# Gas bottle shenanigans, what next?!



## LindsayH (Oct 11, 2018)

Well, here I am in France! It's not all been entirely straightforward, maybe I'll do a little thread on the last few days rather than bore you here. One of my biggest problems so far has been gas bottles and I'm not entirely sure what to do next. My first problem was that I managed to get the wrong dimensions for my Calor gas bottle, either I read it wrong or the site had the wrong info listed. Anyway, it turns out that none of the bottles sold in France fitted in my cupboard, so I took my cupboard apart and now I can just about fit one standard small size (10kgish) bottle in. The good news is I am now excellent at finding Intermarche, but it took me SIX attempts to actually buy gas. Problems ranging from them being shut, deserted, not having gas, not having the right gas or often, just them refusing to sell me gas. Eventually, I got frustrated and got one lady to write down exactly what the problem was and went away to google it. I needed a contract. So I went back and asked her if I could have a contract and she looked at me like I was completely mental (apparently it's FAR too expensive) but said yes of course! So I signed a contract and paid less than I would for my Calor refill back home. I bought Propane as everyone has been telling me to buy Propane due to Butane not being too good for the coming winter months.
Next problem, Detender (thanks to whoever posted that word on the other thread, it has been my most used word in Franch so far!). The Intermarche woman said she couldn't help so I went to big DIY store on the other side of town that I had gone to earlier in the day to buy firewood. After an hour of dreadful French, pointing, photos, back and forth to the van and three staff members I gave up without even finding out which the right regulator was. The one thing I could see was that none of them was going to fit my hose. Several of the butane ones came with adaptors that seem to change the screw fitting on the regulator to a push fit one like my current reg has. So, DIY shop on the other side of town. More pointing, photos, confusion, awful French and staring at gas bottles. This guy seemed to be quite knowledgeable but sadly spoke as much English as I do French. What I can gather is this - you can't get Propane regulators to fit on my gas hose. You would need the adaptor and these are not sold for propane regulators as the higher pressure means you need a screw fit. This is my best guess at what he was trying to say and why neither the Intermarche nor the DIY shops could help me. 
So what do I do?!? Should I go back and exchange my propane for butane? I've had to open the propane bottle to look at the connection. Also, will the regulators in the DIY shops fit my bottle and if so how do I know which one? There are a few different types (and they all say for 13kg bottles on them and mine is 9kg). 
I've been trying to get this sorted for 5 days now, so any help or advice anyone can offer will be greatly appreciated. I've still got to fit the b****y regulator yet :rolleyes2:   :lol-053:


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## Deleted member 56601 (Oct 11, 2018)

'Narbonne accessoires' Look for the closest store to you and get them to advise you 

Narbonne Accessoires, le leader de l'accessoire pour vehicules de loisir et de camping.


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## st3v3 (Oct 11, 2018)

Awesome to hear you're in France - so jealous 

It seems like a bit of grief at the moment, but it'll soon be long forgotten I'm sure.

I think you might do well to ideally find a guy who works on motorhomes who will swap advice for wine, or maybe a motorhome dealer who does maintenance. This should be a relatively simple thing to work out x

Keep us posted


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## ScoTTyBEEE (Oct 11, 2018)

It will be easily sorted once you find the right person, but it does sound like you're having a bit of a mare. A German neighbour in Portugal went through a similar saga, but once she found the right shop they sold her the gas, regulator and fitted it all and it didn't cost a crazy amount.

Make sure you get the wildcamping competitor app if you're in France as it's full of reviews and probably contains more stops. If I type it properly the forum software will block it, but it lets you park[(4)]night     - remove the [()]


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## LindsayH (Oct 11, 2018)

Edina said:


> 'Narbonne accessoires' Look for the closest store to you and get them to advise you
> 
> Narbonne Accessoires, le leader de l'accessoire pour vehicules de loisir et de camping.



Great thanks, I'll check this out now.


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## LindsayH (Oct 11, 2018)

st3v3 said:


> Awesome to hear you're in France - so jealous
> 
> It seems like a bit of grief at the moment, but it'll soon be long forgotten I'm sure.
> 
> ...



Thanks Steeeeeeve! You should all come to France, yay! That's the frustrating thing about this is that I'm sure that once the right solution comes along I'm sure it will be simple, but finding it when you don't speak the language is tricky!


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## LindsayH (Oct 11, 2018)

ScoTTyBEEE said:


> It will be easily sorted once you find the right person, but it does sound like you're having a bit of a mare. A German neighbour in Portugal went through a similar saga, but once she found the right shop they sold her the gas, regulator and fitted it all and it didn't cost a crazy amount.
> 
> Make sure you get the wildcamping competitor app if you're in France as it's full of reviews and probably contains more stops. If I type it properly the forum software will block it, but it lets you park[(4)]night     - remove the [()]



Thank you! You're right, I'm sure I'll look back on this as a minor hiccup, just rather stressful at the time!


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## n brown (Oct 11, 2018)

i'm not sure i understand. normally i would buy a bottle  in a garage and they'd sell the regulator too. as there's only bottled gas in France , then you can buy it in loads of unlikely places . any campsite should have an English speaker to put you right . 
if you can swap back to butane ,i would , as i'm sure it's more widely used over there and more familiar


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## ScoTTyBEEE (Oct 11, 2018)

LindsayH said:


> Thank you! You're right, I'm sure I'll look back on this as a minor hiccup, just rather stressful at the time!



We've all been there. I drove miles with a broken cv boot earlier in the year and it got to the point I had to get it fixed in France as I couldn't drive 700 miles home, the whole van was vibrating and the stress it was causing was off the charts.

Life throws us these challenges, but that's the great thing about #vanlife, you've got to face them head on. We learn from these experiences.


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## jeffmossy (Oct 11, 2018)

A language translator app can also help with communication issues


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## LindsayH (Oct 11, 2018)

n brown said:


> i'm not sure i understand. normally i would buy a bottle  in a garage and they'd sell the regulator too. as there's only bottled gas in France , then you can buy it in loads of unlikely places . any campsite should have an English speaker to put you right .
> if you can swap back to butane ,i would , as i'm sure it's more widely used over there and more familiar



Yes, I certainly thought it would be a lot easier than this. I'm sure the language barrier is a huge problem. Have you bought a propane regulator yourself at Intermarche? If so, what gas hose fitting do you have? I think my next step is to try another Intermarche for the regulator. Unfortunately I'm not staying on any campsites and I need to get the gas sorted quickly before I run out. I ideally want to leave some in the Calor bottle for between foreign bottles. 

I have looked at Narbonne, they look helpful. There isn't one near me unfortunately though, so it would mean waiting until I set off again and trying to sort it on the road/while using the gas. Might be the best option though...


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## trevskoda (Oct 11, 2018)

ScoTTyBEEE said:


> We've all been there. I drove miles with a broken cv boot earlier in the year and it got to the point I had to get it fixed in France as I couldn't drive 700 miles home, the whole van was vibrating and the stress it was causing was off the charts.
> 
> Life throws us these challenges, but that's the great thing about #vanlife, you've got to face them head on. We learn from these experiences.



A cv boot will not cause vibs,more likely the cv joint was shot due to boot torn for a while letting the grease out.


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## st3v3 (Oct 11, 2018)

LindsayH said:


> Thanks Steeeeeeve! You should all come to France, yay!



LOL, we've been before a couple of times and quite liked it 

It's just this work/school rubbish that gets in the way...


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## ScoTTyBEEE (Oct 11, 2018)

trevskoda said:


> A cv boot will not cause vibs,more likely the cv joint was shot due to boot torn for a while letting the grease out.



I knew it was torn once it started vibrating, it likely tore a long, long way away. I wasn't exactly hasty about getting it fixed at that point either.


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## LindsayH (Oct 11, 2018)

trevskoda said:


> A cv boot will not cause vibs,more likely the cv joint was shot due to boot torn for a while letting the grease out.




Thanks, this sounds useful to know :lol-049:


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## LindsayH (Oct 11, 2018)

hairydog said:


> The pressure is around 30 to 50 Millibar, propane or butane. There are 1000 Millibar in a bar, which is about 14psi. So the pressure is less than half a psi: that is perfectly fine with a push fit connection, though a jubilee clip or cable tie to lock it on is a smart move.
> You will probably find what you need in a Mr Bricolage store. They seem to have loads of LPG fittings as well as bottles.
> We have a tank, and a French adapter, so although €0.71 per litre seems a bit expensive, it is easy.



Thanks Hairydog! That pressure stuff is interesting, I had no idea. It really helps to know this sort of useful background technical stuff. Off to google Mr Bricolage...


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## LindsayH (Oct 11, 2018)

st3v3 said:


> LOL, we've been before a couple of times and quite liked it
> 
> It's just this work/school rubbish that gets in the way...




I know right??! I'll let you know how chucking it in and living in abject poverty goes for me


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## n brown (Oct 11, 2018)

LindsayH said:


> Yes, I certainly thought it would be a lot easier than this. I'm sure the language barrier is a huge problem. Have you bought a propane regulator yourself at Intermarche? If so, what gas hose fitting do you have? I think my next step is to try another Intermarche for the regulator. Unfortunately I'm not staying on any campsites and I need to get the gas sorted quickly before I run out. I ideally want to leave some in the Calor bottle for between foreign bottles.
> 
> I have looked at Narbonne, they look helpful. There isn't one near me unfortunately though, so it would mean waiting until I set off again and trying to sort it on the road/while using the gas. Might be the best option though...


 never bought propane in France. 

you can call into a campsite for help witthout staying.
when we travelled, i'd take 2 x15k gas bottles and dispose of them when empty. but i also kept a campingaz bottle and regulator which i would only use between bottles. expensive but you can buy this gas anywhere , even little grocers , and it takes the panic off when finding a bottle or when you have a problem like yours . the regs are all the right pressure for your appliances


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## Deleted member 62288 (Oct 11, 2018)

*regulator collection*

I've got a box of various regulators and bottle connections and to simplify matters, I've adopted a standard method that allows me to connect any type of bottle into the external filler point of my gaslow system. 

So I use Spanish REPSOL bottles and Spanish connectors in Spain, GALPE bottles and connector in Portugal, 47kilo CALOR propane in UK etc etc.

By using in-line, self closing quick connectors on each different regulator, on a short length of pipe, I can connect directly into the filler point on the side of the Hymer, preserving the on-board, gaslow bottle 2 for use while travelling between fillups.

Exchange bottles are far easier to come by than a forecourt with GPL/LPG.

The challenge of local negotiations when in a new country to get "their" bottle and regulator doesn't go away.

I'm undecided yet, but I'm heavily leaning towards heading south east this winter, heading south to Marseilles and following the coast into northern Italy and into Slovenia, then along the Adriatic down to Greece.

I have a nagging suspicion that I would learn a lot about each countries' LPG standards and practices.


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## carol (Oct 11, 2018)

Lindsay, if you've got a smart phone download google translate when you have wifi. It'll come in really handy. Good luck with the gas - hope it's sorted soon and it'll become another thing to laugh about!


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## n brown (Oct 11, 2018)

hairydog said:


> Google translate is brilliant. Point the phone camera at foreign writing and the screen shows you the writing in English. Just a pity it is converted to ALL CAPS WHEN IT IS TRANSLATED. WHY DO THEY DO THAT?


so short-sighted foreigners can read it ?


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## oppy (Oct 11, 2018)

First time Sue and I did France in the moho we took 5 bottles of gas ( at around £20ish a pop), but very soon realised that at most Intermarche's we could buy a full bottle plus regulator for around the same price as a refill in the UK, so maybe it's time to cut your losses and go native. BtW, we still have 3 full UK gas bottles if anyone would like to bid on them

We now have refillable and a full set of adaptors.


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## LindsayH (Oct 12, 2018)

FringeDweller said:


> I've got a box of various regulators and bottle connections and to simplify matters, I've adopted a standard method that allows me to connect any type of bottle into the external filler point of my gaslow system.
> 
> So I use Spanish REPSOL bottles and Spanish connectors in Spain, GALPE bottles and connector in Portugal, 47kilo CALOR propane in UK etc etc.
> 
> ...



I'm also considering Greece for the winter! I'd love the drive but I don't think I'm brave enough so will probably ferry it from southern Italy. Please do keep me informed of your trip progress and very importantly, *everything* you learn about gas!


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## LindsayH (Oct 12, 2018)

n brown said:


> never bought propane in France.
> 
> you can call into a campsite for help witthout staying.
> when we travelled, i'd take 2 x15k gas bottles and dispose of them when empty. but i also kept a campingaz bottle and regulator which i would only use between bottles. expensive but you can buy this gas anywhere , even little grocers , and it takes the panic off when finding a bottle or when you have a problem like yours . the regs are all the right pressure for your appliances



The camping gaz back up is a great idea. I have noticed it seems to be everywhere and it's good to know it would be ok for me to use, thanks.


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## Nabsim (Oct 12, 2018)

hairydog said:


> Google translate is brilliant. Point the phone camera at foreign writing and the screen shows you the writing in English. Just a pity it is converted to ALL CAPS WHEN IT IS TRANSLATED. WHY DO THEY DO THAT?



Simples, its because the majority of Brits shout the words after a time when trying to communicate as its obvious to them that folk can't understand them so must be deaf 

Keep posting Lindsay as we will be doing first trip to France in a van in New Year so at least you are probably making it easier for us 

You will look back and laugh I know this from my trips to France on bikes, one one I blew a back tyre way out in the sticks but luckily near a garage. Neither of the guys there could speak English and my French was (and still is) very poor but youngest daughter who was with me could speak fluent German. Eureka so could one of the French guys, elation turned to dismay when I couldn't get daughter to translate as she said it was embarrassing haha.

Phone translator definitely but don't do like Del, make sure you have it set to the language you want to translate from and to


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## runnach (Oct 12, 2018)

Detendre is regulator . you have a French bottle now so a case of buying the regulator removing your old one where the rubber joins the current regulator and fitting the new one, I cant work out why people are saying that is difficult everyone I have seen has fitted that way, the awkard fitting is between the reg and bottle The alternative is buying a new pig tail *rubber hose that fits your regulator with the correct connection for the regulator and removing the existing rubber further down stream where it joins the gas pipe

For assistance, if you look for shops, departments and people who deal in chauffage hopefully sorted in a jiffy
Channa


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## Nabsim (Oct 12, 2018)

Is that you have screw thread and regulators you are seeing need rubber pipe and clip? Maybe post a pic Lindsey so one of these folks can advise better?


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## LindsayH (Oct 12, 2018)

Nabsim said:


> Simples, its because the majority of Brits shout the words after a time when trying to communicate as its obvious to them that folk can't understand them so must be deaf
> 
> Keep posting Lindsay as we will be doing first trip to France in a van in New Year so at least you are probably making it easier for us
> 
> ...



Thanks for the reply  
I am very much hoping that when I've been doing this for 20 years plus like some on here, this will be the hilarious 'first time I tried to get gas' story! For now, it's immensely frustrating!
I hope it does help others, especially if I can actually get it sorted...


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## LindsayH (Oct 12, 2018)

channa said:


> Detendre is regulator . you have a French bottle now so a case of buying the regulator removing your old one where the rubber joins the current regulator and fitting the new one, I cant work out why people are saying that is difficult everyone I have seen has fitted that way, the awkard fitting is between the reg and bottle The alternative is buying a new pig tail *rubber hose that fits your regulator with the correct connection for the regulator and removing the existing rubber further down stream where it joins the gas pipe
> 
> For assistance, if you look for shops, departments and people who deal in chauffage hopefully sorted in a jiffy
> Channa



Thanks Channa!
 The problem is that *all* the propane regulators we've found so far are designed to attach to the hose by screw fitting. The hoses they sell to go with them (if you need one) has a screw fitting at each end. Mine has a push fit/jubilee clip fitting at each end of the hose. Some of the butane regulators we have seen have an adaptor sold with them that screws into the regulator which you then push the hose onto. None of the propane ones have these with them, and we have not found them sold separately despite pointing at them in butane regulator boxes and finding pictures of them online and showing them to DIY shop assistants. I am not confident trying to change the fitting of the gas hose where it joins the metal pipework. My guess is you'd have to weld a screw fit to it? But I know absolutely nothing about gas or plumbing.
I wish I could upload pics to help explain better but I've already used more than half this month's internet allowance. I will do if I can get wifi at some point x


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## LindsayH (Oct 12, 2018)

Nabsim said:


> Is that you have screw thread and regulators you are seeing need rubber pipe and clip? Maybe post a pic Lindsey so one of these folks can advise better?



The other way round! I have push fit/jubilee clip and all the propane regulators are screw fit. Will post pics if I can find some internet. I'm staying for a few days half an hour from the nearest town at the mo so no wifi available.


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## trevskoda (Oct 12, 2018)

ScoTTyBEEE said:


> I knew it was torn once it started vibrating, it likely tore a long, long way away. I wasn't exactly hasty about getting it fixed at that point either.



Naughty boy.:hammer: a 1000 lines,i must look after my van better.:lol-053:


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## st3v3 (Oct 12, 2018)

I wonder if you need a regulator with a screw type output, and a rubber hose that has screw connections on both ends. Then, cut one end off and join it to your metal pipe with a jubilee clip.


Something you want someone to check it's done securely and not leaking though....


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## Nabsim (Oct 12, 2018)

Is this the type of thing you have now Lyndsey?


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## QFour (Oct 12, 2018)

If I have read this right you have a Calor gas cylinder with a regulator and a hose. The hose goes to another fitting and it has a jubilee clip on each end.

If you buy a regulator and pipe and cut the end fitting off you can connect to your system using the jubilee clip. What you will have is one fixed end and one fastened with a clip. To be on the safe side you could double clip it like we used to do on our boat. Just means if one clip breaks the other one holds. Can also give a better seal.


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## Deleted member 62288 (Oct 12, 2018)

LindsayH said:


> I'm also considering Greece for the winter! I'd love the drive but I don't think I'm brave enough so will probably ferry it from southern Italy. Please do keep me informed of your trip progress and very importantly, *everything* you learn about gas!



Everything that you ever wanted, is just the other side of  fear.
james


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## LindsayH (Oct 12, 2018)

Nabsim said:


> Is this the type of thing you have now Lyndsey?
> View attachment 67954



That looks like it has screw fittings. Mine has no fittings on the ends, it is just a plain hose that pushes on and is then secured/tightened with a jubilee clip.


I honestly hadn't thought of cutting one end off a hose. That sounds like a good suggestion. The only hiccup I can see is the hose being a different size which may be difficult to check when it is in a packet with a screw on each end. Oh, and me doing it wrong and gassing everyone  I think that would be doable though... I'd be prepared to give it a bash.

So, these seem to be the ideas:
- Try another Intermarche to get the (in theory definitely correct) regulator.
- Stop into Narbonne on the way South.
- Mr Bricolage, ditto.
- Buy another bottle, Butane this time.
- Cut the screw fitting off one end of a hose.

Great, plenty of things to try! Thanks guys!! If anyone has anything to add please do but I'll start working through that lot.


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## yeoblade (Oct 12, 2018)

I think I would have cut the fitting off and tried it by now.

Most importantly is the gas cylinder in a proper locker that is gas safe with a dropout vent fitted, before you make any possible unsafe mods. BE SAFE.


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## QFour (Oct 12, 2018)

As above .. What have you got to loose .. Just make sure the jubilee clips are tight. If you have room for two put them both on. Good luck ..


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## LindsayH (Oct 12, 2018)

yeoblade said:


> I think I would have cut the fitting off and tried it by now.
> 
> Most importantly is the gas cylinder in a proper locker that is gas safe with a dropout vent fitted, before you make any possible unsafe mods. BE SAFE.



Thank you for this. One of the reasons I'm not too keen to meddle is I had a full gas safety check carried out on the van before I left England. Everything is safe and fully tested at the moment and I like it that way!


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## dalspa (Oct 12, 2018)

“Stop into Narbonne on the way South”
Narbonne Accessories have sales depots all over France, not just in Narbonne.


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## Dowel (Oct 12, 2018)

LindsayH said:


> Mine has no fittings on the ends, it is just a plain hose that pushes on and is then secured/tightened with a jubilee clip.
> 
> So, these seem to be the ideas:
> - Try another Intermarche to get the (in theory definitely correct) regulator.
> ...



I wonder why all your advisors keep writing about cutting the end off?

If as stated above it is a hose, push fit and secured with a hose clip, why not just loosen the clip to release the end fitting. take the kit of parts into one of the potential suppliers listed above so they can find something to fit.
Presumably a local bottle and a regulator to fit is all you require.
We haven't seen a photo yet but from what I have read you do not need to do anything to the appliance end.

Don't let yourself believe that moving a hose from one fitting to another is at all difficult. Go for it Lindsay.


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## QFour (Oct 13, 2018)

You have destroyed your gas safety check as you are now traveling round with a gas bottle not stored in a correctly sealed box. If you could take the old one apart it was hardly secure. Have you got any holes under the bottle to let out an escape of gas to the outside world. LPG Gas when it leaks settles at the lowest point which is why you need holes in the bottom of your gas locker.

Whatever you do will invalidate your gas safety check as you or someone else will have altered the fittings. Only way out of that is to get the gas safety check done again.

If you are careful and follow the advice given about checking for leaks you will be fine. Soapy water bubbles if you have a leak. You may find that no one will want to screw fittings together for you as they are not qualified to do so and if you had an accident they could be liable.

You could look for a MH Dealer with a workshop and get it all checked again but they may refuse as the bottle will not be in a correct housing and they would then be liable if anything went wrong.

..


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## Nabsim (Oct 13, 2018)

Hold on. You don’t need a gas safety check it’s for peace of mind and then only if it’s a competent person. If the van has been looked at and okayed by a competent person then it should have holes for gas to escape.

Nobody is on about cutting appliance fittings here from what I have read they are referring to what sounds like pigtails Lindsey is being offered in places she goes. It is as simple as getting a new regulator fitted to existing pipe work. And that’s simple to someone who knows but not to someone who doesn’t who also has a language barrier. Let’s not complicate it any more than that

Pity you couldn’t have got Charlie to look at Hereford Lyndsey he could have told you what you needed ;(


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## QFour (Oct 13, 2018)

Lindsay was saying that she does not want to do anything that will alter her gas system as she had a gas safety check done. I was just pointing out that by altering anything to do with the gas system you invalidate the gas check. I know you don’t need one and that it’s easy to check the connections yourself and the MH Dealers do not employ Gas Enginners just monkeys who have read a couple of sheets of A4 usually In Romanian ..


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## Dowel (Oct 13, 2018)

LindsayH said:


> The one thing I could see was that none of them was going to fit my hose. Several of the butane ones came with adaptors that seem to change the screw fitting on the regulator to a push fit one like my current reg has. :



This is what prompted my post. Apologies Lindsay if I have caused you further confusion.
My assumption is that you have a regulator connected directly to the bottle, NOT a regulator bolted to the wall of the gas compartment.
So I further assume that you want a new french bottle with regulator connected directly.



LindsayH said:


> What I can gather is this - you can't get Propane regulators to fit on my gas hose. You would need the adaptor and these are not sold for propane regulators as the higher pressure means you need a screw fit. This is my best guess at what he was trying to say and why neither the Intermarche nor the DIY shops could help me.
> So what do I do?!? Should I go back and exchange my propane for butane? I've had to open the propane bottle to look at the connection. Also, will the regulators in the DIY shops fit my bottle and if so how do I know which one? There are a few different types (and they all say for 13kg bottles on them and mine is 9kg).
> :



The gas pressure on the outlet from the regulator, butane or propane, is very low (measured in millibar) compared to that in a full bottle (maybe 6 to 12 bar depending on temperature) so you need not worry about the hose being secure with jubilee clips or similar. A common size for LP gas hose is 8mm internal diameter, there are other sizes.

How long are you going to be in France? If not long because moving south to warmer climes or coming back home you will probably be ok with Butane. Butane stops turning into gas at around 4 degrees C.

If you cannot sort this immediately you could simply buy a Camping Gaz 907 cylinder with its little regulator. Never tried to buy one outside of UK but am told it is very commonly available and much cheaper there than in UK. They don't hold a lot of gas but could tide you over  for cooking at least until you find a french merchant with more expertise or choice.


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## runnach (Oct 13, 2018)

QFour said:


> Lindsay was saying that she does not want to do anything that will alter her gas system as she had a gas safety check done. I was just pointing out that by altering anything to do with the gas system you invalidate the gas check. I know you don’t need one and that it’s easy to check the connections yourself and the MH Dealers do not employ Gas Enginners just monkeys who have read a couple of sheets of A4 usually In Romanian
> 
> ..



How disrespectful !!! gas engineers in a dealer are qualified to at least ACS standard on the basis most dealers hire for reward which involves several exams and separate modules for leisure accommodation vehicles. the old ACOPs exam involved 21 modules which most mobile fitters have

As for invalidating gas checks by altering anything in the system, you better not change a bottle then ..you ARE breaking into the gas system technically,,so someone incompetent could well not re connect correctly

Channa


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## QFour (Oct 13, 2018)

channa said:


> As for invalidating gas checks by altering anything in the system, you better not change a bottle then ..you ARE breaking into the gas system technically,,so someone incompetent could well not re connect correctly
> 
> Channa



I am not the one who took the gas locker to bits so they could get a bigger bottle in. The parts that are left for the owner to undo are made in such a way that they are safe. If you want to start altering piping and fittings then you are altering the system and therefore the Gas Check that was done would not be valid.

You maybe right about Dealers having gas enginners but as far as I am concerned the NCC Dealers local to me are a complete and utter nightmare and have been for many years. They keep saying they are improving but they are still 30 years behind the standards you would expect from a car dealership.

..


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## witzend (Oct 13, 2018)

I haven,t read all replys but a french butane regulator will fit a french propane bottle and work


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## Caz (Oct 13, 2018)

I'm a bit confused by Lindsay's need for a regulator as her van is newer than mine, which has a permanently fixed regulator - I think caravan/motorhome builders started using them in the early 2000s, commonly called bulkhead regulators.

Before going to France last year I checked the sizes of the French bottles, Le Cube seems to be the smallest they do apart from Campingaz. My van was built for 2 x Campingaz 907 bottles, but I can squeeze in 2 x Calor 3.9 Kgs propane - but Le Cube are fatter so will not fit.

So instead I took out one Calor bottle and replaced it with an empty 907, which I got refilled in France at half the UK cost.

Thanks to help from members on here, I sorted out that I needed a different pigtail - the short bit of pipe with a screw fitting each end to join the regulator to the bottle, as the 907 screw fitting is different to the Calor one. I was able to get one of these in the UK before leaving, and I took an adjustable spanner with me for the changeover.

Sorted.

Thanks again to the folk who helped me out last year.


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## runnach (Oct 13, 2018)

hairydog said:


> The pressure inside a (not empty) propane or butane bottle depends on its temperature. Nothing else.
> 
> Both are liquids in the bottle, held under pressure. When you let some gas out, more of the liquid boils to a gas to replace it and bring the pressure up again.
> 
> ...





The European standard to which you allude to is 30mbar on leisure accomadion vehicles everything else runs at the old values of 28 and 47 mbar .There is still a lot of stuff in Italy that runs on variable regulators maxing out at 50 mbar the same as the old German standard

Re jetting new jets are required on the older Hymers as  often fitted with german spec. More up to date, jets will operate comfortably on 28 /37 old standards and the 30 mbar which is current standard

re propane and Butane I lived in Beziers on the Med and often went to work winter months temps of -1 and a good ground frost. Furthermore in February when we started to gas test vans for the summer we had to carry propane to do the job, whe visiors arrived the systems were butane Easter onwards 

Channa


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## Dowel (Oct 13, 2018)

LindsayH said:


> You would need the adaptor and these are not sold for propane regulators as the higher pressure means you need a screw fit. This is my best guess at what he was trying to say and why neither the Intermarche nor the DIY shops could help me.



@ runnach:  I hope you didn’t really believe that but it makes a neat put down. LindsayH infers that a propane connector was not available to her because the pressure of propane was "believed to be" too great for a push on pipe secured with a jubilee clip. Of course the clip(s) should be adequately tight.

We could all be barking up the wrong tree. Does Lindsay have a wall mounted regulator and is she really in need of a high pressure pigtail to connect a new french bottle? Surely that is too simple?

I second Nabsim and hairydog’s suggestion of a photograph of the installation.


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## LindsayH (Oct 14, 2018)

QFour said:


> You have destroyed your gas safety check as you are now traveling round with a gas bottle not stored in a correctly sealed box. If you could take the old one apart it was hardly secure. Have you got any holes under the bottle to let out an escape of gas to the outside world. LPG Gas when it leaks settles at the lowest point which is why you need holes in the bottom of your gas locker.
> 
> Whatever you do will invalidate your gas safety check as you or someone else will have altered the fittings. Only way out of that is to get the gas safety check done again.
> 
> ...




When I say 'taken it apart' I mean removed the gas bottle securing device and refitted it so the bigger bottle can now be accommodated, and taken out a shelf that was in the gas locker to create a bit more room. I really don't want to change any fittings myself as stated above. The gas safely inspector said it was fine to change the regulator myself and that was always as far as I ever intended to go. Of course it has a floor vent, it would never have passed otherwise - it has two and the inspector impressed the importance to me of always making sure they are clear


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## runnach (Oct 14, 2018)

He wasn't Romanian then ? 

Channa


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## LindsayH (Oct 20, 2018)

I have gas, wooooooooooo!!!!! Sorry I have taken a few days to reply, I had no internet and then I flew back to the UK for a couple of days for a funeral. Lyon airport is a b****y nightmare! Anyway, I eventually managed to convince an Intermarche lady to sell me a bottle of butane, although there was much confusion. I gave her back the full bottle of propane which was a bit galling, I wish I could have waited for someone to come and buy some so I could give it to them but there we go. I then went into the store and bought the regulator - just like that! Once again, the butane regulators came with the little adaptors and the propane ones didn't. It was a bit of a faff to get the old reg off, but got there in the end. It was VERY rewarding to turn on my gas and make a cup of tea. So I am now the proud owner of the most expensive and hard won bottle of gas in the world, and this can now officially become the 'hilarious' story of the first time I tried to buy gas in Europe 
Thanks everyone for your help and support, as always, you guys are fab x


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## Les Haro (Oct 20, 2018)

n brown said:


> so short-sighted foreigners can read it ?



You are the foreigner when you leave home, which is the crux of the biscuit.


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## Caz (Oct 22, 2018)

Pleased to hear you got sorted out in the end Lindsay.


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