mikemelson Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Hi, Does anyone know where I can buy one of those stick-on strips to attach to a gas bottle which gives a reading of the amount of gas remaining? I have a Gaslow 6kg & the guage is useless, it shows empty when there's about 30% left.. Thanks, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Leisure Shop Direct sell them from other peoples comments they don't appear to be very accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I agree with lenny...we bought one,when we got our first van...and it was useless... *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ris Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Do not waste your money unable to tell whether empty or full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I'm with the other posters above, useless, not far behind the separate gaslow gauge which we previously bought, our recently acquired 6 Kg Calor lite also shows empty when there is still a fair amount of gas left as well, only solution it seems is two bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemelson Posted July 11, 2011 Author Share Posted July 11, 2011 1footinthegrave - 2011-07-11 7:01 PM I'm with the other posters above, useless, not far behind the separate gaslow gauge which we previously bought, our recently acquired 6 Kg Calor lite also shows empty when there is still a fair amount of gas left as well, only solution it seems is two bottles. Unfortunately, there aint room for another bottle. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike P Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I guess that these are a liquid crystal strip which shows a different colour for different temperatures. Hence it will only be readable immediately after significant gas use and the liquid gas has cooled down due to evaporation. Mike P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 And even then they are pretty useless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squip Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Unfortunately, there aint room for another bottle. Mike I too have a Symbol [2004] and I can get two gas bottles in the standard compartment. First I put in a Calor 4.5kg butane (or 3.9kg propane) and the follow it by a 7kg butane [or the equivalent propane]. The fit is very tight but it does go. squip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Useless, but the Gaslow dial guage is useful. Ours works on the UK propane bottle, but there are other adaptors. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
first5 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Stick on strips waste of time. Buy a suitcase scale, the type you hang your case from, then you can weigh your gas bottles and your suitcases! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 A couple of earlier threads relating to the magnetic gas-level indicator.: http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1914&posts=12 http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=9594&posts=27 Pressure-sensing gauges (like the Gaslow product tonyishuk mentions) can provide a valuable leak-testing capability, but CAN'T provide usefully accurate 'intermediate' readings of the gas-level in a bottle. They can tell you when the bottle is rapidly approaching empty, but that's it. The mechanical swinging-arm-driven float- type gauge fitted to Calor Lite and Gaslow refillable bottles SHOULD be able to provide useful readings within a limited range (say, 50% to 10%-full), but a 100% to 0%-full range is simply not practicable due to design limitations. See: http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=22519&posts=8 Translucent containers (eg BP Gas-Light bottles) allow the gas level to be seen (though not always easily). It's possible to purchase electronic systems that will provide an accurate virtually 'full range' read-out of the contents of a metal gas cylinder and might be suitable for Gaslow and Alugas containers. See: http://rk-reich.com/product_info.php?info=p343_Gas-level-indicator-Gimplus-with-surface-control-pad.html&XTCsid=54c0d58cc9de164d383e317a6298995c Not sure about the accuracy of the Nivogaz weighing-gauge product mentioned in the 2nd link I gave above (and I think it may no longer be available), but, in any case, it won't provide immediate information about bottle contents. Weighing a bottle will be effective, but no good if you want to know easily how much LPG remains in a 'fixed' Gaslow bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna miller Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Derek Uzzell - 2011-07-12 8:08 AM Weighing a bottle will be effective, but no good if you want to know easily how much LPG remains in a 'fixed' Gaslow bottle. I am quite used to people dismissing my suggestions as stupid, but i'm used to it by now. :D But here is my input...............buy a cheap set of bathroom scales, and have the bottle sat on them in your gas locker, you then have an instant reading of the weight, this method can be used with fixed or removable bottles. Go on laugh, you know you want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Slightly off topic, but I find the weather affects the gas quite markedly and the last bit of gas in the bottle is often wasted when cold, as it don't seem to have enough pressure:-S I suspect at Christmas I replaced what I thought was an empty bottle, but now believe it was frozen*-)......................The thought of it still shocks me now:-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 donna miller - 2011-07-12 12:16 PM Derek Uzzell - 2011-07-12 8:08 AM Weighing a bottle will be effective, but no good if you want to know easily how much LPG remains in a 'fixed' Gaslow bottle. I am quite used to people dismissing my suggestions as stupid, but i'm used to it by now. :D But here is my input...............buy a cheap set of bathroom scales, and have the bottle sat on them in your gas locker, you then have an instant reading of the weight, this method can be used with fixed or removable bottles. Go on laugh, you know you want to. I think that is one of the most original idea's I've read on these forums, it would be interesting to try it in practice to see if the constant weight altered the ability of the scales to give a reasonably accurate readout, and being able to physically fit the scales in, but interesting idea, yes. And to postnote why are you using Butane in the colder times of the year :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Derek Uzzell - 2011-07-12 8:08 AM Pressure-sensing gauges (like the Gaslow product tonyishuk mentions) can provide a valuable leak-testing capability, but CAN'T provide usefully accurate 'intermediate' readings of the gas-level in a bottle. They can tell you when the bottle is rapidly approaching empty, but that's it. . Once you see the yellow band on the guage is the time to think about doing something about replacing the gas. Useful if you have a twin bottle system at least you get a little warning before the bottle runs out. As Derek says intimmediate readings are inaccurate, my BBQ gas bottle has been approaching empty for the last two summers ;-) That said, if you do decide to use one, the guage needs a reasonable flow of gas through it to register. Having the fridge on will not register, you will need the heating and or gas hob on to get an accurate reading of use. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olley Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 pelmetman - 2011-07-12 12:38 PM I suspect at Christmas I replaced what I thought was an empty bottle, but now believe it was frozen*-)......................The thought of it still shocks me now:-( If it was Butane it might have stopped gassing, but it wouldn't have frozen, its freezing point is around -138C Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 donna miller - 2011-07-12 12:16 PM Derek Uzzell - 2011-07-12 8:08 AM Weighing a bottle will be effective, but no good if you want to know easily how much LPG remains in a 'fixed' Gaslow bottle. I am quite used to people dismissing my suggestions as stupid, but i'm used to it by now. :D But here is my input...............buy a cheap set of bathroom scales, and have the bottle sat on them in your gas locker, you then have an instant reading of the weight, this method can be used with fixed or removable bottles. Go on laugh, you know you want to. This is a perfectly sensible suggestion but, like the Nivogaz gauge (or using an air-travel luggage-weighing scale (or a fisherman's scale) hanging from the gas-locker's roof), it won't provide an accurate instant contents read-out unless the gas-bottle is 'untethered' in the locker at the time the reading is taken. My bottles (and I assume those of most other forum members) are securely strapped into the locker. If I sat the bottles on bathroom scales, tightened the straps, and (later on) didn't loosen the straps before reading the scales, then the reading would be affected. It depends really on how one defines "easily" and "instant". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 ..the unstrapping and restrapping of gas bottles aside,I wouldn't think that being constantly compressed(..or having a gas bounce up and down on it),would do a scales accuracy much good either... (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 There's only one reliable gauge and that is the float gauge. Ours is very accurate down to the last 2 litres. The rest are about as much use as an ash tray on a motorbike. 8-) 8-) 8-) Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I have to agree Don the ones on our Stako bottles are very accurate. It would be a bit of an expensive exercise for Mike to change his Gaslow bottle for a Stako or new type Gaslow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
first5 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Why is it that when someones takes the time to offer practicable advice gained from personal experience, someone comes along and ridicules the advice given. I could have quite easily 'copied and pasted' numerous other postings on the subject and offered scientific evidence as to calculating the a mount of gas left in a cylinder. I would have thought that the author of the thread would have already looked at this information anyway and was looking for a simple way to estimate the amount of gas left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I can't see that anyone has ridiculed anyone on this thread ( makes a change though ) but all of our experiences of various ways of trying to do this have been reflected here both by me and other posters. In short with perhaps the exception of transparent bottles there appears to be no simple, or completely foolproof way of monitoring how much gas is left in a bottle. Even weighing really tells you nothing other than it's getting lighter or unless you get out a slide rule, I mean who knows how much gas will be given off by say half a Kg left Even mechanical gauges can malfunction as well, although not mechanical my Calor lite bottle gauges have often shown "empty" with another few days usage left. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinklystarfish Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 first5 - 2011-07-13 11:02 PM ...I could have quite easily 'copied and pasted' numerous other postings on the subject and offered scientific evidence as to calculating the a mount of gas left in a cylinder... Do be sure to let us know if ever there's any other time you could help but choose not to. ... looking for a simple way to estimate the amount of gas left. Dispose of current inaccurate system, fit new bottle with float gauge. Very simple, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 What are you on about first5 all the advice has been sensible answers. I notice you can not be bothered even to tell us who you are, no information at all in your profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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