Guest JudgeMental Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 for those without reliable level meters? http://www.dometic.com/enuk/Europe/United-Kingdom/News/The-NEW-gas-level-checker-pen/ I have downloaded the promobil campsite/parking app for my android phone today..its a real nice app but I guess only works on data when travelling http://www.promobil.de/suche-72.html?q=app&t= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Thanks for link. Worth noting "can be used for all commonly available steel and aluminium bottles filled with propane or butane with a diameter of 200 to 350 millimetres (not suitable for user-refillable bottles)." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 JudgeMental - 2014-02-09 10:54 AM for those without reliable level meters? http://www.dometic.com/enuk/Europe/United-Kingdom/News/The-NEW-gas-level-checker-pen/ Judge, I bought one a year ago and have to say it is brilliant!!! You can measure the liquid level to within probably a quarter of an inch and is really easy to use. The only thing I will say is that I find it easier to spray the cylinder with silicon oil to get a reading rather than wiping it with a baby wipe as Dometic advised. And don't forget, it will not work on a refillable due to the internal float gauge. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peejay Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 JudgeMental - 2014-02-09 10:54 AM Snipped... I have downloaded the promobil campsite/parking app for my android phone today..its a real nice app but I guess only works on data when travelling http://www.promobil.de/suche-72.html?q=app&t= Hi, there are 2 versions of the Promobil app, Mobil Life is the freebie that only works online Mobil Life + is the premium one, for just under a fiver that also works offline, but obviously uses some space on your phone/tablet. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madge Gentle Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Quote - 'And don't forget, it will not work on a refillable due to the internal float gauge' Really?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Madge, OK I should have said you may get a reading but it could be inaccurate as the float may interfere with the signal. If you work your way from top to bottom, or vice versa, you may be able to build up a 'picture' of your liquid level. Also checking from different positions around the cylinder may work. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 not all refillables have the pretty reliable float level.... Stako do, gaslow don't i believe? but for people still using calor and the like it seems a good idea... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigal Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Madge Gentle - 2014-02-09 12:05 PM Quote - 'And don't forget, it will not work on a refillable due to the internal float gauge' Really?.We have a Gaslow refillable and the Dometic pen works fine and appears to be accurate when compared to a gauge! :-S B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I am in a bit of a quandary here. Why would you want to spend £30 on this pen? If you are using a refillable bottle, after you have been using it for a while just get it refilled when you passing a garage that sells LPG. If you are using Calor bottles when one is empty switch to the full one and get the empty one exchanged for a full one. Simples. Or am I missing something here, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Boys toys, need I say more :D :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 It's stating the obvious, but the amount of LPG used by a motorcaravanner/caravanner will vary significantly according to the season and/or whether 230V hook-ups and campsite facilities are employed. 'Wildcamping' in winter would be expected to use a lot more gas than 'campsiting' in summer. If a leisure-vehicle were fitted with a pair of user-refillable LPG bottles (or a pair of exchange-only LPG canisters) and an automatic changeover device, the usefulness of the Dometic GasChecker is moot. And, if translucent LPG bottles are involved, this type of contents-checking product would have no value at all. However, when there's no automatic changeover device, or the system involves just one exchange-only metal bottle, the GasChecker becomes more attractive. The GasChecker minimises the risk of finding a bottle has become empty at an inopportune moment and, should one wish to establish accurately how much LPG remains in, say, a Calor gas bottle, it allows this to be done easily without the rigmarole of weighing the bottle. The product has been discussed on this forum before http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Dometic-Gas-level-checker-/32319/ The advertising literature for both Dometic's GasChecker and Truma's equivalent "LevelCheck" warns that the product is not suitable for user-refillable bottles. As the way in which these 'pens' function is likely to be affected by 80% cut-off-valve and contents-level float mechanisms within a user-refillable bottle, this warning needs to be borne in mind - companies don't unnecessarily advertise their products' negative points! As far as I'm aware the contents-level gauge (mechanically or magnetically operated) of all gas bottles is operated by a float mechanism and this mechanism will be unable to provide a complete full-to-empty readout. Even if the GasChecker and LevelCheck pens are affected by such mechanisms when the bottle-contents are above, say, 10% full, they should work OK below that percentage as it's unlikely the float mechanism will get in the way. (incidentally, STAKO-made gas bottles marketed in the UK are all '4-hole' type. Any bottle that is not '4-hole' is not STAKO-manufactured.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Bulgaria Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I run with a single Gaslow 11 Kg refillable. I bought a "Level Check" device but had poor results - probably due to the internals of the Gaslow cylinder. The Gaslow gauge is crude and only approximate. I fill the cylinder at the start of each holiday and I know that when the level gauge pointer moves off full that I've used about half the contents. I then look out for a LPG station to refill. Even when the gauge pointer is in the red zone, when I refill the amount I put in shows there was still some 15% to 20% remaining. I check the gauge very couple of days and I find I rarely use more than two thirds of a full cylinder over a 6 week trip in the temperate and warm parts of Europe. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 As far as gas useage is concerned my solution is through experience I "budget" for using 1 litre of gas per day for mixed use camping of 50% free and 50% on ehu. When I get to approx 3 weeks use of say, an exchange cylinder I use the manual change over at night, in my case to a refillable cylinder, so as not to run out of gas overnight. It is important to me not to have the fridge clicking away overnight whilst free camping. Then when it suits I go back during the day to say, the exchange cylinder to use up the remaining gas. Simples, but this may be a phaf too far for some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Uncle Bulgaria - 2014-02-10 3:59 PM I run with a single Gaslow 11 Kg refillable. I bought a "Level Check" device but had poor results - probably due to the internals of the Gaslow cylinder. The Gaslow gauge is crude and only approximate. I fill the cylinder at the start of each holiday and I know that when the level gauge pointer moves off full that I've used about half the contents. I then look out for a LPG station to refill. Even when the gauge pointer is in the red zone, when I refill the amount I put in shows there was still some 15% to 20% remaining. I check the gauge very couple of days and I find I rarely use more than two thirds of a full cylinder over a 6 week trip in the temperate and warm parts of Europe. Richard. The accuracy of your gas bottle's contents-level gauge is as Gaslow advertises. The gauge can monitor only the last 50% of LPG in the bottle. Halfway across the gauge's green section equates to roughly 40% full. Needle inthe yellow section equals around 30% full. Needle in the red section indicates 18% or less LPG. The gauge's readouts and limitations are explained on the 5th page of this file: http://www.motorcaravanning.co.uk/pdf/Gaslow_refillables_fitting_using_instr.pdf As long as it is appreciated that a gauge cannot cover a 100%-0% range, and that the gauge is fairly accurate across, say, a 50%-15% range, that should really be good enough. A gas-bottle user will be well aware when a bottle is full and needs to know when it's approaching empty. If a bottle holds 20 litres and a gauge reads from 50%-15%, when the 15% 'mark' is reached there'll be 3 litres left in the bottle. This should be sufficient advance warning to avoid running out of gas. As I understand it, the problem with Gaslow's gauges has not so much been that they were wildly inaccurate but that they were mechanically unreliable. (Did you actually buy the Dometic GasChecker 'pen', or Gaslock's "Gaslevel" device?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madge Gentle Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Has anyone bought one of these - If so, did they do what they claimed to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madge Gentle Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Hell's Bells - I didn't expect the picture to be that big! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Madge Gentle - 2014-02-11 8:55 AM Has anyone bought one of these - If so, did they do what they claimed to do? The "GasLevel" device shown in your picture was discussed here http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Gas-Level-Indicator/27084/ I have one and, although it does what's claimed (after a fashion) my experience is that - because of its design - it will inevitably be a lot more difficult to use than the 'pen' type. I know Truma's "LevelCheck" device works well (because I tried one at an NEC show) but it's pretty expensive. Keithl has praised the Dometic device (and has been using his for a year), so I suggest you opt for the Dometic product if you want a gas contents-level checker, and NOT BUY the "GasLevel" device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.