Gas bottle types help please

[iangrant]

I have two standard blue exchangeable gas bottles that I use in the UK.
However we are off to St Lucia via Portugal and Grand Canaria. When I bought the boat she came with aluminium bottles and a different regulator, which apparently are refilled not exchanged.

Please, what do I needs where?

Ian

 

[Sea Devil]

If you have camping GAZ bottles then there is no problem - you can get them exchanged or filled all over europe including Portuagal and the Canaries - when you get to the West Indies it is also no problem to get them filled - the boat boys or taxi drivers do runs to the gas fill places.

If you have Calor Gas then you have a problem - cannot fill or exchange in Europe except UK but will be able to get fills for them in West Indies by the methods mentioned above.

 

[charles_reed]

Sounds like butane Calor bottles - only good for UK & Eire.

Any screw-top type is re-chargeable (but and EC directive out to outlaw this) and usually possible to get refills anywhere providing you're prepared to wait a week or so.

Across the other side usual LPG is propane.

Camping Gaz probably the only internationally available butane - but you pay thro' the nose for the privelege.

I always suggest using the LPG provider local to the cruise area and just change the regulator.

Aluminium or GRpolypropylene bottles the best - no rust, lower weight.

 

[jimboaw]

Keep the aluminium bottles and regulator. One minor problem we have encountered when trying to get bottles refilled is that public transport does not take kindley to you boarding a bus with a gas bottle. Black plastic bag or a big back pack solves that minor problem.

 

[iangrant]

Charles/Jim
Thanks for that. The ones I have are blue Calor, UK exchangeable. The other bottles are alunimium. I just wondered where on the trip I can ditch the blue ones and start to refil the ali ones.

Ian

 

[Sea Devil]

With the exception of USA and Australia there is no where in the world that you cannot refill camping Gaz blue bottles... I would just ditch/sell what you have and get camping gaz bottles. for USA and Australia their system is pretty efficient and the cost of a couple of bottles really low...

 

[snowleopard]

you'll be able to get bottles filled from the canaries onward.

as you probably know, you must NEVER get butane bottles refilled with propane (which is universal on the 'other side').

we set ourselves up with calor propane bottles which were refilled in gran canaria (probably with butane but we didn't notice any different). we were able to get them refilled in several places in the caribbean.

 

[iangrant]

Thank you for the advice - I'll do that

Ian