genny or hook up calor or refillable

[Channa]

Hi Channa,

Sorry but I am being a bit thick, you have seen two what. If its over filled cylinders I'm impressed as i'm lucky to get a full one

Richard

indeed overfilled
Channa

 

[vwalan]

i have a morco in my trailer . made by fagor ,spanish . i also buy water heaters in morocco . chinese made . work better in fact. come with auto fire up. worked with a d cell battery. much cheaper as well. just had a ferroli lpg boiler fitted in the house.difficult getting a simple plain lpg fire these days ended up with a fake coal one by flavel. had it all signed up properly.
keep up the good work.
i,m not an expert . ex unknown factor spert a drip under pressure. hee hee .neither am i iliterate i know who my father is.

 

[Channa]

i have a morco in my trailer . made by fagor ,spanish . i also buy water heaters in morocco . chinese made . work better in fact. come with auto fire up. worked with a d cell battery. much cheaper as well. just had a ferroli lpg boiler fitted in the house.difficult getting a simple plain lpg fire these days ended up with a fake coal one by flavel. had it all signed up properly.
keep up the good work.
i,m not an expert . ex unknown factor spert a drip under pressure. hee hee .neither am i iliterate i know who my father is.

Yes Morcos are imported under licence to the UK Aspes are the same boiler and Fagor offer loads of spare parts for lots of things ;

I loke th eMorco simple and bullet proof ;....ELM Le Blanc and Bosch over engineered when they dont need to be

KISS ...........Keep it simple Stupids

Channa

 

[vwalan]

channa i once visited the fagor factory up oin northern spain to the right of santander but up in the hills . had a broken bit on the morco. my fault . very helpfull. guided tour . seems its not built to the same spanish spec so couldnt get bits from fagor agents in spain. but good heater. have fitted loads of the chinese maroc ones also seem good and alot cheaper.

 

[Channa]

channa i once visited the fagor factory up oin northern spain to the right of santander but up in the hills . had a broken bit on the morco. my fault . very helpfull. guided tour . seems its not built to the same spanish spec so couldnt get bits from fagor agents in spain. but good heater. have fitted loads of the chinese maroc ones also seem good and alot cheaper.

TBH we have probably on what a colleague and I look after 250 morcos : aspes out of a fleet of 287 the rest being ELM Le blancs and Bosch....it i snow the end of season every Morco descaled and fettled ...the rest we leave .....we want Morcos far easier.

I did a job for a 'friend ' last week which in turn was for the campsite .....Bosch talk about over complicating matters..... I am a firm fan of thhe Morco.

Channa

 

[bigpieeater]

Good morning and welcome

You will find as many opinions as there are members on those questions but as someone who spends over half the year most years in Europe I can tell you how we survive:

1. Solar panel fixed on the roof - removes the need for hook-up. We have an 80 amp panel and just the one leisure battery and it meets our needs - but others will recommend a couple of both (or more!).

2. We call in at (cheap) campsites when we fancy a lingering shower - although for a small fee I can tell you where you can get good free showers in France (on the other hand, see my final comment!) or when we want to do the laundry. Then we use hook-up.

3. We don't have a genny - having camped in remote quiet spots and had a van+genny turn up next to me it is one of those rare times that I briefly want the return of capital punishment for idiots! - but this is an aspect of your request that will probably lead to war among the various pro and anti factions.

4. Internet - there are various wi-fi hotspots (especially the car parks of MacDonalds) and libraries have internet (often free).

5. Gas - DON'T take Calor because it cannot be found in Europe and you will just be carrying around a hunk of useless metal. Again, there will be lots of conflicting advice about which cylinders/regulators to get - so take your choice. CampingGaz is almost universal across Western Europe but very very expensive. If you are going to do this a lot then I recommend an LPG system (such as Gaslow, which we have, or Alugas). LPG is widespread across all of Europe but ironically most difficult to find in the most visited country - Spain. But even in Spain it is not a problem if you plan ahead. LPG systems are expensive initially (ours cost £400 to supply and fit) but rapidly pay for themselves in cheaper gas (ours paid for itself inside 18 months).

Finally - don't forget that most of Europe actually welcomes motorhomes (unlike this miserable country!) and if you look up the website CAMPINGCAR-INFOS you will find free or cheap aires not only in France (some with showers!) but Spain, Portugal and the rest of Europe too. There are other websites - look at the country forums on this website.

Happy travels
John

Hi Freespirits
Although I don't see eye to eye with John H, (he's a bit too far left for my capitalist views!!) I have to say that this is the sort of answer/advice people need on these type of websites.
There is hope for us yet John H!

 

[John H]

There is hope for us yet John H!

This is making me very uneasy - you'll be proposing next! :lol-049:

 

[freespirits]

This is making me very uneasy - you'll be proposing next! :lol-049:

thanks to everyone for their thoughts and advice,definately not into messing about with gas stuff myself, and.. im sure somewhere in all the replies is the answer im gonna go for, its deciding which.. we hope to be out of here by 8th Dec, all the signs are good as house now empty and g/f working her months notice. We cant wait to get going, like little kids all excited to get going. hope we get to meet some of you guys out there, were a normal couple who like the campervan way of life so much its to be our way of life forever..lol. again thanks everyone, regards. Steve and Sue, shes the capitalist one, im just poor..hehehe....

 

[freespirits]

DO NOT RUN A GENNY when wild camping especially if on a beach in Spain or Portugal, it will cause the Police to chuck you off quicker than Jack Robinson, we wild camp extensively in all Countries , we have a 75 watt Solar Panel three 80 amp hr. batteries and a 2000 watt inverter and always have enough power, I have a Genny, Honda i100 which I invariably leave at home as I rarely use it GAS, we take two Calor 13 kg bottles with us and I have a Spanish Repsol bottle 13 kg which is easily, cheaply changeable in Spain and Portugal, France too I am told but not tried it there, Calor bottles CAN be refilled in some places in Spain and Portugal ,{ Blue Elephant is a place I have had my Calors refilled in Portugal at Villa Real/ Monte Gordo }I have BOTTLE Regulators on my bottles in my van, this way it is so SIMPLE to fit a bottle from ANY Country using their regulators which are easily obtained.We seldom go on Campsites so hookups are rarely used ,we did a 130 night trip away from last September, France ,Germany ,France to Spain and then Portugal, wild camped , Aires , Stelplatz all the time No Campsites at all and had no problems with Gas or Power. We don't bother with Telly, I have a DVD player and we sometimes watch a film if we feel like it, we find that we can get Radio 4 most of the time if we want to listen to the Doom and Gloom on the news but can happily live with out that and we don't read Newspapers as we prefer to forget the World once away, Internet is available wirelessly in lots of places and also go in to Libraries if you must it is usually free to use their Computers or your own Lappy. Spanish gas bottles are best obtained at Car Boot Sales in Spain or any other Country for that matter, Best wishes have lots of fun, see you on a Beach somewhere Malc.

thanks malc

 

[freespirits]

Hi Freespirits

Sounds like you need a couple of large solar panels and leisure batteries. Then a good sized sat dish.

Gas is freely available in France.

Give us more details of your present setup and you may get more replies.

Richard

hi and thanks, my surrent system is calor 6kg x 2.. the standard uk system, tho as its a conversion on an iveco using a bailey donor im not sure of the year.this van was bought as a completed conversion so very few details as to year of donor.i see on ebay a single bottle system with a reserve of 150 on it, thinking of going for it as guy selling will assist/advise on doing the install. we dont use alot of gas anyway so a single to start of with and the euro adapters should be good to go and see how it goes.do you agree? assuming the system can be upgraded later if needed. thanks again. Steve

 

[freespirits]

DO NOT RUN A GENNY when wild camping especially if on a beach in Spain or Portugal, it will cause the Police to chuck you off quicker than Jack Robinson, we wild camp extensively in all Countries , we have a 75 watt Solar Panel three 80 amp hr. batteries and a 2000 watt inverter and always have enough power, I have a Genny, Honda i100 which I invariably leave at home as I rarely use it GAS, we take two Calor 13 kg bottles with us and I have a Spanish Repsol bottle 13 kg which is easily, cheaply changeable in Spain and Portugal, France too I am told but not tried it there, Calor bottles CAN be refilled in some places in Spain and Portugal ,{ Blue Elephant is a place I have had my Calors refilled in Portugal at Villa Real/ Monte Gordo }I have BOTTLE Regulators on my bottles in my van, this way it is so SIMPLE to fit a bottle from ANY Country using their regulators which are easily obtained.We seldom go on Campsites so hookups are rarely used ,we did a 130 night trip away from last September, France ,Germany ,France to Spain and then Portugal, wild camped , Aires , Stelplatz all the time No Campsites at all and had no problems with Gas or Power. We don't bother with Telly, I have a DVD player and we sometimes watch a film if we feel like it, we find that we can get Radio 4 most of the time if we want to listen to the Doom and Gloom on the news but can happily live with out that and we don't read Newspapers as we prefer to forget the World once away, Internet is available wirelessly in lots of places and also go in to Libraries if you must it is usually free to use their Computers or your own Lappy. Spanish gas bottles are best obtained at Car Boot Sales in Spain or any other Country for that matter, Best wishes have lots of fun, see you on a Beach somewhere Malc.

thanks Malc. lots of good advice on here, and some strange looking vehicles people are driving around in, and i didnt realise so many were at it..lol thanks again. regards. Steve

 

[freespirits]

On our trip last winter we stayed at the following free aires, all of which supplied free electic hook-up:

Rugles, Nieulle-Pont-Pierre and Ouzouere-sur-Trezee (all in France and the latter with free showers too!)
Caceres in Spain
Miranda de Corvo in Portugal

There are many others (see the CAMPINGCAR-INFOS website) and even more where the electric supply costs a few euros (3 - 5 euros seems to be common, the more expensive ones being on the coast)

Another plus point - the network of free aires in Spain and Portugal is growing (but at the same time they are cracking down on the vast motorhome "cities" in many popular beach areas).

All in all, once you cross the Channel it is a motorhomer's dream!

good glad to hear we are welcome over there, annoying we cant even stop by a beach or estuary here without a sign threatening clamping and such like. cant wait to get outta here.lol. thanks for info..

 

[freespirits]

well , as a french resident I can assure you that you will be passing through france pretty rapidly in december !!!

so basically base your gas bottles on what is required in spain/portugal

question is , how many bottles can you fit in your locker , what size ,what do you have at the moment , and do you have regulators on the bottles or one fixed to the vehicle ?
without knowing that it is impossible to give accurate advice


incidentally , in spain gas in bottles is available on every corner , gas pumps much more rare and the gas is more expensive than in bottles ...so gaslow , or similar , actually costs you money even if they were free [ which they are not ]

hi and thanks for your lovely reply regarding passing through France rapidly.lol. well the plan is to take 3/4 days to get to portugal coast heading south on the coast all the way along the spanish coast then head north through france slowly to take it all in during warmer weather, thinking to head for uk/scotland for the remainder of the summer. regarding my current system, its a dual calor system with manual changeover, im thinking to change to gaslow as knowledge limited but think a refillable system is the easy way to go and can be removed if we change vans, as my g/f says, once we have run this one ito the ground, again, thanks for advice. Steve

 

[Tbear]

hi and thanks, my surrent system is calor 6kg x 2.. the standard uk system, tho as its a conversion on an iveco using a bailey donor im not sure of the year.this van was bought as a completed conversion so very few details as to year of donor.i see on ebay a single bottle system with a reserve of 150 on it, thinking of going for it as guy selling will assist/advise on doing the install. we dont use alot of gas anyway so a single to start of with and the euro adapters should be good to go and see how it goes.do you agree? assuming the system can be upgraded later if needed. thanks again. Steve

Hi Steve,

In summer, you may be able to manage on a campingaz cylinder and then get a more sensible size (much cheaper) cylinder and adaptor when you get to your destination. In winter this may not be enough. See Vwalan posts for gas in Spain. I would always try to have a two cylinder system, with one always at least very nearly full, specially in winter. If you have enough room I would have gaz on standby (available most places) and a local 10kg ish sized as the duty cylinder. Ebay is a gamble, sometimes you win, sometimes??? be sensible and careful with gas.

Richard

 

[maingate]

Why not just fit an external BBQ point on your van. Then you can pick up a local bottle and regulator and hook it up to your system and feed the gas in to your van from outside. if you are going to be stationary for any length of time, you can use a bigger bottle (even cheaper).

 

[Viktor]

Why not just fit an external BBQ point on your van. Then you can pick up a local bottle and regulator and hook it up to your system

Lol! I have one fitted on my campervan....I was aiming to use it to connect up a gas converted Jenny so no smelly or spillable fuel when
travelling with it.......somehow I missed thinking of the reverse.....I'll remember that when I go to the continent. Thanks.....somehow sometimes
you just overlook the obvious don't you...:lol-053:

 

[freespirits]

Why not just fit an external BBQ point on your van. Then you can pick up a local bottle and regulator and hook it up to your system and feed the gas in to your van from outside. if you are going to be stationary for any length of time, you can use a bigger bottle (even cheaper).

wow, what a brill idea. or is it? i already have an external bbq point on the van, is that a safe way to connect a gas bottle and feed in without danger? im interested to learn more, thanks for the input, Steve:rolleyes2:

 

[vwalan]

cant see as its any advantage over just putting the local gas bottle in place of the uk one.
you still need a place to carry it .

 

[maingate]

cant see as its any advantage over just putting the local gas bottle in place of the uk one.
you still need a place to carry it .

You silly Billy Alan.

Most people take UK bottles with them and only need local ones when they are empty.

Also, some people spend months in Europe over the winter, some of it on long term deals on sites.

If you have a small van then you can find space for a small bottle when on the move. As has been said, bottled gas can be cheaper than Autogas and the Autogas garages are few and far between in Spain.

Hi freespirits,

As long as you have the correct regulator to go with the local bottle, it is perfectly safe to use the BBQ point to feed gas into the motorhome system. All you are doing is feeding the gas into the same common line as the normal bottles do. Make sure that if you fit a BBQ point, you get one equal in diameter to the main line in the van. They are usually 6 mm or 8 mm dia fittings. You will need the 8 mm dia one I would think. You will also need to fit an on/off valve just inside the van from the takeoff point. They are usually self-sealing bayonet type fittings for the flexi pipe from the bottle (and local regulator) but it is best to have an isolation valve.

CAK tanks sell these BBQ fittings and it will involve cutting a hole in the side of the van.

 

[vwalan]

just as easy extend the main feed to the bottle and stand it outside.
i thought the problem was what bottles to take . i say get a foreign one . what ever you do dont go the gaslow route . you could be running around to get it filled.
not certain most people use sites . certainly not in winter .