Hi I am looking for guidance on this one when we bought the Bailey 440 we had a propane bottle it was 6 kg. The locker is considerably taller than the bottle and it has space for 2 bottles so Would it be okay to put 2x 11 kg bottles in the locker? As it doesn’t tell you anything in the manual as to whether they would be too heavy ,in fact, it doesn’t even tell you or recommend which size propane bottle you should use , in this instance the Caravan manual is no use thanks in advance 👍.
Gas bottle sizes
- Thread starter Boxerman
- Start date
I'd take the view that if it physically fits it's ok - but are you actually going to use that much gas? A 6kg propane lasts us 3 years, about 300 nights away - but we're always on sites with EHU.
- Nov 11, 2009
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Don’t know about the sizing but each 11 kg cylinder weighs 24kg when full, so that’s quite a chunk out of payload. Do you really require so much gas on board.
I don’t have a clue as I haven’t used the gas ever or yet thanks though I might stick with smaller ones
That’s useful do you have any issues as using gas will be new to me? The service engineer says I should use gas on the appliances every so often to keep them in working order
Mel
Moderator
- Mar 17, 2007
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The service engineer is correct. Periodically fire up the fridge and heating on gas. It gets rid of cobwebs and dust build up.
Mel
- Mar 14, 2005
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If you do have space for two LPG cylinders to be safely strapped in then the only other thing that might constrain you fitting two might be the nose load you create which might exceed either cars tow ball "S value" or the caravans hitch "S" value. you must not exceed the lower value if there is a difference. and you can only check that out when you measure the nose load when you load up the caravan ready to tow.
If two 11kg cylinders is too heavy, consider two 6kg cylinders. But manage with a single 6Kg cylinder. Provided there is a local supplier for your brand of LPG near your holiday site, it shouldn't be too difficult to cope if the gas does run out.
If two 11kg cylinders is too heavy, consider two 6kg cylinders. But manage with a single 6Kg cylinder. Provided there is a local supplier for your brand of LPG near your holiday site, it shouldn't be too difficult to cope if the gas does run out.
- Mar 3, 2022
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No problem to date. Other than 1 bottle running out in the midst of cooking a meal and it pouring down with rain at the time 🥴
Just ensure the gas system gets a good check over during the annual service.
.Remember the gas bottles, if fitted in front lockers are resting on the A frame members.
The height of the bulkhead regulator determines the max height of the cylinder . The outlet of the cylinder should be lower than the regulator. This is because the gas is contaminated with heavy ends (oil) and this is mixed in with vapour as it leaves the bottle . The oil, if travelling uphill ,will settle on the walls of the pigtail and flow back down into the bottle , if travelling downhill it will collect in the regulator and over time will cause the regulator to malfunction and eventually block up . We are talking microscopic amounts but over time they will accumulate. if the bottle exit is higher than the regulator the accumulation will be faster.
Regulators and pigtails should be changed at 10 years old ( this is to avoid problems with them )
The height of the bulkhead regulator determines the max height of the cylinder . The outlet of the cylinder should be lower than the regulator. This is because the gas is contaminated with heavy ends (oil) and this is mixed in with vapour as it leaves the bottle . The oil, if travelling uphill ,will settle on the walls of the pigtail and flow back down into the bottle , if travelling downhill it will collect in the regulator and over time will cause the regulator to malfunction and eventually block up . We are talking microscopic amounts but over time they will accumulate. if the bottle exit is higher than the regulator the accumulation will be faster.
Regulators and pigtails should be changed at 10 years old ( this is to avoid problems with them )
IME pigtails are usually changed at 5 years - which is why they have the manufacture date printed on the side of the pipe.
- Nov 11, 2009
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I changed mine every five years based on date of manufacture. But I’ve seen advice from quality suppliers saying 5years to 10 years from date of manufacture. Some even say from installation ( service life) As ever in the caravan world there’s contradictory and confusing information. But as pigtails aren’t expensive that’s why I stuck with five years, although took care, like with tyres, not to purchase an “old new one”.
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4kg will gives us 2 weeks off grid if running fridge and cooking. Start using gas heater heavily and it won't last 2 days.
Plus side smaller bottles is being lighter are easier to manhandle. Bending over while placing full 24kg bottle in locker is good way to stuff a back.
Plus side smaller bottles is being lighter are easier to manhandle. Bending over while placing full 24kg bottle in locker is good way to stuff a back.
- Dec 27, 2022
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Be very careful with the weight.
I looked at fitting two cylinders but the extra weigh added another 10kg to the hitch weight taking that over the maximum permitted. Once I had balanced it out discovered the van was also over it's MTPLM😟
Changed to Flogas lite and problem went away.
I looked at fitting two cylinders but the extra weigh added another 10kg to the hitch weight taking that over the maximum permitted. Once I had balanced it out discovered the van was also over it's MTPLM😟
Changed to Flogas lite and problem went away.
you're half right, HP hoses to either BS3212 or BS EN 16436 class 2 & 3 have no expiry date marked on them but accepted service life is 10 years. LP hoses to BS EN 16436 class 1 have an expiry date on them which is five years from date of manufacture. Stainless steel types (Not rubber with external steel braiding ) have a service life of 20 years. These should be considered as maximum and not to ignore regular inspections , looking for damage - cracking , perishing crimp /thread damage e.t.c
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