As I am new to this business of gas bottles, can someone tell me the difference or give me a link where I can find out for myself the difference between the various gas bottles; ie. Calor, LPG, Butane, FloGas, Propane. Seems like it is down to personal choice and that is determined by experience, and this site has that in abundance. Thanks
It is aĺl very simple really!
The manufacturer doesn't really matter although Calor is more readily available to exchange on UK camp sites.
Butane, in the blue cylinder, will not work at low temperatures so if you are considering winter camping then steer clear of that.
Propane, in the orange cylinder, will work at lower temperatures and is the normal choice for winter campers.
If you go abroad there are other considerations to think about. Calor is not available on the continent so you either need to take enough gas with you or use CampingGaz (which is butane ) and readily available both on the continent and in the UK.
CampingGaz is more expensive but unless you use vast quantities of gas the difference is negligible.
Daves1
Thanks DaveS1 - I have a 1989 Swift Challenger with a gas locker in the front. With a spare tyre and other sundries, I should choose a bottle that is less weight? I can't see us doing winter camping in this first season (we don't plan to go on our first trip until the end of (Feb middle of March), and by the time next year comes along I will know more. I have several empty bottles both butane and one propane. Looks like Butane for me.
If you are UK camping, even just March to Oct you can get frosty mornings so go for propane then you know your cooker will work whatever. The CalorLite 6kg propane bottles are popular with caravanners. If you are going abroad a full 6kg bottle for just cooking will last several weeks.
Calor, Flogas are the suppliers names. Calor is the most common. Flogas tends to be cheaper.
Can you get supplies quickly and easily where you live and holiday?
LPG Its all LPG.. Butane or Propane. Butane = Blue bottle and Propane = Red bottle. They both work but you need the correct regulator for your bottle type.
You could also get a Safefill refillable cylinder and go to your local garage and fill up with auto gas (propane). I pay about £13.00 for 15ltrs/8.6kg, compare that with the cost of a 6kg Calor cylinder, and it can be bought cheaper, it can be topped up as and when so you can always go off with a full cylinder. I have now paid off the initial outlay cost.
As Billy says, why not go for Propane. It will work all year round.
Your caravan will need a gas regulator which attaches to the bottle ( later caravans have the regulator fixed to the caravan bulkhead ) and delivers the gas at the correct pressure for you appliances. Propane and Butane regulators each have different fittings and so the cylinders are not readily interchangeable. If you use both you will need a regulator for each type of cylinder. They are quite cheap but can be fiddly to change especially when your breakfast is half cooked and it is pouring with rain!
You can buy a device which will allow you to connect two cylinders at the same time and when one runs out it is a simple turn of a knob to change over to the other.
And, yes, it usually best to keep the weight down if you can although the nose weight of the caravan will be governed by how it is loaded not just by the weight of the gas.
Most suppliers of bottled gas will let you change size and gas type without any penalty. But it must be the brand that they supply.
Thus if you have a Calor gas 4.5kg butane (blue bottle) and want to change it for a Calor gas 6kg propane (red bottle) you'll only have to pay for the gas in the propane bottle.
They won't take your Flogas bottle, nor will the Flogas man take your Calor bottle.
It's worth remembering the bottles remain the property of the supplier. Most just charge you or the gas, but if you don't return them, they may charge you for them.
The reason for this is they are not only full of flammable gas kept in liquid form, but are also a pressure vessel. As such these need checking and testing for safety and insurance purposes.
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Topic: Caravan Gas
, compare that with the cost of a 6kg Calor cylinder
, and it can be bought cheaper, it can be topped up as and when so you can always go off with a full cylinder. I have now paid off the initial outlay cost.
