If you’re looking to get a gas bottle refill and want it done quickly and safely, then we can help. We’re experts when it comes to all the procedures that need to be followed and can help you avoid any mishaps or mistakes that could cost you money and damage your caravan or motorhome.
It’s very important to understand that the gas cylinder refill process is not something that should be tried by a do-it-yourself handyman. It is a highly technical procedure that requires extensive training and specialized knowledge of personal protective equipment, cylinder grounding, static electricity hazards, ignition sources, and more. Even a small mistake can lead to cold burns (liquid LPG has a very low boiling point), explosion, or fire.
The most common method of transferring LPG gas between a large and smaller bottle is called the decanting technique. This is the method you will see being used at service station refill LPG gas bottles. Essentially, the trained operator will connect your empty LPG cylinder to the larger LPG storage tank and then open the bleed screw on the bottle until some gas starts leaking out of the loosened bleed screw. This is supposed to be the signal that the bottle is full. However, there is a lot of operator performance variance that can make this very difficult to achieve consistently and can lead to dangerous overfilling of the LPG bottle.
Another major issue is the possibility that the bleed screw may not be opened completely or at all and this can cause the gas bottle to not fill up completely. It is also very easy for the gas bottle operator to miss this and continue filling the cylinder until liquid LPG begins leaking from the bleed screw opening. This is one of the major reasons that swapping, instead of decanting, is so much safer.
When you swap, a digital scale is used to weigh the bottle as it is being filled. The scale will shut off the gas flow once the cylinder has reached its target weight. This will prevent any dangerous overfilling that might happen with the decanting method. Additionally, using a carousel like the SWAP’n’GO one in the image above makes this process incredibly fast and efficient.
There are two types of gas you can use in a caravan or motorhome, butane and propane. Butane gas is usually used for a barbecue because it has a higher boiling point than propane gas, which means that it can reach a higher temperature and be heated up more quickly. Propane gas, on the other hand, has a lower boiling point and is better suited for winter barbequing because it can stay liquid at a lower temperature.
If you’re going to purchase a new propane gas bottle or swap your old one, we suggest you do some research to find the best place in your area to do so. You’ll want to find a place that offers high quality propane gas cylinders at an affordable price. Additionally, you should look for a place that has separate areas for the storage of full and empty cylinders to prevent any accidents where a filled cylinder is accidentally sold as an empty one.