HELP! Autogas filling problem in France

[Divertrev]

I’m having a problem getting my new Gaslow to fill in France.
1.I’ve registered my card in the machine and it’s authorised for the fill.
2. The machine doesn’t zero. Query with cashier, says will when you press the button.
3. Bottle tap off
4. Connect knozzle with filing adapter
5. Squeeze trigger and clip engaged
6. Yes it zeros but no gas.

I’ve tried a couple of pumps but essentially the same problem. Am I doing something stupidly wrong or have I a problem with my system. Filled ok in the U.K. but didn’t need an adapter.
I hope it’s the former!
Thanks in advance for any help.
Trevor

 

[Nanniemate]

You really need to get out more

 

[VXman]

Is Divertrev still holding the button?

 

[bigtree]

Having watched that animation on a loop for days sat a time I do understand how the fill stop valve operates
Here’s a picture of one , main outlet is obvious now find the other .
The shutting off process happens in seconds it’s not a prolonged time.
View attachment 797353

The O ring.

 

[varaizian]

Nothing in this thread is encouraging me to swap my 2 nice simple 13kg gas bottles for a rechargeable system. It might cost more but I don't spend hours in a filling station faffing about with kit that has issues.

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[VXman]

Nothing in this thread is encouraging me to swap my 2 nice simple 13kg gas bottles for a rechargeable system. It might cost more but I don't spend hours in a filling station faffing about with kit that has issues.

Had mine for 2 and a bit years. Done 22000 miles of travelling. Never had a problem finding a LPG station or filling up in UK , Ireland,, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

Try replacing your bottles when travelling in Europe - will take more than a few hours!!

This is one bloke who had had an issue one time!

 

[ChrisL]

Having watched that animation on a loop for days sat a time I do understand how the fill stop valve operates
Here’s a picture of one , main outlet is obvious now find the other .
The shutting off process happens in seconds it’s not a prolonged time.
View attachment 797353

Without having the benefit of taking it apart and inspecting it I would guess that there is an outlet where the bottom float is otherwise why would you need a bottom float? My explanation of how it works was from memory of watching that video.

 

[Basildog]

Nothing in this thread is encouraging me to swap my 2 nice simple 13kg gas bottles for a rechargeable system. It might cost more but I don't spend hours in a filling station faffing about with kit that has issues.

No issues at all if I am being honest, nearly all problems we experience are actually operator error.
Very few problems with any of the refillable cylinder / tank components.
I am not known for my patience or acceptance of problems so anytime we encounter issues it’s sorted or the offending product / component is sorted .
We fill thousands of LPG tanks and cylinders a year without any issues at all

 

[varaizian]

Had mine for 2 and a bit years. Done 22000 miles of travelling. Never had a problem finding a LPG station or filling up in UK , Ireland,, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

Try replacing your bottles when travelling in Europe - will take more than a few hours!!

This is one bloke who had had an issue one time!

I know you are right, and I have had a problem in Spain once finding someone to fill French bottles when we got through gas much faster than expected, but you can't help feeling the frustration.

 

[Northernraider]

Nothing in this thread is encouraging me to swap my 2 nice simple 13kg gas bottles for a rechargeable system. It might cost more but I don't spend hours in a filling station faffing about with kit that has issues.

Neither does anyone else.

Never had a problem filling and I've had refillable cylinders in the last 5 vans

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[mubob]

I’m having a problem getting my new Gaslow to fill in France.
1.I’ve registered my card in the machine and it’s authorised for the fill.
2. The machine doesn’t zero. Query with cashier, says will when you press the button.
3. Bottle tap off
4. Connect knozzle with filing adapter
5. Squeeze trigger and clip engaged
6. Yes it zeros but no gas.

I’ve tried a couple of pumps but essentially the same problem. Am I doing something stupidly wrong or have I a problem with my system. Filled ok in the U.K. but didn’t need an adapter.
I hope it’s the former!
Thanks in advance for any help.
Trevor

You said …bottle tap off, surely it should be open ?
Good luck

 

[Reallyretired]

You said …bottle tap off, surely it should be open ?
Good luck

Normally recommended to have the bottle tap closed so that there is no risk of liquid gas getting into the regulator. I admit I sometimes forget and have had no problem.

 

[10tenmen]

You said …bottle tap off, surely it should be open ?
Good luck

No it’s info from Gaslow the bottles should be turned off prior to filling.

 

[Divertrev]

Hi OP

I will assume that you do know what to do to fill and have done it before.

I have had this exact problem several times in France. You can’t fix it. Just go to another filling station/pump. I naturally tried everything I could think of the first couple of times it happened, remove, replace, reset, again, etc. The cashier always knows nothing “it sometimes does that”…

Sometimes you might get a Euro worth of gas, sometimes nothing.

I came to the conclusion that the pressure sensors/flow regulators that these systems depend on needed recalibration. It doesn’t take much for the pressure sensors to drift and begin to react as if your tanks are already full, hence the system will not dispense anything. It then needs a technician to come and make adjustment.

It seems to be happening more often as the number of LPG stations and their use is ramping down, the stations still operating LPG pumps are perhaps struggling to have them checked/serviced as often as they evidently need. Couple this problem with the holiday season and there’s your issue.

I once visited two in a row with the same issue, the third one, found a day later worked. Finding LPG ain’t getting any easier, the Dordogne/Perigord region is one of the worst.

I am relieved to report I have a “full”(80%) cylinder. Your experience is almost a bad as mine as I visited three autogas stations over the weekend with a total of 6 attempted Pre-authorised fills all without any gas. I came to a conclusion that the gas was either turned off a buggered pump or just no gas. Today went into a Shell station in Epernay and was befriended by a very helpful Dutchman filling his car with gas. He did nothing I had not done BUT he explained that if the station storage tank is low that is when it can take up to a minute to begin to flow or not flow at all. Seemingly I found them all! So thanks to all for your help and advice and I can now continue our 3 month Euro Road Trip in the knowledge I won’t need to rub two sticks together to boil our kettle after all!
Trevor

 

[varaizian]

A very, very long time ago I attended a training course for explosives safety and the Ronan Point tragedy was touched upon. For the youngsters on here that was a gas explosion in a block of flats in London. The lecturer offered the opinion that, if gas had not already been introduced into the domestic environment back in Victorian days it probably would not have been approved once proper regulation started because it is so dangerous. I expect that the approval process for the dispensing of gas by untrained members of the public on petrol forecourts was lengthy and required lots of safety breaks to be introduced. This may be why the system is complicated and errs on the side of maximum security. I'm happy with that.

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[davidbaldam]

I am relieved to report I have a “full”(80%) cylinder. Your experience is almost a bad as mine as I visited three autogas stations over the weekend with a total of 6 attempted Pre-authorised fills all without any gas. I came to a conclusion that the gas was either turned off a buggered pump or just no gas. Today went into a Shell station in Epernay and was befriended by a very helpful Dutchman filling his car with gas. He did nothing I had not done BUT he explained that if the station storage tank is low that is when it can take up to a minute to begin to flow or not flow at all. Seemingly I found them all! So thanks to all for your help and advice and I can now continue our 3 month Euro Road Trip in the knowledge I won’t need to rub two sticks together to boil our kettle after all!
Trevor

Thanks for coming back and explaining. Unfortunately, some who ask for advice on here never return to tell us what happened and if they had overcome their problem.