9kg Gas Bottle

[garfield28]

Hi all,

New member and first post, so hi and thank you.

The wife and I recently bought 2010 16.49-2HL and we have done a couple of little mods like add a battery display, add a stereo and speakers as it didn't have one, a couple more 12v ports etc. It only came with 1 9kg gas bottle holder and I'd like to add another one for my BBQ. Just wondering if anyone else's only came with one bottle holder and if you have added another one? Would like some pointers please on whether or not you had it welded onto the draw bar or came up with another idea to avoid welding to the draw bar as I am not sure if there is a downside or if it is not common practice to weld anything to a draw bar. Also if you can please tell me where you bought it and if I should go Gal or not when I buy one.


Thanks Heaps
Geoff

 

[chartrock]

Hi, see this post, maybe what you want.

 

[Drover]

For an extra bottle just get one from Bunnings or an old one from somewhere and swap it, the stories about Swaps is just BS and caravans don't have special bottles, the so called 9kg bottle can hold between 8.5 and 8.7 kgs of gas ...........
In regards to a rack ones like in the link @chartrock posted are ideal as the coupling allows for variation in size. Welding on a draw bar does require skill, you should never weld across the top of the bar but depending on the set up welding the bottle racks to a frame and using U bolts to attach it to the draw bar is often a far better idea........

If your just doing caravan park camping one bottle will last you ages just running a stove/barbie, if your doing off grid with a 3 way fridge then a bottle will last you between 8 to 14 days continuous use depending on fridge and cooking/HWS use....... you just have to do the maths first but off gridding its better to have 2 bottles so not caught short........................

Welcome to the group..........

 

[rags]

Also consider whether you need the 2nd bottle to be a 9kg or will a 4kg be sufficient.
i don’t see the need for two 9kg when the second bottle is only to tie you over until you can refill no 1 cylinder.
You will save a bit of weigh and also space.
i say the above in the knowledge that I only have gas cooking and hot water to run ( no fridge)

 

[Boots in Action]

Also consider whether you need the 2nd bottle to be a 9kg or will a 4kg be sufficient.
i don’t see the need for two 9kg when the second bottle is only to tie you over until you can refill no 1 cylinder.
You will save a bit of weigh and also space.
i say the above in the knowledge that I only have gas cooking and hot water to run ( no fridge)

@rags , your last sentence is very important for those of us that have 3 way fridges (not compressor type) as refrigeration is probably the most important need when off grid. I can do without running hot water and even without gas to cook (outside barbeque?) , but I cannot do without gas for my fridge. So, I do as you do. I have my main 9kg gas bottle hooked up which will last for more than 14 days straight, even when cooking with gas also. However, I do have a 4kg bottle also hooked up should I run out close to the end of my stay off grid.

@garfield28 note how long a 9kg gas bottle lasts and depending on your use of gas for cooking and hot water, you should be able to work out whether you need to have a spare 9kg or a smaller 4kg for use if needed. Space and weight also need to be considered as @rags mentioned.

 

[Crusty181]

Hey @garfield28, welcome to the forum and congrats on the van. Is this your first venture into caravans ???

I'm pretty sure that the 16.49.2 the bunk model with no shower??, so the reason youll have the single bottle is only shower models generally come with dual bottles because the HWS chows down pretty heavily on gas.

As @Drover mentioned avoid welding the drawbar at all if you can, and certainly only along and never no across it. Welding the drawerbar will also burn off the gal coating both inside and out; on the outside you can zinc it but internally you can do nothing. Weld everything to plates and U bolt the plates to the drawbar.

As for the gas bottle arrangement, that would depend on the travel "style", destinations and remoteness etc. I would suggest without a HWS 2 x 4.5kg might serve you better than 2 x 9kg. Your fridge will consume btw 15 and 20grams of gas per hour, so give or take 10 days or so just for the fridge off a single 4.5kg bottle.

 

[Gero]

While on gas bottles my 2020 expanda came with manchester branded gas bottles. When trying to put a Bunnings/Kleenheat swap bottle in the holder I had to really force it in the holder to fit and then the latch even fully wound out would'nt reach. The manchester bottle is roughly 990mm in circumference and the swap bottles 20 mm larger. So will be refilling the manchester bottles from now on or take a tape with me when I go to swap. Is nothing standard?

 

[Drover]

There is no standard size for gas bottles, so any swap bottles will be of any size but basically you will find about 3 variations, even the much vaunted Manchester comes in different sizes, depends where they were made............ The secret trick is to find the bottle that fits in your rack comfortably then get a milk crate that it fits into, bingo you have a sizing gauge for when you swap bottles, like gas bottles milk crates come in various sizes......... My racks have easily adjustable latches so its not a biggy, I just have to spin the latch out or in to fit........

How long will a bottle last, check the label on your fridge it will show the gas consumption in MJ's/hr, an 8.5kg bottle holds about 400 MJ , so a bit of division will give you how long a bottle could last just running the fridge off it.................... 1lt of LPG is about 25MJ of energy.....
Don't assume that your refilled bottle holds 9kg though, it often won't, I refilled 6 of them and weighed each one and the gas varied from 8.4 to 8.7, at least with a scale fill you know what your getting....... 4.5kg bottles are handy but damn expensive to fill if your travelling.

 

[Gero]

Ahh yet another use for the humble milk crate. Drover's Gas Bottle Sizing Method.

 

[Crusty181]

Ahh yet another use for the humble milk crate. Drover's Gas Bottle Sizing Method.

of course, you have to steal one first and sometimes its hard to guess the dimensions when the milky is chasing you down the street

 

[Drover]

The milk crate is also an ideal way to transport a gas bottle in the car so it doesn't walk around................................ Doesn't everyone have a few in their shed ?????? ............ I use one for camping gear which once emptied at the camp becomes the foot stool, small step ladder, gas bottle carrier and seat by river for fishing, just to name a few uses.....

 

[Boots in Action]

There is no standard size for gas bottles, so any swap bottles will be of any size but basically you will find about 3 variations, even the much vaunted Manchester comes in different sizes, depends where they were made............ The secret trick is to find the bottle that fits in your rack comfortably then get a milk crate that it fits into, bingo you have a sizing gauge for when you swap bottles, like gas bottles milk crates come in various sizes......... My racks have easily adjustable latches so its not a biggy, I just have to spin the latch out or in to fit........

How long will a bottle last, check the label on your fridge it will show the gas consumption in MJ's/hr, an 8.5kg bottle holds about 400 MJ , so a bit of division will give you how long a bottle could last just running the fridge off it.................... 1lt of LPG is about 25MJ of energy.....
Don't assume that your refilled bottle holds 9kg though, it often won't, I refilled 6 of them and weighed each one and the gas varied from 8.4 to 8.7, at least with a scale fill you know what your getting....... 4.5kg bottles are handy but damn expensive to fill if your travelling.

@Drover you are right on the cost of filling a 4kg or 4.5kg gas bottle compared to filling a 9kg bottle. A lot of fill stations (most) charge the same to fill the smaller one as they do to fill the larger one!! And only a slight difference in the swap n' go price too.

 

[BJM]

In NZ you will still get service stations who weigh the bottle if it has gas in it a deduct accordingly !

 

[Drover]

With places out west wanting $45 to $55 a fill for 8.5kg and something like $38 to $50 for the small one, whats a few kilos extra...... most places its about $8 difference.................. I used to carry one but swapped it with a mate, I can fill my big ones for $17 and the little bugga would cost me $15........

 

[Boots in Action]

With places out west wanting $45 to $55 a fill for 8.5kg and something like $38 to $50 for the small one, whats a few kilos extra...... most places its about $8 difference.................. I used to carry one but swapped it with a mate, I can fill my big ones for $17 and the little bugga would cost me $15........

@Drover, I was shocked at the prices you quoted for gas bottle refills/swaps in the Outback. A good reason to leave Brisbane with FULL bottles. However, I did a check on the web site: https://gasbottlerefills.com/find-cheapest-gas-area-4/ and checked out several areas/towns. There is a huge variation even in the same town. Along the East coast, several provincial towns are selling refills and swap bottles AT LESS THAN I CAN GET LOCALLY!!! So it would pay to shop around and always check on the web site listed if you need to get gas. For members not aware of this information, all you have to do is put in the post code you are in, and the site will list all the places in and around where you are. I have recorded this site for future use when travelling in the future not only in Queensland but in all states.

 

[jazzeddie1234]

I ended up marking a stick with the base and neck sizes and make the person sort through the rack until I find one that fits. Usually it is easy to spot because the size I need tends to be an older bottle.

So far the best price for a swap out of the city is coles express, a 4c/l voucher and an empty fuel tank. Buying the gas at the same time as a fill gets me another 10c/l which becomes $10 off

I also use a bag scale to weigh the cylinder and write the weight on the side before connecting it. That way it's easier to decide if I should refill now or at the next town (when I know the tank is getting low). Of course that assumes there is 7.5kg in there to start with...

 

[Drover]

When you travel off grid you need to know pretty well how long a bottle of gas will last, along with a tank of fuel and a Jerry can or two, once you get past Cunnamulla or similar areas heading into desert country you need to know where you can get gas and fuel as the places you can get gas is even less than you can get fuel.....false assumptions can mean your fridge will stop working, thus when you head into desert country you want full gas and fuel plus extra, the price is just a hindrance, otherwise don't go....and don't assume they will have any...don't rely on what folk say on apps either, it's sometimes wrong, a phone call or email.
Some of these slickers on apps have no idea.

 

[DRW]

I remember this dude that thought both bottles were full but they were empty he had to fill both at Thargomindah that didn’t cost much :-(

 

[garfield28]

Thanks for the replies and the welcome.

I don't have a HWS on our van but I am thinking of getting one of those portable type like the Jolca or something similar so that we can have a hot shower should we go off grid for a few days. I also would like one to run my BBQ on its own and one for the fridge for when we are not at a powered site as I have heard that the 3 way fridge's are crap at running of 12 volt.

 

[Boots in Action]

Thanks for the replies and the welcome.

I don't have a HWS on our van but I am thinking of getting one of those portable type like the Jolca or something similar so that we can have a hot shower should we go off grid for a few days. I also would like one to run my BBQ on its own and one for the fridge for when we are not at a powered site as I have heard that the 3 way fridge's are crap at running of 12 volt.

Yes @garfield28 , 3 way fridges are NOT able to run very proficiently when connected to 12 volts as battery drain is very, very high and soon puts any battery/ies and voltage to the sword. Only used when van connected to tug and engine running so alternator can keep up with the power draw, (that is if cabling between tug and van has low voltage loss and alternator can charge at the right voltage) so that fridge is able to at least maintain internal temperature. If off grid, always use gas, as 3 way fridges operate very efficiently on gas, even better than on 240 volt AC power. And a 9kg bottle lasts a long, long time. You can also have a bayonet gas connection on draw bar for connection for barbeque and still have it running off the same bottle as fridge, and you can switch to your other gas bottle with the turn of a tap if both bottles are connected - 4.5 or 9 kg. ALWAYS keep your back up spare FULL, so you are never without gas, and fill other one promptly when empty!