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Tanks, Cylinders, Bottles, Vapour, what's it all about??  
Yes confusing isn't it?  The terms bottles and cylinders are pretty much interchangeable but then so are tanks and cylinders so there is some overlap. More important is the issue of 'vapour take off' versus 'liquid take off'. Vapour is the one required for powering cookers, fridges, etc and our tanks are exactly that, vapour take off tanks especially for RV, motorhome, and motorcaravan use. This page is all about these chassis mounted or underslung lpg tanks and fittings for motorhome use for all the usual habitation purposes. Please note these are quality four hole tanks configured for easy fit and with fast filling and are not to be confused with cheap and slow imitations!  For similar use but with refillable gas bottles that are located in your existing gas cupboard please see our Gaslow pages (click picture on the right).

Installation:  Definitely a DIY job for those with traditional skills but we can offer fitting too. DIY installation isn't as easy as the Gaslow system of course but you do release the gas cupboard for other uses!

Can I get a cheap refill and where??  Yes - it is much cheaper than buying in the usual exchangeable bottles, and there's no premium for buying small amounts either - a big contrast to 'Calor'. In 2008 I paid 37p/litre for Autogas from a depot and around 50p in garages but well over £1/litre for bottled Calor gas, even in the 11-13Kg sizes, and it gets dearer still in smaller bottles - up to £1.50/L in small bottles in 08. It's dearer in 2009 but still in the same ratios. With an Autogas system you can refill at 1200+ UK Garages and rising - have a look at this website for garages in your area of the UK www.drivelpg.co.uk/map/index.php. There are other useful guides too from Flogas, Calor, etc. Also you can buy an annual map, sometimes even from a local garage, or very useful downloads for your TomTom or Garmin or Navman. None seem to be really complete though, our local Flogas depot isn't on the web maps for example. Several European guides are available too, try this very useful German website for searches abroad, again it isn't complete but does offer a great starting point, especially for LPG in Spain where it's in commercial depots and so harder to find www.gas-tankstellen.info/menu.php?language=en_US.  Another great resource for Spain is a privately created Google map that you can see on Google Maps here ... http://tinyurl.com/5fwfnh

Tank Specifications:  These are specially designed bulk propane storage tanks for motorhomes with vapour take off. Four hole, fast fill design with valves designed to come out of the tank at 110 degrees from vertical for convenient fitting, servicing and inspection. The necessary 80% Fillstop valve is of course included. 25 Bar safety valve incorporated as is a contents gauge. Optional remote readout for convenient 'dash' mounting. Tank frame and securing straps provided in our kits. (custom mounting to chassis by customer/installer). Comprehensive range of sizes with capacity quoted as gross volume. Useable LPG weight at 80% fill quoted in the table below. Individual serial numbers and pressure test certificates provided. The fixed filling head is required to user-refill at LPG stations and garages. A remote filler hose and head complete with UK bayonet 'Autogas' adapter is included in the kits and options may be ordered separately. Two further adapters cover European travel and are available as optional extras as are external bottle backup connections.

Kits:  A Caratank Frame Kit is made up of: 1x Tank with Certificate fitted with Safety Valves and Gauge, 1x Tank Frame and Straps, 1x 1.5m Filler Hose, 1x Flush Filler head, 1x UK Bayonet adapter. The remaining kits are the same but without frame - this is normally made up locally to suit the particular installation.

To complete the installation you will need to adapt the frame / chassis and/or make up your own fixings / brackets / frame to fix the tank/frame assembly securely to your chassis. You will also need to make the output connection to your existing vehicle system, on earlier vehicles that might be via an on-tank regulator plus hose or via a hard plumbed (recommended) connection into the 'van. On later, post 2004, 'vans connect using a 21.8LH pigtail to connect to your existing new-style remote regulator or possibly to a new under-chassis installation of same. 

Any combination of kit and options can of course be put together on request!

Hose Fitting Information:  21.8LH / W20 is the new standard fit for the output side.  21.8LH is also the same as the old Butane Screw thread as found on UK 4.5Kg bottles and sometimes known (confusingly) as 'butane thread'. W20 is the thread used on modern regulators and change-overs. So - high pressure hoses are usually 21.8LH at one end and W20 at the other.

Truma Drivesafe / Secumotion?  A variant on a number of European vehicles is the Truma Secumotion / Drivesafe system used to enable the use of gas appliances on the move. To maintain the integrity of that system you need to purchase Truma's own special high pressure hoses - type G.8 suits, part numbers 50410-06 0.45m or 50420-06 0.75m. We can't yet supply those. Plainly there's a problem to be solved if the tank is at some distance from the Truma unit.

Pre-2004 Systems:  Autogas is Propane; actually it can be a mix but it is always mostly Propane. Your regulator needs to be for Propane - usually 37mbar on older systems but can be 30 mbar on some imports.

Post-2004 Systems:  For new vans (post-2004) fitted with a 30mbar caravan regulator simply connect the tank output to the regulator with a pigtail of the appropriate length. If necessary hoses can be joined with a special 21.8LH/W20 hose extender. See the Gaslow all catalogue page for SS Hoses and that extender.

NB Carriage!  The smallest kit with minimal accessories will just go Parcel Force at ordinary rates. Because of the weight of the tanks all other kit is delivered on a pallet and carries a delivery charge of around £40, this is added automatically during shopping & checkout.

Tank Weights & Sizes: 

Delivery Times:  We are not yet able to offer an overnight service on these products (we'll do our best if you ask though).  Despatch is normally next day for delivery within two days thereafter for the popular items but there are occasional component shortages. We will try to keep you informed of any delays but - for the time being - response times are slightly slower than on our other product lines.