Quote: Originally posted by blueexpo97 on 17/4/2023
Quote: Originally posted by Dave and Cyn on 17/4/2023
We've had a 10kg Safefill for a few years now and swear by it.
Spring and Autumn when using the heating a fair bit the bottle lasts on average around 8 days.
In Summer that goes out to around 12 days.
Refilling is straightforward and a lot cheaper than any of the exchange cylinders. Our local filling point currently charges 99p a litre. Even from completely empty that's less than £20 to fill and no need to wait for it to run out before topping up.
Although quite a few places are taking out their LPG pumps we've always been able to get it filled within a reasonable distance.
Are you off grid with what seems to me high consumption?
Quote: Originally posted by Dave and Cyn on 17/4/2023
We've had a 10kg Safefill for a few years now and swear by it.
Spring and Autumn when using the heating a fair bit the bottle lasts on average around 8 days.
In Summer that goes out to around 12 days.
Refilling is straightforward and a lot cheaper than any of the exchange cylinders. Our local filling point currently charges 99p a litre. Even from completely empty that's less than £20 to fill and no need to wait for it to run out before topping up.
Although quite a few places are taking out their LPG pumps we've always been able to get it filled within a reasonable distance.
so we are currently using the calor propane bottles, what do the safefill ones use to connect up to a bulkhead regulator
Self same 27mm left hand thread.
We prefer the ones with the thumb wheel as opposed to needing spanners every time.
LOL! How long it'll last is another 'how long's a piece of string' question, it depends on appliances fitted and usage and only you know that! - and you're not telling us to guide us!
As a comparison, a full 10Kg Safefill will last 1.6 times longer than a full 6Kg Calor Propane. How long a 6Kg Calor lasts you, only you know!
You can do a rough calculation of your potential usage based on the gas consumption of each appliance, but that is likely to give you worst case scenario as it won't take into account periods where a thermostat has tripped out, or set to a low temperature and consumption reduced, you'll have to judge how long you use your cooker for and how many burners going, and of course ambient temps will influence usage! That'll allow you to work out how long each Kg of gas will last, and you can just scale that up and down to suit the actual cylinder capacity you have.
The gas consumption of each device should be stated in the user manual, and on the data label on the appliance (if you can gain access to read it! - often out of sight on an installed unit!)
Giving you stated figures for my 2016 caravan may give you a clue, it's got typical current appliances fitted:
Fridge: 11.25g/hour Average Gas Consumption = 270g/24hrs
Cooker: 2 hobs 107g/hr, 1 hob 71.5g/hr, grill 114g/hr, oven 107g/hr. MAX with all burners lit 507g/hr
Water/Blown Air Heating: 160-460g/hr.
1000g in a Kg if you need that info.
As to difficulty of getting Calor cylinders, I've given up on them BEFORE I desperately need a refill based on the general appalling reputation they have acquired over past few years! I've now got a Flogas cylinder (I went for the lightweight 5kg Gaslight, as I needed to get my noseweight down!), and they claim to have more outlets than Calor! Certainly see more and more outlets stocking Flowgas now than a year or so back, many seem to be changing over from Calor to Flogas, guess they must be just as fed up with the dreadful Calor supply shortages as the poor end user! Advantage of the Flogas Gaslight cylinders is that you may be able to carry two 5Kg cylinders as they are much lighter than the steel cylinders, and they are translucent so you can see contents!
I don't use anything like enough gas to justify purchasing a Safefill or equivalent, I'd NEVER recoup the cost on cheap refills, but what would concern me more if investing in one now is the rapidly declining numbers of refill points, most of the roadside fuel stations have already removed or are planing to remove LPG pumps! Other outlets may be less conveniently situated!
thanks Monty for that, noseweight isnt an issue with us and if needed we would just put the spare calor in the back of the car. i dont really want to get rid totally of calor but to have that as a back up bottle.
as we re intending on going rallying much more then the safefill would be our main usage bottle and for weekends away i tend to cook the meals at home and freeze them, so only reheating the food, which leaves us with it running the fridge and the occasional use of the gas fire, longer in the winter months obviously. we only ever put the hot water on just for washing up as im dishing out as the water then is hot enough to do that, body washing is done mainly with the kids standing in the shower and washing them down with a soapy sponge and then a quick swill down with the warm water, same for us too really so the water heater is on about 30 mins max for each day. kettle boiling seems to be one of our high demand things! even then we boil the kettle make cuppas and any remaining hot water is put into a flask.
ive been looking at the price of the safefill bottles, i can get a 10kg bottle for £210 whereas in reality we could get away with using the smaller 5kg bottle for over the weekend usage levels, costing £190, its a bit of a no brainer tho which bottle we would go for (10kg size)
We are a week into a 6 week trip to Spain/Portugal we started with a full 10 kg Safefill bottle filled in Morrisons Wrexham 79p /Lt we expect it to last 6 weeks mainly off grid. We have necessary adapters to refill here if needed.
Been using Safefill for 5 years now and it's paid for itself many times.
We have been using Safefill for over 8 years and have never had an issue refilling. We have the 7.5kg Safefill bottle. Bonus is that you can see the level and can top up at anytime. Our last top up which was in 2022 cost us under £8 and the bottle was very close to be totally empty. By the way there is a FB Safefill group where you can get all the latest info.
I use Safefill. I tow with a VW Tiguan and the built in sat nav has an option to show LPG filling places. I use that or the FillLPG app on my phone to find places to fill up.
------------- We camped for years. In 2019 we bought an Elddis Avante 454. We like it as it is short (6.9m) and fits in our driveway and has a fixed bed.
We had 127 nights away in the caravan in 2023.
Make sure the safefill bottle fits your locker - they tend to be slightly fatter and taller. The valve of the bottle should also be below the height of your regulator and luggage scales come in handy to help ensure you don't overfill.
You mentioned you were near Middlesbrough - I believe Catterick Caravans sell the bottles. Or if you are further south - Autogas 2000 in Thirsk have started to stock them and you can fill your bottle whilst there.
One advantage overlooked with refillables is that fact you don't have to carry two gas bottles because one is a quarter full. Just top it up before every trip and you set off with a full bottle. If you only carry one bottle - less nose weight and more space in the gas locker.
The Safefill bottles have an in-built mechanism that won't allow it to be overfilled, it automatically cuts out at 80% full to leave space for the liquid to vapourise.
Dave.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
well i struck lucky! managed to get my hands on a safefill bottle (7kg size) along with a new pipe for £130. a bloke near me had bought it last year at the end of the season, and has since decided that he is no longer going to keep the caravan so was selling the whole lot, so i got a brand new bottle and pipe for just under half price
There are rare occassions when people overfill their bottles (issues to do with the LPG pump) so its always worth checking how full it is with a luggage scale. If the bottle has never previously been filled make sure you follow the safefill first fill guideline (do not fill the bottle to the normal 80% level)
Definitely worth joining the Safefill facebook group for the latest map info.
Quote: Originally posted by gari on 12/5/2023
There are rare occassions when people overfill their bottles (issues to do with the LPG pump) so its always worth checking how full it is with a luggage scale. If the bottle has never previously been filled make sure you follow the safefill first fill guideline (do not fill the bottle to the normal 80% level)
Definitely worth joining the Safefill facebook group for the latest map info.
what is the name of the facebook group? i will take a look at that
The Facebook group is https://www./3305410199475563
it is called SAFEFILL INFO & REFILL STATIONS
I use an app on my phone to find places to refil. The app is FillLPG
------------- We camped for years. In 2019 we bought an Elddis Avante 454. We like it as it is short (6.9m) and fits in our driveway and has a fixed bed.
We had 127 nights away in the caravan in 2023.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Safefill LPG Filling
via mobile 17/4/2023 at 11:50am
