BOTTLED LPG IN GERMANY

[Guest DAVID M. HIRD]

Hi all, I act as MMM Travel Consultant for The Netherlands and I have received an enquiry by a reader planning to visit Germany next month. The reader has a query concerning the availability of bottled LPG gas in Germany, a subject on which I have no information. Perhaps Forum users could answer the queries, and then I could relay that information to the enquirer? The relevant part of the enquirer's letter is :-

[Guest DAVID M. HIRD]

As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted; the relevent parts of the enquirer's letter are :- "I'm looking for information on obtaining LPG supplies in Germany. My Autosleepers Executive's gas locker hods 2 x 6.5Kg CalorGas bottles.......I know that some travellers buy a large (6.5 Kg) bottle of the local brand when abroad, and swap it as necessary, relying perhaps on the CalorGas between swaps. Does Germany have such a bottle which is readily available through Rhine-Palatinate and Baden-Wurtemburg?" Many thanks in advance.

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

As with most countries, German exchangeable LPG containers come in a variety of sizes, but the 11kg capacity (propane) bottle is the one most commonly used in German motorhomes/caravans. However, this bottle would almost certainly be too large to fit in an A-S Executive's gas-locker built to (barely) accommodate two UK Calor 6kg (propane)/7kg (butane) canisters. (Not sure where your questioner's Calor 6.5kg bottle comes from.) The gas-locker of my next German-manufactured Hobby motorhome has a stated bottle capacity of 1 x 11kg + 1 x 5kg. Having visited a few German LPG company websites, it looks like the 5kg container is a standard German size and photos suggest this bottle should fit an Executive's locker (I haven't searched for exact bottle dimensions - altruism only goes so far!) Unless Hobby is being particularly bloody-minded with its customers, I also think it's reasonable to assume 5kg bottles are readily available throughout Germany. (Presumably there is a similar demarcation situation there to here, with no swapping of LPG bottles allowed between different supplying-companies.) Your questioner will need to consider how to connect the Executive's gas system to a German bottle and the modifications necessary will depend on whether the motorhome has a current UK 30mbar 'fixed regulator' system or our traditional 28mbar(butane)/37mbar(propane) 'regulator-on-bottle' arrangement. Though I wouldn't swear to it, I'm pretty sure a UK Calor 4.5kg (butane) bottle's screw-on connector matches the standard German propane connector. If I were your questioner, at this point I'd be asking myself whether the idea of employing a German gas-bottle is worth bothering with. Unless an extended trip is planned, two full mid-size Calor bottles will last a long time, particularly if campsites are used. If a back-up supply is deemed essential, then a Campingaz cylinder (together with an appropriate regulator or adapter) can be obtained in the UK (recycling centres are a good source) and exchanged in most EU countries. The only genuine drawback to this strategy would be if very cold weather were anticipated (in May?) when Campingaz's butane would be unsuitable. Although I'm reasonably confident it would be practical to adapt an A-S Executive to take a German 5kg bottle, unless forced to by circumstances, I'd think twice about choosing to do it while on holiday. It might be worth adding that I've been down this road myself, trying to decide what was the best gas-bottle set-up for our regular trips to France. Our Herald also had a 2 x 6kg Calor-bottle locker, with the added complication that all French bottles were too wide to pass through the locker-door. Eventually, after several years using 2 x Calor 6kg bottles + 1 x Campingaz back-up, I switched to 1 x 5kg 'autogas' refillable bottle + 1 x 6kg Calor back-up. Can't say I've ever regretted that decision.

[Guest David M. Hird]

Thanks for that Derek. It agrees, broadly, with what I expected. My Hobby was described as accommodating 2 x 11kg cylinders. All that was required to make the gas locker take 2 x 13kg British LPG cylinders was very slight repositioning of the floor-based locating lugs. The security straps were OK as they came. I carried two British larger cylinders thereafter and never approached the stage of running low on gas. I always used the cylinder nearest the locker door first (getting at the other was a bit of a pain). If I needed to change cylinders I always put the new one straight on supply knowing that there was always quite sufficient reserve in the more inaccessible one. Thanks again and best wishes.