Guest machra Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I am looking for experiences regarding travelling on Eurotunnel in a van with a fixed gas tank. I have just read Rachel Stothert’s article on page 201 of the March edition of MMM regarding travelling abroad with gas containers. In the article she says that when travelling on Eurotunnel gas containers must be easily accessible for staff to carry out any checks and that the 80% max fill rate will be checked via the gauge. If no gauge is present the vehicle will be 'refused'. We have used Eurotunnel for the last 4 years using a van with gaslow tanks fitted in an easy accessible gas locker. When stopped at the check-in area Eurotunnel staff have always asked to see the gas tanks and have checked to see the valves on the bottles are turned off. We are looking at travelling abroad this summer again and were looking at Eurotunnel, using the Tesco voucher scheme. However, we have just changed vans and the new one has an under floor fixed 30l gas tank and obviously to reach the tank and check the gauge you have to crawl about on the floor. Now forgive me if I sound cynical but I can’t see Eurotunnel staff crawling under the van and so am wondering where we stand. Has anyone been refused travel on Eurotunnel due to staff not being able to check a fixed tank?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ChrisB Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I have had 2 vehicles with fixed underfloor gas tanks over the past 5 years and have been a regular user of Eurotunnel. On 4 occasions staff were happy just to have the gas turned off at the internal isolating valves. Last year a more "savvy" official knew there was a main isolating valve on the tank but agreed that it was not necessary to crawl under the vehicle to turn off. Never have I been asked to show the internal gauge (there is also one on the tank) - anyway the user documentation states that it cannot be filled more than 80% before cut-off. Booked on Eurotunnel again for this year. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnerontheroad Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 This may or may not help http://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/site-information/lpg/ Good luck Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest machra Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Thanks for the replies. I had looked at this before we bought the van and thought I would be OK to travel on Eurotunnel, it was just the MMM article that surprised me and sowed seeds of doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 This is slightly off topic but is still relevant for the carriage of gas. To be fair to MMM (I e-mailed Rachel and asked) they have quoted verbatim from Eurotunnel’s own website. The offending sentence that refers to gauges is under the heading ‘Fixed And Mobile Containers’ and is ambiguous – it suggests that both fixed and 'mobile' containers need to have gauges. I spoke directly with Eurotunnel to confirm that gauges are not needed on 'mobile' containers. This may be obvious to regular tunnel users but as it will be our first time with the ‘van I wanted to be absolutely certain. Cattwg :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Cattwg - 2012-02-18 5:00 PM.................I spoke directly with Eurotunnel to confirm that gauges are not needed on 'mobile' containers. This may be obvious to regular tunnel users but as it will be our first time with the ‘van I wanted to be absolutely certain. Cattwg :-D Now why does that strike as the obvious course to adopt? Company has rules of carriage, one is concerned how they apply the rules. Ask on a forum, or ask the company? Tricky! :-D Apologies for taking the rise machra - but whatever answer you get on here, won't count for diddleysquat when you arrive at the terminal! I'd be strongly inclined to e-mail them, so that you get something to wave at whoever, if s/he takes a different line when you arrive. Vehicles that run on LPG aren't carried; your van has an LPG tank. The only difference is whether yours has a gas cock at the tank. If it has, the gas can be turned off, so should comply, if it hasn't, my guess is they won't carry you, but only they can decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest machra Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Thanks Brian. As I said I researched this before we changed the van, including looking at the Eurotunnel site and contacting them. However, I was a little put off by the MMM article and was looking for REAL experiences in other people dealing with Eurotunnel, and not taking some back room staff member of Eurotunnel giving me their interpretation of the rules. Hence my mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I'd still be inclined to e-mail them, though, so that you get something authoritative you can print. It is surprising how tunes can change between verbal assurances and written ones - even in e-mails! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod_vw Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 "The only difference is whether yours has a gas cock at the tank. If it has, the gas can be turned off, so should comply, if it hasn't, my guess is they won't carry you, but only they can decide." Not strictly true Brian. As I understand it a vehicle powered by LPG supplies its gas as a liquid as far as the vaporiser from there on it's a vapour. i.e. LPG in pipes through the vehicle. Our domestic gas is a vapour from top of the gas level in the cylinder and under lower pressure from the regulator onwards. This becomes obvious when buying 'fixed tanks' as domestic ones are 'vapour take off; whilst propulsion ones are 'liquid takeoff'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Well yes but, it seems Eurotunnel are interested in whether the gas can be isolated while the vehicle is on the shuttle, not on whether it is delivered as liquid or gas. You missed out my immediately preceding reference to vehicles running on LPG. The full quote was :"Vehicles that run on LPG aren't carried; your van has an LPG tank. The only difference is whether yours has a gas cock at the tank. If it has, the gas can be turned off, so should comply, if it hasn't, my guess is they won't carry you, but only they can decide." The context was carriage of vehicles, not the state in which the gas is delivered, so although I agree you are right about the technical difference, I'm still inclined to think it is not that which makes the difference from Eurotunnel's point of view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowan Lee Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 We've used the Eurotunnel several times with a fixed underslung gas tank. No problem at all. We always tell them about it and have the cut off switch checked (which is in the locker where the gas bottles used to be). We have never been asked to turn it off at the actual tank, but we know how to do it if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest machra Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Thanks for all the comments. As I said I was looking for real experiences not the official Tunnel blurb. The 'official' Eurotunnel reply is: We accept campervans with fixed gas tank as long it is filled up 80%. As you have a digital reader, please ensure that it is around the 75% mark or lower. This will be checked on arrival at check-in. My email to them stated that I had an underfloor tank for 'habitation' use only ie for cooking, heating and water heating, NOT for vehicle engine use. I also stated that although the tank valve system restricts the fill to 80% I have no way of showing this, however I do have a digital type 'gauge', 5 lights showing the tank level at Empty, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and Full, so can show this to the check in staff This is no taking into effect the fact that as the fill valve restricts the tank to a maximum of 80% the gauge may show full with a real level of 80%. I am unsure on this theory, but to be safe I will just arrive with less than 80% showing on the gauge and as Alan says a copy of the email I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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