New gas bottle will not run the heating?

[Donald Campbell]

Hi,

I hope you can help with this mystery!

I replaced the gas bottle in my camper to ensure I would not run out on an extended run. I tried the heating but a red light kept coming on. I tried all the resets that I found online to no avail. I then replaced the bottle with the old on and the heating works perfectly? I’ve since swapped both bottles over a couple of times with the same outcome.

The gas cooker worked with both bottles so the gas is getting through ok but for some reason the new bottle will not run the heater.

Any help is appreciated.

Many Thanks

Donald

 

[Loz]

What gas/heating system is this?

 

[Donald Campbell]

Hi,

It’s a Propex HS2000 run on campinggaz.

I did a bit of research last night and found a company that gave you the pros & cons between diesel heaters and gas heaters - one of the cons for gas was that if the temperature dropped below zero (here in Scotland it’s well below at the moment) then you could have problems with the flow in gas. That might explain the cooker working but not the heater as the heater needs more pressure.

I might be completely wrong so any suggestions would be welcome.

Cheers

Donald

 

[HotandCold]

At low temperatures, the liquid gas in the bottle doesn’t evaporate enough to produce enough pressure to run your heater also, it gets worse as the gas evaporates, it gets colder so there’s less pressure and so on. What you can do is to soak a rag in boiling water (if your hob will boil a kettle) and wrap it around the gas bottle to heat it up ( you might need to do this several times). A bit of heat should get the gas pressure up enough to run the Propex, then try to get the hot air to the gas cylinder, open the cupboard or gas locker door, to keep the cylinder warm enough to keep the supply of gas enough to run the heater.

 

[Donald Campbell]

Thanks for the info,

At least I can now put that mystery to bed now!

Cheers

Donald

 

[Davenjo]

Running your Propex heater on Campingaz will work out very expensive (circa £25 for a 907 refill that will only run your heater for around 19 hours according to Propex’s data) - do you have any options for getting a bigger bottle (ideally propane to get around the gassing off issue you are having) or even an underslung tank??

 

[Donald Campbell]

Your not wrong with the cost of running with campinggaz....the cheapest here is £30 per re-fill.

The compartment in the van can only fit the campinggaz bottle. I never realised ther was any other options. I’m going to look into the underslung idea as that makes sense.

Cheers for the info!

 

[Davenjo]

Your not wrong with the cost of running with campinggaz....the cheapest here is £30 per re-fill.

The compartment in the van can only fit the campinggaz bottle. I never realised ther was any other options. I’m going to look into the underslung idea as that makes sense.

Cheers for the info!

No problem - I too am stuck with the Campingaz 907 bottle because of locker size but it’s not so much of as an issue as I only use it for cooking.

A few members have gone down the underslung Propex LPG tank route - some discussion and pictures of @Fish installation included on thread below:-
Underslung LPG tanks

 

[Ads_Essex]

No problem - I too am stuck with the Campingaz 907 bottle because of locker size but it’s not so much of as an issue as I only use it for cooking.

A few members have gone down the underslung Propex LPG tank route - some discussion and pictures of @Fish installation included on thread below:-
Underslung LPG tanks

I take it there will be no freezing / altitude issues running a setup like this, then?

 

[HotandCold]

You can get refillable cylinders that you can refill at filling stations, I think it is Gaslow who do one the same size as a Camping Gaz 907. Not all filling stations allow filling of removable cylinders though. Gaslow also do the same cylinder with a remote fill point on the outside of the van, like an LPG vehicle has and these can be filled at any filling station. I did consider this for my conversion, but went with a standard 907 in a sealed locker, my gas use is only for the hob, my Heater is diesel.

 

[Davenjo]

I take it there will be no freezing / altitude issues running a setup like this, then?

Correct - Campingaz is butane which stops gassing off much below 4c. Propane and automotive LPG will continue to happily gas off down to about -42c.

 

[Davenjo]

You can get refillable cylinders that you can refill at filling stations, I think it is Gaslow who do one the same size as a Camping Gaz 907. Not all filling stations allow filling of removable cylinders though. Gaslow also do the same cylinder with a remote fill point on the outside of the van, like an LPG vehicle has and these can be filled at any filling station. I did consider this for my conversion, but went with a standard 907 in a sealed locker, my gas use is only for the hob, my Heater is diesel.

I forgot about 907 sized Gaslow set up!! Could be a viable alternative for OP.
Gaslow R67 2.7kg Refillable Cylinder No.1

 

[Donald Campbell]

Just got a chance to catch up with this thread....

Am I right in understanding that I could pay £130 for the canister but it would only cost me £2.75 per refill?

Sounds like a great option!

Is there any draw backs if you use it in other parts in Europe?

 

[HotandCold]

Just got a chance to catch up with this thread....

Am I right in understanding that I could pay £130 for the canister but it would only cost me £2.75 per refill?

Sounds like a great option!

Is there any draw backs if you use it in other parts in Europe?

You would just need fill adapters that suit the pumps in different countries.

 

[Donald Campbell]

That’s great - this option seems like the way forward.

 

[MEX72]

That’s great - this option seems like the way forward.

Hi Donald just wondering if you went with the Gaslow option in the end? I'm considering it now, in actual fact I'm taking van to a gaslow installer tomorrow so they can discuss filler cap location etc. I'd be interested to know if you have fitted one, the good, the bad and the ugly! Thanks

 

[Salty Spuds]

Hi Donald just wondering if you went with the Gaslow option in the end? I'm considering it now, in actual fact I'm taking van to a gaslow installer tomorrow so they can discuss filler cap location etc. I'd be interested to know if you have fitted one, the good, the bad and the ugly! Thanks

I have the gaslow system in my van. I have the 6kg bottle permanently fixed in the rear gas locker, with the refill point hidden behind the plastic panel below the rear light cluster. Costs about £8 quid a years & we use the van a lot & use the gas bbq most days.

 

[MEX72]

I've got a gaslow installation booked in for 30th October. My only reservation is where to locate the filler. Im only going for the 2.7 bottle in an existing campingaz 907 box, so its going to be tight.
I love the idea of having it hidden behind the panel under the rear light cluster but sadly I can't do that with barn doors.

The fitter thinks he's putting it next to water/electric points buy Gaslow themselves on their website suggest below the floorline and out of the living space.

So, not sure what to do

 

[Salty Spuds]

I've got a gaslow installation booked in for 30th October. My only reservation is where to locate the filler. Im only going for the 2.7 bottle in an existing campingaz 907 box, so its going to be tight.
I love the idea of having it hidden behind the panel under the rear light cluster but sadly I can't do that with barn doors.

The fitter thinks he's putting it next to water/electric points buy Gaslow themselves on their website suggest below the floorline and out of the living space.

So, not sure what to do

I’d certainly have the filler external to the vehicle mounted outside. When you disconnect the filler hose at the garage there’s a certain amount of “spillage” that would stink out the van if it were inside.
The other issue I can think of is the size of the Gaz cylinder. A 6kg takes around 10litres of Gas from empty, this costs about £6. I run mine down to about 3/4 & then fill up. A 2.7kg is going to take about 4litres, the minimum pump delivery is 2litres. You are going to have to run the bottle almost empty before it’s worth filling up, not a major issue but will need a bit of planning. Is there no way to shoehorn a larger bottle in, or an underslung tank? There is a tank that fits where the rear duff would be if you have 4motion. Mine’s 4motion so couldn’t go down that route.

 

[MEX72]

Yes good point regarding the size of the 2.7kg bottle. I coild always fit a contents gauge. Larger bottle not an option inside sadly and the fitter tells me that any gaslow bottle isnt designed to be underlung?