Problem topping up LPG

Ingwe

Ingwe

Joined
Feb 22, 2016
Posts
4,009
Likes collected
14,042
Location
York
Funster No
41,744
MH
Bailey 620 Approach
Exp
Since 2015
We have a 14kg Alugas refillable gas bottle. It has a gauge that measures the bottle’s fullness by representing a green wedge that tapers downwards as the gas is used. Now I know that these gauges are not known for their accuracy but today i noticed that the green wedge thing was halfway down. The bottle was full when we arrived in France in July and we have used gas for the fridge, hot water, a little heating (one night on low) on about half a dozen occasions.

So I figured that we’d used about a third of a bottle. Today, I found a working LPG pump at a BP garage and after connecting up, the pump zeroed but stopped after .5 of a litre. I connected up again and was able to add a further .4 of litre. So in total just about a litre. Management went to pay and reported a possible fault at the pump but the cashier said it’s been working fine.
I checked the gauge and it was in the same position as before trying to fill up.

We’re on the ferry home tomorrow night so we don’t need anymore gas at the moment but wonder if there’s a fault in the bottle or the gauge isn’t working as i should. Anything I can check?
 
Ingwe said:
We have a 14kg Alugas refillable gas bottle. It has a gauge that measures the bottle’s fullness by representing a green wedge that tapers downwards as the gas is used. Now I know that these gauges are not known for their accuracy but today i noticed that the green wedge thing was halfway down. The bottle was full when we arrived in France in July and we have used gas for the fridge, hot water, a little heating (one night on low) on about half a dozen occasions.

So I figured that we’d used about a third of a bottle. Today, I found a working LPG pump at a BP garage and after connecting up, the pump zeroed but stopped after .5 of a litre. I connected up again and was able to add a further .4 of litre. So in total just about a litre. Management went to pay and reported a possible fault at the pump but the cashier said it’s been working fine.
I checked the gauge and it was in the same position as before trying to fill up.

We’re on the ferry home tomorrow night so we don’t need anymore gas at the moment but wonder if there’s a fault in the bottle or the gauge isn’t working as i should. Anything I can check?
Click to expand...
If the gas station attendant claims, the pump is fine, then there may be something in the system that gives a false impression of the true contents...look at gas lows web site, you will see what I mean....a friend of mine failed to fill his van at a number of outlets...he didn't keep sufficient pressure on the delivery button and only got a small top up....of course I'm not suggesting the same applies here...😃👍
 
jumar said:
If the gas station attendant claims, the pump is fine, then there may be something in the system that gives a false impression of the true contents...look at gas lows web site, you will see what I mean....a friend of mine failed to fill his van at a number of outlets...he didn't keep sufficient pressure on the delivery button and only got a small top up....of course I'm not suggesting the same applies here...😃👍
Click to expand...
Thank you for the information. I’ve experienced, in the UK, long delays in the gas arriving after pressing and holding the green button. So yesterday, the pump, which had just been used before me to fill up a car, seemed to be fine and I did keep the button compressed after the pump stopped after the trifling amount delivered. But I’ll look at the Gaslow site and research further.
 
I had no end of "fill" problems until i bought mopeka sensors. Then i only went to fill when i needed to.
 
One of our gaslow green wedge gauges are exactly the same.. shows about 2/3rds when it is full.
 
We have the green dots. We have been away since “filling” in Bristol last Saturday, leaving Sunday so 4 days/nights. We have had fridge on gas when not driving, heating one evening and all cooking. The gauge still says full.
Previously to filling, I had let the guage go down to one dot, I managed to get 11 litres in to the 25 litre tank. We had previously filled back earlier in the summer, no heating has been required (🔆🔆🔆 ), but lots of fridge cooling and cooking for 25 days off grid and 6 nights with EHU for fridge.
11 litres is the maximum I have ever got in.
 
on ours the glass bit with the marker line moves around we just top up when we think we need it
 
Thump the bottle, we have same as you, there's a float inside the tank. These are pretty much the most accurate gauges.

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The gist seems to be that you probably use less gas than you think and that these gauges, apart from the ultrasound ones, are unreliable. I gave the gauge a gentle tap as suggested in #5 but it made no difference.
I’ll start saving up for a Mopeka or Truma u/sound thingy.
 
BusyBuilder said:
Thump the bottle, we have same as you, there's a float inside the tank. These are pretty much the most accurate gauges.
Click to expand...
The green wedge seems to move a little and if you rock the bottle it moves, so I’m not sure it’s stuck.
 
The lack of gauges seems to be a major advantage. Because my two bottles are simply refillables I know which one is empty and only ever fully fill that one.
Is it not obvious on twin bottle gas systems?
 
Ingwe said:
We have a 14kg Alugas refillable gas bottle. It has a gauge that measures the bottle’s fullness by representing a green wedge that tapers downwards as the gas is used. Now I know that these gauges are not known for their accuracy but today i noticed that the green wedge thing was halfway down. The bottle was full when we arrived in France in July and we have used gas for the fridge, hot water, a little heating (one night on low) on about half a dozen occasions.

So I figured that we’d used about a third of a bottle. Today, I found a working LPG pump at a BP garage and after connecting up, the pump zeroed but stopped after .5 of a litre. I connected up again and was able to add a further .4 of litre. So in total just about a litre. Management went to pay and reported a possible fault at the pump but the cashier said it’s been working fine.
I checked the gauge and it was in the same position as before trying to fill up.

We’re on the ferry home tomorrow night so we don’t need anymore gas at the moment but wonder if there’s a fault in the bottle or the gauge isn’t working as i should. Anything I can check?
Click to expand...
B34E1C42-7BC3-434C-8CEA-6DC87220C7B5.jpeg

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I've been told, my Gaslow gauge measures Pressure not Content level and when I fill up, the gauge is very slow in showing the extra gas?
When I fill up after being away, and using it for fridge and cooking, just how little I've used. :unsure:
 
L' Hobo said:
I've been told, my Gaslow gauge measures Pressure not Content level and when I fill up, the gauge is very slow in showing the extra gas?
When I fill up after being away, and using it for fridge and cooking, just how little I've used. :unsure:
Click to expand...
It definitely doesn’t measure pressure ⚠️
We sell thousands of cylinders and tanks, the gauge on the new Gaslow and Alugas Multi valve is pretty accurate to be honest.
We get at least one customer a week book in with cylinders or tanks that won’t fill .
Never ever is there a problem with the cylinders or tank, it’s nearly always full or they have been to a faulty pump .
 
Basildog said:
It definitely doesn’t measure pressure ⚠️
We sell thousands of cylinders and tanks, the gauge on the new Gaslow and Alugas Multi valve is pretty accurate to be honest.
We get at least one customer a week book in with cylinders or tanks that won’t fill .
Never ever is there a problem with the cylinders or tank, it’s nearly always full or they have been to a faulty pump .
Click to expand...

but mine is not a new Gaslow, it's at least 15yrs old but never had a problem with it, does that make a difference?? :unsure:
 
I’ve been looking at a number of detectors that use ultrasound. They look fine until you read further into the specifications where all the ones I’ve seen say they’re unsuitable for refillable bottles. Seems a bit weird that the fact the bottle is refillable makes it impossible to gauge the fullness. 🤔
 
L' Hobo said:
but mine is not a new Gaslow, it's at least 15yrs old but never had a problem with it, does that make a difference?? :unsure:
Click to expand...
No the old Gaslow cylinders have a float that operates the gauge , just not very accurate.
Nothing to do with pressure.
If your cylinder is that old it really needs replacement.

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I have 2 x 13 kg gas bottles and no gauges or measuring devices whatsoever. Running in the background is a sense of how much gas we must have used and that is supplemented by an occasional rock of the bottle to feel what is left. I'm not saying that we don't get caught out now and again but I don't trust supposedly clever and expensive techie solutions to simple problems.
 
Although ours is a new system (2 years old) 2 refillable bottles and we have a automatic change over system I never use it, I always keep 1 bottle turned on then when it runs out I swap to the other which then gives me the incentive to go fill up.
 
Mr porky said:
Although ours is a new system (2 years old) 2 refillable bottles and we have a automatic change over system I never use it, I always keep 1 bottle turned on then when it runs out I swap to the other which then gives me the incentive to go fill up.
Click to expand...
Exactly how I do it....what could be simpler.....what's all the fuss about...🤔😃🇪🇦👍
 
My alugas ones have gauges operated by floats with remote led displays. They are not accurate but give some idea. They read full till nearly half empty then go down fairly reliably. However I have two bottles 11kg and only have one turned on so when it's empty I transfer to the other and fill up as soon as I can. I alternate which bottle is in use and have a 'flag' hung on the one in use so I don't get muddled if I turn the gas off for the tunnel or storage.
 
I find the gauges on my 14kg Alugas cylinders reasonably accurate.
Ingwe said:
I’ve been looking at a number of detectors that use ultrasound. They look fine until you read further into the specifications where all the ones I’ve seen say they’re unsuitable for refillable bottles. Seems a bit weird that the fact the bottle is refillable makes it impossible to gauge the fullness. 🤔
Click to expand...
I believe the original mechanical gauge mechanism can interfere with the ultrasound reading.

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I could run the fridge, cooker, bbq and water for the whole year on my two refillable bottles. Heating like a sauna for 24x 5 days in winter empties them. There is a large happy comfort area in-between. I have a gauge on one bottle which empties last and feeling the need to check it suggests I would need gas anyway.
 
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We have an onboard tank with the lights gauge. I let it get down to the last light and only got 11ltrs in a 25ltr tank. Asking around this seems normal apparently.

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