Gas set up options for touring Europe with newly acquired Hobby T500 (1 Viewer)

[PlacidoD]

My newly acquired LHD Hobby T500 will arrive with a half full 6kg propane (red) gas bottle. I am looking for best options for use in Europe of 2-3 week stay but my son lives in Switzerland so it is possible I might sometimes leave the van with him and fly home returning later.

I have looked at refillable bottles but I am aware of EU rules barring refilling often not enforced but there is risk they will become ever tighter.

So I am considering a 3 x 6kg Calor propane system meaning I always depart the UK with two full bottles.
Will that last me 2-3 weeks? I expect so!
Any suggestions as to how long it will last?
Is there any source for Calor gas propane anywhere in Europe if I leave the van with my son and don't return it to the UK for months?

For those who don't know the Hobby T500 has the gas locker inside the garage just behind the rear axle. There is no external access door to the locker and I have no ambition to fit an external gas connection or locker door. It seems to me that I will encounter difficulty in removing bottles from the locker and trying to refill at petrol stations as it will be so obvious what I am doing.

In the outlined circumstances does a 2 x 6kg bottle propane system make the best sense?

The gas will power air & water heating, a three way fridge if not on a hook up plus the hob. Given that I will be on holiday rather than living in the van I will likely eat out many evenings so gas will mainly fuel breakfast and drinks. I will have an electric kettle and (inherited) George Foreman grill on board if on an ELH and might favour hook up when I get round to acquiring a TV.

P.S. As a backup I have just acquired a Campingaz "tail" at a good price. I can keep that in reserve in the van and fork out for a 903 or 907 bottle if I get stuck!

Does my propose system make sense to you all given my European ambitions?

Chris

 

[Jake Royd]

From my experience 2 x 6kg bottles should be enough for 2 to 3 weeks provided you do not use the heating on gas and only use the gas for hot water and cooking.
We toured France for a month using 1 x 13kg and 1 x 6kg as a back up.
Using the gas only for hot water and cooking we had plenty of the 13kg bottle left when we returned.

Can you fit a larger bottle in your Hobby?

 

[Jake Royd]

In extremis it might be worth noting that should you run out you would only need a new bottle and a new pigtail to suit the new gas connection from your chosen continental supplier.

 

[VXman]

I have looked at refillable bottles but I am aware of EU rules barring refilling often not enforced but there is risk they will become ever tighter.

We have spent 3 months a year in the EU for the last 3 years and not once had a problem filling up with LPG. in fact - the opposite. LPG widely available. If you have an external fill point there won't be any questions. I have heard that Total garages can be fussy but never needed to use a Total garage. Most of the European LPG garages are very helpful and fill up for you.

If you are only likely to go to Europe for a few weeks a year then maybe it's not worth installing refillable but for regular longer trips it's definitely a route worth considering.

 

[Suenliam]

Not wishing to hijack the thread but ….. make sure your insurance company is aware you might be leaving your MH abroad for a period of time.
Sue

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[Lenny HB]

Why are you using such small bottles German vans normally take 2 x 11kg bottles which normally means 13kg UK bottles will fit.
You mentioned 3 bottles will they fit in your gas locker as it is not safe to store a third bottle elsewhere.
If you go for refillables whats the problem with an external filler that's what most of us do.

 

[PlacidoD]

Thanks for replies to date.
The van is still with the dealer. I have zero time to use the MH in April so it is SORNed and remains with the dealer 90 miles away until I collect on 3rd May.
The dealer has confirmed to me just today that 11/13kg bottles will fit so I will go with those though it will arrive with a part full 6kg (unless I can persuade the dealer to find me a 13kg in lieu). I have one little used 13kg (with a weed-burner attached) so if I can source a 2nd (dealer or elsewhere) that should do me.
My reference to a 3rd bottle was to allow me to take out a part used bottle and leaving it at home meaning I would start out in Europe with two completely full cylinders. Now that I know that 13kg bottles will fit the need for a 3rd bottle seems like overkill!
I sing with the Hallé Choir who have minimum attendance requirements of 80% of rehearsals etc. So I might just fly back for as little as 24 or 48 hours leaving the MH on farmland on my son's home either to attend a rehearsal or a performance then return. (A colleague of mine did exactly that flying back from Greece!) If I should plan to leave it there for say a month between uses I would plainly advise my insurers.
P.S. In terms of weight distribution there would be some sense to mounting a 13kg nearer the centreline and a 5kg bottle outboard. I might just go with that. No sense in spending more than I need. The bottles are easily enough accessed from inside the garage. They are immediately to the right of the garage door in this photo
Chris

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

I would go with a 11/ 13kg uk calor bottle and then when you are abroad buy a French lightweight equivalent sized bottle and use that as the main supply whilst abroad keeping the calor bottle as a reserve . And then reverse that when back in the UK. An11/13kg bottle will keep you going for 2 weeks.
If you have a 6kg bottle supplied most calor stockists will exchange that for a larger bottle for just the price of the gas refill.

 

[Helgamobil]

Sorry to be slow.... but can I just confirm the up-to-date situation, that refilling (external filler point or not) gas bottles is still possible throughout the EU? I am sure I read another thread which said it was no longer legal to refill "domestic" bottles/cylinders/tanks even with an external filler point, only possible to refill the 'transport" tank of the vehicle. Like I said, slow.
We are likely to be doing France/Italy/Greece trip in the future - and gas is going to be needed!

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Sorry to be slow.... but can I just confirm the up-to-date situation, that refilling (external filler point or not) gas bottles is still possible throughout the EU? I am sure I read another thread which said it was no longer legal to refill "domestic" bottles/cylinders/tanks even with an external filler point, only possible to refill the 'transport" tank of the vehicle. Like I said, slow.
We are likely to be doing France/Italy/Greece trip in the future - and gas is going to be needed!

We had no issues refilling our gaslow with an internal locker fill point at any of the garages we used in Spain and France and all were attended service for lpg( gpl).

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[Helgamobil]

From my experience 2 x 6kg bottles should be enough for 2 to 3 weeks provided you do not use the heating on gas and only use the gas for hot water and cooking.
We toured France for a month using 1 x 13kg and 1 x 6kg as a back up.
Using the gas only for hot water and cooking we had plenty of the 13kg bottle left when we returned.

Can you fit a larger bottle in your Hobby?

Gas needed for the fridge too, if we cannot find EHU frequently? We might use quite a lot of gas to keep the fridge going in warmer climes?

 

[VXman]

Gas needed for the fridge too, if we cannot find EHU frequently? We might use quite a lot of gas to keep the fridge going in warmer climes?

I find my 11KG Gaslow bottles lasts about 2 weeks in Europe in the summer. That's Fridge, cooking and 10 litres (2 showers) of hot water a day.

 

[Jake Royd]

Gas needed for the fridge too, if we cannot find EHU frequently? We might use quite a lot of gas to keep the fridge going in warmer climes?

Forgot to include the fridge. Mine was running on gas maybe half of our month.