refillable gas cylinders

[snail]

thanks for all your replies, extended trips probaly mean winter in spain, not sure about that yet, but here at the show now and two vans next to me are at this very moment having gaslows fitted! so will speak to the owners when finished, see what there logic is, but it's going to happen i'm sure

regards Brian

[starvin marvin]

snail - 2011-03-31 5:02 PM

 

thanks for all your replies, extended trips probaly mean winter in spain, not sure about that yet, but here at the show now and two vans next to me are at this very moment having gaslows fitted! so will speak to the owners when finished, see what there logic is, but it's going to happen i'm sure

regards Brian

 

If you intend to long term tour in Spain, as we do, I would advise one refillable and buy a Spanish Repsol or Cepsa cylinder, these are available everywhere, whereas refillable gas is significantly less wide spread. These fit easily into our Hymer gas locker.

[John J Thompson]

starvin marvin - 2011-03-31 6:08 PM

 

snail - 2011-03-31 5:02 PM

 

thanks for all your replies, extended trips probaly mean winter in spain, not sure about that yet, but here at the show now and two vans next to me are at this very moment having gaslows fitted! so will speak to the owners when finished, see what there logic is, but it's going to happen i'm sure

regards Brian

 

If you intend to long term tour in Spain, as we do, I would advise one refillable and buy a Spanish Repsol or Cepsa cylinder, these are available everywhere, whereas refillable gas is significantly less wide spread. These fit easily into our Hymer gas locker.

 

You need an empty bottle before you can get a refill REPSOL or CEPSA bottle in Spain now. However empties can still be sourced from a car boot sale or junk shop in Spain.

 

Gas retailers are not now allowed to supply a bottle as the whole gas system has to be inspected by a company representative and a certificate issued first. Only with this certificate can you get a refill without an empty. Cost quoted to us were between 160€ and 200€ for the inspection of our Motorhome.

 

Refills are available at most Spanish garages. Autogas is getting better with another 20 stations being opened this year.

 

We have a fixed (80 litre) gas tank, but while on site in Spain we feed bottled gas in through the barbecue point by a Spanish regulator with the tank turned off. Before January it was a 268k or 120k return trip to get the tank replenished. A new station opened in January on the N332 just south of Cartegena at Molinos Marfagones which is very close to us now..

 

Having a Safari Room out also restricts the ability to move off site to refill the tank.

[onecal]

Hi John,

You can fill up if close in a new small station opened up as you drive into Mojacar, no problem filling in Huercal-Overa, they even Uni' carry fittings,

Regards,

Brendan

[Nobby]

starvin marvin - 2011-03-31 6:08 PM

If you intend to long term tour in Spain, as we do, I would advise one refillable and buy a Spanish Repsol or Cepsa cylinder, these are available everywhere, whereas refillable gas is significantly less wide spread. These fit easily into our Hymer gas locker.

 

This is useful advice irrespective of whether or not you have a refillable. I do have a refillable but also carry a Repsol cylinder in my gas locker when in Spain and Portugal. I exchanged a Repsol 13kg propane at the weekend in Spain at a cost of 11.5 Euro's. At current exchange rates, that works out at about 40p a litre. This is especially good value and is made possible, I believe, as bottled gas receives Govt subsidy (or relief) in Spain as it is widely used domestically.

 

Nobby

[Guest pelmetman]

I am starting to warm to the idea of using the Repsol or Cepsa bottles in Spain as we can dump the bottle at my old mans when we come home :D

 

One question are the regulaters the same for both bottles (?)

[Nobby]

Hi there,

The fitting for the top of a Repsol or Cepsa bottle is often called a 'Jumbo' and looks like this:- http://www.gasproducts.co.uk/acatalog/Gaslow_Jumbo_Adaptor.html

This adapter is for use with a fixed bulkhead regulator and will also work with some (if not all) bottles from Portugal, Ireland and Norway.

 

If you are still on a legacy gas system where your regulator fits direct to the top of your gas bottle, then you will need a similar fitting that has a gas regulator built in. You should be able to get one before you go. They can both look very similar - make sure you get the correct one for your vehicle's particular gas system.

 

Either type can be bought very cheaply and easily from a Spanish 'ferreteria' or 'brico' type store but the same care should be be taken to get the correct one of the two described types.

 

(edit) This is the other type - http://www.socal.co.uk/Toolbox/Regulators/Foreign_Cylinders/Jumbo_Gas_Regulator__Spanish,_Danish,_Norwegian_Cylinders/420/17867 Note the low pressure hose outlet.

 

Nobby

 

[Guest pelmetman]

Nobby - 2011-04-02 10:49 AM

 

Hi there,

The fitting for the top of a Repsol or Cepsa bottle is often called a 'Jumbo' and looks like this:- http://www.gasproducts.co.uk/acatalog/Gaslow_Jumbo_Adaptor.html

This adapter is for use with a fixed bulkhead regulator and will also work with some (if not all) bottles from Portugal, Ireland and Norway.

 

If you are still on a legacy gas system where your regulator fits direct to the top of your gas bottle, then you will need a similar fitting that has a gas regulator built in. You should be able to get one before you go. They can both look very similar - make sure you get the correct one for your vehicle's particular gas system.

 

Either type can be bought very cheaply and easily from a Spanish 'ferreteria' or 'brico' type store but the same care should be be taken to get the correct one of the two described types.

 

(edit) This is the other type - http://www.socal.co.uk/Toolbox/Regulators/Foreign_Cylinders/Jumbo_Gas_Regulator__Spanish,_Danish,_Norwegian_Cylinders/420/17867 Note the low pressure hose outlet.

 

Nobby

 

Thanks Nobby,

 

Hopefully by the time we go back to Spain I will have had a refillable system fitted with a BBQ outlet so I wont need the one with the Regulator :D

[Dave Newell]

Dave, your van uses an on bottle regulator system, a "legacy" system as Nobby describes it. Even if you have refillables fitted you will still need to use an on bottle regulator as your motorhome doesn't have a bulkhead mounted reg. If feeding gas in via a BBQ point you will also need to have a bottle mounted regulator as the BBQ point will be downstream of the main system regulator, whether it be bottle or bulkhead mounted.

 

D.

[John J Thompson]

pelmetman - 2011-04-02 9:21 AM

 

I am starting to warm to the idea of using the Repsol or Cepsa bottles in Spain as we can dump the bottle at my old mans when we come home :D

 

One question are the regulaters the same for both bottles (?)

 

Cepsa bottles are lightweight Aluminium. Repsol are steel like Calor.

 

We could have had either and opted for Cespa.

[starvin marvin]

John J Thompson - 2011-04-02 6:09 PM

 

pelmetman - 2011-04-02 9:21 AM

 

I am starting to warm to the idea of using the Repsol or Cepsa bottles in Spain as we can dump the bottle at my old mans when we come home :D

 

One question are the regulaters the same for both bottles (?)

 

Cepsa bottles are lightweight Aluminium. Repsol are steel like Calor.

 

We could have had either and opted for Cespa.

 

I opted for Repsol, because this is much more widely available. Repsol also do a plastic bottle there is the K6 and K11, which we have used in the past, but currently have a steel one. Another advantage is that on a number of the Spanish free camps the Repsol man and his truck appear weekly and will swop plastics for steel, Portugese bottles for Spanish, all as long as they are Repsol.

 

You can buy a bottle at a car boot for 10 euros and a jumbo regulator from a hardware shop for about 8 euros. Spain exists on bottled gas. Its no problem.

[Mel B]

Just to report that we filled up our Gaslow bottle at the petrol station yesterday without a problem ... well, not from the attendants that is!

 

Hubby coulnd't get the nozzle out of the holder so went to see the attendant who said it had been used 10 minutes earlier by someone else without a problem. Back he came and tried to get it out, no joy ... I went over to it ... and just lifted it out! :D I think he was trying too hard to lift it out and jamming it in place as he did it ... I told him I thought it had been jammed in earlier ... gotta stroke his ego you know! :D

[sshortcircuit]

Mel, Hubby has a subtle way of delegating tasks and its now your job.

[Guest pelmetman]

Had Dave fit my Alu gas bottle and went to the pump and filled up................22.35 litres..........£16.50 :-D

 

Plus I have the 907 bottle for emergencies B-)

 

Not sure what a normal 4.5 kilo calor gas bottle and a 907 bottles hold litre wise, but I reckon I've nearly doubled my capacity and hopefully minimised my chance of the gas freezing ;-)

[penguin9]

For those worried about the stability problem in attaching the filling point to the motorhome skirt.I have just installed a single 11kg aluminium reffilable cylinder to my new Autotrail. As i did not want to open and close the gas locker door,i decided to fit it to the skirt,which is protected from the elements,by the gas locker itself.To prevent the skirt from flexing,i purchased an aluminium door kickplate,and bonded this to the rear of the skirt with sickoflex.This takes care of the radius profile and provides a first class attachment point for the filler.Hope this helps.

[Derek Uzzell]

penguin9 - 2011-05-22 9:07 PM

 

...To prevent the skirt from flexing,i purchased an aluminium door kickplate,and bonded this to the rear of the skirt with sickoflex...

 

I'm sure you mean "SIKAFLEX" and I'm guessing you used Sikaflex-512 Caravan.

 

It will be vital to heavily reinforce the skirt (as penguin9 did) if it's made of relatively thin-gauge ABS as that material is prone to cracking. However, even when a skirt is made of GRP or aluminium, it would still be necessary to ensure that the area where the filling-point is installed is strong and rigid as the weight of an Autogas-pump filler-gun + hose hanging off the filling-point will produce considerable leverage.

[Derek Uzzell]

[

pelmetman - 2011-05-18 9:19 PM

 

Had Dave fit my Alu gas bottle and went to the pump and filled up................22.35 litres..........£16.50 :-D

 

Plus I have the 907 bottle for emergencies B-)

 

Not sure what a normal 4.5 kilo calor gas bottle and a 907 bottles hold litre wise, but I reckon I've nearly doubled my capacity and hopefully minimised my chance of the gas freezing ;-)

 

A rule-of-thumb is that a litre of LPG weighs 0.5kg, so a 4.5kg Calor bottle will hold approximately 9 litres and a Campingaz 907 (2.75kg) will hold about 5.5 litres.

 

As you will be filling your Alugas bottle with 'Autogas' that (in the UK at least) is 100% propane and your mention of Calor 4.5kg and Campingaz 907 (both butane containers) suggests you have been accustomed to using butane in the past, I assume you've now got an on-bottle 37mbar propane regulator and would swap this for a Campingaz regulator if you ever needed to employ your back-up 907 bottle.

[Guest pelmetman]

Derek Uzzell - 2011-05-23 9:38 AM

 

A rule-of-thumb is that a litre of LPG weighs 0.5kg, so a 4.5kg Calor bottle will hold approximately 9 litres and a Campingaz 907 (2.75kg) will hold about 5.5 litres.

 

As you will be filling your Alugas bottle with 'Autogas' that (in the UK at least) is 100% propane and your mention of Calor 4.5kg and Campingaz 907 (both butane containers) suggests you have been accustomed to using butane in the past, I assume you've now got an on-bottle 37mbar propane regulator and would swap this for a Campingaz regulator if you ever needed to employ your back-up 907 bottle.

 

Both bottles are connected to the system, and they have individual on bottle reg's so If I do run out of propane I just need to turn off one tap and turn on the other :D .....................best bit is I now carry 27.5 litres instead of 14.5 B-)...........................best of all though instead of paying £25 for 5.5litre I paid £3.95 (lol)

[Guest pelmetman]

pelmetman - 2011-05-23 10:50 AM

I paid £3.95 (lol)

 

Correction £4.12 :-( ..............................Still alot cheaper than the £25 I paid at the Peterborough Show for a new 907 bottle (lol) (lol)

[Derek Uzzell]

pelmetman - 2011-05-23 10:50 AM

 

Derek Uzzell - 2011-05-23 9:38 AM

 

A rule-of-thumb is that a litre of LPG weighs 0.5kg, so a 4.5kg Calor bottle will hold approximately 9 litres and a Campingaz 907 (2.75kg) will hold about 5.5 litres.

 

As you will be filling your Alugas bottle with 'Autogas' that (in the UK at least) is 100% propane and your mention of Calor 4.5kg and Campingaz 907 (both butane containers) suggests you have been accustomed to using butane in the past, I assume you've now got an on-bottle 37mbar propane regulator and would swap this for a Campingaz regulator if you ever needed to employ your back-up 907 bottle.

 

Both bottles are connected to the system, and they have individual on bottle reg's so If I do run out of propane I just need to turn off one tap and turn on the other :D .....................best bit is I now carry 27.5 litres instead of 14.5 B-)...........................best of all though instead of paying £25 for 5.5litre I paid £3.95 (lol)

 

On the other hand, you've probably spent between £200 & £300 for the Alugas refillable system.

 

You were lucky to find a Campingaz 907 bottle for £25. The going-rate nowadays in the UK is anything from £40-£55 and just an exchange-refill bottle will usually cost at least £20. Redundant 907s can sometimes be found at recycling centres.

 

[Guest pelmetman]

Derek Uzzell - 2011-05-23 2:44 PM

 

On the other hand, you've probably spent between £200 & £300 for the Alugas refillable system.

 

You were lucky to find a Campingaz 907 bottle for £25. The going-rate nowadays in the UK is anything from £40-£55 and just an exchange-refill bottle will usually cost at least £20. Redundant 907s can sometimes be found at recycling centres.

 

Sorry Derek I didn't make it clear :D ......£25 was for an exchange bottle at Peterborough 8-) ......in France at Christmas we were paying about 19 euros for an exchange, as you say the refillable system has an upfront cost but now I have it we can move it with us if we ever change the camper...............not that we are likely to do that B-)

Plus at a saving of over £20 for 5.5 litres of gas I expect to recoup my outlay sooner rather than later ;-)

[Guest Peter James]

Lots of redundant 907 cylinders on ebay.

Until a few weeks ago the local Millets used to exchange them for £14 (maybe a loss leader to get people in like the supermarkets do with milk?).

I usually exchange mine at Brownhills now (£19)

Cheapest I found is in Spain (about 11 euros) where the hardware shops apparently refill them themselves as not so fussy about Health & Safety there. I have found the Spanish gas they put in burns better than Camping Gaz at low temperatures too.

 

[Brambles]

I have an old empty camping gaz 907. If anyone wants it and you can pick it up in the Angus Area DD7 it is yours.

[Guest Peter James]

Safefill hasn't been mentioned so far. Bit dearer than Gaslow, and a bit less compact, but a bit lighter and you can see the gas through the side. Don't know whether they are any good? http://www.safefill.co.uk/

[Mel B]

The Safefill bottles are dearer than Gaslow, but I suppose if you don't need to buy the filler hose/point/bracket that would make up for the difference. I've just been having a shuftie and this page is useful:

 

http://www.safefill.co.uk/faqs.html

 

The cylinder is more or less the equivalent of the small Gaslow one so doesnt' hold as much gas as the larger Gaslow one.

 

The thing that would concern me is the refilling of it though - having to get the nozzle of the filler gun onto the filler point when it is in a 'restricted' gas locker could be fun. I would think that this would also then raise alarm amongst some garage owners as it is a direct fill to the bottle, rather than via a filler point, which is one method that I think some people have had problems with at some places.