LPG

Nabsim said:
That video is almost as bad as his first one, he is just regurgitating what’s been known for ages but in a bad light. Should be some sanctions can be taken on stuff like that I think.not suggest you can run a van on a power bank would be laughable if so many people didn’t hang on his every word. You can’t be all electric all year round in this country without generators or sites. Sitting in Costa to recharge or using ev charging points is only going to lead to restrictions.

LPG is going to be around for at least as long as diesel and petrol although you may well not get it at the end of your street. Forward planning plays a big part as does always top up when you pass a pump rather than wait for it to empty.

Electric for summer and good harvesting days is workable. Then again I am all year round in my van so if you only use is Spain or summer or sites all electric will do
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Saw both his videos on the subject and I was bloody fuming !
 
Calor are claiming to produce a ‘new’ type of lpg (without the petrol) shortly which will be environmentally superior to the lpg they supply now, I heat my house on lpg so follow their claim with interest. On the original question I would go BIG inverter and induction hob and diesel hot water/heating just to get rid of the gas bottles, I had refillable on previous van and it was getting harder to find even in France.
 
guerdeval said:
Calor are claiming to produce a ‘new’ type of lpg (without the petrol) shortly which will be environmentally superior to the lpg they supply now, I heat my house on lpg so follow their claim with interest. On the original question I would go BIG inverter and induction hob and diesel hot water/heating just to get rid of the gas bottles, I had refillable on previous van and it was getting harder to find even in France.
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Depends where and how you use your van. For me off grid all year in U.K. all electric is a no go, there just isn’t enough sun for 5 months of the year here.
Gas will see me out I am quite sure
 
Another consideration should be the levels of Nitrogen dioxide that LPG can produce, if you cook indoors you should have lots of ventilation as it’s known to destroy lung tissue and is a major cause of asthma in young children.
 
guerdeval said:
Another consideration should be the levels of Nitrogen dioxide that LPG can produce, if you cook indoors you should have lots of ventilation as it’s known to destroy lung tissue and is a major cause of asthma in young children.
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Is that taking account of the big diesel lump that powers the van in the first place? It’s easy to lose reality when green issues are thrown in
 
Lpg has a lower combustion temperature than diesel. Nitrous oxides of all sorts are produced in greater proportion with higher combustion temp, however exhaust gas recycling and the addition of urea or ammonia via adblu both are there to reduce NOX. Also no one puts their diesel exhaust into their habitation, like gas cookers do.
It is certainly worth increasing ventilation when cooking with gas. Lpg is not as bad as wood smoke, we are getting more and more fussy.
 
Derekoak said:
Lpg has a lower combustion temperature than diesel. Nitrous oxides of all sorts are produced in greater proportion with higher combustion temp, however exhaust gas recycling and the addition of urea or ammonia via adblu both are there to reduce NOX. Also no one puts their diesel exhaust into their habitation, like gas cookers do.
It is certainly worth increasing ventilation when cooking with gas. Lpg is not as bad as wood smoke, we are getting more and more fussy.
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And I’ve learned not to put my nose next to the exhaust over time :giggle:
 
A deisel heater is the way to go due to lpg availability , I used to have an origo marine meths cooker on my boat that worked very well and would be an easy fit in a van .
 
I've been reading this thread with interest as we may be about to buy an Auto-sleeper Corinium that has underslung LPG tank. ATM we have a Gasit system, mainly because of Europe, but I have noticed we need additional forward planning in the UK, especially in Scotland, so I am naturally concerned about having a van that only has fixed LPG.
Has anyone heard of fixed LPG being removed and replaced with Calor bottles?
 
For a new build campervan I would be very tempted to move away from LPG. To do this effectively the combined use of lithium batteries and diesel seems to be the best combination. In most campervans LPG is used in 4 ways, heating, water heating, cooking and refrigeration.
Heating
Easy to move to cheap Chinese diesel heater. One YouTube homebuilt mohomer does extensive cold weather touring and is at present in North Finland using a Chinese heater with no problems so that shows confidence in the product.
Water Heating
If not combined with diesel cooker the only alternative seems to be using electricity which could prove to be power hungry.
Cooking
Induction plus a small low power kettle sounds the way to go. As these need lithium batteries and inverter you also get the easy add-on benefit of a toaster.
Refrigeration
This is the one area where I regret not being easily able to retofit a compressor fridge. If I was building my own I would certainly go for this. They are far more efficient on electricity (at least 50% less power than 3 way version) with none of the complexities and poor reliability of gas. As the one energy user that is on all the time, regardless of season, it needs careful consideration for energy management. In winter, unless you drive most days you will need extensive solar and/or EHU to keep it fed with electricity. This can be very restricting in winter due to shorter days and low sun. Added to this overcast conditions will cause solar output to become negligible.
 
I manage my 110ltr compressor fridge ok in the winter even standing for long periods in the same place. It’s an often overlooked and cursed piece of equipment called a generator. Much much cheaper than and other options I have seen to date
 
Just a thought...we actually often don't turn the fridge on in winter particularly when driving..it is, after all, an insulated box and keeps food fresh when it is cold outside? When on a longer trip away, we also usually keep a frozen bottle of water in it to help keep it cool.
But ours is very small with just a tinyfreezer box ( electric compression).
 
sydnsue said:
I've been reading this thread with interest as we may be about to buy an Auto-sleeper Corinium that has underslung LPG tank. ATM we have a Gasit system, mainly because of Europe, but I have noticed we need additional forward planning in the UK, especially in Scotland, so I am naturally concerned about having a van that only has fixed LPG.
Has anyone heard of fixed LPG being removed and replaced with Calor bottles?
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Should be easy really as presumably the van has an empty gas locker. I reckon you would be better off though leaving the underslung tank but fitting a Calor backup into the locker. Obviously some work required with hoses and regulators etc but not beyond the capabilities of a decent qualified MH tech I would think. Its kind of what I have. Gaslow with a 6kg Calor back up but I dont have any kind of sophisticated change over. I literally swap the hose from one to the other if the Calor is ever required. There is pretty much zero chance of me running out of gas ever with this method anywhere.
 
Polar Bear said:
LPG

I am about to press start on the camper build. I have been hearing a lot about LPG not going to be available at many filling stations in the future. The question is should I build solo electric or bottled gas? and has anyone any advice on double-glazed van windows? https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/news-articles/uk-to-lose-half-its-lpg-filling-stations-by-2024-replaced-by-electric-charging-points/#:~:text=Get a quote-,Major retailer to phase out LPG stations by,replaced by EV charging points&text=Owners of Autogas (LPG) converted,its LPG pumps by 2024.
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LPG heating is way too good. I don't think it will disappear in the next 10 years. It's difficult to find, true. Make sure you have a large tank.
 
I have a Truma 4E running on a 22L Gaslow LPG refillable, Victron 12/1200/50 inverter/charger and 230 amps of AGM Lead Carbon batteries I live in my van full time for the last 4 years. I have no problems with any of these. I will not as yet be buying Lithium batteries or getting rid of my Gas. I have enough supply of gas for over week including heating and cooking even in below zero temperatures.
I tend to fill up at my nearest stockist for gas and then fill up whenever I see an Autogas pump.
In milder temps I can go for many weeks on gas when I am just cooking, this I do everyday.
Chinese diesel heaters in my opinion are for weekenders and the noise associated with them is not for me.
You may have heard that Autogas is becoming rare, it is not. There are still many Autogas pumps around the country and if your gas tank is large enough YOU WILL SURVIVE !!
 
Polar Bear said:
LPG

I am about to press start on the camper build. I have been hearing a lot about LPG not going to be available at many filling stations in the future. The question is should I build solo electric or bottled gas? and has anyone any advice on double-glazed van windows? https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/news-articles/uk-to-lose-half-its-lpg-filling-stations-by-2024-replaced-by-electric-charging-points/#:~:text=Get a quote-,Major retailer to phase out LPG stations by,replaced by EV charging points&text=Owners of Autogas (LPG) converted,its LPG pumps by 2024.
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LPG is going nowhere… <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/po...m45YtnE892vpe3XuNDNl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="283" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe>
 
We have decided against the Corinium. The tank is just 10kg, less than 2 standard bottles. Also we are unable to carry a spare bottle as there is no gas locker or external storage. We wild camp as much as possible and I don't want to worry about running out of gas with no alternative supply. There are already certain areas in the UK where a lengthy drive is required to top up. I know some guys on here are saying Autogas will never go away but it is definitely reducing, especially with the pumps being replaced with charging stations. The commercial decision is obvious with more electric cars increasing every year.
We definitely need a van with a gas locker so we have Autogas and Calor options. Our search continues. Thanks for everyone's input.
 
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