lennyhb Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 I carry a spare bottle top regulator in case the Truma fails, lastest desgin is supposed to be OK only time will. tell. I'm more concerned with the fridge sooting up, appears to happen more often to people who have filled up with Autogas in France and Spain, there appears to be more oily residue in their gas, that's why I always try to fill up in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 lennyhb - 2015-08-18 10:22 AM I carry a spare bottle top regulator in case the Truma fails, lastest desgin is supposed to be OK only time will. tell. I'm more concerned with the fridge sooting up, appears to happen more often to people who have filled up with Autogas in France and Spain, there appears to be more oily residue in their gas, that's why I always try to fill up in the UK. I may not be typical Lenny, but I'd say 80% of my gas in obtained in France..............and I've just serviced my Dometic fridge with absolutely zero signs of sooting up, flue was clear as a bell, probably the first time it's been done in ten years...............5 of that on Autogas......... by the way, you may not know but there is as far as I know in every Dometic fridge gas line there is a built in filter, replaced that as well, £5 for a glorified half a fag filter tip, but again zero evidence of any problems with it, even though a microscope would be needed to examine it more closely. ;-) Oh and I dumped the Truma reg when I first had the van, for a Cavagna............just in case....... ;-) I'm off under the van now, now to replace the rear engine stabaliser mounting, such fun this motorhome lark. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Joe90 - 2015-08-18 11:00 AM lennyhb - 2015-08-18 10:22 AM I carry a spare bottle top regulator in case the Truma fails, lastest desgin is supposed to be OK only time will. tell. I'm more concerned with the fridge sooting up, appears to happen more often to people who have filled up with Autogas in France and Spain, there appears to be more oily residue in their gas, that's why I always try to fill up in the UK. I may not be typical Lenny, but I'd say 80% of my gas in obtained in France..............and I've just serviced my Dometic fridge with absolutely zero signs of sooting up, flue was clear as a bell, probably the first time it's been done in ten years...............5 of that on Autogas......... by the way, you may not know but there is as far as I know in every Dometic fridge gas line there is a built in filter, replaced that as well, £5 for a glorified half a fag filter tip, but again zero evidence of any problems with it, even though a microscope would be needed to examine it more closely. ;-) Oh and I dumped the Truma reg when I first had the van, for a Cavagna............just in case....... ;-) I'm off under the van now, now to replace the rear engine stabaliser mounting, such fun this motorhome lark. :D That's good news it's just that on my travels I have met a couple of people who have had problems with the fridge sooted up and didn't have any problems before filling with french gas, also our Belgium dealer warned us not to use French gas as it was dirty. I did't think you had had re-fillables that long Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dotdot Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Hi all, we're quite keen to get an in- locker system but I'm worried about being turned away on the forecourt,our nearest garage is ASDA (Linwood). Anyone had any problems with this? Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 dotdot - 2015-08-18 3:49 PM Hi all, we're quite keen to get an in- locker system but I'm worried about being turned away on the forecourt,our nearest garage is ASDA (Linwood). Anyone had any problems with this? Thanks in advance Our previous IH Panel van conversion I fitted an in locker fill point, although I only did so thinking I'd take my kit with me when we sold the van, never had a problem filling anywhere. In the event I left the bottles in the IH, because as luck would have it our present Rapido had a system already installed by the previous owner, I'm told he in turn had an under slung tank fitted on his new van. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 We had our 2006 IH TIO R panel van conversion fitted with two STAKO 5kg cylinders not long after purchse. This released the 3.9kg Calor cylinders for other uses, and increased our lpg storage capacity. Convenience was rated over cost savings. My assessment of STAKO cylinders, based on the teachings of my late father, who among other things designed large industrial pressure vessels, was that thecylinders were of excellant quality. Our TIO R has been only lightly used in the UK. Until recently we have had no problems with gas use or refilling. However on returning from our last trip we were unable to top our lpg. There was lpg from the pump, as indicated by the escape of gas when disconnecting the hose. Apparently the lpg pump had recently been repaired, and the it was suggested that there could still be a problem with the pump. However I am wondering. We normally top up with diesel and lpg after a trip, and the last lpg top up was in October 2014. Also we usually run gas off each cylinder on alternate trips. It seems plausible that even though it has been a cool summer, the slight expansion of the lpg could have caused the 80% filling cut off valve to stick closed. I this turns out to be the case a policy change to running off both cylinders simultaneously, and topping up at the start of a trip, may be required. Information on any similar experiences would be appreciated. Meanwhile we have sufficient lpg for our immediate needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 I'm no expert, but I cannot imagine liquid part of the gas expanding, and then making the valve stick shut, I'd just use the gas from the bottle affected until it ran out, then try another filling station, the high lpg pressure from filling I would have thought would be more than enough to un-stick the valve if indeed it is stuck, I've never personally heard of such a thing though. I cannot see how as you suggest that running off two cylinders could be easily achieved, and even if it could can see no advantage in doing so other than the possibility, ( although by the sound of the pattern of your usage unlikely ) running out of gas altogether. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 We had the cut off valve jam closed several times on our Warwick and the dealer (Simpsons of Gt Yarmouth) kindly replaced the entire tank under warranty and it never did it again - so, yes, it does happen. Our Executive has a filler inlet in the gas locker for the refillable bottle and although I have only filled it a few times so far nobody has ever said anything in any garage. Usually the gas pump is to one side of most forecourts and often not easy to see from the till point or shop but if in doubt just pull up to the pump on their blind side! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 AlanB - our 2012 Tio R has a 38 litre under slung tank and on the first winter trip down to Spain that year we found it would not fill in Spain. Carried on to Hidalgo Motorhomes at Seville (who have an overnight facility) to see if we could get it repaired. They were unable and, having never seen such an arrangement, unwilling to attempt a repair but sent us to a garage in Seville that installs LPG systems mainly in local taxis. They were very good and soon found out there were no problems at the tank but dismantled the filler assembly and supply line to the tank, blew it out with compressed air, reassembled it and it started to fill again. Had no further problems after that so assume it was some form of debris in the filler/supply line that built up the pressure and caused the LPG forecourt pump to shut off. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Talking of refillables.......If you have a petrol engine van with a LPG conversion, is it legal to plumb say a cooker fridge etc into the same tank? :-S ................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 pelmetman - 2015-08-19 10:03 AM Talking of refillables.......If you have a petrol engine van with a LPG conversion, is it legal to plumb say a cooker fridge etc into the same tank? :-S ................ Different type of tank, for the engine if is a liquid take off, for leisure use it is a vapor take off. Probably possible it you had a one off tank made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I recall - a good few years back when petrol engines were quite common on UK-built motorhomes - a ‘dual purpose’ LPG tank that had liquid and vapour take-offs was briefly advertised. The market for this would have been small even then and, now that diesel powerplants are very much the norm, pretty much non-existent nowadays. If such tanks are still available RVers would probably know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 There's a second hand kit to refill your own bottles, with adaptors, on eBay at the moment. 99p up until now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Derek Uzzell - 2015-08-19 3:15 PM I recall - a good few years back when petrol engines were quite common on UK-built motorhomes - a ‘dual purpose’ LPG tank that had liquid and vapour take-offs was briefly advertised. The market for this would have been small even then and, now that diesel powerplants are very much the norm, pretty much non-existent nowadays. If such tanks are still available RVers would probably know. So its feasible B-) .............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 pelmetman - 2015-08-19 5:23 PM Derek Uzzell - 2015-08-19 3:15 PM I recall - a good few years back when petrol engines were quite common on UK-built motorhomes - a ‘dual purpose’ LPG tank that had liquid and vapour take-offs was briefly advertised. The market for this would have been small even then and, now that diesel powerplants are very much the norm, pretty much non-existent nowadays. If such tanks are still available RVers would probably know. So its feasible B-) .............. Sure - just weld a Gaslow bottle to a car autogas fuel tank, connect the two together so that they are refilled simultaneously and Bob’s your uncle. Can’t be as technically challenging as shoehorning that ex-Scimitar V6 into your Transit. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgnbuk Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 "If you have a petrol engine van with a LPG conversion, is it legal to plumb say a cooker fridge etc into the same tank? " No. I asked this specific question of the company that carried out the LPG conversions on my cars (had 2 done by them) about 5 years ago when looking for my first van, as at the time I was considering buying a petrol motorhome & having an LPG conversion done on it. It seemed logical to me to use one tank to do both tasks (same gas, after all), but it was explained that this could not be done. First "reason", as has been said already, was that the liquid output tanks for LPG conversions have no provision for a vapour take-off for habitation use. It may be possible to modify a tank to do this, but as the tanks are certified pressure vessels they have to be re-certified if modified in any way. If you managed to find a suitable body willing to undertake this re-certification it would be a one-off & would be expensive. Second "reason" was that the two types of installation are goverened by different regulations, administered by different organisations & there is no way that a "common" tank would be acceptable to either. So no chance of any kind of compliance certification for either installation - even if you had managed to get a modified tank re-certified. The solution offered was that two tanks would be required - a liquid take-off tank for the engine system & a vapour take-off tank for the habitation system - but that these could be connected via check valves to a common filling point. That way whenever you filled up the vehicle tank the habitation tank would be topped off as well. As the two different tanks would be being used "as supplied, for their intended purpose" , tank certification would be OK, and the check valves used to isolate each system from the other at the common fill point would be construed as being two separate installations to the required standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomad Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Try autogas2000 at Thirsk they are very popular with motorhomers and their advice and service is always first class Colin, They can supply Alugas bottles as well as other types. They also have cylinders which fit below the vehicle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 mgnbuk The two-interconnected tanks approach was what I was jokingly suggesting to pelmetman, but I think the dual-purpose tank I recall being advertised was a ‘singleton’. This would have been 20 years or so ago, so regulations may have been different then. Alternatively the tank may not have complied with the relevant regulations at the time, which might well explain why it was (apparently) commercially unsuccessful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philipe Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Well here I am reading again about refillable gas bottles. Unfortunately I'm going to have to scrap the GASIT system I bought from FES auto gas. The system went wrong almost straight away with the small bottle not filling properly which caught us out. Now the larger 11kg bottle won't fill either. Rang the company more times than I care to remember. The company is owned by a chap called Nick Farrow who I need to speak to but he simply doesn't take or return phone calls so I've given up. Customer services simply non existent! What's the feeling about Gaslo? Read some where people complaining about their customer services too? Don't want to jump from the frying pan into the fire, although it would be perfectly safe as neither work presently! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Sorry to hear of your problems but surely they must be solvable. A guy displaying as "Gasit" appear at MH shows and the guy I spoke to certainly seems to know what he was talking about. But his company has a different name and I suspect there might be more than one player. The components of a two bottle system on a MH are fairly standard things which are used by all the installers and it doesn't really compute for first one bottle then neither to be refillable unless there is a blockage of some sort in the filling line. Any MH workshop should be able to check this problem for you so if you can't get hold of the FES people, why not take your MH to someone else? If there proves to be a problem dating back to the original installation you can always ask FES to pay for the repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I'd just take it back to the installer and explain the problem. The phone number may not be connecting, so if you haven't spoken to him he may not know about the problem. As said above, these are standard items and for two to fail suggests a problem with the hoses or regulator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p0930 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I am surprised, I have not had a problem speaking to Nick, although my system has never failed me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Philipe - 2015-08-24 11:12 AM Unfortunately I'm going to have to scrap the GASIT system I bought from FES auto gas. The system went wrong almost straight away with the small bottle not filling properly which caught us out. Now the larger 11kg bottle won't fill either. The problem probably lies with the filling system rather than the bottles themselves so before scrapping anything go see someone who understands these things and is able to diagnose faults. If you really do want to sell 'em - I could do with another 6kg refillable bottle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Gaslow, and Gas-it's Stako bottles all come out of the same factory in Poland. You may just have a sticking cut off valve sometimes happens on new bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 lennyhb - 2015-08-24 1:21 PM Gaslow, and Gas-it's Stako bottles all come out of the same factory in Poland... GAS-IT and Gaslow 2-hole refillable bottles have been (and may well still be) made in Portugal. I believe GAS-IT’s 4-hole bottles are STAKO products, but I’m pretty sure Gaslow’s latest R67 bottles are not. I have a gut-feeling (possibly wrong) that Gaslow’s R67 bottles are made in Italy. I have one and - if the country of origin is easily established from markings on the bottle - I’ll confirm if that’s indeed the case. There are significant differences between the 2-hole bottles and the STAKO 4-hole and Gaslow R67 canisters, with 2-hole bottles (I hesitate to say this) clearly built with low-price high on the priority list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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