Pete-B Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 As we've now decided to keep our present van I'm thinking of fitting re-fillable gas bottles ie Gaslow, Gas-it or Autogas 2000 type. It's probably a dim question but the thing is, what to do with my old bottles? I've got two lightweight 6Kg ones I thought I would keep the half full on but the other one is full and unused. I appreciate the these bottles don't actually belong to me but what do people do with their old ones? Thanks for any suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooka Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 Hi Pete B,just sell them every one does,you will see loads for sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 Stick 'em in the back of the garage so if you change back you don't have to buy new bottles - unless you need the area for different junk will does of course expand all by itself to fill all the available space! Maybe I'm unlucky but we have an Autogas refillable tank and after three gas failures - 1 regulator and two refilling failures - in as many months it is the worst gas system I have ever had the misfortune to own and I would willingly, if I could, revert to good old reliable Calor which never let me down in over 50 years of use. Pricey it may be but it's peanuts compared to the inconvenience and irritation value of an unreliable and flawed system - in my ever so humble view!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Pete-B - 2013-09-23 7:04 PM As we've now decided to keep our present van I'm thinking of fitting re-fillable gas bottles ie Gaslow, Gas-it or Autogas 2000 type... Assuming it would fit, you might also consider a single Safefill refillable bottle (Dimensions - Height: 582mm Diameter: 306mm) that is now marketed in 20 litres capacity. http://www.safefill.co.uk/blue-cylinder.html The Safefill container needs to be disconnected for refilling and adapters (£30 a pair) specific to the bottle would be required for refilling abroad. However, you could connect a Safefill bottle immediately to your existing system and (because the bottle's translucent) you'd easily know how much LPG remained inside. To guard against refilling proving difficult, you could carry one of your 6kg bottles as a back-up. Calor will refund a percentage of the Refill Agreement Charge if a bottle is reurned to them, but the bottle will need to be in good condition and the paperwork relating to the original Agreement would need to be presented to obtain the refund. http://secure.calor.co.uk/ordercalorcylinders/refill-agreement-charge.htm As Bazooka says, it's commonplace for people to offer 'hired' bottles for sale despite them having no legal right to do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinklystarfish Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 The Safefill seems like a good idea but I'm personally put off by the histrionics, theft? really?: http://www.safefill.co.uk/refilling-retailers.html Similar marketing to G*slow. Good idea, limited refill opportunities, dubious advertising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Tracker - 2013-09-23 7:31 PM Stick 'em in the back of the garage so if you change back you don't have to buy new bottles - unless you need the area for different junk will does of course expand all by itself to fill all the available space! ! Don't store in Garage,( especialy if like ours the garage is part of the house) gas bottles should be stored out side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 PJay - 2013-09-24 9:07 AM Don't store in Garage,( especialy if like ours the garage is part of the house) gas bottles should be stored out side As you wish!! Personally I don't buy into all this 'elfan' paranoia and as I, along with thousands of others, have been storing securely sealed gas bottles in various garages and sheds for over 50 years without incident I ain't changing that habit now!! What about all the gas bottles in use with portable gas room heaters - or should one only use it on the patio!! I am aware of the risk of explosion in the event of fire but like most things in life one has to weight the risk against the probability!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Presumably Pete-B's lightweight 6kg bottles are "Calor Lite" containers and (If that's correct) they will contain propane. Calor's cylinder storage advice is here http://www.calor.co.uk/customer-services/lpg-safety/lpg-cylinder-storage/cylinder-storage-information/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-B Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 I'm probably being a bit thick here, yes My bottles are Calor Lite propane and if as the article says they must be kept outside or only used in commercial premises why are they supplied to go in my gas cabinet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Pete-B - 2013-09-24 1:56 PM My bottles are Calor Lite propane and if as the article says they must be kept outside or only used in commercial premises why are they supplied to go in my gas cabinet? Probably a case of Calor covering their rear ends against potential legal action following an 'incident'? On that basis, it appears that Propane cylinders are more susceptible to spontaneous self ignition than Butane cylinders and that might be a worry for some - but only if you are a worrier by nature that is!! I'm not motivated enough to look but I wonder what storage advice other suppliers of LPG offer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John 47 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Pete-B - 2013-09-23 7:04 PM As we've now decided to keep our present van I'm thinking of fitting re-fillable gas bottles ie Gaslow, Gas-it or Autogas 2000 type. It's probably a dim question but the thing is, what to do with my old bottles? I've got two lightweight 6Kg ones I thought I would keep the half full on but the other one is full and unused. I appreciate the these bottles don't actually belong to me but what do people do with their old ones? Thanks for any suggestions. When we had our Gaslow system fitted, they took the old cylinders in part-exchange. I think we got about £25 for each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 My understanding has always been that propane is considered to be more dangerous than butane should the gas leak from a canister and, consequently, propane canisters should not be used/stored within a buiding. While a butane leak is hardly inconsequential, it's still safer to use/store butane in a building than propane. This 'received wisdom' should be evident if on-line safety advice from bottled-gas suppliers (eg. Calor, Flogas) is studied. As towed-caravans/motorhomes cannot realistically be classed as "buildings", the advice won't be directly relevant to butane/propane bottles installed in a properly vented gas-locker sealed from the leisure-vehicle's interior. When my propane-filled gas-bottles are not in my motorhome I store them in a brick-built shed some way from my house, rather than in the garage attached to the house. I'm more than happy to ignore sensible advice if it suits me and, if I had no shed, I'd quite likely store the bottles in the garage. But, as I have got a shed where I can keep them, I see now reason to store them in the garage when I know that this would be riskier if a bottle leaked. "Spontaneous explosion" doesn't come into it - the bottles are just safer in the shed than the garage. I've also got a Campingaz 907 butane cylinder that comes into play to fuel a portable cooker if there's an extended mains electricity outage and keep this bottle in the house in a cupboard beneath the stairs. As well as this, there's a 15kg butane bottle for a room-heater kept in a bedroom. I'm aware that if either of these canisters leaked there could be an explosion, but I can't say that this obvious risk causes me to lose any sleep. If P Jay's advice can be followed, it would be contrary not to follow it. If it can't, well, at least she's issued the warning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crbtaylor Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Ho If the safefill is 20l, what is the cal or equivalent bottle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Without getting into too much detail, two litres of LPG weigh about 1 kg. So 20 litres is about 10kg - more or less. Unless 20 litres is the nominal tank capacity and the 80% fill cut off means it will hold 16 litres or about 8 kg of gas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 The Safefill website advises as follows in its FAQ section: Q. How much LPG will a safefill Cylinder hold? A. The Safefill red cylinder holds 8.6kg of LPG which equates to approx 15 litres with the 80% Overfill Protection Device. A. The Safefill Blue cylinder holds 10.3kg of LPG which equates to approx 20 litres with the 80% Overfill protection device Q. What are the dimensions of the cylinder? A. The Red Safefill cylinder is 500.7mm height x 310mm diameter. A. The Blue Safefill cylinder is 582mm height x 306mm diameter Q. What is the cylinder made of? A. The Safefill cylinder is made of composite material, consisting of glass fibre reinforced vinyl ester and the cylinder is transparent which makes the level of LPG inside the cylinder easy to see. Q. How heavy is the cylinder empty and full? A. When empty the Safefill red cylinder weighs 7.10kg and with 8.6kg of gas will weigh 15.70kg A. When empty the Safefill blue cylinder weighs 7kg and with 10.3kg of LPG will weigh 17.3kg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Pete-B - 2013-09-23 7:04 PM As we've now decided to keep our present van I'm thinking of fitting re-fillable gas bottles ie Gaslow, Gas-it or Autogas 2000 type. It's probably a dim question but the thing is, what to do with my old bottles? I've got two lightweight 6Kg ones I thought I would keep the half full on but the other one is full and unused. I appreciate the these bottles don't actually belong to me but what do people do with their old ones? Thanks for any suggestions. I would be inclined to only install one refillable (hopefully a 11kg Gasit one will fit ... or could be made to! :D ) and then keep the Calor bottles as back-up in case you want to use a gas BBQ for example, or have difficulty in getting your refillable filled. As for Richard's problems with his gas tank refilling, this is very much the exception rather than the rule - we've had a refillable bottle since 2009 and the only time we've had problems with refilling it was when there was a faulty pump at the fuel station, not a fault with our system itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Mel B - 2013-09-25 2:05 PM As for Richard's problems with his gas tank refilling, this is very much the exception rather than the rule - we've had a refillable bottle since 2009 and the only time we've had problems with refilling it was when there was a faulty pump at the fuel station, not a fault with our system itself. I think the fault lies with the cut off valve jamming and as the gauge shows full all the time it won't allow any gas in. The highly technical solution of clouting the bottom of the tank with a lump of timber to jar the valve free worked before but not now. As I still have warranty I expect it to be sorted foc shortly but it has severely shaken my confidence in the principle of refillables to learn that it is not a totally 'unheard of' fault. Removable bottles on the other hand you can remove and shake if it happens but an underslung tank is not so easy to get at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Derek Uzzell - 2013-09-25 9:46 AM The Safefill website advises as follows in its FAQ section: Q. How much LPG will a safefill Cylinder hold? A. The Safefill red cylinder holds 8.6kg of LPG which equates to approx 15 litres with the 80% Overfill Protection Device. A. The Safefill Blue cylinder holds 10.3kg of LPG which equates to approx 20 litres with the 80% Overfill protection device Q. What are the dimensions of the cylinder? A. The Red Safefill cylinder is 500.7mm height x 310mm diameter. A. The Blue Safefill cylinder is 582mm height x 306mm diameter Q. What is the cylinder made of? A. The Safefill cylinder is made of composite material, consisting of glass fibre reinforced vinyl ester and the cylinder is transparent which makes the level of LPG inside the cylinder easy to see. Q. How heavy is the cylinder empty and full? A. When empty the Safefill red cylinder weighs 7.10kg and with 8.6kg of gas will weigh 15.70kg A. When empty the Safefill blue cylinder weighs 7kg and with 10.3kg of LPG will weigh 17.3kg My van just maybe sold, so will be in the market for a new 2x11kg system. These lighter safefill bottles, is it possible to install with external filler and bbq point..basically after a fit and forget install. any other suggestions gratefully received as a bit out of touch with prices and best suppliers to be honest as had mine on last two vans so over 6 years *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 just got a quote from GasIt @ around £500 for materials...thats with stainless steel hoses and a combined regulator/change over valve..Seems like you dont need the stainless steel hoses to get the 5 year warranty unlike gaslow... http://www.gasit.co.uk/index.php?_a=product&product_id=268 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWoo Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 To answer your question on what to do with your old gas bottles. When I bought my motorhome it was supplied with only 1 gas bottle and I wanted a 2nd as they always run out at the most inconvenient time. I happened to mention it to a fellow camper who said his friend staying on the same site had one for sale, so problem solved. So if I were you I would advertise them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocro Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Definately keep one for portable BBQ and put the other on Gumtree. I wish I dadn't sold both mine,( I now need one) they went very quickly at a tenner each empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 JudgeMental - 2014-01-23 1:31 PM My van just maybe sold, so will be in the market for a new 2x11kg system. These lighter safefill bottles, is it possible to install with external filler and bbq point..basically after a fit and forget install. any other suggestions gratefully received as a bit out of touch with prices and best suppliers to be honest as had mine on last two vans so over 6 years *-) No they are single hole bottles have to take off the regulator to fill them also they are slightly heavier than Alugas bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audgreen Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 We have a gaslow system fitted. No problems. We originally had one gaslow and one calor lite but nowhere in Lincoln in the past month could supply with a refill for the lite bottles. They said they couldn't get from calor! We have now had a 2nd gaslow bottle fitted. An engineer comes to the house and does it. Therefore we ALSO have a 6kg calor lite for sale. Point of interest we got 2 x 11kg fitted with no problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 thanks Audgreen..have you external filler and auto or manual change over, and what ww the cost please :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audgreen Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 external filler. auto changeover. New stainless steel piping throughout. Price we paid wouldn't be a fair quote as we had it done in 2 stages so the guy from Rhino installs had to come twice. Wasn't cheap but we are really pleased with the service and finished product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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