Refillable Gas

[Doug53]

We are planning to go down through France to Spain March/ April is refillable gas the best way to go as I understand I won’t be able to exchange my Calor bottles

 

[Feltwell]

I know how long gas hoses are on UK forecourts - they definitely wouldn't reach into the locker. I don't want to go cutting holes in the side of the van for a filling point or install a proper refillable system as it would be very expensive and I know (as I drive an LPG/Petrol car) how difficult it can be to get "loose" LPG in the UK without driving miles out of my way.

You must be lucky to find gas at 60p a litre, round here it's over 70p a litre. 74.9 the last lot I bought.

Don't know where you are in Shropshire Caztur, but if you travel down our one & only motorway, the M54, then Hilton Autogas is about 200 yards off junction 1. Not only are they generally about 60p a litre or less, there is a good long hose on the pump. If you're coming from the Telford / Shrewsbury direction towards the M6, turn left at J1 towards Featherstone, the LPG pump is at the back of the Esso petrol station forecourt - in a little hut set into the fence.

You collect a fob from the petrol station cashier to activate the pump, fill up and return the fob - so if the petrol station is open you can buy LPG, Hilton Autogas don't need to be open.

 

[CazPaul]

Surely, travelling 4 miles for gas isn't an issue? Especially in view of the substantial cost saving with a refillable gas system.
I have to drive 3 miles to the next village for petrol and diesel.

Yes I was astounded when I read that, we have just taken the van for a 25 mile run today, to get things turning over.

 

[Spriddler]

Yes I was astounded when I read that, we have just taken the van for a 25 mile run today, to get things turning over.

I've just done the same; 10 or 15 fast 'ish miles up the A23 dual carriageway to warm it up quickly then 10 miles back through the lanes to use the brakes often which cleans the light surface rust off the discs and the diverse speeds and hills work the auto gearbox a fair bit.

 

[Caztur]

"Only 4 miles" means an 8 mile round trip for gas when my car only does about 25 to the gallon, unless I happen to be going that way (not often). The point is, that that is the only place I can get LPG round here - the rest are all nearly 20 miles away, so trips in my car have to be carefully planned.

Thanks Feltwell - but that's 50 miles from me.

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[EssexBoy]

"Only 4 miles" means an 8 mile round trip for gas when my car only does about 25 to the gallon, unless I happen to be going that way (not often). The point is, that that is the only place I can get LPG round here - the rest are all nearly 20 miles away, so trips in my car have to be carefully planned.

Thanks Feltwell - but that's 50 miles from me.

I think the point being made was that you don't have to be at home to fill up. We always fill up on our way home at any convenient garage on our route home (no diversions). We use one of the several good LPG finder apps.

The other point is that how far will you have to go to get an exchange fill? In my case it was 10 miles each way and meant lugging heavy bottles about...

 

[CazPaul]

"Only 4 miles" means an 8 mile round trip for gas when my car only does about 25 to the gallon, unless I happen to be going that way (not often). The point is, that that is the only place I can get LPG round here - the rest are all nearly 20 miles away, so trips in my car have to be carefully planned.

Thanks Feltwell - but that's 50 miles from me.

Our nearest LPG is a 40 mile round trip, the benefits of living in the countryside.

 

[Basildog]

Our nearest LPG is a 40 mile round trip, the benefits of living in the countryside.

So basically Calor gas is probably the cheaper option !
We are geared up to use both as we also find planning journeys around lpg stations a complete waste of time and money.
Unfortunately many of us don’t have easy access to cheap lpg , ours is 74.9 pence and about 8 miles each way.

 

[Lenny HB]

8 miles each way.

Fill up when you take the van for a run, you need to take it out every few weeks and get it up to running temperature anyway so that means a run of at least 20 miles.
In 10 years never had a problem finding gas, don't see the problem. So far this year I put in 225Lt hate to think how much that would cost in exchange bottles.

 

[CazPaul]

So basically Calor gas is probably the cheaper option !
We are geared up to use both as we also find planning journeys around lpg stations a complete waste of time and money.
Unfortunately many of us don’t have easy access to cheap lpg , ours is 74.9 pence and about 8 miles each way.

We just get some when on a trip somewhere, no problem whatsoever, its the convenience of it not worrying about a few pence here and there.

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[Caztur]

I think the point being made was that you don't have to be at home to fill up. We always fill up on our way home at any convenient garage on our route home (no diversions). We use one of the several good LPG finder apps.

The other point is that how far will you have to go to get an exchange fill? In my case it was 10 miles each way and meant lugging heavy bottles about...

I can get a Calor bottle refill at at least 4 places within 4 miles of home, in different directions, but now only the one place does "loose" LPG, meaning I often have to detour to fill up.

It used to be that many garages sold it, but I have seen a lot that have stopped doing it as there are less LPG cars on the road now than 10 years ago. It worries me that others will stop. From experience, Morrisons seem to have a policy of not putting LPG pumps back in when they refurbish their forecourts.

This isn't the only area where there aren't many places that sell it - look at the filllpg map - unless you are near Glasgow, Edinburh or Newcastle, it's pretty much a no go area in the north of England and Scotland.

 

[Cheshirecat57]

@Caztur
Whitchurch
Telford
Shrewsbury(Battlefield)
Welshpool
Craven Arms
All have lpg refill dealers listed on Safefill’s website at 1/3 the price of calor....but the point of a refillable is you dont have to wait for empty

 

[Caztur]

There isn't one at Whitchurch. I usually fill up at Wem which is about 18 miles away from here but I am often heading that way so it's better than an 8 mile round trip to my nearest. It's one of the most expensive , last week was 74.9p per litre.

However, we have deviated from my original query. I prefer the convenience of Calor in the UK, I am looking for a solution for a trip to Spain & Portugal via France that doesn't involve having a refillable system. I asked whether I would have a problem refilling a refillable bottle if I were to replace one of my Calor bottles for the duration of the trip, but I wouldn't be able to fill it in the locker and would have to lift it out to fill. Would that be possible? Or would garages there refuse me?

 

[mfw]

However, we have deviated from my original query. I prefer the convenience of Calor in the UK, I am looking for a solution for a trip to Spain & Portugal via France that doesn't involve having a refillable system. I asked whether I would have a problem refilling a refillable bottle if I were to replace one of my Calor bottles for the duration of the trip, but I wouldn't be able to fill it in the locker and would have to lift it out to fill. Would that be possible? Or would garages there refuse me?

That is a big gamble if you cant hide cylinder out of sight for filling then there is a good chance they will refuse filling people can get stopped filling within locker

 

[Caztur]

Thank you. So it's probably not worth my getting a refillable one then, in that case.