Derek Uzzell Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 The latest Caravan Club Magazine carries an advert for the “GAS IT” company. See: http://www.gasit.co.uk/ There’s some interesting stuff being offered if you are considering a refillable LPG system and might want an alternative to Gaslow. I think the red bottles are made by STAKO and I note that the 11kg ALUGAS canister (but not the 6kg variant) now comes with a contents gauge, something that was lacking originally. One item caught my eye: http://www.gasit.co.uk/cubecart/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=102 This permits the gas-bottle to be refilled directly, without needing a ‘remote’ filling-point. I’ve seen articles in MMM where the remote filling-point had been installed within the gas-locker itself, presumably to avoid cutting a hole in the motorhome’s bodywork. This fitting removes the need for a filling-point hose. I believe some motorcaravanners have a fear (Caloraphobia?) that, if they are refilling their gas-bottle(s) and need to open the gas-locker door to do so, someone ‘in authority’ may come along and clap them in irons or give them a horse-whipping (or, even worse) forbid them to refill the bottle(s). However, if you are going to choose to have a system that forces you to open the locker door (and assuming it’s practicable to refill the bottle via the Gas-It fitting of course), it seems to me that you might as well choose the simpler, cheaper 'no hose' option. Apparently this fitting can also be used with Gaslow bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMC Camper Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Interesting new product but I think the Gaslow system is superior, especially the new gauge. My single 11Kg cylinder is fitted in the gas locker which is in the MH garage. This works very well and can all be demounted when the MH is sold and transferred to the new MH. It also removes the temptations associated with an external filler cap. Never had any problems at filling stations from staff or others. Sometimes a bit a fiddle driving up to the pump and then adjust to open the garage door. The 65p ish per litre cost is a great saving on bottled gas which is somewhere around £3 a litre. Nearly paid off my purchase and installation charge already! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corky 8 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Good post Derek, I have a gaslow system I took out of my last Motorhome,awaiting fitting in the next one , when I find my ideal Motorhome ?!!! , but the More competition out there must bring prices down,I too like the fitment for filling a single bottle without the bottle having to be through the normal MUST fit connector, Gas Barbecues for instance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaviation Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Not a million miles away from my screw-in refiller.... Just release button at 10 litres. Job done B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickt Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 I have a Gaslow 11k bottle with a 6k Calor. Thinking about replacing the Calor with another refillable, can you think of any problem with mixing Gaslow with Alugas refillable. Just trying to save weight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sooty10 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 One problem may be that Alugas do not have any 6kg ciylinders, they only have the 11kg size. That is ok if you can fit it in your locker. Sooty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 sooty10 - 2010-10-07 1:31 PM One problem may be that Alugas do not have any 6kg ciylinders, they only have the 11kg size. That is ok if you can fit it in your locker. Sooty. On their web site a 6kg cylinder is listed but why would you bother. This seems, to me, a poor alternative to Gaslow. My cylinders are fitted one behind the other so filling the rear one from a seperate point would be impossible. It is not that cheap either at £156 a cylinder, for 6kg, plus the other bits you need. I have used a Gaslow system for three years now and with an auto changeover valve plus exterior filler I can just pull into a filling station connect to pump and fill. No messing about and no harder than filling with diesel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickt Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 What i was trying to say is linking a Gaslow to an Alugas bottle with the required fittings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Alugas cylinders have had the float level gauge fitted for several months now and they do market a 6KG cylinder, the downside is that it is the same diameter as the 11KG but shorter. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred grant Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Dave Newell - 2010-10-07 6:02 PM the downside is that it is the same diameter as the 11KG but shorter. D. bit like fred then my biddies! fitorfatfred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 8, 2010 Author Share Posted October 8, 2010 Mickt - 2010-10-07 3:16 PM What i was trying to say is linking a Gaslow to an Alugas bottle with the required fittings Assuming that (as Dave mentions) the 300mm diameter of both the 6kg and the 11kg Alugas bottle (as opposed to the respectively 246mm and 304mm diameter of Gaslow 6kg and 11kg containers, and the 256mm diameter of Calor 6kg bottles) doesn't present an installation problem, I don't see it being more difficult technically to link an Alugas bottle to your existing Gaslow canister, than to link another Gaslow bottle to it. I would question the need though. As your 11kg Gaslow bottle already provides you with around 21 litres of easily replaceable LPG, do you really need to add a 2nd refillable container? I presume you keep the 6kg Calor bottle (that will offer another 12 litres of gas) as a back-up, just in case you might experience difficulty getting your Gaslow bottle refilled and/or to guard against the (probably small) chance that the Gaslow bottle might develop a fault. If that's so, and this arrangement has proved satisfactory for you in the past and you don't plan to change how you use your motorhome in future, then it would seem to make more sense for you to obtain your weight-saving simply by replacing your standard Calor 6kg bottle with a Calor 6kg "Lite" one. An empty standard Calor 6kg bottle weighs around 8kg, while an empty "Lite" bottle weighs about 4kg. (An empty Alugas 6kg bottle apparently weighs 4.6kg and an empty 11kg one weighs 6.3kg.) OK, you would still have a system comprising 1 x refillable bottle + 1 x exchange-only bottle, but you will have saved 4kg a helluva lot more cheaply than taking the 2nd refillable-bottle route. (You must be really tight on payload if cutting down on gas-bottle weight by a few kg is an attractive option.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickt Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 Thanks Derek that answeres all my questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 8, 2010 Author Share Posted October 8, 2010 LMC Camper - 2010-10-07 10:15 AM Interesting new product but I think the Gaslow system is superior, especially the new gauge... Has Gaslow fitted a new type of gauge to its refillable bottles recently, please? I'm aware that Gaslow bottles were initially marketed gauge-less. Then, a few years ago, a float-operated gauge was added. This gauge has received a good deal of criticism on motorhome forums regarding its inaccuracy. Having seen one of the original Gaslow float-mechanisms I'm not too surprised, as it was a nasty 'plasticy' thing that compared very badly with the nicely engineered 'metal' mechanism fitted to Stako 4-hole bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 8, 2010 Author Share Posted October 8, 2010 dwaviation - 2010-10-07 11:30 AM Not a million miles away from my screw-in refiller.... Just release button at 10 litres. Job done B-) Presumably you are refilling a bottle with no 80% cut-off valve? 10 litres sounds like it might be one of the Kompozit-Praha 'see through' containers that MTH Autogas used to market in the UK, as one of those had that capacity (though the refilling adapter for those bottles screws "on" rather than "in".) If you were refilling a traditional UK propane exchange-only bottle (say a Calor 6kg), then the adapter would indeed screw "in", but I would have thought you would then be releasing the delivery button at 12 litres rather than 10 (unless you have some crafty way of knowing there's no more than 2litres of LPG remaining in the bottle at the refilling stage). Come on - own up to what you are doing just in case I might want to do it too! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cronkle Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 Derek Uzzell - 2010-10-08 8:32 AM LMC Camper - 2010-10-07 10:15 AM Interesting new product but I think the Gaslow system is superior, especially the new gauge... Has Gaslow fitted a new type of gauge to its refillable bottles recently, please? I'm aware that Gaslow bottles were initially marketed gauge-less. Then, a few years ago, a float-operated gauge was added. This gauge has received a good deal of criticism on motorhome forums regarding its inaccuracy. Having seen one of the original Gaslow float-mechanisms I'm not too surprised, as it was a nasty 'plasticy' thing that compared very badly with the nicely engineered 'metal' mechanism fitted to Stako 4-hole bottles. The guage has been available for some time now. The main criticism/comment comment is that it only starts to move when the bottle is half empty. The schematic in this link suggests why: http://www.gaslow.co.uk/pages/c_s2_4.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 8, 2010 Author Share Posted October 8, 2010 cronkle - 2010-10-08 9:50 AM Derek Uzzell - 2010-10-08 8:32 AM LMC Camper - 2010-10-07 10:15 AM Interesting new product but I think the Gaslow system is superior, especially the new gauge... Has Gaslow fitted a new type of gauge to its refillable bottles recently, please? I'm aware that Gaslow bottles were initially marketed gauge-less. Then, a few years ago, a float-operated gauge was added. This gauge has received a good deal of criticism on motorhome forums regarding its inaccuracy. Having seen one of the original Gaslow float-mechanisms I'm not too surprised, as it was a nasty 'plasticy' thing that compared very badly with the nicely engineered 'metal' mechanism fitted to Stako 4-hole bottles. The guage has been available for some time now. The main criticism/comment comment is that it only starts to move when the bottle is half empty. The schematic in this link suggests why: http://www.gaslow.co.uk/pages/c_s2_4.htm Thanks for the reference. I notice from this that the 'new' gauge seems to have been released in 2008. I can't remember when I saw the original mechanism (though I know it was at a Shepton Mallett show), but I thought it was well before then. Hopefully whatever operating mechanism Gaslow is fitting now is better than the sad-looking thing I saw. Obviously the type of float-driven arrangement Gaslow employs (and its position within the canister) won't be able to provide a 100%-0% remaining-capacity range. I don't see that as a valid criticism as it's technically inevitable. My recollection was that there had been criticisms of the accuracy of the gauge within the 50%-18% range that it could cover. Probably doesn't matter much, as knowing that you are down to below 18% should be good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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