I think if I was on a campsite where the electrics were metered, usually Germany, I would be tempted to use gas to heat the water as I was once stung with a €5 a day bill for electrics! But even using gas for say a week and the rest of the time for cooking most days we certainly don't use a full 6 kgs bottle in the course of an 8/10 week trip. Val virtually lives in France and a bottle of gas has lasted 3 years! Obviously up to the individual but I suppose what I am questioning is the need to purchase a local gas bottle (not as cheap as I thought they were either!) when a 10 kgs bottle would last, perhaps, 3 months if on a campsite with electrics.
On the point of using onboard showers. We have gone to the expense of buying a caravan with a reasonable sized toilet/shower compartment and as this has added considerably to price of the van it seems daft not to use it. After all when I am at home I don't walk down the garden to have a shower, I go next door to the bathroom
David
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Like David, I use the facilities in the caravan and would be put off caravanning if I didn't have this option. OH prefers to use the campsite facilities but that's his choice. We don't get through much gas either. We use it for all the cooking, we don't do barbeques but I don't think we use one cylinder a year. We always carry two calor lights, one full and one in use and we've never had any problems. We go away for six weeks then another four weeks later in the year but we use electricity for the fridge, heating and hot water.
Quote: Originally posted by John Lock on 21/4/2011
I have one BP Gas Light 10kg bottle which I believe has the same 27mm connection as the le Cube and as we spend 6 weeks in France each year it would increase our flexability as far as gas supplies are concerned.
jaiash
Thanks for the info.
What is the capacity of the bottle you gave the prices for.
BTW we have the small BP cylinder and spend 5 weeks in France every summer, the current one has done us for 12 weeks including some use at home, we use electric for water, any heating and a kettle. Gas is for the oven and hob only. I carry an empty camping gaz so I can get some gas in an emergency, cylinder was free from one of the freebie websites.
Living in France, I have just kitted out our new van with 2 Viseo 10 kilo cylinders. The deposit is 19€ each and a refill is between 18 and 21 Euros depending on where you buy. They are only available in Butane whereas the smaller Cubes can be butane or propane. We will be mainly using Aires so need the capacity for the fridge and are not expecting to do winter camping in France.
------------- Voyageur
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Don’t you just love these old posts being resurrected, anyway my CampinGaz 907 is due for retirement as the cost of a refill is just silly, and as we only go camping in France I thought it a good idea to stick with a French system.
So I am moving over to Butagaz Le Cube 6kg Butane, as luck would have it I bagged a Butagaz Le Cube 5kg Propane cylinder c/w 27mm regulator and pigtail, courtesy of eBay 99p ! picked that up a couple of days ago,
My plan for when we get to France next June, is to exchange the Le Cube Propane for a Le Cube Butane and pick up the 21mm butane regulator from Mr Bricolage etc.
If they won’t swap the Propane cylinder for the Butane version, then I guess I will stick with the Propane, but I would rather go the Butane route as you get more gas for your money, so longer run time, ideally I would like to end up with two Le Cube’s.
Hopefully this will save me having to pay the €25 cylinder deposit, so I only have to pay for the gas €23 which works out at half the price if not better than CampinGaz gas.
Le cube butane still uses 27mm clip Fran but 28m/b. You can indeed pick up a regulator in Leroy merlin or Leclercs etc but dear as hell. Around 20odd€. Includes a screw on nipple so you can use with UK style pipe & jubilee clip as well as the screw on French pipe which is also as dear as hell.
Why they rob you for fittings in France I know not. Example my new caravan has bulkhead regulator so I needed a 27mm clip adaptor for pigtail for my cube. £9 off UK eBay but over 20€ in France for exact same fitting.
Thanks Billy, but is the regulator for Le Cube Butane not 21mm, as the Le Cube Propane regulator I have is 27mm and 37m/b.
I notice that the Butane regulators are around €20 in France, and the ones on uk ebay state 29 to 30mb and cost just £7 on ebay, as they just have the nipple connection with no threaded connection, which is all I need, can you see any reason why such a regulator would not work with a Butane Le Cube, or is it a case that I have to get the spcific Butagaz Butane regulator, which no doubt comes with the nipple adapter, in case you don't want to use a tube with a threaded connection.
I also notice that there are Butane regulators that are just 20mm, which obviously will not fit a Le Cube.
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Le Cube regulators are 27mm clip for both butane & propane but different pressures. Something else I cannot figure out is why bottle top regulators have to be 28mb butane & 37mb propane when a 30mb bulkhead regulator can do both?
The 20mm clip regulators fit other smaller French bottle like Elfi. Unlike UK bottles French bottles tend to use same fitting for both butane & propane bottles of same type & rely on the user to ensure correct regulator is used. For example the large French bottle often used in domestic kitchens use same left hand thread regulator size but different pressures for butane & propane. A French 13kg butane bottle can use the same screw on regulator as used on a Calor 4.5kg butane but obviously the propane bottle needs 37mb version but fitting is the same.
Every day is a school day billy, I am amazed that both the Butane and Propane regulators for Le Cube are the same size 27mm, you have just saved me £7 from not buying a 21mm U.K. Butane regulator.
From what I can tell I will only be able to get hold of a Le Cube Butane 27mm 28m/b regulator in France, that is designed to take a threaded connector although should come with a nipple adapter that can take a push on fit tube.
Thank’s again billy for your info, it’s much appreciated, and has saved me from dropping a hairy bo****k.
Also, big shoutout to opensauce, who also mentioned in this thread back in 2011 that both the Le Cube Butane and Propane regulators are 27mm, just different m/b.
My fault for not fully reading those earlier posts, now that I get the Le Cube situation, I just hope they will exchange my empty Le Cube Propane for a full Le Cube Butane so that I only have to pay the €19.99 refill charge.
In which case, having to pay €20 for the Butane Le Cube regulator is fine, although it may be possible for me to get another Butane Le Cube c/w regulator, they sometimes have offers on to get folk to go for Le Cube, at the moment it’s €34 deposit on the cylinder, but if that includes a Butane regulator, then the set up cost of €54 could be worth it.
Unless I can find another Le Cube cylinder for nowt.
That way for €74 I would end up with two full Le Cube 6kg Butane cylinders and a regulator, which would keep me going in gas for a good number of years, so in the long run money well spent.
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Topic: le Cube
and a bottle of gas has lasted 3 years! Obviously up to the individual but I suppose what I am questioning is the need to purchase a local gas bottle (not as cheap as I thought they were either!) when a 10 kgs bottle would last, perhaps, 3 months if on a campsite with electrics.
