Gas for Caravans and Motorhomes
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There are two basic types of gas available, Propane and Butane (both are called LPG, Liquefied Petroleum Gas). If you caravan in the winter or colder weather you will need Propane as it works to a low temperature where as Butane starts to 'give up' below 6C. Cylinders are normally described by the weight of gas they contain when full. Butane cylinders hold more gas for the same size, ie external dimension. Both types are suitable for Bailey Caravans and Motorhomes and use the same Bulkhead regulator. The gas is held in liquid form in the bottles which is why you may hear the liquid ‘sloshing’ around when moving the bottles. To use the gas the bottle needs to be fed through the Regulator which will reduce the pressure of the gas to 30mbar for use by the appliances which all run at that pressure. There are different materials for the containers. The steel containers are the heaviest for example, Calor Propane and Butane BP introduced a lightweight bottle and a translucent design – making the gas level visible. This is now supplied by Flo-Gas. More and more members have switched to using a refillable cylinder, ‘Safefill’ being one of the main brands. |
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Safefill are a supplier of refillable lightweight gas cylinders that can be filled by the owner from an LPG supplier. The Supermarket Morrisons are one of the biggest suppliers of LPG that allow customers to fill these cylinders, but many other LPG suppliers will also allow this. The cylinders are designed with an automatic shut-off valve to allow safe filling by the users. They are available in 5Kg 7.5Kg and 10Kg sizes. The gas in the LPG outlets is Propane so suitable for use in the winter. One of the advantages of these cylinders is they can be easily topped up so you don’t need to wait till empty before recharging them. Although the cost of buying a new Safefill cylinder is quite expensive (£200 - £230 this can be offset by the price of gas. At the moment (February 2023) Calor Propane is between £4.50 and £5 per Kg. Morrisons LPG is 79p per Litre or £1.50/Kg a significant saving. So if you use a lot of Gas a refillable bottle is a good investment. |
| Gaslow also offer refillable metal cylinders and some Motorhomes have had a gas tank fitted to them that can be filled up from an external filler point. This calls for a specialist installation. |
One of the questions we are often asked is ‘how much gas will I use?’ Well that’s impossible to give a generalisation as it is totally dependent on what you are running on gas. If you are on Electric Hook Up (EHU) most of your outfit will be running on electric. If you are Off-Grid, for example on a Rally Site with no power, The consumption will be time of year/weather dependent. In the summer months, you will be using the fridge and cooking on gas. In the winter/colder months you will also be using the heating. This consumes a lot more gas and you can easily use up a 6Kg bottle over a weekend. So important to carry a reserve supply i.e. two bottles and be aware how full they are. |
Calor Gas Bottles, only available in the UK
Propane 6 kg Butane 7 kg
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FloGas Metal Cylinders, UK only
Propane 6kg Butane 7kg
FloGas Lightweight Propane, UK only
5kg 10kg
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Camping Gaz 907, available Europe wide
Butane, largest bottle holds 2.7 kg
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Regulator/Adaptor fitment
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Bottle |
Fitment |
Regulator |
Adaptor |
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Calor Propane 6 kg |
Screw thread |
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Calor Butane 7 kg |
21mm Clip-on |
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Flo-gas 5 and 10 kg |
27mm Clip-on |
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Camping Gaz |
Screw on |
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| Note : The Propane screw thread regulators or pigtails have a left-hand thread. i.e. you need to turn them anti-clockwise to do up on the Bottle. |
Truma 30mbar Bulkhead Regulator
CLESSE 30mbar Bulkhead Regulator
| These type of regulators are fitted as standard to many modern British Manufactured caravans and Motorhomes. You will need an adaptor hose to go between the bottle and this regulator, this is called a pigtail. |
| Butane Bottle Adaptor to Regulator pigtail |
Propane Bottle to Regulator pigtail |
Stainless Steel Pigtails
| Although the Stainless Steel ones cost more they last longer than the ‘rubber’ ones. The ‘rubber’ ones should be changed every 5 years, a date of manufacture should be printed on the pigtail. Stainless Steel ones have a life of up to 20 years. |
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External Gas outlet (BBQ point)
There are two types that can be found on Bailey Units. These must be used as outlets and not inputs
| Bullfinch connector In-line connector |
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French Antargaz
Butane 10 kg
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If you visit France regularly you could buy a French gas bottle and change it when required. It is cheaper compared to gas prices here (Feb 2032 £2.70 per Kg). It is see-through so you can see how much is left. Antargaz, Calypso lightweight bottle, available from many French Supermarkets.
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