davoscar Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 My son-in-law has a La Strada Trento 2007 Van conversion based on a Ford Transit Tdi350-110 and has aspirations to fit a Gaslow system like mine. He doesn't however wish to put the filling aperture in the side of the van and is looking for an alternative site. A couple of questions?-can he use the bracket supplied to fit it on a steel member just under the rear of the van so that the filling nozzle would be adjacent to the tow-bar?- if fitted inside the rear doors near to the bottle itself is there a preferred position and might he get bother at a filling station when he opens the rear door of the van to fill up?- can he use the existing 30mb regulator on the bottle (it is not the bulkhead fitted type but screws on to the bottle)?As a simple system to start he will simply use the Filling Kit, bracket and an 11kg Gaslow bottle, carrying a spare normal bottle for backup in emergency. Later changeover system and further bottle may be considered.Your advice and thoughts would be appreciatedDavid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I would route filler outside and do as you suggest, or if square section tow bar why not fix to that? while its best to have it outside many also fit behind locker door and not many have a problem getting it filled...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davoscar Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 Thanks for that - just a point it is not a locker door - the gas installation and all the other paraphenalia are at the rear of the van serviced by opening the rear doors no access to the interior this way). David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 The below give a rear view of the outer and inner of a Trento: http://www.motorhomes.mobi/Motorhomes/tabid/95/ItemID/22276/Motorhome/La-Strada-Trento/Default.aspx I can't see a problem with using the bracket to affix the filler next to the towbar so long as it can't get dislodged/damaged easily, but bear in mind that it might get a bit mucky if the road dirt gets kicked up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 It seems there are already two holes in the van by the gas locker, so another, neatly aligned, with a matching colour filler point, wouldn't look out of place. My concern with rear mounting by the towbar is that it would, as Mel suggests, get absolutely plastered in bad weather, raising the risk (I would imagine) of blowing dirt into the cylinder etc when filling. It would also be awkwardly low in that position. Whether he will have problems re-filling if the fill point is inside the van depends on where he goes. If recent reports are to be believed, French filling stations, following a fire near Orleans that resulted in a death, are very edgy about the refilling of domestic systems, and a number of companies have banned this. A side mounted filler should not attract attention, where opening the rear doors, or grovelling near the towbar, may. So, for convenience, cleanliness, and lack of questions, I'd bite the bullet and make a hole! Final point. If paying for a refillable, and having space for two cylinders, why retain an exchange cylinder? Or, if he is happy with exchange cylinders, why shell out for a re-fillable system? Surely two small Gaslows running via an auto changeover valve, so that he can see when one has run out and the other is in use, would give maximum benefit in terms of fuel cost? The same system, but using two exchange cylinders, would be much the cheapest in terms of installation cost. Which is the more economical overall, will depend on how much gas the van actually consumes - but you need to use a lot of gas for the price difference to pay for the Gaslows. I think he would probably need a new, bulkhead mounted, regulator in either case. Gaslow will advise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davoscar Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 Thanks Guys your comments are really helpful especially the point of the filler getting road filth in it! I will certainly advise he gets proper guidance about whether to fit a bulkhead regulator. I was most surprised that it wasn't? My new van also German has the bulkhead fitting as standard and it is the Truma secu-motion to boot which is really good. The main reason for being a bit lean on fittings was to keep the installation as economic as possible but I guess safety should be the prime issue not trying to save a bob or two. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 davoscar - 2011-05-27 4:03 PM ...Can he use the existing 30mb regulator on the bottle (it is not the bulkhead fitted type but screws on to the bottle)?... Gaslow bottles apparently come with the same outlet as that of a UK Calor 4.5kg butane bottle and I THINK the outlet for a German-standard bottle is similar - so it may be possible to do this. As Brian Kirby suggets, ask Gaslow's advice. It was quite common for German-built motorhomes to have a 30mbar on-bottle regulator as original equipment - my 2005 Hobby had one. However, I suspect that this 'caravan' arrangement was dropped for post-2007 German-built motorhomes as it would conflict with regulations relating to the use of gas-fuelled heaters in a moving vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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