Camping Gas

[Bigron]

Hi I am going to Spain then into potugal for at least 4 months. i will probably run out of gas in this time and will probably buy a camping gas cylinder over there . is it better to buy gauge there or over here and is this the best method.

Thanks

[malc d]

Hi Bigron

 

I'm sure you will get lots of advice on this, but I suggest that you say what gas you are using.

 

Is it Camping Gaz or camping gas of another kind, and I assume you mean that you will wish to exchange a cylinder over there.

 

Sorry if this sounds a bit pedantic, but as there are several ways of carrying gas, no doubt others will ask.

 

 

Regards

[keninpalamos]

Hi Ron Repsol bottled gas is available in both countries in Butane or Propane. The Spainish bottle handles are different to the ones in Portugal but the regulator fittings are the same. I have exchanged bottles across the boarder with no problem. If you can get a regulator here so much the better but most hardware stores sell them in Spain. Getting a LPG inbuilt tank or refillable bottles filled is not easy in Spain as stations are few but in Portugal along the Algarve is much easier. Hope that helps

[vindiboy]

Camping Gas is cheaper in Spain than here, easyish to get too,if you can change to Repsol  bottles so much cheaper, find a Car Boot sale [Rastro ] and buy a bottle there for pennies, you may even get a Regulator with it , Regs are available in most  Hardware shops [Ferreterias ] probably spelt that wrong,once you have the bottle you can change it for a full one at Garages  all over [ interchangeable in Portugal too, Repsol]Obtaining a Repsol  bottle from official channels in Spain is a huge hassle, you have to get your gas system certified first and that costs about 200 Euros,plus the deposit on the bottle etc.I changed  my vans system to bottle regulaters from the Bulkhead type, makes it so much easier  to use bottles from whichever Country, A barbi type bottle Plastic /  Composit is available from Garages  with no hassle at all as they are intended for Barbis  but work just as well on the van, they hold about 6 kilos of gas as I remember but  cost more for gas . Have you considered  refillable bottles?

[BGD]

This might help too:

 

 

In Spain there are two bottled gas suppliers: Repsol and CEPSA.

 

Both are massive Companies, and will exchange one of their empty bottles with a full one at any of their thousands of petrol stations across the country.

All you have to do is get hold of an empty bottle to start you off.......don't bother trying to get an empty one (or a full one!) off any official supplier, as it's a complicated business even for residents, with forms in Spanish and you haven't got a Spanish address or National insurance number anyway.

 

Instead just buy one secondhand...every rastro (car boot sale) has people flogging them, and many campsites often have a few knocking around. The going rate is maybe 8 to 10 euros.

 

 

 

Repsol bottles are made of steel, and weigh a lot. Weight varies a little bottle-by-bottle, but is typically about 13.5 to 14kgs when empty (the actual empty weight of that individual bottle is stamped on it's shoulder)

The most popular, by a country mile, are the butane gas ones, which are plain orange.

Far less popular (as in most of Spain doesn't get down to freezing, even in the winter) are the propane bottles, which are orange with a thin black ring around the middle. It is often difficult to find outlets to swop the propane bottles......and you can't hand in an empty propane bottle in exchange for a full butane one.

 

CEPSA butane gas bottles are usually silver and are made of aluminium (they are MUCH lighter when empty...perhaps half the weight of the orange Repsol ones). They have recently started distributing a new, ultra-light bottle which is even lighter (it's grey, with a red plastic top/handles).

They do also sell propane gas bottles, these are grey and made of steel....but again, very few outlets stock them.

 

ALL butane bottles, whether from Repsol or CEPSA, and whether made of steel or aluminium, hold 12.5 kgs of butane when fully charged.

ALL propane bottles, from either supplier, hold 11kgs when full.

 

Refill prices are set/regulated by the Government here, so Repsol and CEPSA have to charge exactly the same for each refill. Prices vary maybe two or three times a year....mainly (but not always) upwards!

The current refill prices are: 12.5kg butane = €16.45 (about 13 quid); 11kg propane = €14.48 ( about 12 quid).

 

For anyone with only a tiny gas cupboard, there is a "baby" plastic butane bottle now available from Repsol called the "K6" available at most of their outlets, which holds 6 kgs of butane....but getting hold of an empty one on the black market is more difficult, as very few people use these.

 

The valve/connection on the tops of ALL these bottles is exactly the same. (Indeed all bottles across Portugal, of whatever supplier/gas type, also use exactly the same valve-top).

The clip-on bottle top regulators, together with orange flexible pipe and jubilee clips, are available from every large supermarket and every DIY or hardware shop. Maybe 10 euros. All new regulators are 30mbar.

Secondhand regulators are also all over every rastro, but be careful because there are are lot of the old 28mbar or even 37mbar ones at such places.....as Spain (and Portugal) only settled on the "universal" 30mbar pressure maybe 10 years ago(?). Pressure should be stamped on the regulator body...it is ain't don't buy it secondhand.

 

 

I'm told that if you have a bulkhead mounted regulator (and you cannot "T" into it above that point to add a second. flexible hose for such Spanish bottles) - then you'll need to buy instead of a Spanish bottle-top regulator, a special type of one that clips on just the same but doesn't itself regulate the gas, but allows it through at full pressure until it gets to your existing UK bulkhead mounted one.

As I understand it, this is 'cos you don't want to "double-regulate" the incoming gas?

 

 

I've gone for the CEPSA butane, ultra-light bottles (you can freely swop your CEPSA sliver bottles for these), as I can carry two of them in our MH gas cupboard...so we can run for utterly months before both of them would run out, even wild-camping as we mainly do, so with fridge on gas for long periods.

 

 

 

 

[Bigron]

Thank you to everyone who replied to my question. You have all been very helpful and knowlledgeable

I have so many things to think about. Thanks again

Ron

[Guest JudgeMental]

refillable bottles, just fit and forget..Makes life so much easier

[bolero boy]

BGD - 2012-07-18 6:50 PM

 

I'm told that if you have a bulkhead mounted regulator (and you cannot "T" into it above that point to add a second. flexible hose for such Spanish bottles) - then you'll need to buy instead of a Spanish bottle-top regulator, a special type of one that clips on just the same but doesn't itself regulate the gas, but allows it through at full pressure until it gets to your existing UK bulkhead mounted one.

As I understand it, this is 'cos you don't want to "double-regulate" the incoming gas?

 

This is the one I have for Spanish/Portuguese bottles which is just an adaptor (not a regulator) to connect to our bulkhead regulator as described by Bruce.

 

http://www.outdoorbits.com/gaslow-jumbo-adaptor-1671-p-988.html

[Bigron]

Once again thanks

Ron