Van build.

Jakethepeg1

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Hi All, Im helping a friend with a van conversion. She is thinking of fitting an underslung LPG tank, as would be filled at a motorway service station. The reasons are ,,, it will save spave in the habitation area, it is likely to be available at most services and can be topped up, rather than having to wait for an empty tank. It is likely to be available across europe, at services, wherby calor may not be available. However, I wonder if this fuel is the same ( propane) as calor ) and can it be used for the habitaion units such as 3 way fridge, heater, cooker, water heater etc. Also, Is there any issues with this adaptation on a van, when travelling to the continent. Your advice would be very much appreciated.
 
It will certainly operate the appliances so no worries there. I would say though that it is not as obtainable as it used to be on garage forecourts so plan journeys well. There are apps which can help with this.
 
Propane from a pump is pretty much the same as what is in the Red Calor cylinders, if she is a big user of gas then go for a underslung tank, if not then a couple of refillable tanks will be cheaper and even a DIY install, Gaslow and Gasit do a delivery to your door, a tank need to be fitted properly and although can be DIY it's not so straight forward.

No problems finding gas so long as you plan ahead and use the apps on your phone.

I decided to fit one refillable 6kg and continue to carry a Calor 6kg as a spare.

This was the cheapest place I could find for cylinders of any size and the kits to fit them.
www.gasproducts.co.uk

Gaslow R67 6kg Refillable Cylinder 1 with Level Gauge

The Gaslow R67 6kg Refillable Cylinder 1 is especially designed to meet the French R67 Gas Tank Standards. Gaslow have always held the view that the Gaslow Bottles are considered as "Cylinders" and therefore they are manfacturered to the cylinder standard EN1442:2006. Gaslow were not just alone...
www.gasproducts.co.uk www.gasproducts.co.uk
 
My PVC, professionally converted, has an underslung tank with 24 'useable' litres, (All tanks only fill to 80% of gross volume for safety reasons). Outside the heating season, this lasts 3 weeks 'off grid' for hot water, fridge and hob/oven. My traditional set-up works just fine and I'm not about to change it unless something seriously breaks. As others say, plan ahead and use the online resources. I use mylpg.eu which covers the whole of UK and Europe.

A very big 'however' though. If I were starting from scratch, like your friend, I would choose diesel heater/hot water (Truma or Eberspacher rather than cheap chinese) and a compressor fridge backed up with loads of solar panels and lithium habitation batteries. Cooking would be gas with a small exchange cylinder which would last absolutely ages. Also consider the option of an induction hob but that would depend on how much 'off grid' you anticipate. There are even diesel hobs which are mainly aimed at the marine market but I've no experience of those.
 
number14 said:
There are even diesel hobs which are mainly aimed at the marine market but I've no experience of those.
Click to expand...

If I was thinking about another conversion (which I'm not!) I would consider a diesel hob. The Wallas model also doubles as a heater for the van and they are apparently quite economical to run. They are quite expensive but it is a cooker and heater.

 
Couple of things about going to EU

1) She will need several LPG adapters for EU.
2) Headlight adapters for driving of right side
3) Check she is aware of Death Zone stickers / 90 day limit / LEZs
4) I put my wrist watch on the "other" wrist to remind me to drive on the other side.
 
I've just found all 4 of the brass adapters that came with my conversion as cleared out my garage in London.. 2001 the conversion was done

What's in the box now I don't know.
 
Only used my portable induction hob a few times, mainly to boil water for a cuppa. Looking forward to giving it a proper test soonish. Great for use outside though.
Not so sure I'd want to rely on it solely for all cooking, especially if parked up for a few days. More power storage needed. :)
 
thanks for that article del we’ve ( well not me ) been looking at an induction hob and a new set of pans ? that work on it going to leave it till after this trip away see just how much spare power we have
 
Problem with going all electric or all diesel is it is very expensive. With electric you also need to be able to recharge so depends a lot on where, when and how much you intend using the van.

Gas is cheapest although I only use it to cook
 
Nabsim said:
Problem with going all electric or all diesel is it is very expensive. With electric you also need to be able to recharge so depends a lot on where, when and how much you intend using the van.

Gas is cheapest although I only use it to cook
Click to expand...
Neil (@Nabsim) you do realise that someone with either a hatred for gas or a physics degree will come along and try to prove that gas isn't the cheapest? 😂

Regards,
Del
 
Jakethepeg1 said:
Hi All, Im helping a friend with a van conversion. She is thinking of fitting an underslung LPG tank, as would be filled at a motorway service station. The reasons are ,,, it will save spave in the habitation area, it is likely to be available at most services and can be topped up, rather than having to wait for an empty tank. It is likely to be available across europe, at services, wherby calor may not be available. However, I wonder if this fuel is the same ( propane) as calor ) and can it be used for the habitaion units such as 3 way fridge, heater, cooker, water heater etc. Also, Is there any issues with this adaptation on a van, when travelling to the continent. Your advice would be very much appreciated.
Click to expand...
LPG Autogas is widely available in the EU as far as i know, except in theory not in Italy for tax reasons, but we managed it at rural stations. Thin on the ground in Norway in 2014 and 2015. My LPG app and others for more info.
It's always propane, so good for very cold climates. Think about ground clearance.
 
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