Gas For Camping
The main types of gas used for campingare , Butane and Propane or a mix of the two.
Generally Butane is packaged in Blue canisters, and Propane is in Red canisters.
To a large extent the difference between the gases is academic as far as camping is concerned; all gas appliances can be used with both types of gas
The main difference between butane and propane is:
Butane (blue bottles) will freeze when the weather is cold;
Propane (red bottle) does not,
Smaller disposable canisters where the gasses are mixed allow the canisters to be used in more extreme conditions i.e. up a mountain!
They are sold by many companies; there are 2 methods of sale, large bottles which are exchanged when empty for full ones, or smaller canisters which are disposed of when empty.
We stock Calor Gas, generally only available in the UK, and Camping Gaz, which is readily available in Europe.
Regulators attach to the valve on the bottle which allows the gas to escape at the correct pressure when turned on, for the appliances to be used safely, via a hose that is attached to the equipment.
Propane bottles all use the same regulator.
Calor butane uses different ones, screw on type for 4.5kg, the 7kg &15kg use clip on type, Camping Gaz regulators screw into the top of the bottle when the handle is removed the same sort fits all sizes.
Cadac gas bottles are not available in this country, items imported from South Africa will not work; we do have adapters or replacement stems to allow connection to our bottles.
Some caravans & motorhomes have external outlets fitted, they require a Gemini nozzle or similar to make the connection.
Poor gas pressure can be caused by a blockage in the regulator or jets on the appliance. Blue gas will be slow if it is cold!
Customers will often assume a bottle is empty when in fact the gas is just too cold
Regulators with gauges are not very successful, they often say a bottle is empty when it is not, but magnetic level idicators are available and work well.
How can I monitor how much gas is left in a cylinder?
For all cylinders, the empty tare weight can be found on a metal disc on the shroud, this gives the weight of the cylinder in pounds and ounces.
To convert this to kilograms multiply this number by 0.453592.
Once you have the empty weight of the cylinder you can put it on some scales, then you will have the total weight, so you can now take the empty cylinder weight off the total, this will give you how much gas you have left in the cylinder.
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How Much Gas is left in the Bottle?
We are often asked "how much gas is left in by bottle?" and "How can I check it?".
There are a couple of methods that can be used:
1. Buy a magnetic Speed Range Indicator. These are great! The Speedrange Indicator can be used on any Propane, butane cylinder or a mixture of gasses. It has a magnetic backing which attaches to the outside of the cylinder and shows the level of the gas. When your cylinder is empty, simply remove the indicator and place on a new tank. It is safe, reusable (it is magnetic, so can be fixed to any gas bottle) & reasonably accurate.
2. Use the Bathroom Scales! On top of the gas cylinder there should be an aluminium disc that has information about that specific cylinder. In two sections there will be a pair of numbers as in the picture below. This is the weight of the gas cylinder when EMPTY and its in Pounds and Ounces (Lbs and Ozs). So weigh the cylinder on the bathroom scales and check the weight in Lbs and Ozs and any thing over the weight on the Aluminium Disc is the amount of gas left in the bottle! In our picture the weight of the gas bottle empty is 18 lbs and 12 ozs.
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