LPG v. Paraffin??

[cariad]

We're planning a long distance trip next year and would like to hear anybodies views on the availability of LPG and / or paraffin beyond the Med. We currently have LPG cooker and water heater. We are considering changing to paraffin.
Any opinions welcome!!
Cheers, Geoff and Jude

 

[peterk]

hi,

I cooked with kerosene(paraffin) for over 20 years
then switched to LPG.
What a difference!
stick with it!
I had no problem getting my tanks filled anywhere during my circumnavigation
92-98, should be even easier NOW.
All my tanks have the international lefthanded filler thread

...peter, www.juprowa.com/kittel

 

[jeanne]

There was a time when all the 'back of beyond places' cooked and lit themselves with paraffin, but now they have mains generators and LPG, and clean paraffin is hard to find away from civilisation. In Venezuela, which is an oil exporting country, I walked all around Puerto La Cruz on the trail of some, and the only supply in town was in a an open topped tank, served by the dipperfull. And the most undesirable job on the boat is changing burners- fiddly, dirty, expensive,and always at an inconvenient time, i.e. when you want to cook something. We have LPG now, but if you really want a paraffin cooker, I know were there is one going cheap!

 

[MedMan]

Stick with LPG - you need butane in the Med.

We have a friend with a paraffin cooker in Croatia. He has to take his paraffin out by car. LPG has taken over from paraffin as the fuel used to cook with in remote villages and paraffin is becoming very difficult to find. I use it to clean my winches if I can find it but usually I can't.

We have been in the Med for 5 years and had no problem in finding Camping Gaz. Some countries do 'official' exchange bottles (France, Spain, Portugal, Italy), some do unofficial exchange bottles (Malta, Greece) and in others you have to take or send your bottle to a filling station (Croatia) Before heading for one of the latter, make sure you have decent, non-rusty bottles or the filling stations may refuse to fill them.

If you have Calor cylinders, I recomend leaving them behind and taking only Camping Gaz bottles. You can get your Calor bottles filled in Croatia and a few other places, but Camping Gaz bottles are much more useful as they are universal in the Med.

 

[milltech]

Why not consider diesel (if it's in your tank already)?

I have had two boats with diesel cookers and they were fine, and in one case did the hot water and the central heating too. Quite expensive to install but comforting to only have one rather benign fuel aboard.

John

 

[Mirelle]

The only argument for paraffin

(apart from safety, which is another issue) is that you can carry more BTUs in less space with less weight. If going somewhere really remote, with no shops, this is a factor.

 

[charles_reed]

Stick with LPG - now far easier to find than paraffin all round the world.
Whilst Europe tends to prefer butane, as you go farther afield you'll find propane more popular.
I'd stick Camping Gaz where it belongs - on the rubbish tip - unbelievably expensive all round Europe (like twice the price of indigenous fills) and Calor is useless outside the UK.
I use the local LPG provider, just keep the 1st purchase receipt so you can get your money back on the old bottle.
Currently I'm using Butagaz Bric (available Portugal & France) the full 6kg bottle weighs the same as an empty Calor 4.5kg bottle and refill cost is the same as the 2.65kg Camping Gaz bottle (in cooler climes it's closer to 3kg).

 

[ccscott49]

I agree with Charles, but be careful in Spain, they wanted to inspect my gas instalation, before giving me a chitty to purchase a bottle and regulator, at my expense, I managed through other means, as the regulator is the same as on the repsol cylonders in Portugal and spain and its no problem getting the regulator and cylinder in Portugal I have a portugese regulator and have aquired a spanish cylinder. Once you have the cylinder, you can always exchange it. Some places (repsol) will refill your portugese cylinder. If you are nice to them!!

 

[charles_reed]

Re: LPG in Spain

Yes, having had some horrific LPG tragedies the Spanish have become ultra-cautious and (rather like the UK CORGI scheme) LPG installations ashore are subject to detailed and onerous regulations.
However this does not apply to boats and most suppliers are prepared to see it that way.

 

[MedMan]

What price simplicity?

Sorry Charles - I seem to be getting into the habit of contradicting you but no offence meant - I just don't agree with some of the statements you have been making!

I have used Camping Gaz successfully for the last 5 years in the Med (see post below). It is simply not true to say it is 'unbelievably expensive all round Europe'. It certainly is in France - £10+ for a refil - quite crazy. However, in Spain, Italy and Greece it is quite reasonable (around £4) and in Croatia where you take your bottle along to be filled you are charged by the kg irrespective of your bottle size so the cost is the same.

I suppose it all depends upon how much gas you use, how many months a year you live on board and how much (and what dimensions) storage room you have for bottles. I live aboard for about eight months each year and my average annual expenditure on Camping Gaz over the last five years has been £35/year. I accept that I would pay less per kg if I swapped to local bottles but I have never stayed in one country for more than a year so that would involve an awful lot of hassle, not to mention possible expense on deposits and/or fittings to convert my system. Not only that, I do not physically have the room for larger bottles. For me, at least, Camping Gaz offers a simple, hassle-free solution at a reasonable cost. My installation which was properly checked out in the UK never needs changing and refills are available in every country. Perhaps others are working on a tighter budget than me, but I really would not want the hassle of a different system in every country in order to reduce my annula bill from £35 to, say, £20. What price simplicity?

 

[ccscott49]

Re: LPG in Spain

They would not give me a cylinder or regulator in Ibiza, without inspecting the boat, that was repsol, but on the islands, its repsol or nowt! (for all intent and purposes) camping is available, but I have three 13kg cylinders for cooking and water heating, although I now have two of those nifty solar showers, which have drastically reduced the gas requirement! Also showering on deck in the nuddy, keeps the pedalos' away! (not a pretty sight!)

 

[ToMo]

Re: LPG in Spain

Colin put a daisy chain on it - that should pretty it up a little!

TôMö

 

[ccscott49]

Re: LPG in Spain

Have to be bloody big daisies! tee hee

 

[Guest]

When I bought my boat she was with paraffin cooker, it was too slow. Ten years ago I was changed it to LPG, and newer go back to paraffin.