Filling L.P.G.at Morrisons

[johnfromnorfolk]

I noticed today that my local Morrisons have a blanket ban on filling L.P.G. in Motorhomes..

Has anyone encountered this problem?

[daviddwight]

It came up on the internet several weeks ago, also I think Shell have stopped it as well.

 

It appears to be so that refillable bottles are not used.

 

Elf and safety again, me thinks.

[StuartO]

It's understandable that banning refills of gas cylinders, as opposed to installed refillable gas systems with a skin fitting filler, gets banned because forecourt staff aren't trained to spot non-refillable cylinders being refilled improperly.  But I hadn't heard of any ban on particular types of vehicle before. Presumably this is an extension of the same thinking - motorhomes contain gas bottles so motorhomes might contain dodgy gas bottles.

 

What a pity.

 

[witzend]

I've seen several people trying to fill motorhomes with LPG who didn't seem very competent and most attendants aren't allowed to leave their station to assist or inspect installations. I've a feeling that this has contributed to getting motor homes banned from LPG pumps

[silverback]

i've never had problems at morrisons fill mine there all the time, last one was a week ago

jonathan

 

[Steve928]

daviddwight - 2016-04-18 5:47 PM

also I think Shell have stopped it as well.

 

Plenty of Shell stations selling LPG around here, use them all the time.

 

[StuartO]

I relocated from Lancashire to Suffolk last year and I was amazed to learn that the Calor Depot in Norwich would not allow refilling of any refillable gas cylinders on their site.  I had been accustomed to refilling with ease at the Calor Depot in Preston.

 

I spoke to the manager (aiming to be placatory and merely asking for an explanation)  because it seemed so odd a policy to be adopting and he was adamant that there were clear and compelling reasons for refusing the facility, stemming from an industry-wide code of practice.  I still think he was talking nonsense but at the end of the day it's his Depot and he cannot be compelled to change his tune.

 

There is of course a commercial reason which might be influencing his thinking; he's in he business of selling autogas to cars and refilled rental cylinders to everyone who wants LPG in a bottle, so refillable motorhome cylinders will be a very small part f his trade - and probably more trouble than it's worth, so he might have chosen to misinterpret the code of practice.

 

And BP have withdrawn LPG sales from its forecourts altogether in UK, perhaps also for "more trouble than worth" reasons.  The tide seems to be ebbing away from the widespread provision of LPG refilling facilities.  I think it's a worrying development.

 

[Derek Uzzell]

UKLPG is the trade association for the UK’s LPG industry

 

http://www.uklpg.org/about-uklpg/

 

UKLPG’s 2011 advice regarding user-refillable LPG cylinders is here

 

http://autogasleisure.co.uk/pdf/uklpg.pdf

[StuartO]

Unfortunately the depot mamanger at Norwich doesn't seem to have read past the first paragraph, which reads:

 

"It is the advice from UKLPG that user owned, portable LPG cylinders should not be refilled at self service autogas refuelling sites."

 

[johnfromnorfolk]

johnfromnorfolk - 2016-04-18 4:33 PM

 

I noticed today that my local Morrisons have a blanket ban on filling L.P.G. in Motorhomes..

Has anyone encountered this problem?

 

Has anyone encountered problems filling abroad. i.e. France,Spain etc.

[witzend]

Our local Calor depot in Truro won't fill any bottles regardless of type or fitting method. And make their opinion of them very obvious more or less tell you to F off

[Rayjsj]

Lets face it, it is in Calors interest to stop re-fillable LPG cylinders, after all, their mark up on the actual product is astronomical , especially considering that gas prices have been dropping for the last year to eighteen months. The term Restrictive Practise under the guise of safety concerns, springs to mind.

The likes of Gaslow etc., need to get together and form a trade body, before they get squeezed out of the market.

Where this all leaves Autosleeper and now Autotrail who fit underslung LPG tanks as standard i dont know ? Personally i would ignore any service station signs banning motorhomes, as being discriminatory.

But i dont have re-fillable cylinders or a tank, BUT, i might get one. Just to be an awkward so & so.

[Bulletguy]

Rayjsj - 2016-04-19 11:58 AM

 

Lets face it, it is in Calors interest to stop re-fillable LPG cylinders, after all, their mark up on the actual product is astronomical , especially considering that gas prices have been dropping for the last year to eighteen months. The term Restrictive Practise under the guise of safety concerns, springs to mind.......

 

That's pretty much it really. Bottled gas price in UK is and always has been, astronomical, so they have a vested interest to make re-fillable as difficult as possible. Quite what the mark up is here in UK i don't know but i buy bottled gas in Poland at 75% less than the equivalent here. Unfortunately i still need to have Calor when over here but the price difference is simply staggering.

[pepe63xnotuse]

Bulletguy - 2016-04-19 1:07 PM

 

...Unfortunately i still need to have Calor when over here but the price difference is simply staggering.

 

BG...Why do you "need" to have Calor?

 

They do refillables in all sorts of sizes, even titchy ones that'll fit in campervan cupboards...

 

http://www.gaslowdirect.com/epages/cyujrhdmmu67.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/cyujrhdmmu67/Products/01-4003-67

 

(..different Mk/model to yours I know but our '03 Duetto took a 6kg, along with a 3.9kg Calor).

 

..although for those prone to shouting "rip off" at every given opportunity, I'd advise them not to look at the price of Campingaz per kg...

 

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/calor-gaz-907-camping-gas-refill-p94347

..that's 30 quid (using a, paid for, discount card) for only 2.75kg of Butane !

( a 7kg Calor Butane is only around 22 quid ;-) )

 

(edit: corrected wrong year of our van :$ )

[Steve928]

Bulletguy - 2016-04-19 1:07 PM

 

Bottled gas price in UK is and always has been, astronomical

 

To be fair it's only the 'small' sizes that are astronomical. Shopping around will get you an official Calor 47kg (92 litres) size refill for £45, so 48.9p/l which is in line with the best forecourt LPG prices.

 

Since the demise of the BP LPG outlets around here it has become increasingly inconvenient to get a fill so I'll be reverting to decanting for the van from the big bottles again soon though I'll keep the single GasIt bottle onboard for when I can find an LPG pump but primarily for use abroad.

 

In the current LPG 'climate' I don't think I'd want to be reliant upon it and fit a 2 bottle system.

[lennyhb]

StuartO - 2016-04-19 8:00 AM

And BP have withdrawn LPG sales from its forecourts altogether in UK,

 

Obviously forgot to tell my local BP station where I fill up. :-D

[Bulletguy]

pepe63 - 2016-04-19 1:49 PM

 

Bulletguy - 2016-04-19 1:07 PM

 

...Unfortunately i still need to have Calor when over here but the price difference is simply staggering.

 

BG...Why do you "need" to have Calor?

 

They do refillables in all sorts of sizes, even titchy ones that'll fit in campervan cupboards...

 

http://www.gaslowdirect.com/epages/cyujrhdmmu67.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/cyujrhdmmu67/Products/01-4003-67

 

(..different Mk/model to yours I know but our '03 Duetto took a 6kg, along with a 3.9kg Calor).

 

..although for those prone to shouting "rip off" at every given opportunity, I'd advise them not to look at the price of Campingaz per kg...

 

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/calor-gaz-907-camping-gas-refill-p94347

..that's 30 quid (using a, paid for, discount card) for only 2.75kg of Butane !

( a 7kg Calor Butane is only around 22 quid ;-) )

 

(edit: corrected wrong year of our van :$ )

 

Mainly because the majority of my travels are out of UK rather than in. I've got a couple of Calor Propane which i've had for years. The Polish bottles are about the same but at five quid a fill, makes it a no brainer though you do need a different regulator which cost the mind blowing sum of £7.50! Yes ok Gas-lo refills are cheaper....but at £260 for two empty bottles......that alone buys me 52 bottles of Polish gas which i'd never get through in my lifetime!!

 

I don't use enough gas to warrant shelling out that much. I eat out as 1) i can't be a**ed with faffing around and 2) it's lots cheaper than UK. In countries like Poland and Bulgaria i'm paying three quid on average for a fresh cooked meal with waitress service, plus the added bonus of viewing the dolly delights that walk past! :D

[747]

witzend - 2016-04-18 8:28 PM

 

I've seen several people trying to fill motorhomes with LPG who didn't seem very competent and most attendants aren't allowed to leave their station to assist or inspect installations. I've a feeling that this has contributed to getting motor homes banned from LPG pumps

 

On another motorhome forum you are proud to admit that you fill your non-refillable bottles with your cheap ebay bottle filler. You even take the mickey out of other members who do not agree (the ones who have bought refillable systems).

 

It is more likely to be people like yourself who are getting the rest of us banned. On that thread you were told that a Gaslow/Gasit system has an 80% cutoff and a Calor bottle does not. This was your reply.

 

"Yes but why should one be a problem when filling and not the other the spillage can only come from the hose connection where it connects to the bottle and thats the same on both bottles most fittings where ever they come from are made to a standard. If gas escapes during filling it's more likely to be operater error".

 

Operator error seems uppermost on your mind, not the fact that you are refilling non-refillable bottles on a forecourt.

[Derek Uzzell]

Is it worth mentioning that Morrisons banned motorhomes/caravans from refilling LPG ‘habitation’ systems nearly two years ago?

 

Regarding StuartO’s posting of 19 April 2016 8:00 AM, although there is a Calor Centre at Norwich I don’t think there is one at Preston.

 

Preston Gas Centre Ltd sells Calor Autogas but is not a ‘Calor Centre’ as such. As far as I’m aware Calor Centres have never permitted refilling of user-refillable LPG canisters.

[StuartO]

Derek Uzzell - 2016-04-20 8:40 AMIs it worth mentioning that Morrisons banned motorhomes/caravans from refilling LPG ‘habitation’ systems nearly two years ago?Regarding StuartO’s posting of 19 April 2016 8:00 AM, although there is a Calor Centre at Norwich I don’t think there is one at Preston. Preston Gas Centre Ltd sells Calor Autogas but is not a ‘Calor Centre’ as such. As far as I’m aware Calor Centres have never permitted refilling of user-refillable LPG canisters.

 

Preston Gas Centre used to be a Calor-owned depot but turned into an independently owned site at some stage.  It still deals mostly with Calor product, including Calor Autogas, which I was allowed to use to refill my Gaslow system.  I wasn't aware that Calor-owned Depots refused refills; that's quite worrying!  There isn't going to be anywhere to refill our bottles at this rate.

 

[Rayjsj]

And NEW pvc,s that come with underslung gas tanks will be up the creek without a paddle ? Unless they convince the operator that their gas is for propulsion ? NOT a satisfactory situation.

[snail]

We are still using Countrywide farmers, filled last week @0.43p per litre +5% vat as account is for motorhome domestic use, when away we look for a flogas depot, never been refused a fill yet, there's one near Roche in Cornwall we will be using as based in Mevagissey this summer helping out on a site, there's also one near Barnstaple North Devon we use regularly, unfortunately we haven't been able to get a map of there outlets, just search for lpg depots

 

Snail

[StuartO]

Countrywide Farmers (who will allow you to refill your refillable bottles at their Autogas pumps) publish a list of their outlets together with a well written set of safety guidelines for using Autogas pumps which you can download here:

http://www.countrywidefarmers.co.uk/pws/pdf/energy/Autogas-sites-map-march-15.pdf

 

[snail]

Yes I do have the listing for countrywide as I have an account with them, you have to, you can't just pull in and fill, as you have your own key to operate the pump, and you get billed monthly with DD payment sorry should of made that clearer.

 

What I would like is a listing for Flogas depots

 

Snail

[Bulletguy]

Derek Uzzell - 2016-04-20 8:40 AM

 

Is it worth mentioning that Morrisons banned motorhomes/caravans from refilling LPG ‘habitation’ systems nearly two years ago?

 

It's not the only thing they banned either........my local Morrisons banned mh's/campers from filling up with fresh water! I was stopped by a cashier who told me the water tap is only there for screen wash fill and cars.

 

What sort of "welcome" is that for first time foreign motorhome people touring the UK? :-(