Gas transfer gubbins

lustyd

lustyd

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We’ve been on the move for two months now and gas is feeling like the most ridiculous industry. We have FloGas and Calor (UK, butane) bottles on board as well as regs for the above and Campingaz.

Ireland has Calor (Eire) completely incompatible and unswappable with UK. No Campingaz and no FloGas.
Northern Ireland looks to be the same although not there yet.
Isle of Man only has Manx Gas which although it seems to be identical bottles to Calor UK and they can swap them, we’d end up with bottles only changeable in IoM.

Feels like a total farce and we can’t store many more cylinders on the boat sensibly or safely so I’d like to get some gas transfer gubbins.

Can someone who is familiar with the process please tell me what I ought to buy for most effective transfer from the most number of bottle types? Although a waste of money at least would be nice to get a bottle temporarily in each location to fill from.

I understand the physics and the process just fine, and at this point the risks seem at least as acceptable as doing things “the right way” (which is ridiculous!). I’ve ruled out electric cooking as we don’t have the power or space to add more. Also entirely uninterested in changing the challenge with those refillable LPG bottles. They don’t seem to be any easier.

Thanks all
 
I've got a gas hose with the 4.5 kg calor bottle type thread on each end. I then add on what ever bottle connection I require at one end and the other on to the 4.5 kg bottle.
A lot of the bottles are either 22? or 27? mm clip on. They don't require a regulator so you need something like Buy GasBoat 4222 22mm Clip-on Cylinder Adaptor from SOCAL Southampton

I use electronic luggage scales to make sure that I don't overfill the bottles. Putting the 4.5kg bottle in a bucket of water and filling the bottle until it sinks is also a good guide that has been mention here before tonotover filling.
 
Buy the biggest, tallest calor gas bottle you can strap securely and safely on the aft deck?
You can go for months then and the refill price is ok.

Of course you’re then into gas regulations and running a new regulator , acrylic canvas cover , copper supply line so hey ho, no!
 
Think this is the kit I got which has paid for itself many times over full time cruising
Buy GasBoat 4018 Go-Anywhere Adaptor Kit from SOCAL Southampton
With 2 x 10kg homebase grp bottles I just forgot to return..
Usually not a problem to borrow a local bottle somewhere or expensive 907 bottles are still an option, decant into your own. Grp bottles are great, don't rust and easy to see how much gas is left.
 
Finally returning to say thanks, Ive just bought the Socal set.
Reason I went with the slightly higher cost is that it includes a dual fuel regulator. Buying the bits I could have refilled the bottles but if the gas changed I’d have needed a different regulator so figured getting it all in one was easier and didn’t end up that much more pricey. Delivery for us nomads is also easier from a shop in one package! This also makes using a different bottle easier if we decide to just connect something else rather than transfer.
Although it’s been months the above info was very useful so thanks again!
 
I realise that this may be too late for you but may be helpful to others. We are in a similar situation in our motorhome, travelling widely we come across many different gas bottle designs. We have a bulkhead regulator that accepts either propane or butane. Its big advantage is that every high pressure hose for all bottles has the same fitting to the regulator. Thus it is only necessary to buy the HP hose for each of our Repsol and Calor propane bottles and our French butane. The cost of these is not great and we find they are always available.
 
vyv_cox said:
I realise that this may be too late for you but may be helpful to others. We are in a similar situation in our motorhome, travelling widely we come across many different gas bottle designs. We have a bulkhead regulator that accepts either propane or butane. Its big advantage is that every high pressure hose for all bottles has the same fitting to the regulator. Thus it is only necessary to buy the HP hose for each of our Repsol and Calor propane bottles and our French butane. The cost of these is not great and we find they are always available.
Click to expand...
The regulator I mentioned in the Socal kit is a bulkhead regulator exactly as you describe. It has adjustable pressure for differing gasses and the kit includes all of the connectors and hoses needed as well as marine quality fixings (and the regulator is made of marine suitable materials).
It's obviously more expensive than Ebay buying individual components, but when we're on the move Ebay purchases are a huge hassle due to random delivery times, not to mention having to find bits individually. Socal also do kits for motorhomes which are cheaper due to cheaper materials and probably higher sales.
My main target is refilling bottles, we simply don't have the space for differing bottles in every location we visit. We only went to Scotland last year from south coast and would already have 8 bottles if we had two in each gas monopoly! We're not on holiday, so running out of gas and waiting to swap a single bottle isn't something I'm prepared to do.
 
lustyd said:
We’ve been on the move for two months now and gas is feeling like the most ridiculous industry. We have FloGas and Calor (UK, butane) bottles on board as well as regs for the above and Campingaz.

Ireland has Calor (Eire) completely incompatible and unswappable with UK. No Campingaz and no FloGas.
Northern Ireland looks to be the same although not there yet.
Isle of Man only has Manx Gas which although it seems to be identical bottles to Calor UK and they can swap them, we’d end up with bottles only changeable in IoM.

Feels like a total farce and we can’t store many more cylinders on the boat sensibly or safely so I’d like to get some gas transfer gubbins.

Can someone who is familiar with the process please tell me what I ought to buy for most effective transfer from the most number of bottle types? Although a waste of money at least would be nice to get a bottle temporarily in each location to fill from.

I understand the physics and the process just fine, and at this point the risks seem at least as acceptable as doing things “the right way” (which is ridiculous!). I’ve ruled out electric cooking as we don’t have the power or space to add more. Also entirely uninterested in changing the challenge with those refillable LPG bottles. They don’t seem to be any easier.

Thanks all
Click to expand...
Calor available in N.ireland. at least when there was a shortage everywhere else there was plenty in Bangor and Coleraine.
 
IanCC said:
Calor available in N.ireland. at least when there was a shortage everywhere else there was plenty in Bangor and Coleraine.
Click to expand...
Yes, "Calor" is available in Great Britain, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. Each is a separate entity with different bottles and regulators and will not swap with the other's cylinders. Thankfully Scotland and Wales are GB Calor. Isle of Man use Calor GB bottles but only supply "Manx Gas" branded ones, which GB Calor will not take. It's a complete farce.

Bangor Marina have a sign up which is now years old explaining that NI Calor are ceasing the GB cylinders and using their own. They ceased supplying them about 5 years ago.
 
I've cruised in perhaps 16 or 17 countries in this boat over the years, and have encountered nearly the same number of different standards for gas.

Decanting from one type of bottle to your regular ones is certainly feasible, but it's illegal and there are certain risks. I actually have a universal set of fittings intended for doing this but have never used it.

I finally settled on simply converting to whatever local type there is, whenever I run out of gas. Most standards other than our Calor types, use clamped rubber hoses and a regulator clipped directly to the bottle. I keep a bag of different fittings and hoses on board together with spare solenoids, and new regulators to suit the local bottles usually don't cost more than £10 or so. I keep my empty Calor bottles (2x 4.5kg) behind my raised swim platform.

Lastly, I do a lot of day to day cooking on an induction hob, which greatly extends time between gas running out.

YMMV.
 
You can't decant gas via a regulator, you'll need a fee-flow connection at either end of your transfer hose. If you're unable to source one, you can make one by getting a regulator (an old/knackered one will do) and carefully drilling into it from either end to destroy the internals without piercing the casing; you'll be able to blow through it once you've succeeded.
 
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