Some gas bottle advice needed please

[Harrers]

Preparing for a trip to UK. We will be in UK from the end of January until early March. We currently carry 2 13kg propane bottles. These are the Primagaz variety and are only available for exchange in France. We toured UK, mainly Scotland, last year in March/April and I made sure both bottles were full before we left France. We use gas for heating and hot water (Truma), cooking and for the three-way fridge which I updated to a Vitrifrigo at the end of 2023. We used CL's and the like occasionally but remained off-grid as much as possible. The Truma heater only runs on gas with no electric option.

I have acquired an empty 15kg blue butane Calorgas bottle which I plan to bring to UK and exchange for a 13kg red propane Calorgas bottle. I will leave one of our French bottles at home. I am attaching a photo of my existing gas set-up. There is a fixed propane 30mb regulator with a pigtail connector for the French bottle. I need to know what type of connection I need for a red calor bottle and how to make the connection to my existing set-up.

I am hoping someone has experience of this type of bottle and can advise me accordingly.

 

[wildebus]

Preparing for a trip to UK. We will be in UK from the end of January until early March. We currently carry 2 13kg propane bottles. These are the Primagaz variety and are only available for exchange in France. We toured UK, mainly Scotland, last year in March/April and I made sure both bottles were full before we left France. We use gas for heating and hot water (Truma), cooking and for the three-way fridge which I updated to a Vitrifrigo at the end of 2023. We used CL's and the like occasionally but remained off-grid as much as possible. The Truma heater only runs on gas with no electric option.

I have acquired an empty 15kg blue butane Calorgas bottle which I plan to bring to UK and exchange for a 13kg red propane Calorgas bottle.

I don't think a Calor dealer would be interested in exchanging the Butane for Propane. Their exchange program is based on groups and Butane and Propane are in different groups.

Refillable gas bottles and exchange | Calor

Gas bottles are refillable so it's important that empty and unwanted gas bottles are returned to us so we can recycle and reuse them. Click learn more.

www.calor.co.uk

You will end up trying to return the Butane bottle for some money (likely very little) and having to get a new agreement on a Propane bottle. (I hope that butane bottle aqusition didn't cost too much!?)

For a new bottle, you might want to look at Flogas as well as Calorgas. Depending where you are going in Scotland, there is a pretty good network of Flogas Dealers.

I will leave one of our French bottles at home. I am attaching a photo of my existing gas set-up. There is a fixed propane 30mb regulator with a pigtail connector for the French bottle. I need to know what type of connection I need for a red calor bottle and how to make the connection to my existing set-up.

I am hoping someone has experience of this type of bottle and can advise me accordingly.

 

[Harrers]

The blue calorgas bottle was free although I did drive several kilometers to pick it and another French bottle up. Thanks for your link to the Calor website. It inspired me to look for a Calor dealer and I picked out one in Newhaven as that is our port of entry. I phoned and they have confirmed that they will exchange the blue bottle for a full red one and will help with a new regulator to connect it. I'll stop worrying about that now!

 

[wildebus]

good result with the swap. well done

 

[barryd]

Might be worth considering replacing one of the bottles with a 12kg Gaslow with a filler on the side of the van. That way at least that bottle can be filled in France or the UK at any LPG station and you can carry either the French or UK spare as a backup.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

I've never had a problem changing blue to red in the past but a phone call would let you know.

You could always leave the blue at home and buy a red here, keep the receipt and return it before going home.

 

[Aethelric]

I bought a butane bottle cheap on gumtree, and calor swapped it for a propane one. So we have three 13Kg ones. This means on a long trip we can always set off with two completely full ones and use up the partly used one on shorter trips.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Hmm!!

Refillable gas bottles and exchange | Calor

Gas bottles are refillable so it's important that empty and unwanted gas bottles are returned to us so we can recycle and reuse them. Click learn more.

www.calor.co.uk

 

[merl]

Preparing for a trip to UK. We will be in UK from the end of January until early March. We currently carry 2 13kg propane bottles. These are the Primagaz variety and are only available for exchange in France. We toured UK, mainly Scotland, last year in March/April and I made sure both bottles were full before we left France. We use gas for heating and hot water (Truma), cooking and for the three-way fridge which I updated to a Vitrifrigo at the end of 2023. We used CL's and the like occasionally but remained off-grid as much as possible. The Truma heater only runs on gas with no electric option.

I have acquired an empty 15kg blue butane Calorgas bottle which I plan to bring to UK and exchange for a 13kg red propane Calorgas bottle. I will leave one of our French bottles at home. I am attaching a photo of my existing gas set-up. There is a fixed propane 30mb regulator with a pigtail connector for the French bottle. I need to know what type of connection I need for a red calor bottle and how to make the connection to my existing set-up.

I am hoping someone has experience of this type of bottle and can advise me accordingly.

The UK propane bottles use a POL connection, assuming your regulator has the typical M20 thread all you'll need is a Pol to M20 (often called W20) pigtail.
The ones with a handwheel are nice because you don't need a spanner.

https://amzn.eu/d/dCqb6AQ

 

[witzend]

I have acquired an empty 15kg blue butane Calorgas bottle
I am hoping someone has experience of this type of bottle and can advise me accordingly.

I use 13 kg French bottles on my van now and the hoses are english butane so just get a refilled uk butane should connect up ok you got a mt one there now to try

 

[wildebus]

I've never had a problem changing blue to red in the past but a phone call would let you know.

You could always leave the blue at home and buy a red here, keep the receipt and return it before going home.

depends on the dealer, but they are under no obligation to do a swap, as the link to the exchange program I posted earlier indicates.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

I didn't see the link on my phone, these specs are crap.

 

[colinm]

depends on the dealer, but they are under no obligation to do a swap, as the link to the exchange program I posted earlier indicates.

I'm not sure why Calor put the 13kg propane in different group than 15kg butane, I've had orange propane bottles with the paint chipped off that are blue underneath. I've swapped a couple of butane ones for propane.

 

[Harrers]

I use 13 kg French bottles on my van now and the hoses are english butane so just get a refilled uk butane should connect up ok you got a mt one there now to try

I am not at my house till later this week but I am pretty sure the fitting on the top of the calorgas blue 15 kg bottle is the clip on type. The 13kg French bottles are definitely the left-handed thread screws.

 

[Harrers]

The UK propane bottles use a POL connection, assuming your regulator has the typical M20 thread all you'll need is a Pol to M20 (often called W20) pigtail.
The ones with a handwheel are nice because you don't need a spanner.

https://amzn.eu/d/dCqb6AQ

Thanks for this link. I will be buying one of these pigtails to use while we are in uk. This will allow me to use the bulkhead regulator you can see in the photo.

I will probably look to get a pigtail to use in Spain for a Spanish bottle which are different again.

 

[Harrers]

Might be worth considering replacing one of the bottles with a 12kg Gaslow with a filler on the side of the van. That way at least that bottle can be filled in France or the UK at any LPG station and you can carry either the French or UK spare as a backup.

Yes I have thought about putting a Gaslow or similar system in the van. My previous UK registered van had some such system. The bottles were aluminium which helps with weight as well.

When I changed to a French van I had to down-size and also the van was a bit older. It's a 2002 Eriba which was built by Hymer. I like the van and have finally managed to get its registration document changed so I can add a tow bar. The tow-bar was always going to be important to me and I have delayed doing any further upgrades to the vehicle until that bit of paperwork was sorted. However, now that I have finally retired, my budget is a bit limited and my main priority in life is my house in the Charente which requires lots of work (and money!) I have a wish-list for the van and will get to it as and when!