anthonyj Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Does anyone know where I can exchange an empty calor lite 6kg cylinder? My local caravan shop has been told they can no longer get them and the local stockist calor referred me to also claim I will not get one anywhere. surprised there are no recent posts here if there is really an issue with supply. I am aware about recall - had one of mine exchanged earlier in the year. On my last bottle at the moment so really need to find one! Based Nottingham but willing to go motorhoming next week in almost any direction!! Have tried to ask Calor for further help and am awaiting reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Swopped mine last month at main calor dealer in Stoke. Took it in and they gave me a voucher. Said to phone up to see if one came in. A week later they said come over quick they had one, and I did. Now have two full ones but changed to gaslow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmold Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Well a quick check on GoOutdoors website shows stock in both Doncaster and Wakefield stores. They are the cheapest place for these although you will have to have their discount card at a cost of £5 if you haven't already got one. Certainly haven't heard of supply problems in the last couple of months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 It's the free exchange that is needed, only main dealers will swop a full one for an empty one that meets the recall requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armstrongpiper Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 I have two Calorlite cylinders (full and exchanged under the Calor Recall) which are now surplus to requirements. We swapped to a PVC with on-board gas tank. Anyone want them? PM please. Anthony - I have sent you a PM. Neil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmold Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Billggski - 2015-08-06 8:46 PM It's the free exchange that is needed, only main dealers will swop a full one for an empty one that meets the recall requirements. The free exchange is not the issue if you read the first question. Anthony says he is aware of the recall and had one swopped. This is just a straightforward refill sale as I read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Calor’s Find a Stockist feature https://www.calor.co.uk/find-a-stockist returns details of 12 CalorLite stockists within 25 miles of Nottingham. If none of these have CalorLite bottles in stock or is unable to obtain a bottle, there would seem to be a major supply problem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Calor have had plenty long enough to sort this problem and the entire mishandling of the Calor Lite fiasco is a sad reflection on their attitude and lack of customer care policy. I too spent more than long enough trying to source refills and in the end it was Go Outdoors (Gloucester) that very obligingly exchanged two recall affected bottles for me for free earlier this year. Having grown weary of the continual search for Calor Lites due to an ever present supply shortage over several years, and having had our freebies, we now have one refillable with a Calor Lite as a back up, and a spare full 'un in t'shed! Sorted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Whoops! I seem to have been replying to my own post rather than the original! Must try and concentrate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthonyj Posted August 8, 2015 Author Share Posted August 8, 2015 Thanks to all for their helpful comments on this. It does seem Calor have a problem at least in the Midlands, but they are trying to keep it low key I think. I have now had a response from Calor - the nearest dealer to me with stock is about 60 miles and no guarantee it will be there when I get there. Also I would have to bear the extra travel expenses which would cost more than the gas unless I was going in that direction anyway. I have suggested to Calor that a simple quick fix would be to allow us to exchange temporarily to a normal 6kg bottle, with a voucher so that we could swap back when stock became available but I have not had a response to that as yet. Seems a simple solution to me and no cost to them really but hey what do I know.... In the meantime I have been made a very kind offer of help from someone on this forum and have responded to them by PM. Regards Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 anthonyj - 2015-08-08 9:37 AM Thanks to all for their helpful comments on this. It does seem Calor have a problem at least in the Midlands, but they are trying to keep it low key I think. I have now had a response from Calor - the nearest dealer to me with stock is about 60 miles and no guarantee it will be there when I get there. Also I would have to bear the extra travel expenses which would cost more than the gas unless I was going in that direction anyway. I have suggested to Calor that a simple quick fix would be to allow us to exchange temporarily to a normal 6kg bottle, with a voucher so that we could swap back when stock became available but I have not had a response to that as yet. Seems a simple solution to me and no cost to them really but hey what do I know.... In the meantime I have been made a very kind offer of help from someone on this forum and have responded to them by PM. Regards Anthony This was ALWAYS the most sensible solution to the exchange problem, interchangeability, with no penalties. In both directions, only paying the difference in Gas. (as it always used to be !). This way they managed to upset everybody, and STILL haven't got back all of the faulty cylinders yet. Are they 'demented' in 'Calor towers'? Cannot see how they could have done it worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 anthonyj - 2015-08-08 9:37 AM I have suggested to Calor that a simple quick fix would be to allow us to exchange temporarily to a normal 6kg bottle, with a voucher so that we could swap back when stock became available but I have not had a response to that as yet. Seems a simple solution to me and no cost to them really but hey what do I know.... I made the same suggestion late last year when the recall was fairly young and was told that they had no plans to offer this facility without giving any reason. So sod 'em and after too many years paying Calor prices I'm independent now at no cost to me! As I already have both bottles connected to the regulator via a 'T' piece connector to make changeovers easier, when my Calor Lite is empty I might just replace it with another bottle from an unspecified source, slowly open both bottle valves after filling the Stako, isolate the van's internal system and regulator from high pressure and let part of the spare refill via the Stako refillable bottle as my reserve. Don't see why it would not work in giving me a few days worth of backup, especially if I do it twice! Someone must have done this, or be doing it, so any tips guys, but please, no 'elfan safety' or 'legality' preachings please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 If you search for lpg bottle filler on eBay, you will find ways of filling bottles without going through this procedure. (Usual disclaimers about elfan safety) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek pringle Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Went to local Calor Gas centre last weekend to exchange empty for full cylinder to be told they had none due to recall. Whilst asking whereI May get one the assistant remembered they had just had a few refilled in Warrington so I was lucky. Seems the recall is still affecting things.good luck Derk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Tracker - 2015-08-08 1:05 PM ...As I already have both bottles connected to the regulator via a 'T' piece connector to make changeovers easier, when my Calor Lite is empty I might just replace it with another bottle from an unspecified source, slowly open both bottle valves after filling the Stako, isolate the van's internal system and regulator from high pressure and let part of the spare refill via the Stako refillable bottle as my reserve. Don't see why it would not work in giving me a few days worth of backup, especially if I do it twice! Someone must have done this, or be doing it, so any tips guys, but please, no 'elfan safety' or 'legality' preachings please! I believe what you are proposing will not work, as you will have put liquid gas in your Stako bottle when you refilled it but the transfer from your now-refilled Stako bottle will involve vaporised gas. I suggest what will happen is that, when you connect the Stako bottle (A) to your empty non-user-refillable bottle (B), vaporised gas will pass from A to B but soon cease when the pressure in both bottles has equalised. In terms of liquid gas, the amount you’d end up with in bottle B will be tiny. If you want to refill gas bottles not designed to be user-refillable you’ll need the type of filling adapter Billggski mentions. This Gaslow link shows various 2-bottle options including pairing a refillable canister with an ‘exchange-only’ container http://www.motorcaravanning.co.uk/pdf/Gaslow-Filling-Instructions-2012.pdf but to fill both bottles simultaneously the bottles need to have a filler point separate from the outlet and the filler points need to be connected. And, of course, both bottles need to have an 80% check-valve to prevent over-flling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Duck Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Exchanged an empty Calorlite for a full one on Saturday at Express Gas Knottingley. They had a couple of dozen or so full bottles in stock. FD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webby1 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I also have 2 full Calorlite bottles replaced under the recent recall. Open to offers for collection in the Preston area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Tracker - 2015-08-08 1:05 PM ......As I already have both bottles connected to the regulator via a 'T' piece connector to make changeovers easier, when my Calor Lite is empty I might just replace it with another bottle from an unspecified source, slowly open both bottle valves after filling the Stako, isolate the van's internal system and regulator from high pressure and let part of the spare refill via the Stako refillable bottle as my reserve. Don't see why it would not work in giving me a few days worth of backup, especially if I do it twice! Derek is right, of course, and your idea won't work as you describe. To decant lpg from one bottle to another you need an open hp connection between them (i.e. an open pipeway, no regulator in the way) and the donor bottle upside down at a higher level than the receiving bottle. Liquid lpg will then transfer. In the days before elfnsfaety was invented (and in at least partial ignorance of the risks) I used to do this to top up small calor bottles from a bigger one. I got a couple of bottle connectors brazed to each end of a length of 8mm copper pipe (it was probably 5/16ths pipe in those days) to connect the bottles, the big bottle upside down on the bench and the little one on the floor, then I opened both valve. It took quite a few minute for the liquid to transfer into the little bottle as I recall. No cut of valves to prevent filling completely so the small bottle presumably did exactly that - and a pipe full of liquid lpg escaped when I disconnected. Despite doing this many times and never bothering to let some gas out to ensure the small bottle wasn't over-filled (that was the risk i didn't understand at the time) I never came to grief. The rule that you shouldn't fill above 80% presumably includes a margin of error so that you cannot, regardless of environmental temperature change, end up with a bottle absolutely full to the neck and valve with liquid - which would expand and drive the valve out or split the bottle if the temperature then rose significantly. I came across the pipe I used recently when I was having a garage clear out and binned it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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