Refillable Gas Bottles Question + Help, Please

[Lenny HB]

Never had any problems finding somewhere to fill up. We have 2 x 14kg Alugas bottles, one bottle lasts us 15-18 days in the shoulder seasons.

 

[deleted79651]

But it's not at the stage where you won't be able to refill. You just need to plan top ups better whilst en route.

It's only because we've not had a fair chance to properly evaluate the twin 11Kg Gaslows which we have inherited, that we've not had a bulk tank fitted yet. If I thought the lower number of Autogas outlets were significant enough to make a difference, I wouldn't be prepared to shell out for the installation.

Cheers,

Jock.

Thanks once again, Jock. We'll be completely new to motorhoming so are struggling a wee bit to visualise systems and setups operating. Being able to sit in the m/home and learn by playing would have been an ideal way of passing the time, but we're in Scotland and the m/home is about 400 miles away!

'Still, mustn't grumble, eh?'

Steve & Elaine

 

[JockandRita]

Thanks once again, Jock. We'll be completely new to motorhoming so are struggling a wee bit to visualise systems and setups operating. Being able to sit in the m/home and learn by playing would have been an ideal way of passing the time, but we're in Scotland and the m/home is about 400 miles away!

'Still, mustn't grumble, eh?'

Steve & Elaine

No problem Steve & Elaine. I'm just concerned that you might be looking for problems where there aren't any, thereby doing yourselves a disservice from the start.
It's not a lot extra to add a second refillable cylinder at the initial fitting stage, compared to the cost of exchanging non refillable cylinders over a year or two, especially if camping off grid a lot.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Minxy]

Thanks, Bertie. Not too worried about the cost, it's what cretin cards [old banking term to describe customers who borrowed long term on the plastic] were made for; my questions are a] is there a lot of work to have the kit installed?; and b] If there are fewer refill stations in UK, is there a single bottle kit so that we could have a Propane LPG free standing bottle for standby?

Thanks again

Steve & Elaine

Its easy to fit refillable, I've done it several times now (moving it from one MH to another), once you get your MH you can assess the best place for the filler - if you go for the smaller one supplied by Gasit rather than the larger Gaslow one its a doddle.

 

[deleted79651]

Its easy to fit refillable, I've done it several times now (moving it from one MH to another), once you get your MH you can assess the best place for the filler - if you go for the smaller one supplied by Gasit rather than the larger Gaslow one its a doddle.

Thanks, Minxy, that's good advice! I'll probably wait until we get the MH and then we can see and measure etc what is likely to work for us! Might just blow the pocket money on a 2nd propane bottle in the first instance so that we can just get away and play with the Van and get a change of scenery and fresh air!

Steve & Elaine

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[Minxy]

Thanks, Minxy, that's good advice! I'll probably wait until we get the MH and then we can see and measure etc what is likely to work for us! Might just blow the pocket money on a 2nd propane bottle in the first instance so that we can just get away and play with the Van and get a change of scenery and fresh air!

Steve & Elaine

Don't waste your money on a second bottle as it will cost you around £50 just for the empty plus the gas which is well on it's way to paying for a refillable one, if you're only going for a few days or onto a site with EHU a single bottle at this time of year should be sufficient.

 

[RubyOptics]

I'll be honest with you and say that I would start by using the van and seeing how you use it. That will help you to make some informed decisions when it comes to addons and toys. What heating system does your van have? If its a 6e, then you can have your hot stuff running from ehu when on site....if it isn't then it will be eating gas. You can of course carry a small portable heater to get around this, we certainly do!
From experience, I know that it's both exciting and tempting looking at all the new "things" that are available to fit to your beloved new vehicle, but I would suggest you wait. A few gas exchanges aren't going to break the bank and will be pocket change compared to the amount you have already spent on the van. If you use it for a couple of months and see you are going through gas like the clappers, then you will be in a better place to look at the various systems and work out your savings etc. If you find you aren't, then the cost becomes a bigger hurdle to overcome. A prime example...I REALLY wanted a refillable lpg system with twin 11kg bottles. I can fit them in my gas locker no problem. The issue is that right now, we are unable to travel to large parts of Europe and so are making do with touring Poland. An exchange here costs about a tenner per 11kg bottle. That's crazy cheap compared to the UK and so financially it doesn't make sense.
A similar situation was our rear stabilizers. They were already fitted when we bought the van, but i made no bones about them being removed, cleaned, re-greased etc prior to me picking up the van as i intended to use them. We haven't. Not even once. They will be coming off the van as soon as it stops raining as they are bloody heavy and I could use the extra payload!!
See what you need and then buy it, rather than buying what you think you MIGHT need!

 

[Puddleduck]

Places that supply LPG to households in rural areas (some houses have bulk LPG tanks for heating / cooking) may also be able to supply you with LPG for your van*. Locally a company that supplies us with heating oil can fill our LPG refill tanks at a pump in their depot - and they also charge the correct rate of tax! Otherwise we use Autogas 2000 near Thirsk or just top up when we see somewhere as we are passing.

I would not be able to lift a full gas bottle in and out of the van which is why the refillable is one of the first things we put in our last and our new van. You can take the system out and refit to a new van.

*Sometimes cash only and restricted opening hours. Phone in advance.