Underslung or refillable LPG for 1996 Duetto?

We're planning to go to Europe soon and need to sort out our gas supply. After enquires with several companies who deal with underslung tanks and refillable bottles it seems our only option is a tiny under slung (10kg) that will work out at £700!

I'm guessing the gas cupboard in all Duetto's is the same, ours currently has a 3.9 calor bottle and the handbook states two 4.5kg bottles will fit. What do other Duetto owners do for gas when in Europe? Has anyone moved the shelf up in the wardrobe to create a bigger gas locker or has anyone actually managed to get a larger under slung tank fitted?

We need a solution ASAP as we were hoping to be gone by September!

Thanks

Charlotte

Is it really worth the effort and money?
How much gas do you use? I know Camping gaz is expensive compared to other types but I believe you can get it anywhere in Europe and you can buy a h*ll of a lot for £700, just buy a camping gaz regulator & couple of empty 907 bottles off Ebay.

Frank

boxerman wrote:Is it really worth the effort and money?
How much gas do you use? I know Camping gaz is expensive compared to other types but I believe you can get it anywhere in Europe and you can buy a h*ll of a lot for £700, just buy a camping gaz regulator & couple of empty 907 bottles off Ebay.

Frank

If that's an alternative then that's fine by me! Is it just a case of finding a camping shop and buying a full bottle?

Also I believe Camping Gaz is butane so I'm not sure what we'd do when going to Norway/Sweden etc?

Thanks :)

Hi Sharloid,
I dont know where the £700 for a 10 litre tank comes from but look up [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] who can supply a 20 litre underslung gastank for £208 33 inc vat with a mounting bracket for an extra £9 26 you have then of course have to get it fitted, but if you travel to their base in Canarvon North Wales I understand they will fit it for you a lot cheaper than the £700 you were quoted. Unfortunatly they are on holiday just at the moment.
Alternatively measure your gas locker to see if a 6 kg cylinder which is 19 1/2 inches high and 9 1/2 inches in diameter can be made to fit in which case a 6kg refillable cylinder from Gaslow in Loughborough or Gasit can be used and will cost you about £150, and you can take it with you if you sell the van.

Brian 2

PS Dont cut holes in the top of the locker as it is intended to be sealed from the accomodation area.

sharloid wrote:If that's an alternative then that's fine by me! Is it just a case of finding a camping shop and buying a full bottle? Is there any kind of list of where they're available to buy in Europe?

It's an exchange system like with Calor etc. take your empty in and exchange it for a full one. The initial charge on the bottle is very high, which is why I suggested buying empties on Ebay of similar, pity you're not closer, I have one in the shed

Also I believe Camping Gaz is butane so I'm not sure what we'd do when going to Norway/Sweden etc?

Thanks :)

This is correct, but if the bottles are in the warmth of the van, then it should not be too much of a problem? keep a full propane bottle for emergency uses. You really need to work out how much gas you use per day/week and take it from there.

Frank

PS: don't buy one without the screw in cap/handle - they won't exchange them without

After some research into Camping Gaz prices and underslung tanks etc it does seem that an underslung might actually be just as cost efficient.

Bottle (x2) Tank
Cost of unit 60.00 700.00
Capacity (kg) 5.44 10.00
Cost to fill 40.00 14.00
Cost per kg 7.35 1.40
Cost for year 1341.91 255.50
TOTAL 1401.91 955.50

These figures are based on 0.5kg a day usage for 365 days. We'd actually save over 400! What do you guys think?

sharloid wrote:After some research into Camping Gaz prices and underslung tanks etc it does seem that an underslung might actually be just as cost efficient.

Bottle (x2) Tank
Cost of unit 60.00 700.00
Capacity (kg) 5.44 10.00
Cost to fill 40.00 14.00
Cost per kg 7.35 1.40
Cost for year 1341.91 255.50
TOTAL 1401.91 955.50

These figures are based on 0.5kg a day usage for 365 days. We'd actually save over 400! What do you guys think?

It may help you to know that during the 2 weeks holiday we've just had, I weighed the cylinder before and after and we used 1.1 kg over the whole 2 weeks. We cooked every day but were on EHU for water heating and did not use the heater so it was purely cooking.

Well I did say that you needed to work out how much gas you are going to use.
Are you really going to be using the van 365 days per year?

Frank

boxerman wrote:Well I did say that you needed to work out how much gas you are going to use.
Are you really going to be using the van 365 days per year?

Frank

Unfortunately we've only had the van a few weeks so can't go on our own consumption. 0.5kg a day seems to be some kind of average from various gas usage threads on the internet.

We're going to be full timing in Europe for a year so we'll be using it to cook several times a day and use the hot water and heating occasionally.

Ha the goal posts have changed!

Camping Gaz is about half the price in Europe that it is here plus it is easily available as I understand it not all forecourts allow you to fill up plus you need a range of adapters to enable you to refill. Not that I have done it! I just have 2 bottles, and change one when the other one is empty. I agree with the others though about the amount used it will be different is winter, but even without EHU a bottle lasts well over 2 weeks.

Stuart

sharloid wrote:Unfortunately we've only had the van a few weeks so can't go on our own consumption. 0.5kg a day seems to be some kind of average from various gas usage threads on the internet.

People with coachbuilts seem to use a great deal more gas than I do. I should imagine that heating the interior of a coachbuilt will take a lot more gas simply because there is a great deal more space to heat. I shouldn't thing cooking & water heating would be much different though.

By your reckoning, a 3.9kg bottle (call it 4kg for ease of reckoning) would only last me 8 days, I can assure you that it lasts me much longer than that, weeks in fact. If we are on EHU,we only use gas for cooking (electric kettle for brewing up) but if we are wilding,the gas gets used for the fridge, heating, water heating & cooking. so It's not easy to say how many weeks.

We're going to be full timing in Europe for a year so we'll be using it to cook several times a day and use the hot water and heating occasionally.

Eat a lot and wash a little? Have Fun

Frank

Just another thought Insurance!

I Remember my insurance broker telling me that the reason not very many insurers will touch camper vans is that they see them as mobile bombs, and all that gas & electrics, and cookers under one roof, and in the hands of amateurs does not make for good risk!

Now he may have been exaggerating a bit, but it is common sense the more gas you have the bigger bomb you are sitting on!

One of the questions they ask is has the vehicle been modified in any way from the original spec? I would think that an underslung gas tank is what they would call a major modification, so I would recommend that before you spend your £ 700 you check with your insurers if they will continue to insure you if you have one fitted.

Stuart

boxerman wrote:Is it really worth the effort and money?
How much gas do you use? I know Camping gaz is expensive compared to other types but I believe you can get it anywhere in Europe and you can buy a h*ll of a lot for £700, just buy a camping gaz regulator & couple of empty 907 bottles off Ebay.

Frank

Not in Poland you can't.......anywhere.

Their bottles and regulators are slightly different. I bought a couple after foolishly bringing C/Gaz out with me.

Two 3kg bottles cost me £17 each, the regulator (they call it a Reduktor) £6, but here is the BIG BIG difference between Polish Gas and 'rip off' C/Gaz. The Polish refill is just 20zl....less than a fiver.

In reply to the other question, yes all Duetto's have a poxy little cupboard for Gas and A/S could, and should have reduced the size of the daft wardrobe and made the Gas cupboard capable of taking decent sized cylinders. After all, how many campers hang their clothes on a damn rail?

Bulletguy wrote:Two 3kg bottles cost me £17 each, the regulator (they call it a Reduktor) £6, but here is the BIG BIG difference between Polish Gas and 'rip off' C/Gaz. The Polish refill is just 20zl....less than a fiver.

I don't think it's relevant comparing prices in Poland, or any other country, with prices here unless you are going to factor in the cost of living, average wage etc. If you compare our prices with say Swiss or Scandinavian ones ones then we appear to get the better deal.
I agree that Camping Gaz is expensive for what you get, which is why I switched over to calor/propane cylinders.

In reply to the other question, yes all Duetto's have a poxy little cupboard for Gas and A/S could, and should have reduced the size of the daft wardrobe and made the Gas cupboard capable of taking decent sized cylinders.

I believe that the Symphony has the same size gas locker as the Duetto and I find it big enough for my needs, I can get two 3.9kg propane cylinders in there which is enough for several weeks. I've fitted a loose partial shelf above the front bottle to use up some of the "dead" storage space, so I could argue that the gas locker is too large and the wardrobe is too small?
I could fit a 6kg bottle at the front, but that would mean losing my storage shelf and I'd rather have the storage than carry a cylinder around which is in excess to my needs. What size cylinders do you want to carry?
Its a question of horses for courses, and perhaps it is something you should have thought of before you bought your van?

After all, how many campers hang their clothes on a damn rail?

We do!

Frank

The Symbol holds 2*6kg bottles but like boxerman I value storage space.

I fitted one 6kg Gaslow refillable bottle and use the rest of the space for odds and ends. In Europe I tend to use Aires/Stellplatz without electric and I usually refill after 8-10 days only to find I still have 1 or 2 days supply left in the bottle.

Unless I go to a place where refill stations are few and far between, this set up, is for me, the best compromise.

Hi Sharloid,
It would seem from recent posts on this thread that a 6kg cylinder will fit and at less than £150, fit it yourself, it is a lot cheaper than a tank and you dont need a spare as you can top it up long before it is empty. As Orian says 8 to 10 days in summer or about 4 to 5 days in mid winter when you are using the heater. you may run out once when you are learning about your usage, but it wont happen when you get used to it.

Brian2

murph wrote: Hi Sharloid,
It would seem from recent posts on this thread that a 6kg cylinder will fit and at less than £150, fit it yourself, it is a lot cheaper than a tank and you dont need a spare as you can top it up long before it is empty. As Orian says 8 to 10 days in summer or about 4 to 5 days in mid winter when you are using the heater. you may run out once when you are learning about your usage, but it wont happen when you get used to it.

Brian2

Sounds a better option than £700 and you can keep your 3.9 propane in there for emergencies if the refillable one does run out.

Frank

My 11kg GasIt refillable with on cylinder filling cost less than £150 direct from GasIt at Caernarvon (picked it up)

Hi Frank,
If Sharloid goes for the refillable bottle option he will soon realise that only in some continental areas where autogas is less common will he ever need the 3.9 and he will have extra storage space without it. A photo of my gas locker is available, if anyone wants to see it, search under supply of Calor lite. Use the internet to research Autogas stations on the continent of Europe.

Brian2

Sharloid is a gurl Brian.
Do another post quick! you've got the number of the beast showing!

Frank

Hi Sharloid,
Sorry if I got your gender wrong, but the content of the post still applies. We have had our refillable for about 8 years now and I rate it the best thing we ever bought.


Brian2

Thanks for all the replies. Unfortunately it seems that a refillable bottle just won't fit. The smallest we've found is a 4.5kg (I think) Alugas without the shroud but it's about half a cm too big!

Charlotte, when you started this thread, you said

sharloid wrote:
I'm guessing the gas cupboard in all Duetto's is the same, ours currently has a 3.9 calor bottle and the handbook states two 4.5kg bottles will fit.
Charlotte

The 3.9kg will be propane and it's the same size as a 4.5kg butane. Now you are telling us that a 4.5kg bottle will not fit?

Frank

Hi Sharloid,
For the sake of half a centimetre there must be a way of getting it in, remember that if you do manage to get it in it will not have to come out again untill you sell the van.


Brian2