How much gas do you use?

[Keithl]

monique.hubrechts@gm - 2018-04-16 8:03 PM

 

Keithl: used gas when not on EHU or Not being driven

 

Both!

 

He'd hardly be using EHU while being driven :D

 

 

[johnval]

I carry one Calor 6k and one Frence ( Leclerc ) 11k. When Frence bottle runs out switch to Calor until I replace Frence bottle. Have spent 3 months in France doing this even in the winter using only Aires. Frence pigtail available at any Motorhome dealer. Frence gas also much cheaper than Calor.

[Derek Uzzell]

In his 14 March 2018 1:24 PM posting within this earlier forum discussion

 

http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Gas-in-France-queries-/48853/

 

Michael mentions that he believes his 2003 Elddis Autoquest motorhome’s gas-locker is too small to accommodate a Calor 6kg canister plus a French “Le Cube” gas container - and, if the locker cannot hold a “Le Cube”, no other French gas bottle would fit in as they all have a larger diameter.

 

It should be obvious that the 3-week motorcaravanning holiday in France in June that Micheal is planning could involve very little gas consumption if a reasonable percentage of that time were spent with the motorhome connected to a 230V hook-up, and a pair of full Calor 6kg bottles should be plenty adequate unless Michael insists on holidaying 100% off-hook-up and cooking and heating a lot.

 

If I were taking a motorhome to France for the first time and planned to travel around Brittany for 3 weeks, I wouldn’t want to be worrying about whether my 2 x 6kg Calor bottles would last out - I’d just get an ACSI card and stay predominantly on campsites.

[Deffheads]

Hi, We spend months in southern Spain for the winter, both on sites with hook up and wild camping. We carry 2x 13kg Calor propane bottles which run Alde heating and water plus cooking and fridge. Our usage is normally 1 bottle every 4 weeks, then we refill Calor bottle at LPG stations [these are all over Europe] and this is much cheaper than Gaslow conversions. Look on the web at LPG.eu

[Derek Uzzell]

Although it is certainly possible to refill Calor propane bottles with ‘autogas’ using a suitable adapter

 

 

this contravenes Calor’s bottle-hire contract (a Calor-bottle is never OWNED by the user).

 

https://www.calor.co.uk/news/calor-warns-about-unlawful-filling-of-lpg-cylinders-at-autogas-refuelling-sites/

 

Michael Morris will be touring Brittany in June and, if he were planning to refill his Calor bottles there, he would almost certainly need to do this surreptitiously as French autogas providers really do not take kindly to people refilling ‘portable' gas canisters.

[Deffheads]

Hi, Whilst I agree about Calor owning the bottles {has anyone tried to return them to Calor?] I have filled in the UK by placing the van by the pump obscuring my procedure. However also filled in France at a self service station, no problem. In Spain the pump attendants fill the bottles for you and often carry the adaptors themselves.

I am quite happy to carry on with this as the savings are enormous and have very often seen autogas pumps that are unreachable by motorhomes fitted with Gaslow or similar systems.

 

[Derek Uzzell]

The procedure for returning unwanted Calor bottlesI is described here:

 

https://www.calor.co.uk/gas-bottles/gas-bottle-return

 

In the past I’ve returned unwanted Calor bottles to a local Calor agent who seemed happy enough to accept them. As the Calor bottles I’ve acquired over the years have never involved obtaining a Calor Cylinder Refill Agreement, there has never been a real incentive to get a refund when disposing of them. There is no Calor Centre near enough to where I live that would make it worthwhile seeking to obtain the £7.50 per bottle that Calor is currently offering.

 

Putting aside the ‘ownership’ issue, as an exchange-only gas-bottle has no integrated 80% shut-off valve to limit the quantity of LPG being put in it, will need to be disconnected from the motorhome’s gas system every time it needs to be refilled and the refilling procedure needs extra care, such bottles have significant disadvantages compared to gas containers designed to be user-refillable.

 

For about £40 Michael COULD obtain adapters that would allow him to refill his Calor bottles in the UK and France, but it’s debatable whether this a) would be advisable as I’m guessing he has no bottle-refilling experience and b) would be a genuine investment for his future motorcaravanning.

[pepe63xnotuse]

Derek Uzzell - 2018-04-19 7:52 AM

 

Putting aside the ‘ownership’ issue, as an exchange-only gas-bottle has no integrated 80% shut-off valve to limit the quantity of LPG being put in it, will need to be disconnected from the motorhome’s gas system every time it needs to be refilled and the refilling procedure needs extra care, such bottles have significant disadvantages compared to gas containers designed to be user-refillable.

 

.

 

It's okay Derek, I'm sure that all the users of these ebay-esque adapters, always remove their "exchange" cylinders from their vehicles, weigh them(the cylinders), calculate how much LPG can be accommodated (being careful to allow for the 20% expansion void), and them refit them, all before they make their way to the filling station.........don't they?

 

*Surely they don't just pump as much in as they can?..........

(* although those that do, probably know best anyway..)

 

[Deffheads]

Re for the filling a gas bottle is no more daunting than the first time Gaslow owners refill theirs. As for the 80% cut off, the adaptors I purchased have the number of litres for every size of bottle, also all European adaptors as there are several different types.

The cost of exchanging a Calor bottle in the Uk is approx £27, it costs me 14 euros per refill, it's a no brainer.

I also don't understand why people are obsessed by plugging into mains all the time at anywhere between 3 and 4 euro's a night, it's much cheaper to use gas and solar power. Don't let the missus take her hair dryer!!

[pepe63xnotuse]

Deffheads - 2018-04-19 8:29 AM

As for the 80% cut off, the adaptors I purchased have the number of litres for every size of bottle, also all European adaptors as there are several different types.

 

So presumably they also magically calculate how much gas is already/still in your cylinder(s) as well?...or are you going to say that you only ever go to refill when your cylinders are totally empty....? :-S

[Deffheads]

Surely it's common sense if you carry two bottles to only refill when empty,this is how I know that my 13kg bottle lasts 4 weeks [Then I have at least 3 weeks to refill the empty one], I have all the LPG stations in Europe on my sat nav.

 

[Deffheads]

pepe63 - 2018-04-19 9:37 AM

 

Deffheads - 2018-04-19 8:29 AM

As for the 80% cut off, the adaptors I purchased have the number of litres for every size of bottle, also all European adaptors as there are several different types.

 

So presumably they also magically calculate how much gas is already/still in your cylinder(s) as well?...or are you going to say that you only ever go to refill when your cylinders are totally empty....? :-S

 

It's very easy to determine when the bottle is empty, as the hob does not light and the fridge starts clicking.

[Derek Uzzell]

Deffheads - 2018-04-19 8:29 AM

 

Re for the filling a gas bottle is no more daunting than the first time Gaslow owners refill theirs...

 

Nonsense.

 

Filling a Gaslow bottle does not involve disconnecting the canister from the motorhome’s gas system, nor does a Gaslow bottle need to be empty before being refilled, nor (if the bottle is not empty) does any calculation need to be made before refilling begins, nor does any particular care need to be taken when refilling a Gaslow bottle to prevent overfilling as the bottle’s 80% shut-off valve is there to prevent overfilling happening.

 

I’m not talking theory here - I have a refilling adapters that permit me to refill UK exchange-only bottles. I’ve done this in the past, in the UK and abroad, so I’m well aware of what’s involved.

 

Realistically, there are only two pluses refilling Calor bottles with LPG - it’s cheap and the bottle can be taken to the filling-point. Everything else is negative - it’s not contractually legal, it’s frowned upon by many LPG providers, the refilling procedure involves bottle-disconnection and there’s a real risk of overfilling if there’s a problem with the LPG delivery system.

[pepe63xnotuse]

Deffheads - 2018-04-19 8:51 AM

 

Surely it's common sense if you carry two bottles to only refill when empty,this is how I know that my 13kg bottle lasts 4 weeks [Then I have at least 3 weeks to refill the empty one], I have all the LPG stations in Europe on my sat nav.

 

The point I'm making is that some(many?) won't wait 'til they are empty, and they will be tempted to just top-up "..while we're here..just in case" etc :-S

[flyboyprowler]

Wow, this subject has escalated from a question of gas usage to a discussion on refilling technically non refillable bottles to save minor amounts of money. And yet, people are prepared to put themselves and others around in possible danger, should the refilling process go wrong, just to save a few pennies.

Bite the bullet, get an approved refillable system, and they are available second hand, get it properly fitted, and stay safe.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/motorhome-caravan-2-GASLOW-CYLINDERS-R67-6K-TWIN-FITTINGS-used-Bury-Lancs/232736458161?hash=item36302c85b1:g:uNwAAOSw8S9a0yqr

[Deffheads]

I disagree with the last post about saving pennies, the cost of fitting a 2 bottle Gaslow system is near enough £600, thats 3 years worth of continuous gas use at my rate of usage.

As I said you only need a modecom of common sense to refill bottles!!

I really hope that all this discussion has helped the original post. In an ideal world all new vans would come properly equipped and not be subject to owner adding essential accessories.

[starvin marvin]

Derek Uzzell - 2018-04-19 9:01 AM

 

Deffheads - 2018-04-19 8:29 AM

 

Re for the filling a gas bottle is no more daunting than the first time Gaslow owners refill theirs...

 

Nonsense.

 

Filling a Gaslow bottle does not involve disconnecting the canister from the motorhome’s gas system, nor does a Gaslow bottle need to be empty before being refilled, nor (if the bottle is not empty) does any calculation need to be made before refilling begins, nor does any particular care need to be taken when refilling a Gaslow bottle to prevent overfilling as the bottle’s 80% shut-off valve is there to prevent overfilling happening.

 

I’m not talking theory here - I have a refilling adapters that permit me to refill UK exchange-only bottles. I’ve done this in the past, in the UK and abroad, so I’m well aware of what’s involved.

 

Realistically, there are only two pluses refilling Calor bottles with LPG - it’s cheap and the bottle can be taken to the filling-point. Everything else is negative - it’s not contractually legal, it’s frowned upon by many LPG providers, the refilling procedure involves bottle-disconnection and there’s a real risk of overfilling if there’s a problem with the LPG delivery system.

 

Agreed.

 

I would add in lots of countries “ordinary” gas bottles are refilled, usually by an operative using a weighing system so as to not overfill.

[Derek Uzzell]

Deffheads - 2018-04-19 11:07 AM

 

I disagree with the last post about saving pennies, the cost of fitting a 2 bottle Gaslow system is near enough £600, thats 3 years worth of continuous gas use at my rate of usage.

As I said you only need a modecom of common sense to refill bottles!!

I really hope that all this discussion has helped the original post. In an ideal world all new vans would come properly equipped and not be subject to owner adding essential accessories.

 

It should be practicable for around £200 to DIY a motorhome gas system based on a single brand-new Gaslow 11kg bottle with a remote filling-point. As this container has an accurate contents-gauge, there’s normally no persuasive reason to have a 2-bottle system and, if the motorhome is subsequently disposed of, the Gaslow container can be transferred to the replacement vehicle or sold.

 

I’m not convinced that Michael Morris (the original poster) needs to opt for a user-refillable system for his maximum-3-weeks trip to France in June, though he might want to do so if he acquires a taste for parking off 230V hook-up.

 

But if he does not plan to visit countries where refilling of ‘ordinary’ gas bottles is commonplace and acceptable, he’d be wise to invest in a system intended for user-refilling.

[Alanb]

I think that the following may be pertinant to the original post.

 

We have only recently returned from a six week tour of NZ, in a rented PVC equipped with a two burner hob, microwave, and 4kg gas bottle.

 

The main use of the microwave was to cook potatoes for the main meal. Other vegetables and meat were cooked from raw, not reheated from tins.

 

We were only off EHU for five nights, as on some sites there was no extra charge for a "Power Site" (EHU).

 

All meals were prepared on board, but we did not use the LPG for space heating. A fan heater sufficed on the few occasions that we needed a bit of warmth.

 

We did not need to have the LPG bottle refilled during our visit. On previous visits of the same duration, we have used a minimal amount of LPG for space heating, without it running out.

 

I should however mention that water heating was from the engine cooling system, or EHU, via a boat boiler

 

We invariably use the campground shower facilities.

 

Alan