Rigger Mortice
N/A
I’m sure there will be howls of disapproval from some quarters but, following the threads about DIY filling of gas bottles, I thought I would do a little experimenting. This summarises what I have found so far;
1. Thanks to VicS (I think it was him) who gave the initial lead. He recommended getting components from www.BES.co.uk. I found their prices to be good and the service quick and efficient.
2. There is a brief but helpful write up in Nigel Calder’s book and a fair number of websites give information on the process.
3. You need the right adapters on both cylinders. It is not advisable to fill via regulators; they are not designed to do this job.
4. I used high pressure hose assemblies, made up with proper crimped fittings. These are designed to work at up to 17.5 bar. Low pressure hose has a maximum working pressure of 50mbar. The difference is so great that it was an easy decision which to go for.
5. For filling 904/907 cylinders I used BES part number 16643
6. For the supply cylinder, which was a 15kg bottle, I used a 16642 clip on adapter. Other bottles may need a different adapter.
7. Connect both bottles with a 16712 hose. Take care with the hose; the sealing rings in both fittings have a habit of falling out.
8. The procedure was to connect hoses and adapters. Fit onto the supply bottle, and then briefly open the cock at the other end to purge the line of air. Fit the assembly onto the bottle that is being filled.
9. Turn the supply bottle upside down and place it so that it is higher than the bottle which is being filled.
10. Turn the cock on. (Obvious really!)
11. Nigel Calder says that it is a slow process. He is right. I was surprised that it took about 40 minutes to fill the bottle.
12. Weigh the bottle to make sure that it is not overfilled. I deliberately left mine slightly under filled.
Result. Easier than I expected.
Savings. The 15kg gas bottle cost me £33. A refill of the 904 cylinder (1.8 kg) would have cost £22 at my local supplier. It cost me £4 to DIY.
A 907 bottle would cost £6 to fill.
The bits cost £17+VAT and delivery.
Conclusion. The small cylinders are so ridiculously expensive this pays for itself in no time at all! I’m going to do a bit more work and, frankly, I need to also check if this is legal, but I promise that it won't be done when I'm parked near you!
All offered in the spirit of sharing information, If you don’t want to try it then I really don’t mind!
1. Thanks to VicS (I think it was him) who gave the initial lead. He recommended getting components from www.BES.co.uk. I found their prices to be good and the service quick and efficient.
2. There is a brief but helpful write up in Nigel Calder’s book and a fair number of websites give information on the process.
3. You need the right adapters on both cylinders. It is not advisable to fill via regulators; they are not designed to do this job.
4. I used high pressure hose assemblies, made up with proper crimped fittings. These are designed to work at up to 17.5 bar. Low pressure hose has a maximum working pressure of 50mbar. The difference is so great that it was an easy decision which to go for.
5. For filling 904/907 cylinders I used BES part number 16643
6. For the supply cylinder, which was a 15kg bottle, I used a 16642 clip on adapter. Other bottles may need a different adapter.
7. Connect both bottles with a 16712 hose. Take care with the hose; the sealing rings in both fittings have a habit of falling out.
8. The procedure was to connect hoses and adapters. Fit onto the supply bottle, and then briefly open the cock at the other end to purge the line of air. Fit the assembly onto the bottle that is being filled.
9. Turn the supply bottle upside down and place it so that it is higher than the bottle which is being filled.
10. Turn the cock on. (Obvious really!)
11. Nigel Calder says that it is a slow process. He is right. I was surprised that it took about 40 minutes to fill the bottle.
12. Weigh the bottle to make sure that it is not overfilled. I deliberately left mine slightly under filled.
Result. Easier than I expected.
Savings. The 15kg gas bottle cost me £33. A refill of the 904 cylinder (1.8 kg) would have cost £22 at my local supplier. It cost me £4 to DIY.
A 907 bottle would cost £6 to fill.
The bits cost £17+VAT and delivery.
Conclusion. The small cylinders are so ridiculously expensive this pays for itself in no time at all! I’m going to do a bit more work and, frankly, I need to also check if this is legal, but I promise that it won't be done when I'm parked near you!
All offered in the spirit of sharing information, If you don’t want to try it then I really don’t mind!