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Subject Topic: Gas Post Reply Post New Topic
07/12/2019 at 6:49am
 Location: Milton Keynes
 Outfit: Swift Challenger 540
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What is the best gas to use in a caravan

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chris


07/12/2019 at 7:12am
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Propane for all year round use as Butane won't vaporise at less than a couple of degrees C and just sits in the cylinder.
Lightweight, plastic or refillable cylinders are considered better but are more expensive.
We use Calor propane in the lightweight cylinder but these are proving harder to come by.
It's all really just down to availability and price but I would avoid Butane



women used to call me ugly until they found out how much I earn
now they call me ugly and poor


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07/12/2019 at 7:55am
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Autocruise Wentworth
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Agree with the above. Propane is the way to go. Refillable bottles cost more initially but the savings on the gas prices when refilling the bottles means that in the long run they eventually work out cheaper. Plus you don’t have to mess about changing them over and hump them about. Just drive up to the pump plug in and fill them up.


07/12/2019 at 8:29am
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The major difference is that propane freezes at at a lower temperature than butane but burns at a lower temperature. So if you are likely to use your caravan in winter, choose propane. Otherwise they are much of a muchness.

Propane cheaper but lower calorific value. Butane dearer but more heat for your money. Unit cost per calorie there is really no difference.

All comes down to convenience of use and weight. Everyone seems to have different ideas onthis


via mobile 07/12/2019 at 9:31am
 Location: NE Scotland
 Outfit: Bailey Phoenix + CRV
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Plus, I think Propane all burns off leaving an empty cylinder, whereas with Butane there’s always gas sloshing about in the bottle but insufficient pressure to release.

Easy to remember: All the Bs - Blue is Butane

All the Ps Pink is Propane.

With Calor anyway.

If you venture overseas you may need to equip with European Cylinders which need different connectors. But a 6kg cylinder of Calor will easily last 6 weeks or more.

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playing at tinkies


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07/12/2019 at 9:41am
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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There is no "best gas". It all depends what you intend to do with it. If you intend to use your caravan in the depths of winter, use propane, but if you only use it when the weather is warmer then it really doesn't matter what you use, as there is no difference worth bothering about.

When we bought our caravan it came with two butane cylinders in the locker, so as we don't venture out in the winter months now that we are in our later years, we just use what we have. It's not worth spending out money to replace the cylinders. We aren't able to use it enough to justify the extra cost.

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Best Regards,
Colin


via mobile 07/12/2019 at 9:55am
 Location: NE Scotland
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Gumtree is a great website to pick up an unwanted empty cylinder. Usually around £15 or less which is a lot cheaper than the hire agreement with a Calor dealer.
Calor is available almost anywhere in the U.K. and is standard stock on most sites.

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playing at tinkies


07/12/2019 at 10:38am
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ColinD If your cylinders are calor (don't know about the others)then there is no cost if you ever wanted to go propane, once you have a cylinder you can exchange it for any gas and any size as you only pay for the gas. the exception is the now rare lightweight cylinders which cost about £3 more

of course it would mean new regulators


via mobile 07/12/2019 at 10:55am
 Location: NE Scotland
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Quote: Originally posted by ratcatcher on 07/12/2019
ColinD If your cylinders are calor (don't know about the others)then there is no cost if you ever wanted to go propane, once you have a cylinder you can exchange it for any gas and any size as you only pay for the gas. the exception is the now rare lightweight cylinders which cost about £3 more

of course it would mean new regulators



As long as they are not a different category

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playing at tinkies


07/12/2019 at 4:32pm
 Location: Glasgow
 Outfit: Elddis Avante 454
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I got most of my calor cylinders free of charge from my local recycling place.


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We camped for years. In 2019 we bought an Elddis Avante 454. We like it as it is short (6.9m) and fits in our driveway and has a fixed bed.
We had 127 nights away in the caravan in 2023.


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07/12/2019 at 5:06pm
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Quote: Originally posted by ratcatcher on 07/12/2019
ColinD If your cylinders are calor (don't know about the others)then there is no cost if you ever wanted to go propane, once you have a cylinder you can exchange it for any gas and any size as you only pay for the gas. the exception is the now rare lightweight cylinders which cost about £3 more

of course it would mean new regulators



No point, Ratcatcher. As you rightly say, it would mean a new regulator. If it's too cold for butane I don't venture out in the caravan anyway, but if I did I would indeed go to propane. However, unless they have changed their policy which they may well have, Calor won't always swap butane for propane cylinders. At least they didn't when I had my boat. Haven't tried since.

If it's too cold for butane, it's definitely too cold for me!


-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


07/12/2019 at 5:49pm
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In the midlands area where I live the calor centre near me will swap butane and propane bottles on a like for like size wise basis.But will not swap large for small and vise versa.


07/12/2019 at 6:04pm
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Maybe not always colin but this summer I exchanged an old 7kg butane to a 13kg propane for use on the home barbecue with no problems but as oxter says I don't think they would change it for a patio gas bottle

On a side note! I have always been led to believe that stamped on the alloy neck ring of a cylinder(calor anyway)is the imperial empty weight of that particular cylinder so with the help of a digital suitcase weighing device and a bit of arithmetic I can tell just how much gas is left in the cylinder It has always been spot on for me on the few occasions that I needed to know


07/12/2019 at 6:13pm
 Location: Yorkshire
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Quote: Originally posted by Big_C on 07/12/2019
What is the best gas to use in a caravan


Propane is the better option if you intend on caravanning at anything below 5℃
Propane is ok until it gets towards -40℃, while butane is ok until it gets a chill in the air and you want a cuppa.



07/12/2019 at 7:36pm
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I think a lot depends on how much gas you might use. We have electric for heating hot, water, fridge, microwave etc so only use gas for cooking. As we mostly eat out we dont cook much so a bottle of gas lasts years.

Others who use a lot may well find it beneficial to have refillable cylinders but we don't.


08/12/2019 at 8:54pm
 Location: S Wales The Badland
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Quote: Originally posted by Plumbo on 07/12/2019
Agree with the above. Propane is the way to go. Refillable bottles cost more initially but the savings on the gas prices when refilling the bottles means that in the long run they eventually work out cheaper. Plus you don’t have to mess about changing them over and hump them about. Just drive up to the pump plug in and fill them up.



That makes sense if you're in a motorhome, but towing a caravan around most filling stations is a different matter.

Also, finding a filling station which
a) has Autogas and
B) will permit you to refill your gas bottle
is no easy task.

-------------
SamP



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