Grumpyman Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 I have a 20litre gas tank on my autotrail always had cylinders before. Ho easy is it to refill any tips appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 The first time, like so many first times, can be a bit intimidating but once you get the hang of it it is simples. The instructions on the pump are usually pretty clear and need to be followed and apart from the loud escape of pressure which can take you by surprise if you are not expecting it when you disconnect it is as easy as getting diesel. Probably worth filling up in the UK to get the hang of it and to ensure it all works as it should before venturing abroad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Like Tracker says it is a bit awkward the first couple of times and even though I am more familiar with the process now we only fill up twice a year so each time I have to think about what I am doing. The process is - remove the cap from the tank fill point on the van, insert the LPG nozzle and twist the locking collar, pull back and lock off the flow lever on the nozzle then finally press the button on the pump to start the filling process. Filling is automatic and the pump will shut down once the tank is about 80% full. You then release the locked off lever on the nozzle, twist the locking collar anti clockwise, at which point there is a loud release of cold LPG vapour trapped in the nozzle, which still sounds alarming to me, then return the nozzle to the pump. The first time I did it I was unaware that I had to press a button on the pump to start the filling process and thought I had done something wrong so started again and eventually had to ask the attentant what I was doing wrong. He looked at me like I was an imbecile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 There are several on-line videos about using an ‘autogas’ pump (example here) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=piajlE3zwe4V And there’s advice on Pages 7.4 to 7.6 of this (Auto-Sleepers) handbook http://www.auto-sleepers.com/media/2014/12/Warwick-Duo-2008-handbook.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 The cylinder valves need to be turned off. You need adaptors for the continent, the method is different, and the instructions(strangely) are in a foriegn language, so you need to look it up on the internet before you go. ???? http://www.gaslowdirect.com/Refillable-Shop/What-Do-I-Need/Page-/-Category Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandy Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Something that caught me out the first couple of times is that you sometimes have to hold the button in for some while before it starts pumping. I actually gave up the first time and went somewhere else, mistakenly believing there was a fault with the pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Billggski - 2018-08-18 3:37 PM The cylinder valves need to be turned off. You need adaptors for the continent, the method is different, and the instructions(strangely) are in a foriegn language, so you need to look it up on the internet before you go. ???? http://www.gaslowdirect.com/Refillable-Shop/What-Do-I-Need/Page-/-Category This video-clip describes the method of refilling a car’s LPG-tank from an Autogas pump of the type generally found in the UK and Calor guidance is here https://www.calor.co.uk/media/wysiwyg/PDF/autogas_refuelling_guidelines.pdf As Billggski says, refilling outside the UK will require the appropriate adapter https://www.mylpg.eu/adapters and the design and action of the pump’s delivery ‘gun’ also varies. Gaslow used to advise that the outlet-valve of its user-refillable cylinders should be turned off before refilling began to guard against the possibility of the leisure-vehicle’s gas-regulator being damaged. However, turning off the outlet-valve of a motorhome’s fixed LPG tank (which Grumpyman’s Auto-Trail motorhome has) is unlikely to be practicable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyprowler Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 If you really do get into trouble then don't be afraid to ask the staff at the station. Once in Spain, my adaptor would not connect properly and the staff guy not only helped but had another adaptor that did the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barryd999 Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 The bloke who fitted my Gaslow said there was no reason to turn off the bottle when filling and unless I remember before I Go to the station I never do as I dont want to be seen opening the locker. I find the UK pumps much more difficult that the French ones. I had one the other week that failed to connect properly and sprayed LPG all over me and the forecourt and its the second time its happened, both UK pumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 Barryd999 - 2018-08-19 9:26 AM The bloke who fitted my Gaslow said there was no reason to turn off the bottle when filling... As I said above Gaslow certainly USED to advise that the outlet-valve of their user-refillable bottles should be turned off prior to refilling them. In thiis (elderly but still useful) Gaslow document http://www.gaslow.co.uk/pdf/INSTRUC_inside_UK.pdf there is a large red oval in which is written “IMPORTANT - Always turn OFF cylinder valves BEFORE filling”. Despite what your ‘bloke’ told you the reasons to do it should be obvious, as Brambles explained in his posting of 31 May 2010 9:17 AM in this forum thread https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Gaslow/19860/ Obviously there’s no compulsion to turn off bottle(s) before filling (and I suspect most people don't) but it’s a sensible precautionary measure and simple enough to do. If the motorhome has a fixed LPG tank, turning off the tank’s outlet-valve before filling would be far more difficult. My view of UK LPG pumps (the ones that use a bayonet-type connection) versus French pumps differs from yours. While it’s certainly possible for a LPG bayonet-type pump-gun to not connect properly to the vehicle filler-point’s adapter, at least the connection procedure is 2-stage. The French system normally employs a ‘claw’ type of pump-gun and the connection procedure is single-stage and ‘all or nothing’. I’ve had UK LPG pumps leak gas at the filling adapter and I’ve even had the nozzle of the pump-gun come free from the adapter, but at least the UK pump-gun itself always stays on the adapter. That’s not the case with the French system as, if the pump-gun disconnects from the adapter, it completely disconnects and that can be VERY exciting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plwsm2000 Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 My local supplier has an old analogue pump that the cashier cannot read remotely. I need to tell the cashier how much gas I have taken. Apart from that, it uses the standard nozzle and you press and hold the green button until the cylinders 80% fill cutoff valve stops the flow. You can hear a change in the tone of the pump and the meter stops incrementing when the 80% limit is reached. I once filled up in Spain where the attendant insisted I fit my Spanish adapter onto my standard uk/dutch bayonet who the fitted their own adapter to convert it back to a uk/dutch bayonet! I was a bit worried about the forces on my filler point with the leverage and weight of the nozzle and hoze though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmold Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 Refillable cylinders need recertification every ten years. Where to get that done is a problem. No-one wants to do it, even Gas-it who supply them in the first place. The valves require checking or replacing, the tanks should be repainted and relabelled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 Certificatiion was discussed at some length in this 2015/2017 forum thread: https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Hydraulic-testing-of-refillable-gas-bottles/37497/ As it’s apparently impossible in the UK for a motorhome owner to have a user-refillable LPG bottle or LPG tank tested and recertified, the time-limit requirement cannot be met and the only realistic option then is to discard the old bottle/tank and replace it with a new one. (Has anyone explored recertification of LPG tanks with those UK motorhome manufacturers that fit them as standard?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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