Gas it kit..

I just ordered a 2x11kg gasit kit for my new motorhome so as not to have to keep messing about changing on the continent. I think I got a good price at £300 all in, to include the europe adaptors set as well as delivery. 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252237741784?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

You will certainly save scarred knuckles now not having to do battle getting the cylinders out, thats apart from the money you are going to save. Curious why you didnt buy direct from GasIt though

roli wrote:You will certainly save scarred knuckles now not having to do battle getting the cylinders out, thats apart from the money you are going to save. Curious why you didnt buy direct from GasIt though

Seemed less money via dealers than direct. 

Really interested in fitting a GasIt cylinder in the Nuevo - does anyone know the right size bottles that would fit in the cabinet?

Just a larger single or 2 small cylinders would suit us?

Noggin wrote:Really interested in fitting a GasIt cylinder in the Nuevo - does anyone know the right size bottles that would fit in the cabinet?
Just a larger single or 2 small cylinders would suit us?

At risk of upsetting m8form8 I would suggest a single 11kg GasIt (or similar) cylinder which will go in easily, plus a 6kg Calor which you may already have.

Only my opinion of course, but for most people I can't see the point of two refillable cylinders. Topping up is so quick and easy, and if you have a little Calor bottle already plumbed in with a manual changeover switch, you will never have the worry of running out of gas. You will also have saved quite a lot of money.

We had that system for several years and never used the Calor - but it was there "just in case".

Dave

Thanks Dave,

I'd even be happy with just a single 11kg bottle - I'm used to a re-fillable LPG bottle in my T25 and it's so much easier just to top up before a trip than wait for bottles to run out and change as required.

I was just concerned the 11kg wouldn't fit in the Nuevo cabinet, but this sounds ideal then.

Cheers,
Rob.

In that case, why not get one of these and drop it in the "bits" box?

http://www.gasproducts.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Propane_Pol_to_Butane_Adaptor.html

Don't be put off by "butane" in the description. It will fit many Euro propane gas bottles since they have a 21.8mm left hand thread - same as Calor butane. Then if by chance you couldn't get a top up for the refillable, or if it developed a leak, for just over a fiver you have a ready rescue on hand.  

I think Intermarche are still selling their bottles for 1 (one) Euro plus the cost of the gas, and with the adapter in your pocket as you enter the shop you can try it on the bottle to check the fit.

Overkill perhaps, but the last thing you want on holiday is hassle, and this adapter is so cheap it makes sense to have one with you, "just in case".  

Dave

roli wrote:You will certainly save scarred knuckles now not having to do battle getting the cylinders out, thats apart from the money you are going to save.

You people must use a h*ll of a lot of gas!
Calor do not do an 11kg bottle, the nearest is 13kg [25.35 litres]. Using this as a yardstick, you need to use 8.25 [209.13 litres] of these each year, every year to just about break even in 3 years time. THEN you start saving money.
[At today's prices, gathered from the internet today.]

Frank

Hi Frank

You are quite correct, but it's not all about saving money. As Roli said, you no longer leave a trail of blood or sustain a rupture whenever you run out of gas - near midnight in the freezing cold with a blizzard blowing up your kilt! You do get a far easier and more user friendly gas supply which you can very easily top up whenever it's convenient

This is especially true when setting out for Europe. You no longer need to buy extra Calor cylinders because yours are only half full, and juggle them around so you set out with the full cylinders on board.

And yes, we probably do use more gas these days. The Truma 6 heater is excellent, and puts out far more heat than those of only a few years ago - but you don't get something for nothing.

Dave

Must admit having read up on the GasIt (and having lived with the under slung LPG tank on my previous Westy camper) I will be fitting these purely for convenience and not for any cost saving .

Hi Dave
Its your money to do what you like with of course, but the reason I posted was that we get many newbies on the forum looking for tips and advice.

How often do we see mentions of members who have just topped up their refillable gas bottles 'for only seventeen and eight-pence three farthings, which is enough gas to last me for the next three months' ? [Slightly tongue in cheek].

Most newbies would feel that they are being ripped off by exchanging calor [or worse camping gaz] bottles, and perhaps they [and me] are, but the cost of converting in most cases far outweighs any savings you make on the cost of gas. Unless you use a great deal of gas.

I have two 3.9kg propane bottles in the gas locker, at most I used 3 per year, which included wild camping. If I paid £150 for a refillable bottle it would take 5 years for me just to break even, before I made any savings.

I don't go abroad, I like the British Isles too much, especially Scotland but even in remotest Shetland, I've never run out of gas or had a problem getting a refill. Nor do I have an issue getting the bottles in and out of the gas locker.

Just trying to make the point that 'investing' in a refillable gas system is not always a financially sound idea.

Frank

I wasn't disagreeing with you Frank. I too was just offering another viewpoint.

One interesting "fact" assuming I'm correct, is the increase in the use of gas in more recent motorhomes, with bigger and better heaters, fridge freezers, boilers etc., and solar panels so you don't have to look for a hook up every time you stay more than a day or two.

I therefore do wonder why Messrs A/S and others are now fitting only a 20 litre LPG capacity underslung tank as standard. (25 litres in A/S 2016 models.)

Times is a changing.

Dave

Many motorhomers will not wild camp, quite a few of our forum members have stated that they do not camp anywhere other than campsites so perhaps Auto-Sleepers know this?

Is the 20ltrs the gas capacity of the tank? i.e. can you get 20ltrs of gas in or only 80% of 20ltrs? 20 ltrs = 10.25kgs so 80% of that is only 8.2kgs, only a little more than my 2 x 3.9kg bottles.

Frank

You can (in theory) get 20 litres of gas in, as it's a 25 litre total capacity tank, although quite a few members have wondered if that is the case when they come to top up.

It still isn't a lot of gas though, and I'm sure those who use the huge network of aires in France and Germany (and those who wild camp) would like a bigger tank. I left our fridge running for a week on the front drive (idiot that I am!! ) and it used about 8 litres of gas, which surprised me rather! If the space and water heater had been running as well I reckon it would have just about emptied the tank.

Dave

Thanks to this thread, I asked A-S's Service Centre (on the occasion of my annual habitation service) to check and if necessary adjust the alignment of the LPG tank.

Immediately before the service, I'd filled the LPG tank (for the first time). The gauge had been showing 3 LEDs of the 8; if accurate, that suggested that there remained about 8 litres, and that to fill to the 20 litres would require about 12. In fact it took 7.5. After the fill, all LEDs were lit.

After the re-alignment, only 6 LEDs show (c.15 litres), and that corresponds closely to the amount of LPG after filling (original 8 plus 7.5). So by re-aligning the tank, the gauge is pretty accurate now.

The problem I have with the Calor cylinders is that the Symbol has an internal locker, to change the cylinder involves lying on the floor and doing the following almost one handed, removing the gas pipe, undoing the 2 holding straps and then struggling to remove the cylinder from the locker. I then have to try to pry the new cylinder in, attach the straps then refasten the gas pipe. The other problem is the size of the Calor cylinders, I can only fit one inside the locker, I have 1 6 Kg and 2 3.9's, I have tried 2 small ones, the 6 at the back and a small one at the front, a small one at the back and the 6Kg at the front but I then cannot shut the locker door.
We went to Southport last weekend and finally emptied the 6Kg on Friday night, Saturday morning I went to the CC office and swapped the 6 Kg cylinder for a full one, the new cylinder is a couple of mm bigger than the old one so it would not fit at the back of the locker.
The Gasit cylinders are a few mm's shorter and 10 mm's smaller diameter than the Calor, I'm now wondering if I could get 2 into the locker and then get a long filler pipe and fit the gas filler into the near side of the back bumper.
I know what Frank means about the cost but I'm worried about running out in France because of running the fridge while off the site.

Cheers
Paul

I think the Symbol has a similar gas locker to the Symphony, I've never tried to fit a 6kg cylinder in there, just the two 3.9's. I can see that the 6kg would be awkward to fit.
I have a regulator on each cylinder, with pipes to a brass 'T' junction. the pipes are long enough to allow me to take each cylinder out of the locker to fit or remove a regulator. When one cylinder runs out, I turn that one off and turn the other one on and change the empty one at my convenience.
I use quick release straps to secure the cylinders to their brackets - like bicycle toe clip straps but bigger.

I also have a loose plywood shelf which rests on the top of the nearest cylinder to utilise otherwise wasted space.

Frank

I wonder if I raised the first 3.9 up on a small wooden block and then placed the second 3.9 on the cupboard  floor, I may be able to get the two cylinders in, strapped up and shut the door? I may be trying it at the weekend.
Good thinking chaps.
Paul

Paul 300358 wrote:I wonder if I raised the first 3.9 up on a small wooden block and then placed the second 3.9 on the cupboard  floor, I may be able to get the two cylinders in, strapped up and shut the door? I may be trying it at the weekend.
Good thinking chaps.
Paul

Do you mean two 3.9's and a 6? 3 cylinders. Or am I being thick?

Frank

No, at the present time I can only shut the locker door if only one cylinder is in the locker. I have tried to get two cylinders in but there just isn't the room. The diameter of the cylinders is just too large.
I'm now thinking if I raise one 3.9 up slightly will I be able to get two in at the same time?

Paul

Sorry, I should have pointed out that it is a 2006 older style Symbol.

Paul

Paul 300358 wrote:Sorry, I should have pointed out that it is a 2006 older style Symbol.

Paul

10 years younger than mine
At the back of my gas locker there is a 'step up' which is not quite as wide as the cylinder. The farthest cylinder sits on this. It is situated in the corner nearest the front of the van.
The nearest cylinder sit on the floor of the locker, a few inches lower than the farthest one. This one is diametrically opposite the farthest one and nearest to the back of the van. They are a close fit but they don't touch and the door closes without any issues.

Frank

As a guide the 11kg cylinders are actually the same size as a 13kg.

The 11kg size cylinder takes about 1 ltr less gas than 2 x 6kg Lights do combined.

I think Frank is correct 3.9kg cynders are better in terms of size and safety on the smaller PVCs

Gromit wrote:
At risk of upsetting m8form8 I would suggest a single 11kg GasIt (or similar) cylinder which will go in easily, plus a 6kg Calor which you may already have.

how dare you risk upsetting me! How very dare you...    I only went for two because my new van has a huge locker storage and we do spend 5 months on the continent so Calor not a lot of use there. I did not fit Gasit s to my autosleeper because the 11kg would not fit in the locker and 6s are a tad small for lengthy touring.   
I'm very pleased with my new gasits having lots of capacity now. 

Paul 300358 wrote:No, at the present time I can only shut the locker door if only one cylinder is in the locker. I have tried to get two cylinders in but there just isn't the room. The diameter of the cylinders is just too large.
I'm now thinking if I raise one 3.9 up slightly will I be able to get two in at the same time?

Paul

Hi Paul.
Only just become a AS owner up to Monday I Had a Tribute which also had a small internal gas locker which would only take one calor bottle.
Anyway I don't know if you have one of those plastic cradles with the strap through it for securing the bottle as these take quite a surprising amount of room. In the Tribby I found that after I took out the cradle and fixed the strap direct to "the Wall" after burning two holes in the strap and a small metal plate so it didn't rip I could easlly fit in a 6kg and a 3.9kg in

David