Bourton LPG Tank 20L How long will it last?

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I raised this question some months ago and received many comments . Thanks.
I can now report on my log. It lasts about 20 days . Fridge and cooking with just a little heating.

The Gas-It dial was showing red yesterday when I went to refill.. This shows 1 light out of the 10 .. The latter indicates a full LPG tank. I presumed the red light indicated 10% left

However on filling I could only get 9 litres in.. I know there should be some capacity for gas expansion...but is it really a 20 litre tank? I can't see that the gas needs 10 litres of tank for expansion

Using the advice on this forum we persuaded Marquis in Preston to invest in a GasIt gauge and have had the LPG tank rotated to the correct position. There is still gas in the tank and will now use till completely empty to check if we now get nearer 20L in. A bonus with the correct rotation is that it is easier to reach the master off gas tap before using the Channel Tunnel and we can now see and read the dial gauge which is a more accurate than the LED indicator on the dashboard. Also check that they redo the underseal in the area of the tank which becomes exposed when the tank is rotated

We are in Spain at the moment and although we are running the heating on gas to warm the van each morning (temperature about 4deg. Last night) we are only using about 2litres a week. There are now many more filling stations in Spain and with the mylpg web site it is not difficult to find a suitable site. You do need the correct adaptors for Spain and a thick pair of leather gloves. When you unlock the hose there is no escape of liquid but when you unscrew the adaptors there is. Unlike France where any motorway filling station has lpg in Spain it is more round towns.

The point Safariboy makes over LPG left in the hose is very valid and can apply to some pumps in this country and its wise if you are unfamiliar with a pump to wear gloves.  I will put a warning post in factsheets later

If I might make my point clearer..... In all systems except the Spanish the liquid in the pipe between the tank non return valve and rhe nozzle escapes when you disconnect. Your hands are a few cm from the point of disconnection. Any liquid should have evaporated before it can reach your hand and there is little risk of getting liquid lpg on your skin. For good reasons in the new euro/Spanish connectors there is a nonreturn valve at the point o f disconnection. On a vehicle fitted with this basic connector this minimises pollution and waste. However when you use an adaptor you are holding the adaptor as you unscrew it. The escaping liquid will evaporate as before. your hands are now close to the point of release and the adaptor will cool quickly and might give you frost bite and stick to your skiln. So use thick gloves!

Spot on Safariboy, and although I was aware of the non return valve in the adapter, I bet it would have caught me out the first time I filled in Spain.

Fortunately from this point of view we don't visit Spain, although who knows in the future - and your timely warning will stick in my mind now.

Thanks

Dave

Our gas ran out a couple of weeks ago for the first time, I usually top it up when it's just above the red light, the most I ever got in then was 11 litres. Last week I put in just over 18 litres. Apart from a few times when we fill with LPG at Dover, we always fill up in France using the adapter, I don't like the sound of the new ones, they don't sound very user friendly.

ajrm wrote:I don't like the sound of the new ones, they don't sound very user friendly.

Alarming, but I guess it's no great problem once you are aware - and thanks to Safariboy for highlighting the potential danger. It would have caught me out!  

No change is imminent in France as far as I'm aware. They have the "Cup" adapter, and their filler is much easier to use than the UK model.

It's only the Spanish adapter which is causing the concern at the moment, though it is likely (they say?) to be adopted by other countries. There's good news for us however. For a tenner we can buy an adapter without a one way valve in the centre so filling up will be exactly the same experience as with the French (and other) adapters - or filling up at home without an adapter.

http://www.autogasshop.co.uk/autogaslpg-euro-nozzle-connector-filler-adapter-x28no-one-way-valvex29-804-p.asp

Dave

I suspect that for the reason I gave this adaptor will become standard. However if this happens vans will have the correct fitting and the whole problem will vanish.

safariboy wrote:I suspect that for the reason I gave this adaptor will become standard.  However if this happens vans will have the correct fitting and the whole problem will vanish.

I think you are quite correct, but it will almost certainly turn out to be a confusing and piecemeal operation, unless governments come down hard on LPG outlets and force a deadline for converting their filler guns. This is unlikely, specially in France where the good old Gallic shrug will be the only visible result!!

It is also unlikely that older vans will be forced to convert, so (unless I am wrong - it has been known!! ) if there is an attempt to standardise it will create a considerable period of total chaos.

Nothing that would cause a serious problem, but irritating when it might be necessary to get out and see what type of filler gun is in use, then grovel in the bag of adapters for the right one.

Dave

I don't see the point of the adapter with a non return valve becoming standard. When you disconnect the filler on a normal adapter, you get a release of gas. If you have the non return valve adapter, you get a release of gas when you disconnect the adapter!
Pointless.
If all fill points have a non removeable non return valve fitted as standard, that makes more sense.

ajrm wrote: If all fill points have a non removeable non return valve fitted as standard, that makes more sense.

Hi ajrm

I think that's what Safariboy means. That's how I took it anyway.

As I see it, the use of an adapter without a non-return valve is far safer and preferable at the moment, since there will be no escape of gas when you remove it. Therefore no frost bitten fingers sticking to an extremely cold adapter.

As you say, eventually (one assumes ) all vans will have filler points with non-return valves permanently fixed, after which there will be no problem. It's the changeover period in countries other than Spain that will cause the hassle, when you will never know quite what type of filler gun to expect as you roll into a garage.

Dave