Gas

[ProfJohnL]

You have to be very careful refilling gas bottles You should not attempt to refill any rented bottle for a start its illegal and highly dangerous, as you can very easily overfill the bottle.

Not every service station who can supply LPG will allow the refilling of portable bottles ( a combination of company policy, Insurance requirements or local by laws)

 

[Anseo]

OP, linky please for device, not saying I am buying it just interested as to what is available for such reasons.

OP, question 2 Is there a typo in your post ?, 10 litres into a 6kg bottle.

I thought 1 litre equivalates (equivalates is a word I just invented :huh: ) to 1 kilogram, please enlighten.

Thanks.
Anseo

 

[Hutch]

I have seen them for sale but would never buy one or use one as the Calor bottles are not supposed to be refilled at service stations, I am to saftey concious.

 

[ProfJohnL]

OP, linky please for device, not saying I am buying it just interested as to what is available for such reasons.

OP, question 2 Is there a typo in your post ?, 10 litres into a 6kg bottle.

I thought 1 litre equivalates (equivalates is a word I just invented :huh: ) to 1 kilogram, please enlighten.

Thanks.
Anseo

its all about the materials specific gravity. Water has an SG =1 which means 1 litre of water does weigh 1Kg, but Propane has an SG 0.51kg so 10l will weigh 5.1kg.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Sg of lpg propane&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB805GB805&oq=Sg of lpg propane&aqs=chrome..69i57.5839j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[Gafferbill]

Hi, Has anyone else bought the adaptor for the gas bottle and refilled at LPG pump at the garage ?

Tony

........only people who haven't thought it through hmy:

Relatively easy to decide it is not worth it due to the dangers and illegality involved.

See Here

 

[Parksy]

OP, linky please for device, not saying I am buying it just interested as to what is available for such reasons.

OP, question 2 Is there a typo in your post ?, 10 litres into a 6kg bottle.

I thought 1 litre equivalates (equivalates is a word I just invented :huh: ) to 1 kilogram, please enlighten.

Thanks.
Anseo

I removed the original post because it encourages a dangerous and illegal practice involving LPG containers.
No link to the product described in the deleted post will appear on these message boards, if such a link is posted I will remove it immediately and will consider suspending the forum membership of anyone posting such a link.
Practical Caravan forum will not be a party to the spreading of information which describes and potentially encourages dangerous illegal acts.

 

[Buckman]

We use a Safefill bottle which can be legally refilled at most Morrisons service stations that have a LPG pump. Easy peasy to do. :lol:

 

[srose1958]

Can anyone please help/advise me?
I've just bought a 5 year old Lunar Venus 490/4, but it has no gas bottles on board. Does anyone know if I should get butane or propane, and what size? The owners manual doesn't really tell me anything, and I can't find an appropriate help page on the Lunar website!
Any help would be gratefully received!

 

[Anseo]

Can anyone please help/advise me?
I've just bought a 5 year old Lunar Venus 490/4, but it has no gas bottles on board. Does anyone know if I should get butane or propane, and what size? The owners manual doesn't really tell me anything, and I can't find an appropriate help page on the Lunar website!
Any help would be gratefully received!

If the gas bottle storage compartment can accommodate a 15 kg bottle then that is what I would use, much more economical than say 2 x 6kg cylinders.

If you intend using your van in winter (below 5c) then use Propane, you can save even more money by using butane if expected temperatures will be above 5c.

 

[Raywood]

A lot depends on how you are going to use the caravan. We use two 6 kg cylinders with one in use and the second left empty until the one in use is about to run out. Unless you are a very heavy user or stay off grid a lot, the 6 kg ones last for a long long time, which puts us off the 15 kg which would last for ever.
If you tour in Winter or very early Spring or very late Autumn propane is the cheaper option, with Butane only needed for really cold weather.
Calor gas is the most widely available version although there are others about. The advantage of Calor is that almost all sites sell it as well as lots of other places, so you are unlikely to be stuck for more when you need it.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The advantage of having two bottles is that when one empties you have one immediately available to replace it with, and a reminder to get the empty one replaced.

You can also fit an automatic change over regulator which means provided you regularly check your bottles and replace the empty one promptly you don't run out of gas at awkward moments.

The down side is the weight of two smaller bottles will usually exceed the weight of a single larger one.

 

[otherclive]

A lot depends on how you are going to use the caravan. We use two 6 kg cylinders with one in use and the second left empty until the one in use is about to run out. Unless you are a very heavy user or stay off grid a lot, the 6 kg ones last for a long long time, which puts us off the 15 kg which would last for ever.
If you tour in Winter or very early Spring or very late Autumn propane is the cheaper option, with Butane only needed for really cold weather.
Calor gas is the most widely available version although there are others about. The advantage of Calor is that almost all sites sell it as well as lots of other places, so you are unlikely to be stuck for more when you need it.

Freudian slip here: Propane for winter use, butane for spring summer and autumn. We use propane all year as it makes life simpler.

 

[Anseo]

A lot depends on how you are going to use the caravan. Unless you are a very heavy user or stay off grid a lot, the 6 kg ones last for a long long time, which puts us off the 15 kg which would last for ever.
If you tour in Winter or very early Spring or very late Autumn propane is the cheaper option, with Butane only needed for really cold weather.
Calor gas is the most widely available version although there are others about. The advantage of Calor is that almost all sites sell it as well as lots of other places, so you are unlikely to be stuck for more when you need it.

Sorry Ray, but I don't get your logic in "We use two 6 kg cylinders with one in use and the second left empty until the one in use is about to run out." , or maybe it's just a typo.

And again, you would be put off by a 15kg "which would last forever", what's wrong with that then?

 

[Hutch]

The weight of carrying, a 13kg bottle would put me off, the empty cylinder can be between 13kg to 22 kg. As opposed to calor lite at between 4 to 6 kg, if your carrying it, in the the nose locker thats a lot of nose weight, also its a lot of weight coming off of your payload.

Edit correction to bottle weight.

 

[Raywood]

A lot depends on how you are going to use the caravan. Unless you are a very heavy user or stay off grid a lot, the 6 kg ones last for a long long time, which puts us off the 15 kg which would last for ever.
If you tour in Winter or very early Spring or very late Autumn propane is the cheaper option, with Butane only needed for really cold weather.
Calor gas is the most widely available version although there are others about. The advantage of Calor is that almost all sites sell it as well as lots of other places, so you are unlikely to be stuck for more when you need it.

Sorry Ray, but I don't get your logic in "We use two 6 kg cylinders with one in use and the second left empty until the one in use is about to run out." , or maybe it's just a typo.

And again, you would be put off by a 15kg "which would last forever", what's wrong with that then?

Basically a 6 kg cylinder lasts us over a year as almost everything is electric unless we use one site that is 10 amps and do have to use some gas to avoid risk tripping the fuse. On that basis we would have a 15kg last several years and would be towing more weight at the hitch.
I do even wonder if I should take out the spare cylinder once we have a new one and only bring it back when replacement is on the horizon.
With only one cylinder you are faced with hoping it runs out at the right time. They usually seem to run out in late evening in the middle of cooking something in the oven and when the site shop is shut.
It is however everyone to their own and we all have to decide what suits us best. I am just covering what we find right for us and why and hopefully helping others to decide which way they want to go..

 

[Grey13]

Automatic change over valve, c/w auto shut if sudden jolt, accident happens while towing.

 

[otherclive]

A lot depends on how you are going to use the caravan. Unless you are a very heavy user or stay off grid a lot, the 6 kg ones last for a long long time, which puts us off the 15 kg which would last for ever.
If you tour in Winter or very early Spring or very late Autumn propane is the cheaper option, with Butane only needed for really cold weather.
Calor gas is the most widely available version although there are others about. The advantage of Calor is that almost all sites sell it as well as lots of other places, so you are unlikely to be stuck for more when you need it.

Sorry Ray, but I don't get your logic in "We use two 6 kg cylinders with one in use and the second left empty until the one in use is about to run out." , or maybe it's just a typo.

And again, you would be put off by a 15kg "which would last forever", what's wrong with that then?

Basically a 6 kg cylinder lasts us over a year as almost everything is electric unless we use one site that is 10 amps and do have to use some gas to avoid risk tripping the fuse. On that basis we would have a 15kg last several years and would be towing more weight at the hitch.
I do even wonder if I should take out the spare cylinder once we have a new one and only bring it back when replacement is on the horizon.
With only one cylinder you are faced with hoping it runs out at the right time. They usually seem to run out in late evening in the middle of cooking something in the oven and when the site shop is shut.
It is however everyone to their own and we all have to decide what suits us best. I am just covering what we find right for us and why and hopefully helping others to decide which way they want to go..

I am like you I only take one 6kg propane, and sometimes the small Camping for the Cadac. You sort of get a feel for what your usage patterns are and I occasionally lift out the cylinder and give its gentle swing which is enough to tell me whats left. However I don't tend to run it to empty so my costs of gas are marginally higher but with a nose heavy van I prefer it that way as it helps balance loading. Were I may get caught out is if the power goes off and we need to use more gas. A case of down the pub at night and hunt the bottle next day, by which time power will most likely be back on.

 

[Hutch]

Can anyone please help/advise me?
I've just bought a 5 year old Lunar Venus 490/4, but it has no gas bottles on board. Does anyone know if I should get butane or propane, and what size? The owners manual doesn't really tell me anything, and I can't find an appropriate help page on the Lunar website!
Any help would be gratefully received!

The Gas bottle storage in the caravan are normally for the 6kg size bottles, butane 7 kg (blue) more for summer use and Propane Red 6 kg. for Below 8c
.https://www.calor.co.uk/gas-bottles/buying-gas-bottles/which-gas-bottle The propane can be obtained in either The Heavy bottles weigh in at 11kg empty. And the Red Propane lite empty at 5kg. And just to confuse you more ( sorry) Calor are still promising to get a new lite bottle by next spring. (Don't hold off buying a gas bottle til then, and keep the bottle receipt. )

 

[Hutch]

I run my gas bottles similar to Raywood, carry a 6kg lite in use and when down to about 1/4 from empty then carry a full calor lite to change. I used to carry a Camping Gaz for the BBq until I realised how much they cost, a lot mor than Calor. And I don't use enough gas to convert to refillable from fuel stations.

 

[Sproket]

A 6kg refillable steel bottle from Gasit weighs empty 7kg and holds approx 12.5lts of gas so you do the maths at a round figure of say 70p per litre for refilling costs, i can buy it locally at .55p per ltr.. (£6.85) to refill it :woohoo:

The 11kg bottle weighs approx 10.7kg, so one of them full is like having two calor 6kg cylinders in your front locker but to fill it, if it was 70p per litre it would cost £14.70 on your first fill up, and you have the convenience of topping them up as required.

I still have and use a 7kg & 11kg Safefill bottles in our own van, both bottles were filled on Monday for total cost of £20.04

I have recently fitted a 6kg & a 11kg bottle into a Motorhome gas locker for a customer as i am a trained and approved dealer / installer, the reason the Motorhome customer wanted them fitting was because he was fed up of having to weigh the Calor bottles before he got them. hmy:

 

[ProfJohnL]

I have recently fitted a 6kg & a 11kg bottle into a Motorhome gas locker for a customer as i am a trained and approved dealer / installer, the reason the Motorhome customer wanted them fitting was because he was fed up of having to weigh the Calor bottles before he got them. hmy:

Why would he have to weigh them? I can't think of any reason for a motorhome'r would need to weigh calor bottles, unless they are attempting to illegally refill them.

 

[Sproket]

Due to the fact that some of the bottles have not been as full as thought, in his words ''some were just over half full so i ended up paying twice for one full bottle''
My thoughts are possibly old stock and the valves have been passing..

 

[ProfJohnL]

Due to the fact that some of the bottles have not been as full as thought, in his words ''some were just over half full so i ended up paying twice for one full bottle''
My thoughts are possibly old stock and the valves have been passing..

Hmm!
That could apply to any brand, not just Calor. Even to refillable ones.!

 

[Sproket]

But with the refillable one's you are getting a measured amount & that amount is what you pay for ...

 

[ProfJohnL]

Suffice to say I'd trust professionally filled bottles to be sealed more so than consumer filled bottles.

If there was an apparent shortfall. I would also have weighed it, and returned it to the supplier for a full refund or replacement.

But each to their own. :huh: