Fixed LPG tank

Does anyone have the same problem with the useless digital gauge fitted by Autosleepers?
My gauge (the one with the 8 LEDs) shows nearly empty when it is actually more than  1/2 full.
The dealer has checked it and tells me it is normal.( i.e. they are all like that.) And the gauge on the tank under the van shows the same.
Our local LPG garage gives me some cynical looks when I fill it and the bill is less than a fiver!
The real problem is that on a cold night when the gauge is showing empty I don't know whether to turn the heating off or just chance no tea in the morning!

It’s a general issue. The gauges are notoriously inaccurate and the best you can hope for is to learn just what yours means LED by LED.

While mine is inaccurate (not so much as yours) it is consistent e.g. I know 1 red led will mean it will take 16 litres to fill so has 4 litres remaining.
The big unknown for me is that I don't know if the full cut off valve is really full (i.e. 20l)

I've calculated that we use approximately 1 litre per night, averaged across the year, so, we tend to just count the nights away and fill up about 15 or so.

Frequently have the red LED lit and only once have we had to add anywhere near 20 litres.

The cheap looking guage is junk. It is not even consistent. The fact the AS fit and forget these annoys me enormously and makes me wonder just how reliable a firm they are. Ours can't possibly be anywhere near empty yet shows red. Sorry for the rant but we paid a lot of money and simply want things to work!!!

Any make of motorhome that has an underslung tank (the majority will be Gasit) will have same gauge. You can't blame AS for rubbish bought in from other companies , the only complaint is that AS should get Gasit to provide better components. It is possible that the tank has been installed askew and this has been reported here and can give false reading and for that you can of course blame AS. Usually they are consistent in their inaccuracy though . You could of course buy a motorhome with good old Calor bottles that have no gauge at all .

Paulmold wrote:Any make of motorhome that has an underslung tank (the majority will be Gasit) will have same gauge. You can't blame AS for rubbish bought in from other companies , the only complaint is that AS should get Gasit to provide better components. It is possible that the tank has been installed askew and this has been reported here and can give false reading and for that you can of course blame AS. Usually they are consistent in their inaccuracy though . You could of course buy a motorhome with good old Calor bottles that have no gauge at all .

 Paul, so Autosleeper know the gauges are junk (havent seen any post saying otherwise) but somehow a) that's ok because they can't control what is on their product, and b), it's really my fault for expecting existing equipment to work? Of course I blame them. I bought their expensive product in good faith. It's for them to ensure quality. I don't want old calor gas bottles rattling around. This "customer last" crap is exactly what ruined the British Motorcycle industry and nearly did for the cars.

This was in response to Paul re bottles.............

You can even get a reasonably accurate idea of volume left too.....

On the neck of the bottle is an aluminium disc with a weight in POUNDS and OUNCES on it, please recall this is 2021, we've been metric for generations now! This is the EMPTY weight of the bottle.

On the other hand the bottle (mine anyway) are 6Kg bottles (also written on the bottle!)

If you weigh the bottle you can have some maths fun. Best way is to convert the empty weight to Kg then weigh the thing in Kg's, subtract the empty weight in Kg's and you'll have the gas weight in the bottle, you can then covert that to litres should you wish by multiplying the Kg's by 1.96.

Simple really, you can simplify this by having two bottles, one in use, the other full spare, not connected!!

The gauges are not junk. In any case, the little dial on the dash is not what measures the amount of gas remaining. That is a float operated system located in the gas tank, with an electrical sender to activate the dial (or LED dots in this case) on the indicator.

As said already, they appear to be inaccurate. They are not inaccurate as such because they are consistent, and designed to show nearly empty when there's quite a bit of gas left - it's called a reserve tank in other situations.

Autosleepy Don is spot on with his comments. It just needs a more positive attitude and a bit of observation to work out how each one performs.

Try estimating how much is left in a Calor bottle without going to a lot of faff - as Ian perfectly described. Are they classed as junk because you never quite know how much is in there? 

Ive said this before, many times, and it applies to all non transparent tanks.
There only two times you know accurately how much is in it. When so full it overflows, or cuts off as in gas, or when nothing comes out when the drain plug is removed..
Anything in between is anywhere between a guess and either optimism or pessimisim depending on your views!

IanH wrote:Ive said this before, many times, and it applies to all non transparent tanks.
There only two times you know accurately how much is in it. When so full it overflows, or cuts off as in gas, or when nothing comes out when the drain plug is removed..
Anything in between is anywhere between a guess and either optimism or pessimisim depending on your views!

Spot on Ian. 

Plus - it may not be very helpful to know how much (or little) gas you have left since so much depends on the rate of use by the appliances you have.

The variation in gas usage in summer will be dramatically different to winter, specially if you are "off piste" in freezing temperatures and need the heating on full and constant hot water for showers etc..

Simple common sense really, but since we all do things differently it's clearly impossible to offer "one size fits all" advice. Get used to your own gauge and equate what it indicates to your specific pattern of gas usage. Then you can make a pretty reasonable guess at what's left in the tank - and far more significantly, how much longer it's likely to last.

Does that count as optimism Ian??

Have a read of this page, my gauge acts virtually the same as described 


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Thanks,

In addition to tbe guage being user unfriendly ours showed various green lights driving along. I tried topping up on half the greens on. It took 20p! I parked up with approx half green. The when i moved the van to clean it last week. Mysteriously down to red. No heating or anything used. Sigh! Another 140mile round trip for warranty!  Like the winter water tank blanket that is attached by sticky surface (great idea on wet british roads - it just doesn't stick for long) . crap design and disappointing..

Victor Johnstone wrote:
In addition to tbe guage being user unfriendly ours showed various green lights driving along.

Is that a big surprise to you??

Isn't it glaringly obvious that the sender float will move up and down as the LPG sloshes around in the tank???

Victor Johnstone wrote:I tried topping up on half the greens on. It took 20p! 

Did it light up all the greens afterwards? You forgot to mention that.

LPG fill points are often temperamental, even if you know how to use them, and it may well have shut off prematurely.

I presume you did hold in the button for the whole time it was pumping gas into your tank??

Victor Johnstone wrote:The when i moved the van to clean it last week. Mysteriously down to red. No heating or anything used.

You will have an automatic fridge. I would bet at least threepence that you left it selected to "Auto", so it switched itself onto gas when you parked up - and drained the tank. 


P.S. I bet if you really tried hard you could find something you like about your van!! 

Of course liquids move around. I've no idea if the tank is baffled or not but surely you dont think a system that depends on liquids not"sloshing"  around" is ok? Funny how petrol/diesel fuel tanks don't have that problem. 

I didn't forget to mention anything. The guauge was just as crap and inaccurate after.

I know how the filler works. In any case a chap with a dual fuel Dacia looked on and tried our van as well. Same result.

You would lose your thruppence. The van is plugged in to shore power. Never had to use the gas supply. 

I dont need to try hard to find things I love about the van. It's great. Easy to drive, all mod cons, full size cooker fridge, not too bad on fuel, solar panel, good satellite,  a comfy, layout that suits us perfectly. Joking aside, that's why AS turning a blind eye to things like the cheap crap guauge bugs me so much.

Victor Johnstone wrote:You would lose your thruppence. The van is plugged in to shore power. Never had to use the gas supply. 

But do you have it switched to Auto, even though you only use a hook-up supply?

If you do, you owe me thruppence! 

lol, of course not. 

I'm not daft and I have lots of experience with cars and bikes over very many years! Not too bad with digital tech either.

A bluetooth tank monitoring device is available, made by a company called Mopeka and features on Gasit website. It gives a percentage remaining readout on a phone that is claimed to be much more accurate. Sounds like a better solution in theory and its sensor can be retrofitted underneath the tank.

marbarsymbol wrote:A bluetooth tank monitoring device is available, made by a company called Mopeka and features on Gasit website. It gives a percentage remaining readout on a phone that is claimed to be much more accurate. Sounds like a better solution in theory and its sensor can be retrofitted underneath the tank.

Thanks very much. I will investigate!

marbarsymbol wrote:A bluetooth tank monitoring device is available, made by a company called Mopeka and features on Gasit website. It gives a percentage remaining readout on a phone that is claimed to be much more accurate. Sounds like a better solution in theory and its sensor can be retrofitted underneath the tank.

Sadly, Doesn't appear to work with underslung LPG tanks -  "

 "for reading the actual gas level in 1 gas bottle or 1 bulk fixed gas tank ( Bulk gas tank at home not vehicle underslung gas tank "

My understanding, it works on habitation bottles and also underslung tanks but not for use with vehicle lpg conversion underslung fuel tanks.

Agreed the wording is not clear

Thanks all and again joking aside, on a vehicle costing £55,000 I shouldn't have to be monkeying around with all this.