Freestanding refillable LPG bottles.

colinm

colinm

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Are there problems with getting them filled.
We may be changing vans soon (I've been saying this nearly as long as Barry :rolleyes: ), so not wanting to mess around with van. After the pain of paying for two 13kg calors t'other week, this lead me to look at the freestanding refillables on lpgshop, these can be lifted out of van for refilling, I know my local LPG outlet are happy with this, but how about other outlets, and across EU?
 
Or maybe do as I did and drop a fill hose through the locker vent and put a fill point to the bottom of the van. It has never been any sort of problem.
 
For me they make no sense, had the van 3.5 years use it a lot and have only every changed a 6kg bottle 4/5 times.

I guess if your using more gas then fair enough, but I generally run off Solar / inverter / generator.

Don't see why filling the bottle out of the van should be an issue.
 
Boris7 said:
For me they make no sense, had the van 3.5 years use it a lot and have only every changed a 6kg bottle 4/5 times.

I guess if your using more gas then fair enough, but I generally run off Solar / inverter / generator.

Don't see why filling the bottle out of the van should be an issue.
Click to expand...
IIRC places like Morrisons will only fill fixed tanks.
At the current extortionate price for calor it makes sense for us after a couple of years use, also should be able to fill in any country where you can't swap Calor.
 
I would choose something with a fixed external fill point. Morrisons have been the go to place for filling Safefill type freestanding bottles so far but recently had a fire and serious burn injuries. The cause of the fire is said to have been someone trying to fill a free standing Calor cylinder. Obviously a very different matter than filling a proper refillable cylinder. However if the story is true I suspect that at the very least they will be telling staff not to activate the pump before physically checking that the cylinder is one that should be refilled.
 
colinm said:
IIRC places like Morrisons will only fill fixed tanks.
At the current extortionate price for calor it makes sense for us after a couple of years use, also should be able to fill in any country where you can't swap Calor.
Click to expand...
Understood, never even thought about it before. I only use gas as a last result, not for any reason other than I simply don’t need to, but I guess if your on the road a lot and off site without lots of solar and / or its winter gas is the only option.

Just looked at safefill and it’s not cheap, but again if your reliant on gas I guess it makes sense in the long run, and I get being able to fill without taking the bottle out is the best idea.
 
I fitted an in-locker fill point because in my simple mind it protected it from the elements and kept it nice and clean however, after only 2 refusals in 2 years i decided to fit external fill point and i haven`t had any more refusals.

It might only have been 2 refusals in 2 years but that`s 2 too many when you`ve run out of gas.
 
Boris7 said:
For me they make no sense, had the van 3.5 years use it a lot and have only every changed a 6kg bottle 4/5 times.

I guess if your using more gas then fair enough, but I generally run off Solar / inverter / generator.

Don't see why filling the bottle out of the van should be an issue.
Click to expand...
On the generator use LPG is cheaper than petrol and you can get generators that are duel fuel which can use LPG.

For most all seasons van users though generator use is probably not practical but if you do use a generator:-

6kg exchange x 5 = £150 plus initial bottle deposit cost = £190

Refillable 12ltr x 5 @ 90p = £54 + cost of bottle which you own = £214

So not much difference for 5 fills. And if you start using lpg to power your generator…….

And over 10.5 years exchange = £490 for 15 exchanges as against £322 for refillable and this is without lpg generator use savings.
 
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Wooie1958 said:
Apparantly Safefill have a agreement with Morrisons.

Safefill Refilling Partners - Morrisons | Safefill

Safefill Refilling Partners - Morrisons
www.safefill.co.uk
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That's a handy list to download.

I wondered if it could be sorted by latitude, seems you can but too hard for my brain :( :(

www.adventuresincre.com

Auto-Populate Latitude and Longitude in Excel - A.CRE

How to add a function to Excel that converts a physical address to latitude and longitude coordinates using Google's Geocoding service.
www.adventuresincre.com www.adventuresincre.com
 
Moped said:
On the generator use LPG is cheaper than petrol and you can get generators that are duel fuel which can use LPG.

For most all seasons van users though generator use is probably not practical but if you do use a generator:-

6kg exchange x 5 = £150 plus initial bottle deposit cost = £190

Refillable 12ltr x 5 @ 90p = £54 + cost of bottle which you own = £214

So not much difference for 5 fills. And if you start using lpg to power your generator…….

And over 10.5 years exchange = £490 for 15 exchanges as against £322 for refillable and this is without lpg generator use savings.
Click to expand...
I think much depends on how/when you use the van, I only ever use gas to heat the hot Water tank, if I’m not stationary long enough and in a good place to run the generator, your right about lpg/petrol prices, but again the cost of a new generator needs to be considered and in my case I have a custom made box on the cycle rack that hides the generator when driving or nor using, it also folds down to make a worktop for cooking etc, this would need to be replaced.

What has made me think however is that I carry 2 x 6kg LPG cylinders (I use very little, but still don’t want to run out, and being in Europe right now I can’t get Calor)
I could use 1 refillable (larger) cylinder and free up space in the gas cupboard which is always too full with “stuff”

For me the generator stays as it’s there and I’ve never paid for any of the petrol it’s used.
 
colinm said:
Are there problems with getting them filled.
We may be changing vans soon (I've been saying this nearly as long as Barry :rolleyes: ), so not wanting to mess around with van. After the pain of paying for two 13kg calors t'other week, this lead me to look at the freestanding refillables on lpgshop, these can be lifted out of van for refilling, I know my local LPG outlet are happy with this, but how about other outlets, and across EU?
Click to expand...

I have a stand alone lightweight SafeFill cylinder whihc has saved me countless hundreds of £'s/€'s whilst touring the UK and Europe..............

HOWEVER, most especially in France it is illegal to refill a free standing (i.e. removed from the van) cylinder and it is for this very reason why I fitted an exterior filling point which in turn also resulted in me having to work out how to connect this to a cylider such as mine which only has a single entry point. Having an external filling point does honestly make the job so very much easier just as long as you have the required adapters for the various countries you might be visiting.

If you do buy/fit stand alone refillable cylinders from any other manufacturer I believe the vast majority of them come with the all important twin outlet (inlet & outlet) connections and as for fitting an exterior fitting point to your van, that is a very easy job to undertake either yourself or by employing someone....... furthermore, search around and you should be able to find quite a few second hand cylinders for sale, but when doing so, make certain that they are within their use by markings.

Phil
 
Boris7 said:
I think much depends on how/when you use the van, I only ever use gas to heat the hot Water tank, if I’m not stationary long enough and in a good place to run the generator, your right about lpg/petrol prices, but again the cost of a new generator needs to be considered and in my case I have a custom made box on the cycle rack that hides the generator when driving or nor using, it also folds down to make a worktop for cooking etc, this would need to be replaced.

What has made me think however is that I carry 2 x 6kg LPG cylinders (I use very little, but still don’t want to run out, and being in Europe right now I can’t get Calor)
I could use 1 refillable (larger) cylinder and free up space in the gas cupboard which is always too full with “stuff”

For me the generator stays as it’s there and I’ve never paid for any of the petrol it’s used.
Click to expand...
Always handy to have a smaller back up cylinder if the main one empties. At least with refillable you can top up a part full cylinder whereas with exchange human nature dictates that this won’t happen until the cylinder is empty which inevitably happens in the middle of the night!

And then, as you say, there is the European issue with different bottles if you use exchange and not refillable.

We use gas for refrigeration, cooking and heating. Inverter and solar use for heating is realistically impossible and to rely on it for refrigeration is high risk with its consistent draw and 12v with a Dometic fridge only maintains the status quo short term and does not refrigerate as such. But we don’t have a geny.

Unless you have the generator on most cold nights how do you manage using only 30kg of gas over 3 years?

And how do you not pay for petrol the geny uses? This appears to be a unique situation and a one off not available to 99.99% of van users.

Just curious.
 
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colinm said:
After the pain of paying for two 13kg calors t'other week, this lead me to look at the freestanding refillables on lpgshop, these can be lifted out of van for refilling,
Click to expand...

Something for you to consider.

I have a refillable LPG (via an external point) and a Calor.
This reduced the set up costs because I only purchased one refillable.
It also means I can get gas if either is available.

I use the LPG as the default and only switch to Calor if I'm out f LPG and can't buy any.
(In 8 years this has happened once, on a Sunday in the middle of Spain)

Occasionally I will use the Calor until it is empty, and then change the bottle just because!
 
That is I think the most sensible set up and how I did mine.

there is a fitting called a Pol or something which allows it.


 
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