Fill onboard gas tank from propane bottle

hi peeps 

i think i read somewhere that it is possible to top up under slung gas tank from a propane bottle using this hose?  https://www.gasit.co.uk/gas-it-reserved-gas-supply-hose-system-pol.html   but it says in description that cannot be used to fill tank but only run appliances have i got it wrong or is it not the done thing 

thanks in advance 
phil

I would say that in principle..it can be done.....wisdom might suggest that it’s not good practise however.

Ray

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/t25493-cotswold-gas-tank&ved=2ahUKEwid5bm5rsDnAhUMEcAKHZFmAbI4ChAWMAl6BAgEEAE&usg=AOvVaw1F3M4sTJiROdn16aukbPSr

Long thread but worth reading.

Phil j
this pipe will fill up your tank but you have to have the bottle upside down and above the filler point so the liquid will run down into the tank . takes a long time . one reason they say it should only be used to run appliances is the liquid will damage this pipe but the bottle up right  and used as they say will only have gas go through the pipe. the post Paul is showing after all what was said no body explained that if your regulator becomes faulty as I have had happen is a reason i carry a regulator to feed gas in the bbq point on other caravans and camper vans I have had for a quick temp repair

Phil j wrote:it says in description that cannot be used to fill tank but only run appliances

One other factor which may be relevant is that some hoses have a flow restrictor build into the fitting at one end - specifically designed so that it will pass vapour but not liquid. This can make the transfer of liquid gas through the hose a very slow operation indeed...

Roopert 
If they have the valve in the pipe they will not fill have tried that with a safe fill bottle I have

Indeed - I have found that out the hard way (because suppliers often don't say whether a valve is built-in or not). Suffice to say that I now have some nice valveless hoses for a similar purpose...

I have made up a pipe to use up bottles in my safe fill bottle found the pipes with out the valves link 2 together

Just because you can doesn't always mean you should.
Rich..

The thread in the link seems to point to the ' local bottle emergency hose' being unsuitable for AS vans with an under slung tank. I don't consider this to be so, although I haven't tried it yet with the Nuevo.
I see no reason why it won't work, it merely supplies high pressure gas via the refill inlet. I carry the hose just in case I wish to stay long enough on a site and change over to refillables whilst I am there. Many sites keep local gas bottles available, often there are part used ones 'floating about' so I don't envisage deposits and contracts would come into it, after the stay the bottle would return to where it came from. The fact that you would now have an empty tank merely means the first job is to drive to 10 miles (or whatever) to the station.

Another use I found for the hose was during installation of Gaslow bottles. When everything is completed it is possible to check for leaks and run all the gas appliances without doing the first fill at a gas station.

Re the original question of refilling the tank from a cylinder, if you tried it from an upside down cylinder the best you you could do is get a small amount of transfer until the pressures are equal. Not worth the bother and risk and certainly not reccomended. It is not what the hose is for.

Personally if the need was there, I would use either of the methods described in this thread to get gas into the system and keep me going but I would be aware that if a gas related incident occurred whilst doing that, my insurer is likely to consider that I had modified the vehicle without notifying them and reject any claim.

I have used this hose twice and the link states it will not fill your own bottle/tank. I have found it to be most useful.

Morconi
Phil j asked could you TOP UP a under slung gas tank 
you have to let the liquid run into the under slung tank from the bottle you are  topping up with liquid  not the gas pressure this will just = in pressure  and yes it does take some time as the liquid is just flowing down the pipe  un till all the liquid has gone down the pipe leaving you with just a bottle with  gas to the = pressure left inside
as to not worth the bother as you have said that's up to any person reading this but this is explaining how it can be done

Thanks guys

 i was thinking of getting one "just in case" so i could fill up empty tank at home from my propane bottle all seems a tad "iffy" to me so  i dont think i will bother,  i will just keep checking level and fill up as and when i can   all this  hassle just for a cuppa 

is there such a thing as a solar kettle?

Solar kettle?  Google it, the answer appears to be yes but can't find anyone who has in stock.

Phil j
I have fitted  a mopeka tank level sensor sold by gas it in the uk as when the gas it level sensor fitted by autosleeper says empty still has just under half a tank left when I fill up. on the gas it site this says it will not work but mopeka web site says it will work on the under slung tank . this shows the correct level on my phone  to when it reqs filling up. you can set an alarm at a low level . I can see how much I have used each day. so now  i can see when I now need to fill up with the mopeka level sensor a better item to spend the money on than the pipe

Whatever method you use to check the amount of fluid in the tank, the tank has to be perfectly level in both planes for the reading to mean anything.

ove seen the Gaslow version of this hose and (as ive seen it described) all you do is stand a new cylinder next to your van (often lower than the refillables) and open the new one and close the refillables....
the new one gasses off (as normal) and flows across the liquid in the Gaslow tanks and through the regulator and into the van...
AFAIK, there is no 'topping up' with liquid gas, merely providing an existing route for an external bottle.
no standing bottles on heads, as its gas that is being delivered not liquid.
i am using a Spanish bottle with my Gaslow system but it is plumbed in to the 2nd slot in my locker but ill bet if i walked round this site id find someone using the hose as in the OP...

This is essentially what I do...when I arrive on site, I purchase a Spanish bottle and attach the gasit hose to my refil point and bottle.
The bottle is fitted with a straight through regulator...the onboard regulator controls the pressure,
My on board tank is then used as primary source ...it gradually runs down and the bottle replaces the space with gas...my onboard is to all intents and purposes empty now and the bottle outside provides the gas...

This raises a question.....can I turn off the onboard supply to the van and continue using the bottle.....that way I could retain the full onboard tank!!!

Ray

Libraryman2 wrote:
This raises a question.....can I turn off the onboard supply to the van and continue using the bottle.....that way I could retain the full onboard tank!!!

Ray

As the hose connects to the gas tank fill point, I think not but if you use a bottle with a regulator connected to the BBQ point and turn off the tap on the van regulator then you would retain the gas in the on board tank.

Can I just point out that information given on the forum by an indivual has no connection with this forum and its administration.
The poster holds full responsibly for its content in the event of any claim being made

There has much information published on this topic in the past and Calor Data Sheets
There is are reasons for not decanting cylinders along with terms and condition of sale

The reason GasIt and Safefill Gaslow etc can be filled is they are equipped with 80% shut off valves.

Well said Roli, a 100% full cylinder will leak liquid into the gas distribution system with an explosion occurring when the liquid meets a spark.

I agree Peter, well said Roli.  I’ve been wincing at some of the suggestions on this thread, some of them made by a poster who doesn’t even own an AS van so won’t know exactly what’s fitted.  While the principles might apply across all gas systems the fact remains that jury-rigging with LPG is just asking for trouble, unless you happen to work with the stuff professionally and have the appropriate competence.

Tim

Fully agree with Roli, Peter and Tim.

Sounds like a case for Darwinian Selection . . . . bur I hope it doesn't happen near me!! 

Kemerton-bath wrote:I agree Peter, well said Roli.  I’ve been wincing at some of the suggestions on this thread, some of them made by a poster who doesn’t even own an AS van so won’t know exactly what’s fitted.  While the principles might apply across all gas systems the fact remains that jury-rigging with LPG is just asking for trouble, unless you happen to work with the stuff professionally and have the appropriate competence.

Tim

Tim, i guess you might be rferring to me?....
i posted that id seen this type of hose working with a Gaslow system, its marketed by Gaslow as such for this exact purpose....
i didn't suggest that it would work in an identical way with an AS (or other) underslung tank...
youre right, i dont own an AS van, merely adding info regarding the type of hose mentioned in the OP.
BTW, arent underslung tanks also fitted with 80% shut off valves?
id be far more worried about (and the sggestions for) back filling gas into the system via an external gas point designed as an output point, not an input point...especially of someone cant tell a spanish regulator from an adaptor...theyre very similar.....other than the potential effect....