Quick one for you experts. I have the blue bottle of gas at mo in the van that I use for cooking but looking at a few trips away over winter and at 4c gas starts to freeze now I need a red bottle as far as I'm aware. "You can tell I'm new". Now I'm sure I have the piping and the regulator thing but were do you get a full bottle from "petrol station" and how. Do they sell you the bottle or it a exchange basis.
First things first. Unless you buy a 'plumbed in' system like Gaslow then I have to say that no one 'owns' the gas bottle in their locker.
Strictly speaking they are hired from the gas supply Co. that owns the bottle.
That being the case, if you were to go to the garage and 'Hire' the bottle complete with gas, it would cost an arm and leg.
If you can, obtain a propane bottle from a local recycling centre. Some sell them off. Some of them however will make huge sucking noises like they're apprentice plumbers pricing a job and mutter about 'Elf an' Safety.
There are propane bottles on Ebay and Gumtree and the like. Put an ad in your local window and see what comes up.
What I'm saying is do anything but hire a bottle. It costs a fortune and you'll be no better off.
Good hunting
------------- How come when some people visit the fountain of knowledge, they only gargle!!!
Yes you can exchange a blue (butane) bottle for a red (propane) bottle within the groups above no problem. You only pay for the gas. Butane's boiling point is around 3C whereas propane is around -40C. Above these temperatures the liquid in the bottle can turn into a gas as it is released. This is why the type of gas is important in winter.
Depending on the regulator you have, that may need to be changed. Pipework is fine.
------------- Phil
Blood, Sweat and Beers.
The more I learn the more I know, the more I know the more I forget, the more I forget the less I know
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If your blue bottle is Calor go to a Calor supplier & he will exchange it for a red propane bottle of same size & sometimes different size if you want that depending on bottle. You pay only for the contents.
Does your caravan have the regulator on the bulkhead? if it does you will need a new pigtail or adaptor for different bottle fitting. If you go to a caravan showroom that also sell Calor bottles(most do)they will advise you.
If you have an older caravan with regulator direct on top of bottle then you will need a different regulator, again supplier can advise you.
If your bottle is of a different make, ie Flogas then their suppliers wil do same, but most gas bottles are Calor, name will be on bottle.
You may well find if you go asking at builders merchants or roofing contractors suppliers that they don't require a bottle deposit on the 11kg size bottles best suited for winter use. "Best" because in winter you need space heating and that is relatively speaking a big gas consumer.
These in my experience are not Calor but use the same connector Calor use for propane. Note that is different to your Butane fitting so whatever supply route you go you need to acquire the correct fitting kit.
I use my van a lot in winter often without EHU, if your gas usage is high, winter or summer, then purchase a Safefill refillable cylinder. I get mine filled at my local independent garage with auto gas (propane) and get 15ltr/8.6kg of gas for £13.04 and can also just top it up as and when and always go off with a full cylinder. All you need is a normal propane regulator or for bulkhead mounted ones a propane pigtail.
They are SAFE and stop filling at 80% full with other inbuilt safety features, i.e. if you forget to close the cylinder valve when disconnecting from the pump, no gas escapes.
I got my 1st 7kg bottle off a bit of waste ground recently vacated by a load of travellers.
Also phone around some of the caravan shops. I have one that about 10 miles away and they sometimes have offers where they will let you have a bottle with no depositor exhange.
I spotted their advert on ebay for the 7kg butane with no exchange required so thought why not. Spare 7kg bottle. Just in case.
I recently bought a 19kg Propane bottle from them under the same terms.
They get spare/excess bottles in sometimes so they can do that.
I always get my gas from them now. So its good business for them also.
Quote: Originally posted by Octavia4x4 on 01/10/2013
I use my van a lot in winter often without EHU, if your gas usage is high, winter or summer, then purchase a Safefill refillable cylinder. I get mine filled at my local independent garage with auto gas (propane) and get 15ltr/8.6kg of gas for £13.04 and can also just top it up as and when and always go off with a full cylinder. All you need is a normal propane regulator or for bulkhead mounted ones a propane pigtail. They are SAFE and stop filling at 80% full with other inbuilt safety features, i.e. if you forget to close the cylinder valve when disconnecting from the pump, no gas escapes.
Never heard of these; can you point me to the website?? £13 and filling yourself from the Autogas pump sounds like a good deal...
------------- Regards
Chris
Caravanning for 22 years
1997 Toyota Land Cruiser 3.0TD & 2004 Avondale Mayfair 510-5L
Previous towcars:
2002 Nissan Primera - sold
2002 Ford Galaxy - Died & scrapped. Good riddance.
1998 BMW 525TDS SE - PEx
1998 VW Passat SE - Crashed into & scrapped
1997 Peugeot 406 GLX - PEx
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Look carefully around rim of bottle, you should find 'tare weight' stamped into the metal, this is weight of empty bottle. Gas contents will be tare+whatever weight of gas is left in bottle, ie tare+3kg in a 6kg bottle means bottle is half full.
I changed a 15kg butane for a 13kg propane at Go Outdoors 2wks ago,I should really have down sized the bottle as well as the 13kg will have to stand outside the caravan,so I will downsize it next time.
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Topic: Gas bottles over winter
