# Carrying Gas in France



## Midnightrambler (Nov 12, 2007)

I am considering carrying a spare 3.9kg gas cylinder when I go to France next week.
It would be carried in a secure position in the van rather than the gas locker.
Does anyone know if this is legal or a dangerous idea?
Thanks in advance
Alan


----------



## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

Midnightrambler said:


> I am considering carrying a spare 3.9kg gas cylinder when I go to France next week.
> It would be carried in a secure position in the van rather than the gas locker.
> Does anyone know if this is legal or a dangerous idea?
> Thanks in advance
> Alan


You haven't said how long you are away and why you think you might need the extra gas. Even without using campsites and an EHU, gas usage is fairly low in the summer months.

We have carried extra gas to France in the spring but in the form of a 2.72kg cylinder of Camping Gaz. It did mean another regulator but the cylinder was easy to carry securely, upright under one of the bunks. We also have previously carried an empty Camping Gaz just in case our other cylinders ran low and we had a fall back.
It was on one of these occasions that we ended up with a partly full one.


----------



## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Go Gaslow - no need to carry spare bottles!

Fill up virtually anywhere.


----------



## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

We carried a spare 16kg fixed in our Bathroom in the Motorhome and we had Emailed Euro Tunnel and they said so long as it was secure ok.
Ray put a hook in and strapped it tight.
It was inspected and they put there label on and approved but I did carry a print off of the email just to make sure.
All ok both to France and back.


----------



## Midnightrambler (Nov 12, 2007)

Thanks for the replies. 
I am considering Gaslow, but not able to have it fitted before next week.
I am going away for a month and will be taking 2 x 6kg propane. Will be mainly going on aires, so if we run out will buy a French cylinder.


----------



## Alemo (Mar 11, 2008)

One small point.

Gas lockers in motorhomes are all vented to atmosphere and gas bottles at suppliers are always stored outside.

Is storing in a confined unvented place really safe?

Alec


----------



## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Leave window on vent.
m h`s are not really airtight are they with vents under the beds etc.

dave P


----------



## Dunworkin (Dec 3, 2007)

Hi Alan,

We have just a single 7kg Butane fitted. So far it has lasted 2 months in Spain and Portugal, 2 weeks in Scotland and several week-ends away. We do tend to use electric hook up which extends the life of the bottle, and we never use the oven, but I don't think running out will be a problem at this time of year as you are not going to be heating the van much.

Enjoy your trip.

John


----------



## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

Alemo said:


> One small point.
> 
> Gas lockers in motorhomes are all vented to atmosphere and gas bottles at suppliers are always stored outside.
> 
> ...


Thats why we strapped it in the bathroom as there are vents.
We had no probs. no GASSING story to tell here :roll:


----------



## rayhook (May 15, 2005)

*Gas for France*

It's one heck of a lot cheaper to buy say, a Le Cube (available in either butane or propane) than to fit Gaslow tanks unless you're going to use them a lot. And then there's issue of refilling them in Spain without driving miles (kilometres?) out of your way. Just don't forget a Gaslow adaptor to fit your French cylinder to the standard Calor fitting.

Ray


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

You could leave one of your Calor ones at home and take a camping gaz cylinder. This can be exchanged all over Europe. It will cost a bit more than Calor but it gives you peace of mind.

You will need to carry an adapter to use with it.


G


----------



## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Quite a few years ago we went to Greece for 2 months with the van and didn't have the luxury of Gaslow then.

We had 2 x 6kg calors and bought another one cheap at a car boot sale and stored it under the seat.
When the first one ran out we chucked it to give us more room on the return trip as we had very little storage space.

If memory serves correct, we had about 1/2 a bottle of gas left at the end of the trip which was using gas virtually all the time and only occasional hook up. 

If you are going to be on hook up occasionally then obviously run the fridge on mains and invest in a cheap 1000w (or lower) portable electric hob for cooking to get your moneys worth and reduce gas consumption.

I know I was glad we took that extra bottle!

Pete


----------



## Midnightrambler (Nov 12, 2007)

Thanks for all the useful information guys. Will go & discuss it with the boss & decide what to do.
Thanks again


----------



## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Don't forget that if you want to carry an extra gas bottle and store it somewhere other than the gas locker, the area where you store it should be bottom vented. This means a vent in the floor, not a window vent - LPG is much heavier than air and will collect at floor level if it leaks. Many M/Hs have floor level vents in the garage area.


----------



## 96706 (Nov 13, 2005)

Slightly off at a tangent, but - sometime ago I did some reserch and calculations to see how much gas we'd need whilst away in France for a week. I came to the conclusion that 1kg per day staying on aires and not using EHU was a starting point to work from. In the end we took 2 x 2.7kg camping gaz with us and the second one ran out on our 7th day, having had 2 nights with EHU, which meant my calculations weren't that far out. This was using gas for the fridge (it was Spring so no great heatwaves to cope with), water heating and cooking, including a few meals by oven. We tended to only heat the water via the water heater for showers, and boiled a kettle for washing up (no idea if this uses more or less gas :? ).

Our rationale for taking camping gaz was that it was readily available in France and meant that we didn't have to faff about changing the leads by taking Calor and a spare camping gaz. In the event it wasn't that easy to source a supplier of camping gaz but we were out of season and off the tourist track, previously it's not been a problem.

Mrs. D


----------



## blondy (Aug 23, 2007)

AS a retired Trained Heating engineer, I think its stupid to carry any gas cylinders in any thing other than a locker sealed to the inside and well vented to the outside at the bottom. In our trade magasines there were many cases of the propane leaking and spreading over the floor then igniting obviously causing death and damage. Just dont take the chance.
Just a point I dont think any insurance company would be very pleased if the gas was not stored as required.
One other point, you cant always smell a leak wich is travelling over the floor as has been proven.


----------



## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

What about a VW we had where the gas was in a tray locker under the sink that was only open to the inside of the M/H.


----------



## blondy (Aug 23, 2007)

Hi Mavis,
we used to have gas lights and candles indoors, we dont now,
safety standards change as do vehicle speeds and corrisponding damage in accidents. We all now wear seatbelts and most have airbags plus antilock brakes etc, need I go on.
gas safety is the same.
cheers


----------

