chasthedagger
Guest
hi, i am new to this forum and i would like to know what you think of the gaslow systems what are the plus and minus with this type of system
Opening the gas locker door in order to fill the cylinders may cause problems at some Autogas filling stations if one of the attendants thinks you are trying to refill a normal cylinder. 99% of the time no-one will care, but it's as well to be aware of the issue.My solution, and you'll have to put a lot of thought into this, was to reject the lovely plastic surround for the filler and mount the filler, naked, inside the gas locker.
We found that one, together with a backup Calor 13kg propane, was sufficient for us. In fact I had intended to fit a second Galow when funds permitted, but in the end I decided we didn't need it. In a winter trip across Europe we used to use a full Gaslow cylinder in 10-12 days.would you recomend two gaslow bottles or is one sufficant ?
T & S
It all comes down to one question. How much gas do you use? You already know how much gas you use, yes? When we were in very cold weather early this year we were using about two litres a day, ie a bottle was lasting ten days or a fortnight - if we ever let it get empty. We didn't let it get empty. That's another advantage of refillables; it doesn't have to be empty to refill it.
Back to the point. If you're going to use a full bottle every two or three days then you need more capacity. If you can go two or three weeks then you need less. So, I'm guessing, but for normal use for me, then one bottle is enough. However, I'm a cautious man so I take a small conventional bottle with me as a reserve. I now think I'm over-cautious and one refillabel bottle would be completely adequate. Same for you? You have to choose. Terry chose to have two. Terry, do you ever use your second bottle?
When you say "campingas" , do you mean LPG stations? If so, in Britain you can get a GPS download to install as points of interest and there is also at least one publication listing a large number of LPG stations. Try http://www.go-autogas.com
I think there is one for France here http://www.campingcar-infos.com/index1.htm. Google can be your good friend on this..In France there are enough LPG stations for me to just take pot luck on the basis of "Oh look, there's an LPG station, I'll just top up the domestic gas."
Hogan
I wish I'd thought of that.
Rick
I agree. I see no good reason not to use the gas locker door. I would have done it myself but there was insufficient space between the door and the gas bottle to do it. I only mentioned it for the cautious among us.
Andy
That's interesting. Refused not on the grounds of using refillables but on the grounds that it was for domestic use. Well, there you are - nothing as queer as folk. About ten years ago it seems to have been illegal to fill use cars on LPG in Spain. It seems LPG was reserved for public service vehicles, ambulances, buses, taxis. I was only once refused a refill in Spain - a fixed tank - because of this. However, I explained that the gas was for domestic use and I got my refill. I lied. It wasn't for domestic use - I just didn't like petrol prices. I'm told that LPG is now available as autogas in Spain but I'll know about that some time in the future.
Chas
It looks like you got your answer.
Tom
This issue was not specific to Gaslow installations. The problem raised its head when the new 30mB regulators were introduced and fitted to the side of the gas locker below the level of the top of the cylinders. The oily residue could then run 'downhill' and contaminate the regulator.There is an issue with some gaslow installations, in that some have experienced regulator failures. This has been researched & attributed to the HP gas leaching plasticizer out of the rubber HP hoses. This plasticizer then travels along the hose to the gas reg & causes the seat in the reg to swell up & effectively shut off the flow of gas. The reg is not user serviceable & has to be replaced.
It has been suggested that this is only a problem if the reg is mounted too low & the plasticizer can run down-hill. Well my reg is in the correct place but the yellow oily stuff was present at the inlet for the reg after a years use.
I've replaced the rubber hoses with stainless steel whips from Gaslow & have also sourced a spare reg. The concequences of failure whilst camping for me would mean, no heating, cooking, hot water, or fridge/freezer.
I believe later installations "may" come with the SS hoses already fitted.
Dave.
You have to be very careful filling your own bottles, the only way to be sure you are safe is to fill by weight, which you will need to work out using the weights stamped on the bottle.how about refilling your own propane bottle, I've just bought an adapter to do just that and further parts are available for continental standards.
Check this out.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=350062576683&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=022
You get the best of both world for under half the price.