Is gas still an option?

Rivertowy

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With the ever decreasing number of outlets for filling up with lpg via a gun/pump what are the opinions on having a diesel cooker? I spend most of my time in Scotland and with the big distances between outlets and with the uncertainty of supplies I see gas now as a major headache. I have seen diesel cookers that also heat the habitation area. If one goes down the diesel cooker/heater route, how does one have a hot shower/tap water without gas? I still think a diesel heater, named brand or Chinese as essential though.
I hope to have a better campervan in about 6 months and this was an issue I have yet to resolve.
I welcome your opinions.
Thank you,
Rog
 
It's not so much the LPG, but how much you can carry, an underlung tank plus a couple of cylinders would do most of us a couple of months, dependent on how much cooking and heating you do of course.
 
But if you are in an area for a substantial amount of time and then have to travel say 100+ miles to fill up all those tanks when a diesel fill up is just a few miles away, why have gas? I have seen myself travel for 3 hours to an outlet to find they are out of gas in Scotland! I phone now and ask before I set off.
 
Our 'van has a diesel water / space heater. It works well if somewhat noisy and clearly less power than previous 'vans with gas heaters (it takes longer to heat the hot water than previous gas heaters)

BUT for cooking. NO WAY. I have one in our boat and even with supposedly clean bio ethanol fuel they stink the cabin out and you need the hatch open. No way would want one in my 'van.

So we have one 6Kg propane bottle, just for the gas cooker. I don't foresee not being able to get propane bottle refills in my lifetime.
 
ProDave said:
Our 'van has a diesel water / space heater. It works well if somewhat noisy and clearly less power than previous 'vans with gas heaters (it takes longer to heat the hot water than previous gas heaters)

BUT for cooking. NO WAY. I have one in our boat and even with supposedly clean bio ethanol fuel they stink the cabin out and you need the hatch open. No way would want one in my 'van.

So we have one 6Kg propane bottle, just for the gas cooker. I don't foresee not being able to get propane bottle refills in my lifetime.
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Too many outlying properties rely on either Calor cylinders or have a large exterior refillable tank for the supply to cease. These days, we rarely fill up at garages as they don't see the volume to continue carrying it anymore, but although few and far between, there are farm suppliers, boat marinas, and cola suppliers who will let you fill up, you just need to use the apps to find them, our trip in January, we found on ethat had just had it all refurbished, so I think it's worth having refillable with a Calor back up just in case, but we've only needed it once in three years for one day, but even then it was due to me not keeping an eye on it.
 
My latest conversion is gas free, using a diesel air heater and electricity for cooking and hot water. Works very well and I will not be going back to lpg.
I know of a few people who used diesel cookers on boats and they mostly complained about the smell.
 
Since upgrading my lithium system I have turned the gas off and run the heating and hot water via the EcoFlow, it’s worked fine.

But not quite so sure it will do so in winter with the van stationary for a few days, it may be I need a Deisel heater only time will tell.
 
In prep for my upcoming lotto jackpot win, I have been looking at new vans.

Quite a lot are now 8-speed automatics, have compressor fridges, diesel heating and gas cookers, they come with refillable tanks, and 1-200w of solar, and 1-200ah of lithium.

You have to spec it, but now at least you can.
 
If my motorhome didn't already have a good 3 way fridge and a working Truma gas heater / boiler I would go diesel heating and compressor fridge. I'm not sure I would go electric or diesel cooker though. I would think gas for a cooker only would last yonks but even in peak summer with no heating on our puny 6kg gaslow will only last two weeks or so before I have to refill or swap to calor. It would be great to just not have to think about it. Diesel, lots of lithium and solar is the way to go down the line I think. LPG is a PIA now.
 
My van has diesel heating and hot water. The fridge is a 12V compressor. The only gas appliance left is the two burner hob. It uses so little gas that it is not worth worrying about replacing it with a non gas appliance. I started the year with a little over 10 litres of gas in my Safefill bottle. After 7 weeks away I now have a little under 10 litres of gas left and I am not planning on topping it up this year, probably won’t need to top it up next year either.
 
Okta said:
My van has diesel heating and hot water. The fridge is a 12V compressor. The only gas appliance left is the two burner hob. It uses so little gas that it is not worth worrying about replacing it with a non gas appliance. I started the year with a little over 10 litres of gas in my Safefill bottle. After 7 weeks away I now have a little under 10 litres of gas left and I am not planning on topping it up this year, probably won’t need to top it up next year either.
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What diesel water heater are you using?

Regards,
Del
 
Rivertowy said:
With the ever decreasing number of outlets for filling up with lpg via a gun/pump what are the opinions on having a diesel cooker? I spend most of my time in Scotland and with the big distances between outlets and with the uncertainty of supplies I see gas now as a major headache. I have seen diesel cookers that also heat the habitation area. If one goes down the diesel cooker/heater route, how does one have a hot shower/tap water without gas? I still think a diesel heater, named brand or Chinese as essential though.
I hope to have a better campervan in about 6 months and this was an issue I have yet to resolve.
I welcome your opinions.
Thank you,
Rog
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We're in Fife, and Morrison's at Kirkcaldy still have an LPG Pump that allows refillable bottles, provided that they have been fitted properly and that the refill is to an external valve. 2x11kg bottles keeps us going, but we do have 300w Solar + 320Ah Lithium for the brief Scottish Summer ... We also have an induction hob powered via a Victron 1200w inverter. Since March 2026, we have been able to make breakfast each day in the M/Home, boil a couple of kettles for hot water, and use a slow cooker for goulash [6 hours each time] 1-2 each week, without hammering the battery - in fact it's more to avoid the battery from going into Float for prolonged periods

Steve
 
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Okta said:
My van has diesel heating and hot water. The fridge is a 12V compressor. The only gas appliance left is the two burner hob. It uses so little gas that it is not worth worrying about replacing it with a non gas appliance. I started the year with a little over 10 litres of gas in my Safefill bottle. After 7 weeks away I now have a little under 10 litres of gas left and I am not planning on topping it up this year, probably won’t need to top it up next year either.
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We used some 117 litres of lpg on our 85 days trip to Spain last Winter, but it was one storm after another with very little Winter Sun! But, at a total cost of some £88, it didn't break the Bank ... :ROFLMAO:. And we did have some trouble with a sticky regulator, so used a fair amount of gas seeing if my my latest attempt at a temporary repair had fixed the problem [it didn't, but we warmed the hab area with each attempt ...]

Steve
 
marchie said:
We used some 117 litres of lpg on our 85 days trip to Spain last Winter, but it was one storm after another with very little Winter Sun! But, at a total cost of some £88, it didn't break the Bank ... :ROFLMAO:. And we did have some trouble with a sticky regulator, so used a fair amount of gas seeing if my my latest attempt at a temporary repair had fixed the problem [it didn't, but we warmed the hab area with each attempt ...]

Steve
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Perhaps LPG is readily available in Spain but in the Outer Hebrides it can be two ferry crossings and several hours driving away. It is not about cost it is about availability in the UK.
 
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