LPG

[Geek]

Having two bottles is too much hassle. The sort of thing caravanners seem to revel in, turning the mundane into an adventure.

Carrying a can of diesel is a messy business. I haven't run out of diesel in decades.

My LPG has never ever run out in all the years I've had the van.

I simply top the tank up when it is showing a bit low on the gauge, or when I see LPG at a good price. There are no cheap sources near where I live, but I don't use LPG when I'm at home, so I top up en route.

 

[Geek]

Diesel is available at every station, LPG is not, so 2 bottles is advisable. Most people who have LPG go for 2 bottles for that reason. If your diesel tank was half the size, you would certainly opt for another tank if possible. With your argument, you would only need one Calor bottle also.
To the op, I would fit another refillable. LPG is much cheaper than Calor and Mylpg.eu will show where all the stations are. Also, should you venture to Europe, Calor is not available but LPG is far more common than in the UK.

You completely miss the point of refillables. With a calor bottle, you have to wait until it runs out or you pay for gas you can't use. Then you need a second bottle or you have no gas.

With an LPG tank, you tip it up so it never runs out. If the tank isn't big enough to cover that period, you need a bigger tank, not two of them.

It's a while since I bought LPG from a garage that sells diesel. I sometimes buy milk when buying diesel, but not usually LPG. The cheap prices are mostly at LPG only places.

 

[jagmanx]

You completely miss the point of refillables. With a calor bottle, you have to wait until it runs out or you pay for gas you can't use. Then you need a second bottle or you have no gas.

With an LPG tank, you tip it up so it never runs out. If the tank isn't big enough to cover that period, you need a bigger tank, not two of them.

It's a while since I bought LPG from a garage that sells diesel. I sometimes buy milk when buying diesel, but not usually LPG. The cheap prices are mostly at LPG only places.

My gas locker only had room for 2x11kg.
One only not enough capacity Lpg CAN be difficult.
Last year we twice got a bit too low for comfort what with being out and about in October and November and lpg stations a bit sparse.
The installer only promised to install 1x 11kg and 1x 6kg.
But he had a shoehorn !
In 2016 we toured Scandinavia. 2 bottles essential !!!!
We plan similar in 2023.
So very happy with 2 tanks !

 

[Geek]

I'm not sure I'd want just 2x11KG. My LPG tank is 70 litres, which translates to 28KG which is just big enough. It's enough for over a month in winter, longer in summer.

Truth to tell the gauge shows a red light when it drops to about 10 litres remaining, which usually triggers a top-up within a few days, as soon as we pass a reasonable price.

 

[jagmanx]

I'm not sure I'd want just 2x11KG. My LPG tank is 70 litres, which translates to 28KG which is just big enough. It's enough for over a month in winter, longer in summer.

Truth to tell the gauge shows a red light when it drops to about 10 litres remaining, which usually triggers a top-up within a few days, as soon as we pass a reasonable price.

Which is exactly why 2 tanks are better than one !!!

 

[Geek]

It's exactly why two tanks are not better. When the red light comes on, there is as much usable gas left as a full 6kg bottle, but there is no running out, no switching over, no switching back (or forgetting to) and no extra bottles to fill or to swap.
And if I wanted a bigger margin, I could top up when the gauge shows one quarter full.

 

[Barge1914]

I also cannot understand the need to have a second gas bottle if you have one refillable. Be like fitting a second fuel tank just in case you run out.

Handy when taking a slow dawdle round north of Highlands in midwinter. Or sitting in a snowdrift in the Alps

 

[Geek]

In either of those circumstances, two bottles would be less useful than a tank of the same capacity.

 

[Burge]

Sorry to interrupt this very interesting & enjoyable ( I must add ) debate, but can someone please confirm if a 6KG Red Calor Bottle can be connected to my Gas Connection of what I have now, thanks Chris.

 

[Geek]

Yes. It can. You have two possible approaches.

Either connect the bottle directly to the high pressure side of the regulator, or connect a regulator to the bottle and connect its low pressure side to the low pressure system of the van.

The latter is what people with fixed tanks use to connect through a barbeque gas point.

 

[Burge]

Sorry for my ignorance , but which is the High pressure side , is it the pipe that's not connected , do I just connect that pipe to the Red Calor bottle leaving the Valve on the bottle closed till needed, thanks for your reply.

 

[marchie]

Sorry to interrupt this very interesting & enjoyable ( I must add ) debate, but can someone please confirm if a 6KG Red Calor Bottle can be connected to my Gas Connection of what I have now, thanks Chris.

Your 'spare hose' is identical to that sold to me by Autogas in Thirsk in July 21 'in case you get stuck in the Highlands with no lpg supplies' as I posted above [#5?]. I queried with Autogas whether I could use the hose to transfer the Calor equivalent bottle contents to the Refillable tank and was told 'no', it's just a backup

Steve

 

[Burge]

Yes I understand you cannot transfer, it was if the set up allows me to have a Red Calor back up connected to that pipe ? As you said it looks like I can, I've just purchased a 6KG Calor Bottle & didn't want to connect it till I had confirmed it. I was told by the Handover people that it could be connected to a Spare Red Bottle but was just a little unsure, thank you.

 

[Magymay]

This is what I have at the mo if anyone can help me ,thanks Chris.

View attachment 64479

Looking at your set up your gas filler connection is obviously on the locker door The filler hose is looking kinked at the bottle connection, under strain with locker door open? I’d be inclined to rotate the bottle clockwise slightly to alleviate possible future hose failure.

 

[Geek]

Sorry for my ignorance , but which is the High pressure side , is it the pipe that's not connected , do I just connect that pipe to the Red Calor bottle leaving the Valve on the bottle closed till needed, thanks for your reply.

View attachment 64509

In the picture there are four pipes. The white one in the foreground is the filler pipe. Presumably there is a fitting on the locker door that you connect to to fill up. The pressure in that when filling will be more than the pressure in the bottle.
The black one is high pressure, taking gas from the bottle to the regulator. It's at the pressure of the gas in the bottle, which relates to the temperature of the surface of the liquid gas (about 25psi in really cold conditions, 250psi in hot weather). Note that it does not relate to how much gas you have left.
The black hose with an orange stripe is the pipe that takes gas from a propane bottle (which you don't have) and would also be at the pressure of the gas in that bottle.
The pipe at the back bottom, leading down from the blue regulator is the low pressure feed to the appliances. It will be 30 mbar, which is about 4psi.

 

[Burge]

Looking at your set up your gas filler connection is obviously on the locker door The filler hose is looking kinked at the bottle connection, under strain with locker door open? I’d be inclined to rotate the bottle clockwise slightly to alleviate possible future hose failure.

Thanks for the observation, will do as you say.

 

[TR5]

In the picture there are four pipes. The white one in the foreground is the filler pipe. Presumably there is a fitting on the locker door that you connect to to fill up. The pressure in that when filling will be more than the pressure in the bottle.
The black one is high pressure, taking gas from the bottle to the regulator. It's at the pressure of the gas in the bottle, which relates to the temperature of the surface of the liquid gas (about 25psi in really cold conditions, 250psi in hot weather). Note that it does not relate to how much gas you have left.
The black hose with an orange stripe is the pipe that takes gas from a propane bottle (which you don't have) and would also be at the pressure of the gas in that bottle.
The pipe at the back bottom, leading down from the blue regulator is the low pressure feed to the appliances. It will be 30 mbar, which is about 4psi.

300mbar is 4.35lbs.sq.in. 30mbar is 0.435psi. 4lbs.sq.in is 275.8 mbar

Burge, yes the black and orange hose in your picture is the high pressure side, straight from your bottle. Yes you can connect a 6kg red Calor (or similar) directly to this, and turn it on to use, if the refillable runs out. Don't forget when you do refill, all the outlet taps on the bottles should be turned off.

 

[Geek]

300mbar is 4.35lbs.sq.in. 30mbar is...

Yes, sorry, I meant .4psi, not 4psi
I'm having hassles with my phone keyboard, which has suddenly started to sit on top of what I am typing, obscuring my view of the text.
For this reply, I'm trying a different keyboard. It's not as nice, but at least I can see my typos.

 

[Burge]

300mbar is 4.35lbs.sq.in. 30mbar is 0.435psi. 4lbs.sq.in is 275.8 mbar

Burge, yes the black and orange hose in your picture is the high pressure side, straight from your bottle. Yes you can connect a 6kg red Calor (or similar) directly to this, and turn it on to use, if the refillable runs out. Don't forget when you do refill, all the outlet taps on the bottles should be turned off.

Thanks for the Info TR5, that's what I wanted to hear, I have just purchased a 6KG Bottle, thanks again Chris.

 

[snapster]

With refillables there is no point* in having two bottles. If the one you have isn't big enough, but a bigger one and sell the smaller one secondhand.
* Unless the locker is too small for a bigger bottle.

What a strange concept, surely it’s personal choice. We have 2 x 11kg Gasit bottles fitted.