Calor Gas - Do different sized bottles use same regulator?

[Chaps]

We have recently started caravanning and bought a 7kg Calor Gas bottle to start us off (how much rental?!!!!) We have a small Camping Gaz bottle that we used to use for tent camping and we'll use this for a gas barbeque until it runs out. Can anyone tell us:

1) Will we be allowed to swap the Camping Gaz bottle for a Calor Gaz one and pay the differnce in rental cost? (we don't have any paperwork as it was given to us)

2) If we are able to and swap it for a smaller Calor Gas bottle than the 7kg (so it's still more portable for BBQs and takes a little less of our payload) will the smaller bottle work with the caravan regulator fitted to our caravan if we needed to? e.g. if the larger bottle ran out and we couldn't obtain a replacement straight away?

Thanks in anticipation.

 

[JTS]

Claire & Rob.

1) NO

2) NO

Good Luck. JTS.

 

[davedee]

Hi you two.

JTS is quite right about swapping bottles and compatablity with your caravan regulator.

You do not pay a rental on Calor gas bottles as in a monthly or yearly rental.You pay a one-off fee plus the cost of the gas.

But if you use your head, you make regular trips to the household waste centre (council tip) and check out their empty gas cylinder cages. When you find a calor cylinder, any size, red or blue, ask them if you can have it.They should let you.Take that to the calor agent/depot and swap it for a full one of your choice, just paying for the gas. You save

 

[JTS]

Claire & Rob.

Size does matter now. Dave is spot on with how to get cheap bottles, you usually have to drop the Totter a pint. If you do get hold of a couple of Calor bottles make sure you change them for the new 6kg Calor lightweight bottles (RED) propane just introduced this month. They weigh almost half the 7kg Calor bottle you have. Good luck JTS.

 

[Chaps]

Thanks to you all for your replies.

Will we need to have the regulator on the caravan changed if we switch to Calor Light as we currently use the blue Butane bottle? Are we right in thinking that Calor Light is Propane?

Cheers.

 

[Mikey1]

My local dump wanted

 

[davedee]

Mikey. You were unlucky there mate! Still it's better than

 

[Rubix]

Claire & Rob,

Your second question you stated you had bought a 7kg cylinder, I assume you mean Butane (blue cylinder) and you asked if you could buy a smaller cylinder.

If like me you have an older caravan that has a regulator that attaches to the clyinder, instead of the newer regulators that are bulkhead mounted with "pigtails" that attach to the clyinder instead, then the answer is NO.

Butane cylinders made by Calor need different regs depending on size (the 4.5 kg cylinder needs one reg, whereas the 7kg, 12, & 15 need a different one)

The same goes for the propane (red cylinder) in that it needs a different regualtor to the butane but all sizes (3.9kg, 6, 13 etc) need the same reg.

See the link below for more details :

http://www.calor.co.uk/regulators/index.htm
Hope this helps.

 

[JTS]

Claire & Rob.

I don't know if you have resolved your gas problem yet but as you said you are new to caravanning it would be a good idea to consider your noseweight when buying gas. You will soon come to realise how precious those Kg are when you load. I have given you some idea of how what gas bottles affect you noseweight. The new Calor propane 6kg bottles have been designed especially for caravanning.

2x7kg Calor butane bottles weigh approx 70lbs.

2x5kg BP Lite propane weigh approx 38.28lbs.

2x6kg New Calor lite propane weigh approx 42lbs

Good luck.JTS.

 

[Chaps]

Yes we have one 7kg blue butane cylinder. Our caravan is a new one with the pigtail-type regulator.

Now realising we would have been better with propane!

We'll stick with butane for now and consider having the regulator changed to a propane one when we take the van for it's first service in October. By then the new Calor Lite bottles should be more widely available and we can always use the barbeque to finish the butane gas off. Does anyone have any idea how much a change of regulator will cost? We're not confident enough to do it ourselves and don't know if this would be allowed anyway?

Cheers everyone.

Claire & Rob

 

[RogerL]

On recent caravans with fixed regulators, they're universal ie you just need a different pigtail to use a different type of gas.

 

[JTS]

Claire & Rob.

Just buy a propane pigtail, cost about

 

[Mikey1]

Gaslow do a propane adapter which use the butane pigtail,no need have different pigtail just change at the bottle end.

 

[gary]

I've heard the talk of Calorlite being more expensive but my mate sells it for the same price!

He asked Calor and they said it's the same price simple as that and so it should be

 

[RogerL]

Gary - legislation preventing manufacturers controlling prices was introduced decades ago - retailers set their own prices - most are selling Calorlite at substantial premium.