filling lpg/gpl onboard tank (1 Viewer)

fliowerman146b

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i am a newbie
i have a coachman catalina with an onboard gpl tank for heating water and cooking. i have just bought an adaptapter from autogas 2000 to enable me to fill the tank in france/italy. i am told lots of stories that you cannot just pull into a fuel service station in france and fill up from the lpg/gpl pump. i am told you need a special certificate, that lpg is not suitable for use in an rv for cooking/heating etc and you can only go to special pumps at camp sites. has anybody please had experience recently in france?
 

Xabia

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I don't think you need to worry. The problem which has recently been publicised concerns an isolated event in South Eastern France and involved a situation where the owner of the motorhome had to open his gas cupboard door to connect the filler hose to his Gaslow bottles.

You have a fixed tank which will presumably have a remote filling point and I am sure you will not have a problem. The LPG is perfectly suitable for cooking/heating.

I have fixes an AUTOGAS sticker above my remote filling point and do not anticipate a problem refilling my Gaslow bottles when next in France.
 
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I don't think you need to worry. The problem which has recently been publicised concerns an isolated event in South Eastern France and involved a situation where the owner of the motorhome had to open his gas cupboard door to connect the filler hose to his Gaslow bottles.

You have a fixed tank which will presumably have a remote filling point and I am sure you will not have a problem. The LPG is perfectly suitable for cooking/heating.

I have fixes an AUTOGAS sticker above my remote filling point and do not anticipate a problem refilling my Gaslow bottles when next in France.

Mike, are you sure this was Gaslow bottles!

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scotjimland

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In all my travels in France with the RV and filling the LPG tank I have only been refused once..

Attendant came out and asked if it was for cooking, when I said yes, he said it was only for LPG fueled cars.. I didn't argue.. no point ..

There is no difference in the gas, but I think the tax (in France) is less for vehicles than for domestic use.. not sure about that .. maybe that was the reason..


EDIT

long running thread on the darkside about filling LPG bottles in France .. apparently they have banned motorhomes at some stations from filling up bottles in lockers, due to a recent fire..

This is all third hand info.
 
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barryd

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There is a massive thread about this on FACTS right now. It seems they are tightening up on filling cylinders of any type. If you have a filler on the side of the van then I think you should be ok. On a few occasions the attendant has come out to see what we were filling and when they saw the hose connected to the side of the van they switched on the pump. I suspect if I had the gas locker door open they would have refused.

I even heard of a refusal in the UK the other day as well.
 
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We have just returned from 3 weeks in the French Alps and had no problem filling our Gaslow bottles, and we have no outside filler.
One service station required me to leave my passport while we were filling.
Think they had had somepeople driving off as it was a large busy services.
We were suprised how many of the garages now have gas.
Have a good trip and don,t worry.
Sue
:thumb:
 
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slobadoberbob

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Never had an issue in Europe

I run a Winnibago Aspect with on board chassis tanks for LPG for heating and cooking... Never had an issue on all my travels, and I have driven RV's in Europe for over 20 years. No one has bothered me once.

At motorway petrl stations they just turn on the pump once you hit the delivery button.

I think you will find the issues are about refillable bottles not fixed tanks.

Bob:thumb:

As a yank owner have you visited the sister site? RVOC .. www.RVOC.co.uk run by the same people as MHF.. But only yanks..:thumb:
 
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barryd

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I suspect the France issue with Gaslow or refilable bottles is a storm in a tea cup (Hopefully)

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sedge

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Oh sugar - our Gaslow filler is inside the locker, made sense to us as don't have to sell the bottles with the van, new owner can please themselves and won't have an extra hol in the side of his van.

Anyway, we filled it up at a Shell station on the motorway and the kid came out and went apeshit because, he said, it would explode. He was a bit late cos it was full by then anyway. And we took it off the pump and parked it adjacent to the building whilst we went in and ate a leisurely lunch.

It hasn't exploded yet, that was well over 6 months ago, do you think it will now?

:ROFLMAO:

It does worry me though, we bought it to solve problems not cause them!
 
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niggle

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::bigsmile: just returned from france,, i was asked for a safty cert for my gas low tanks before filling up at a lpg pump, you will now see french cars with a cert in the windscreen if they are lpg run, because the french law now says they must be installed by a gas fitter and inspected every year with the mot ??? twice i filled up and was asked,lucky the gas low man gave me one on the check 2 months ago when he did the check, saying you will need this abroad soon ????? he was right,i saw two dutch m/h turned away,seems that all the super markets are doing it,the dutch guys tryed to argue but the woman said she could not as its all on camara boy was i lucky to put it in the odd n sods paper work ,,,

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John & Joan

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::bigsmile: just returned from france,, i was asked for a safty cert for my gas low tanks before filling up at a lpg pump, you will now see french cars with a cert in the windscreen if they are lpg run, because the french law now says they must be installed by a gas fitter and inspected every year with the mot ??? twice i filled up and was asked,lucky the gas low man gave me one on the check 2 months ago when he did the check, saying you will need this abroad soon ????? he was right,i saw two dutch m/h turned away,seems that all the super markets are doing it,the dutch guys tryed to argue but the woman said she could not as its all on camara boy was i lucky to put it in the odd n sods paper work ,,,

The only way to test a tank is to remove it from the vehicle and put it on specialist pressure test equipment. There is no way an MOT could cover this. Security, loose pipework, rust, gas leaks yes.

I was given a safety certificate when my tank was fitted by MTH in 2006. I went from there to Conrad Anderson to have a gas generator fitted and it was this company that found and fixed the leaking system. We later found MTH had fitted the wrong type of tank and I had to return to them to have a new tank fitted. So a safety certificate to me means nothing. MTH have since closed down so the guarantee they issued is worth nothing. MTH had all of the certificates of competence displayed on the wall and I went to them on reading an article and recommendation of their workmanship in a motorhome magazine..

Tanks should be removed and tested every ten years. The French company that supplies a system like GasLows says their bottle tank should be cleaned out ever 40 months and preferably at 20 months. How many GasLow tanks have had this done?

This is necessary according to them, because oil is introduced into the autogas by the compressors that keep the gas liquid. The LPG is the same as that sold in gas bottles. I can only presume that these same oily deposits are accumulating in all tanks.

John
 
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barryd

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::bigsmile: just returned from france,, i was asked for a safty cert for my gas low tanks before filling up at a lpg pump, you will now see french cars with a cert in the windscreen if they are lpg run, because the french law now says they must be installed by a gas fitter and inspected every year with the mot ??? twice i filled up and was asked,lucky the gas low man gave me one on the check 2 months ago when he did the check, saying you will need this abroad soon ????? he was right,i saw two dutch m/h turned away,seems that all the super markets are doing it,the dutch guys tryed to argue but the woman said she could not as its all on camara boy was i lucky to put it in the odd n sods paper work ,,,

Is there any chance you can post a copy of the certificate on here? Gaslow have offered to send a certificate of conformity to anyone who emails them with their Cylinder serial numbers to sales@gaslow.co.uk (ref MHF thread) Im interested to see what you presented and if its one and the same. Was it in English or French?
 
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imprint

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Haggis, just got round to reading your quotation:

"It is a puzzling thing. The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth," and so it goes away. Puzzling."

It's a novel variant of "All Cretans are liars. I am a Cretan..."

And so life rolls merrily onwards and upwards...

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Hi Phillip,

Yes, definitely Gaslow bottles, this started the very long thread on facts.

Mike

Hi Mike,
Sorry for being a pain but i have been following this thread and the only information i can find about the actual incident is as follows;

The lassie came out of her booth and told us that camping cars (for those unsure that's the name used by the French for campervans) weren't allowed to fill up, and this had come about a month previously where there had been a fire. I had the pump connected externally so it wasn't as if the pump was fitted to the bottles themselves with some Heath Robinson style mechanism. Now you have to add in my somewhat questionable French, but she spoke some English too. Apparently they had been sent a letter telling them not to allow camping cars at the GPL pump. The girl them walked over to the pump itself and along with the no smoking and no mobiles warning stickers there was one which showed a gas cylinder with a pump and a red line through it, obviously meaning no filling of bottles. This was a sticker I hadn't seen on the pumps before and mixed with the girls comments I believed they were something new. When she had mentioned it being a month back the issue arose I thought it might be a new law passed at the turn of the year.

Can you tell me which page you read that states Gaslow bottles were in use when the fire started.

Thanks in advance,

Philip
 
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Xabia

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Sorry Philip, I misread your post, no mention of Gaslow bottles in the alleged fire, in my post I was referring to the fact that the original poster had problems refilling his Gaslow bottles. I have two Gaslow bottles myself and am totally confident in their safety, just concerned about refilling problems when next in France.

Mike

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sedge

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I spoke to Mark at CLS on another issue this afternoon and whilst on the phone ...... anyway! - he said he spoke to Gaslow this very morning about this issue.

They said they have checked and it does appear to be true that the French are stopping us fill up unless we can produce a certificate so they are currently getting a document translated into French which says basically that their system and its filler complies with all European regulations currently known to man blah blah blah. (Whatever it needs to say) This will be available - as soon as it's done! - as well as the English certificate.

They don't know exactly when yet - so don't ask! but soooooon.

:thumb:
 
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Hi Philip,

It was the first post by ricster on the thread currently 'temporarily closed' on facts.

Mike

Mike, thanks !

Below is the first quote made by Ricster ! It makes no reference to Gaslow or the fact that bottles were being filled when the fire broke out!

Guys, we've come across a problem with GPL in the South East corner of France (as of yet we don't know if it's a country-wide issue). Pulling into Leclerc and Carrefour service stations both have warnings that we can't use GPL to refill our bottles - the standard Gaslow installation. We were through France in November and there were no issues, now there are both the signs on the pumps as well as us being stopped by an attendant.

Has there been a new law passed that stops the refilling of the gas bottles? The attendant that stopped us explained that there had been a fire about a month ago and that was the reason it was banned. That was at a Leclerc in La Boulou just North of the Spanish border.

We are about to hard neck it in another Carrefour station and see if we can get away with it as we've got no heating or cooking without it, and Jan/Feb isn't the kindest months for the weather even down here on the Med.
 
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Sorry Philip, I misread your post, no mention of Gaslow bottles in the alleged fire, in my post I was referring to the fact that the original poster had problems refilling his Gaslow bottles. I have two Gaslow bottles myself and am totally confident in their safety, just concerned about refilling problems when next in France.

Mike

Mike, No problem, I've recently ordered the Gaslow system for my new motorhome and was trying to establish what actual happened when this incident occurred. It's still unclear.

The other forum now has a very long thread on this subject with very little fact and a whole sh*t load of conjecturer.

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Xabia

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Mike, thanks !

Below is the first quote made by Ricster ! It makes no reference to Gaslow or the fact that bottles were being filled when the fire broke out!

Guys, we've come across a problem with GPL in the South East corner of France (as of yet we don't know if it's a country-wide issue). Pulling into Leclerc and Carrefour service stations both have warnings that we can't use GPL to refill our bottles - the standard Gaslow installation. We were through France in November and there were no issues, now there are both the signs on the pumps as well as us being stopped by an attendnt.


Hi Philip,

I think this is case of having wires crossed on this one. I was referring to the reference in Ricster's post about his bottles being Gaslow and he was unable to refill them. You were obviously originally referring to another post regarding a fire at either that or another supermarket filling point. Think perhaps I need to go to Specsavers:Sad:

Having not had a problem in the last few years with refilling I feel that the problem arises when people do not have the refilling point on the exterior of the vehicle. Opening the gas bottle door to connect the filling hose to an internal point must surely alert the attendant to it perhaps being an 'illegal' system. If you pull up and just connect to the external point that looks more like professional installation.

I understand that Gaslow are to produce some sort of certification that we will be able to produce if necessary and I look forward to sight of it in the near future.

Regards,

Mike
 
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Lampie

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I have a coachmen on board tank never had a problem anywhere filling it have the adaptors and your fine . Hardest problem knowing where to fill up. Having said that last summer was away nearly 6 weeks left uk full found a place in switzerland on way back with day to go.

Lampie
 
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scotjimland

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barryd has kindly asked the question on Campingcarinfos forum

Link Removed


one reply, translated by Google

Hello,

To have no trouble filling in France, simply place a "taking" of padding on the body.

Link Removed
It is "normally" that are permanently attached bottle in with metal fasteners, according to the so-called law of one French supplier.

Regulations concerning liquefied petroleum gas for recreational vehicles can now use a single pressure equal to 30 mbar.
LPG (mixture of butane and propane) must be contained in a conventional LPG tank (cylindrical or vertical as HOMEGAZ).

HOMEGAZ systems can be installed in the trunk gas under the chassis or in the cockpit with a waterproof case (mandatory).
HOMEGAZ systems must be attached to the vehicle by metal straps, hooks or legs which makes them irremovable (R 67 European Regulation 01). HOMEGAZ filling is done by an external opening set at the vehicle body. Its installation should be done by a professional.

The pressure of the LPG (butane, propane or LPG) for different devices is 30 mbar (BN 1949).

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bobandjanie

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Got a bit carried away looking at the French forum Jim.:Doh:

Yes thanks Barry for that, I was told by a German a couple of years ago that our bottles should be secured with proper straps and not the fabric one we had,::bigsmile: our filler has always been outside the locker, and only last year in the old Eastern Germany did we experience them looking at our set up before turning the pump On or on several fill ups they did it for you.
Even the Germans have an ADAPTOR to fill the German grey bottles. :Smile:

Been out and put a strap on our bottles today, So they are fixed tanks, and took the handles Off so they are not portable. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: So we will see how we go. I know one is wonky so is one of my eyes.::bigsmile: Bob.
 

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MikeandCarolyn

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No one has a comment to make on this latest information or to give Barryd a thank you ?

Sorry Jim-the Google translation had me in stitches,so I went to look at the original and didnt come back. 'prise de remplissage' I make that an 'external filler cap' or 'a place to take replenishment on the coachwork.' Am I right ?

I also found this-which I think I'll stick next to my filler cap http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+gpl_oval_sticker,208773189

Mike. TY Barry

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barryd

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Did my best. Doesnt sound like the French are in as much of a state as we are about this. Quite like the idea of a French / Anglo forum link though. It kind of works. One of the posters has already joined MHF :Eeek:

If it was down to me I would like to see a big melting pot of Forums. UK and abroad!::bigsmile:

Should I go an tell em about fun?
 
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MikeandCarolyn

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Did my best. Doesnt sound like the French are in as much of a state as we are about this. Quite like the idea of a French / Anglo forum link though. It kind of works. One of the posters has already joined MHF :Eeek:
If it was down to me I would like to see a big melting pot of Forums. UK and abroad!::bigsmile:
Should I go an tell em about fun?

Well done Barry-couldnt help noticing the comment about having to pay to reply on UK forums. ::bigsmile:
Keep up the 'entente cordial' Mike
 
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niggle

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i had a problem 1 week ago i north france at 3 super markets,many others with out insterlation certs [ ie gas safe ]were turned away they were dutch belgum and english,,?? the law has now changed in france ??.just had a call from a friend in mont gen skiing they are having to go to olux to get gas as the local mamouth wont sell with out ticket of safety,,so be warned if it aint safty checked you possably wont get it,also just because you use to get gas in the past with no problem dont mean you will now, i will see in two weeks as off to bordux for two ,,,lets see what happens there :cry:
 
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