Caravan outside bbq point for a gas bottle supply

On club sites all bottles for caravan supplies must be in the locker designed for them

Noted but it would not be on them

The legalities and wisdom of doing it I will not mention, but leave that to others. 

I do not fancy using the BBQ point as a supply connection. Some of them (but certainly not all) are restricted, but there is also a risk of damage to the bulkhead regulator. 

When we have been wintering in Spain for 3 or more months we have usually wanted to use local LPG as it is cheap there compared to electricity for heating. The amount of gas needed is well beyond our 2 Calorlites. The electric hook up is used for basics but heating is on gas.

Local gas bottle with BOTTLE REGULATOR stands next to the caravan, and the orange hose about 3M runs under the caravan up through the locker floor connecting to a gas manifold which is plumbed into the caravan after the regulator. The manifold (Truma 3 tap) isolates the caravan regulator and enables the regulated supply from the Spanish gas bottle.

I prefer this arrangement because I can close and lock my gas locker.

I have a sketch showing the manifold installation but cannot insert here for some reason..

A colleague has taken an alternative approach - High Pressure 120cm hose from free standing gas bottle to Caravan regulator. Locker door slightly open. I do not like this because of the risk of sticky fingers.

 

I would have thought that the bore of BBQ fitting would be wholly inadequate for supply into the van and with any demand (over what would be normally going to a BBQ) and could lead to high pressure drop and poor performance of the burners within the van, with potentially fatal consequences from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Additionally, the bayonet fitting is not suitable for either supply or "permanent" fixture, into the van. If the simple twist lock fitting were to become detached, your entire bottle would discharge at the side of your van, creating a potentially massive explosive vapour cloud - again with potentially fatal consequences.

At the risk of being rude, the fact that you are asking these questions leads me to believe you really should not!

Please don't, I'd be most upset about seeing your obituary in the paper!

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I could never see the point of a HP hose to a bulkhead regulator and haven’t a clue why they changed the standard. All it’s done apparently is to create regulator problems and cost more. It’s a particular nuisance overseas where you can easily buy any cylinder and matching regulator but it’s much more difficult to buy an HP hose adaptor. Since that’s what we have to live with I would have thought it would be better to have a bottle and regulator with sufficient LP hose then connect to the low pressure side of the bulkhead regulator, thus bypassing it. Sounds like obbernockle has used this method which shouldn’t be too difficult.

I have heard of people connecting via the BBQ point and know that it’s discouraged but I thought the pipe work diameter was the same as the main gas feed and it’s very low pressure anyway. Most BBQ connectors seem secure to me  but I’m no expert. The dire warnings above do seem a little excessive but you can’t be too careful with gas.

Great replies and  good to see I have got an interesting discussion going. Nice also to hear experience of the time  gas lasts in Spain using a caravan

Yes the size of the pipe at the bbq point is the standard van pipe size which it would have to be. I have done a lot of gas pipework and systems when living in Spain for 14 years   for the regulations required, including heating a hot tub with butane!

The way to go is as obbernokl has and hitchglitch is correct in saying about the problems that now occur with regulator problems.

A few years ago at approximately  2pm and offgrid my Truma regulator failed.  It has been below freezing all day.   So I have a choice I can go home, I can freeze or I can use the bbq point to feed gas into the system.  

Guess what I did?  

I can’t for the life of me understand (apart from one thing) what the difference is between gas. @ 30mB going up a pipe rather than down it.   For longer term use I would get a long enough HP pipe and connect to the bulkhead regulator.  I don’t need to do this because my van will fit 2x 13kg Calor bottles, in the gas locker if I so choose, but that’s what other people do.

This was something we wondered about.

We have been looking at PVC for future use, one of them we like has an underslung tank.

My question to OH, was what happens if we run out of gas or there is a problem with it. As there is nowhere to connect a bottle supply could the bbq point be used?

Would welcome suggestions.

"My question to OH, was what happens if we run out of gas or there is a problem with it. As there is nowhere to connect a bottle supply could the bbq point be used?"

IMO, a very valid question, and unquestionably with my BBQ point it can technically be used,proved that. There is, in my 2008 vintage German van, no non return valve to inhibit it physically working, nor is the pipework reduced in size to the designated feed.

I can see  a bottle there is more prone to unwanted tampering, but I can't see if there was a leak in the system, why the contents of on board bottles would not disipate that way as would the contents of an attached bottle. In both cases there is a coupling presenting the same risk whichever source feeds any leak.

I am well aware the practice is frowned on, but where if anywhere is the technical reasoning behind doing so, certainly in the case TG sites? Both that and using for a BBQ, with best practice should be temporary, isolated when not in immediate use. I note some leave a BBQ coupled for the duration, that presents the same risks I suggest.

Just interested to know the underpinning logic here.