Gas - France, Spain Portugal

Caz

Caz

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At the moment in my Adria I use 2 x Calorlite 6Kg Propane bottles. I can just about manage to lift these in and out of the gas locker which is midships under the bed.

What are my options for use in France, Spain & Portugal?

Last year in my VW I took a Campingaz bottle & pigtail with me for use in France. (Normally use Calor Propane 3.9Kg) I could do that again, it will be expensive - but is it as easily available in Spain & Portugal as it is in France?

Help! Thank you.
 
Maybe

As you have the pigtails
Take one calor bottle out and leave at home
Take the full one BUT
Buy a french bottle asap and use in France
Do the same in Spain
Using your Calor as emergency/reserve

Yes Fixed LPG is best but not for one trip
 
If you are planning on going abroad regular then invest in a refillable system, makes life so much easier and you never have to lift a bottle in or out again :dance:
 
Get a refillable system like this one a bit pricey but for me it was more the convienence... but refilling is cheap ...one refillable bottle and keep a full Caralite as a reserve ...to keep looking for bottles and regulators for different countries on arrival could be expensive and a pain .

GAS IT 6 kg Self Refillable gas bottle with black remote fillpoint and fill hose for use in any motorhome, caravan, campervan, farrier vehicle & catering vehicle - GAS IT Leisure Gas Bottles, Gas Cylincers and Gas Tanks - Catering, Motorhome, Campervan, Caravan, Farrier and Road Repair Refillable Gas Solutions.
 
Caz said:
At the moment in my Adria I use 2 x Calorlite 6Kg Propane bottles. I can just about manage to lift these in and out of the gas locker which is midships under the bed.

What are my options for use in France, Spain & Portugal?

Last year in my VW I took a Campingaz bottle & pigtail with me for use in France. (Normally use Calor Propane 3.9Kg) I could do that again, it will be expensive - but is it as easily available in Spain & Portugal as it is in France?

Help! Thank you.
Click to expand...

You'll have no problem buying bottle's of LPG in France or Portugal I always use Intermarche 10kg bottles as outlets all over France some outlets in Spain can be difficult. Apart from lifting them another problem you'll have, Is your locker size do the 6kg bottles fill your locker as their smaller bottles do seem to have a larger diameter.
Can't help with the camping Gaz know as you its plentiful in France have seen it in Portugal supermarkets never noticed any in Spain but not been looking
 
i always have a problem filling my LPG gasit system .... and in UK many fuel stations staff are jobswurfs and wont help. but it is a great deal cheaper than exchanging bottles.
 
Quite apart from the huge cost involved, I don't want to fit a reflllable system as I drive an LPG/Petrol car so I know how difficult it is over here to find LPG without going miles out of my way.

I doubt I could lift anything much heavier than my Calorlites in and out of the locker. They weigh 10.5 Kg when full.

The Gas It 6KG seems to weigh over 12Kgs when full, maybe I could manage that, however it's too far from the locker to the side of the van to have an outside filler so it would be a case of disconnecting and lifting it out to fill - I didn't think garages allowed that?

I could fit one Le Cube in if I leave one of my Calors at home - but as I will only be travelling through France this time then it seems a bit pointless.

Having Googled a bit, I think Campingaz 907 bottles are available in Spain and Portugal so that seems the best option. I already have the necessary pigtail from my trip to France last year.
 
i think there are light weight bottles.... maybe they are the yellow ones? can anyone else comment on this for OP ? Maybe roamingrog knows
 
There is no limit to the length of the fill hose, I have fitted a fill point on either side of the van, using around 3m of fill hose.
Caz is very aware of initial outlay, and I am inclined to agree, but she would never have to even think about lifting a bottle, of any weight, ever again.
One way of looking at this is a refillable system remains your property, and when you change the van, you simply swap it over to the new one, so whilst it can be expensive t o fit initially, it can be a one time cost.
I must confess to loving my gas it system, it is so easy to just top up, on the way to a Meet and know that is one less thing to worry about.
I have also invested in the continental flling adaptors, including an inline gas filter, to take the worry out of travelling abroad.
 
6kg of LPG = at least 10 litres

In the summer we use about 1 litre a day.
Thus if you were to fit 2 x 6kg refillable that is 20 litres so only top up every 2 weeks (safety margin)

Provided you have s proper LPG fill point the distance to the bottles/tanks will not matter..
If you have room a because you do not have to lift them you might be able to use 2x 11kg tanks which would give you about 1 month between fill ups
Unlike a car which you need to topup more often.

We like 2 x 11kg and as we do a manual changeover when a bottle is empty and look to fill up within 1 week.

You can get autochangeover Or
You could simply get 1 bigger tank or indeed 1 x 11kg and 1 x 6kg..
Decisions on these will depend on space and how easy it is to change from1 tank to another

If you only have room for 2 x6kg still worth it and if changing tanks is awkward just get autochange or 1 bigger tank
Given your concerns re cost this maybe best combined with your other solution(s) as reserves.
 
SafeFill

I have a SafeFill lightweight refillable cylinder fitted securely in my self built Renault Master.

Because I knew of the problems (laws) associated with filling loose cylinders in France, where I used to live, I have fitted a refilling point into the sidewall of'Millie' along with the associated pipe and additional pigtail internally. It's a bit of a faff to swap the pigtails over before going to a refilling station, but the bonus is that I have been able to refill anywhere I have travelled in her throughout Europe.

Furthermore, I have never found it to be a problem to find a refilling location in the UK as I have them all downloaded onto my ipad and have so far never had any difficulty locating a refilling station.
 
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