Tags
Calor, Caravan, Caravanning, Caravans, Gas Cylinder, LPG Refilling, Maintenance, refillable gas cylinders, Safefill
Safefill are well known for their red 15 litre (7.56Kg of LPG) refillable gas cylinders and we have been using one these for around two years now. We have saved quite a bit of money when compared to using the rental/exchange cylinders that are available.
One of the biggest advantages is we can always set off camping with a full cylinder of gas and never have to worry about running out. We can easily check the contents through the semi transparent cylinder and if required, take the cylinder out of the caravan, put it in the car and re-fill at the nearest LPG station. There are a growing number of Morrisons petrol stations (over 50 at the time of writing) that have LPG pumps and we have never had any problems filling our cylinder in Morrisons.
Image (c) Safefill
However one of the things people always raise is ” it’s not big enough, we would need two cylinders” OK fair comment and to answer this Safefill have now introduced a new blue 20 litre cylinder… that holds 10.08Kg of gas (that is the equivalent of two and a half 3.9Kg Calor gas cylinders or over one and a half 6Kg Calor gas cylinders) and one of the best things is the price is exactly the same as the red cylinder – £149.99.
At an average LPG pump price of 80 pence per litre, that means it will cost around £16 to fill up from empty… how much would it cost to exchange two 3.9Kg Calor or one 6Kg Calor? (At the time of writing a 3.9Kg Calor is about £15.50 and a 6Kg Calor is around £20.00)
So if you use a lot of gas or are travelling in Europe (European filling adaptors are available) coupled with the weight saving that a refillable cylinder gives over steel cylinders (are you struggling with your nose weight?) and the advantages of being able to always set off with a full cylinder of gas what’s not to like!
To find LPG refilling sites have a look on the Links page or download the Safefill Refilling POI’s for your GPS from their web site.
S
PS… When we bought our Safefill cylinder back in 2011 I did a review – Safefill refillable gas cylinders
Caravan Chronicles 
great articles. theyve really helped me make the switch to safefill
We now have our own LPG rig and can fill Safefill, Alugas, Gaslow & Gas-It etc systems/bottles. We are also aiming to always be 5p a litre less than local petrol stations – we are currently at 65p/litre.
So if you’re ever in the Nottingham or Newark area – give us a try – we welcome you 7 days! LodgeFarmLeisure.com
As for Shell garages – personally still not having any problems.
Excellent news!
I do not know if you have checked in the last 12 months but the company (Sorry cannot remember their name) who used to supply LPG to Shell garages have moved on and Calor now have the contract and are forbidding garages from filling loose bottles.
Bill T
Mmm I don’t know.
I’ve abandoned taking two cylinders because the noseweight was too high and it made no sense when it takes us at least two years to empty one 6kg cylinder.
By my calculations it would take me 15 years to break even if prices remained on a par. During that time I’d use four red cylinder refills or 8 Calor 6kg swaps.and both would have cost just under £200. From then on there’s a marginal saving of about £4 per three years using the refillable.
Hi Andy
For someone who uses only one cylinder a year or less, then you are right, the payback time is too long.
However, some of the rally people that are away 50 or 60 nights ‘off grid’ and use the gas for heating – some can get through a small cylinder each rally. Additionally, the larger caravans need more heating and I guess that increases gas consumption too, it then starts to makes a lot of sense to take the plunge.
We went for the Safefill option when we bought the caravan rather than pay a deposit on a couple of cylinders – at the time we didn’t really know how much gas we would use. Looking back, we don’t use as much gas as we initially thought, but we can use the front locker for lots of other stuff as we don’t have any nose weight problems and I know we are always setting off with a full cylinder so there is no fear of the gas running out mid breakfast/evening meal or heaven forbid mid shower!
S
They weren’t designed or aimed at people who use very little amounts of gas, but for people like us…. We’re away for Christmas and New Year without hookup and our van is big (6.8m internally) and we’re getting through a safefill bottle every 3-4 days (£3.50-4.50 a day), but using Calor at worst prices, that could be getting close to £18.50 a day – as far as we are concerned, a serious no-brainer!
Add to this the cost of the site we’re on at £3 a night, making £7.50 a day at most its considerably cheaper than going to a club site…. the most local one averages over £27/night (although with EHU) for same period!
HAPPY NEY YEAR EVERYONE!
Hi
Wow that’s some saving you make!
When I talk to people they want to make the change but are unsure of refilling or where to refill. One of my projects for 2014 is to do a video on how easy it is to refill a Safefill bottle and maybe start a list of LPG sites near caravan sites that are Safefill friendly.
Happy New Year
S
I use the Android app. “fillLPG” – it isn’t Safefill specific but I’ve never been stopped filling a bottle (although I never ask!). 😉
I’ll have to see if there is an app available for the iPhone. I do have two or three LPG POI’s loaded onto the sat-nav which work well.
I have never been stopped from filling up but usually I just fill up and don’t ask either!
People seem to be nervous of being refused…. so maybe a list of sites that have refused… a name and shame, although that might get me into trouble.
S
Yeah, the 20l ones have been selling like hot cakes the last few months. Very popular, although can be a tight squeeze in some front lockers as a little taller than the 15l version!