bit to convert but you would save the expense of a refillable gas system and you could stay toasty warm without a care in the world.

Syd must mean Autogas 2000, Carlton Miniott, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4NJ, UK Tel 0044 (01) 845 523213. I've bought stuff from them and they are genuinely knowledgeable and helpful.

[Brian Kirby]

crinklystarfish - 2010-07-05 10:12 AM ........................Yours is one of the few cases that might be better served by a diesel heater. It would cost a fair bit to convert but you would save the expense of a refillable gas system and you could stay toasty warm without a care in the world...........

With the caveat that to run a diesel heating/hot water system when off hook-up, you will also need considerably increased battery capacity, adding to the already high cost, and reducing payload.

On balance, I think the safest, most cost effective, means to achieve your desired ends will be a permanently installed refillable system, based on the largest capacity cylinders you can physically install, or a tank.

[Syd]

crinklystarfish - 2010-07-05 10:12 AM

 

Syd must mean Autogas 2000, Carlton Miniott, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4NJ, UK Tel 0044 (01) 845 523213. I've bought stuff from them and they are genuinely knowledgeable and helpful.

 

That is correct, very helpful people indeed who will sell you only the BEST of equipment that will work properly, they will also sell you a re-fillable bottle too, come to that they will even install a full filling kit.

[Mel B]

Hi Antony

 

As you can only fit 6kg bottles, as has been suggested you might like to consider a fixed tank to get the capacity you need instead, I don't know the cost of this but it might work out similar to having to buy 2 x 6kg Gaslow bottles and all the kit, and you can still transfer it to another vehicle in the future if needs be.

 

Clive Mott-Gotobed (aka Clive on here) has done it in the past:

 

http://www.motts.org/GASKIT.htm

[teflon2]

Quick note if you fit gas tank I dont think you can use the eurotunnel if you go that way. John (!)

[Guest JudgeMental]

teflon2 - 2010-07-05 8:53 PM

 

Quick note if you fit gas tank I dint think you can use the euro tunnel if you go that way. John (!)

 

this is incorrect.......it is only if your vehicle is powered by LPG. The requirement is that the tank/bottle is turned of that is all :-D

[George Collings]

I fitted a Gaslow refillable about two years ago. It paid for itself in about 18 months including about 8 weeks abroad. About £6-8 versus £20 for an exchange bottle.

 

Used a lot of aires but also saved money on sites as hook up not needed for fridge.

 

Summer gas consumption manly on aires is about one litre a day cooking shower etc.

 

Winter in -3c 2-3 litres a day because of heavy heating demand..

 

No problems finding gas in France. but believed harder in Spain

[Porky]

George Collings - 2010-07-05 10:48 PM

 

 

No problems finding gas in France. but believed harder in Spain

 

We fitted a gaslow system and did 4 months in Spain last winter. It was the right decision. This link might help

 

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=100414488872017056350.00045c0c2ec92a3f46ca4&z=5

 

Roy Fuller

[rupert123]

I have had Gaslow for over two years now and would say it is the best solution for you, do not even think of going down the cheap route that has been suggested, of buying a refillable adaptor for a normal bottle. No garage i have ever filled at has questioned the filling of bottles, in europe most gas filling points are completely seperate from main pumps and cannot be seen from the cash desks anyway.