Hi everyone.

I don't post often but am an avid reader of the forum so feel that I have got to know so many of you from your posts.  Great forum and everyone is so friendly.  Just had a chat with our gas guy who said that one of his customers was pulled over by Main Roads (or Transport?) and was fined some hundreds of dollars for not having galvanised gas bottles as opposed to the painted swap and go bottles in his caravan.  When we bought our previous new van (now in a motorhome so don't hold that against us :) ) we swapped the galvanised bottles that came with the Jayco van for swap and go.  As we are doing with the current motorhome.  You cant always get refills as many suppliers are moving away from refilling.

So....  Has anyone heard that the painted bottles are illegal?  Ivor the gas guy said that he had never heard of this issue before but that the galvanised bottles were of a better grade and thus it may be that we should be using them instead of the lower grade painted bottles......  Your thoughts???

Cheers all

Phil

They are legal and soon you won't be able to get galvanised bottles at all - they are fast disappearing.

Gday...

This site will provide the info you are seeking. I very much doubt anyone was fined for having non-galvanised gas bottles.

http://www.elgas.com.au/blog/393-legality-of-gas-bottles-for-caravans-urban-myths

Cheers - John

Were any 9 kg cylinders ever galvanised? I cut up a 30 year old cylinder ( made in singapore, thicker material ) & it was only painted silver. I'm sure cylinders are only painted. I had to replace an out of date cylinder on a van I sold this year. I fitted a painted cylinder from BCF. That passed for the gas certificate.

Hako, the 220g cartridges are butane, the 9kg cylinders are propane. Your comment re material is relevant.

Cheers Pete

rockylizard wrote:

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Gday...

This site will provide the info you are seeking. I very much doubt anyone was fined for having non-galvanised gas bottles.

http://www.elgas.com.au/blog/393-legality-of-gas-bottles-for-caravans-urban-myths

Cheers - John

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 I just looked at your link John. That answers my question re galvanised cylinders. I'll save the link for future reference.

Cheers Pete

wasn_me wrote:

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Were any 9 kg cylinders ever galvanised?

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 Yes, they cost so much more that you did not see too many.

Hi All

I have read this article and adding it to my caravan notes that we keep in the caravan.

This clears up a lot of urban myths that floats about at times.

I did have a interesting afternoon with a young NSW traffic policeman who had  just finished extensive training not long back he said he had a book with a list of things they will write you up for and most of these urban myths are not one of them. D shackles, mirrors, gas bottles.are just a few that come to mind. These things would fall under the Transport department who have engineers trained in this field.

Thank you. Ralph.

Philw wrote:

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Thanks Phil. Yep. We are special :).. Merry Xmas to you and family from us here at Moffat Beach. Also note you were/are a high school teacher. Me too. But retired now and merely a beach bum. Its now my preferred profession. Minimal working hours and maximium holidays. Though I should have kept the galv bottles....

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 Thanks mate, yep I taught year 11 and 12 at a private tech college in Adelaide, best 5 years of my life. I started as an aircraft electrician/avionics tech in the RAAF and after some study started teaching my specialties electrotechnology, maths and physics. Now retired and after a few operations on my arthritis will be back on the road.

We are free camping in our daughter's backyard on a winery/vineyard till next August then off to Greens for a few weeks, then a big cruise on Voyager of the Seas in November.

Take care and have a safe xmas

Philw wrote:

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Just had a chat with our gas guy who said that one of his customers was pulled over by Main Roads (or Transport?) and was fined some hundreds of dollars for not having galvanised gas bottles as opposed to the painted swap and go bottles in his caravan. 

 

 

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 Morning Phil,

Any story related in this way is usually bull dust.

Why is it that we never get the story directly from the person who was fined? guess the answer is, because it never happened.

Just to add a bit more fuel to the fire, I was informed a couple of years ago that the galvanised cylinders are Class 1 as opposed to the swap and go painted cylinders which can be class 3 or 4. This classification is stamped on the bottle along with the date etc. Apparently class 1 units are stronger and more suited to being fitted to a caravan than a class 3/ 4 unit which are less stronger and are more suited to BBQ applications. I have never sighted any supporting documentation and I cannot verify the accuracy of this information, however I have always had my bottles refilled rather than exchanged as I have seen some variation in sizing on the exchange units and at least I know my cylinders will always fit into the mountings.

SORRY: I missed the link re Classification and coatings. Having now read it I feel a right twit having posted the above, however it just proves you are never too old to learn. I just need to slow down and be a bit more diligent when reading the posts. My apologies to all and thanks for the information posted.

My brother who runs a charter boat in bay of islands only uses Galvenised tanks..
Keep in mind some are zink coated.. No good in salty areas..

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:

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Want something different?
Light weight.
No corrosion, ever.
Can see the gas level.
Pretty expensive and only the larger one available in Oz, I believe.
Several versions of these are common in Europe.
www.chsmith.com.au/Products/Ragasco-Composite-LPG-Gas-Bottle.html

Cheers,
Peter

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 Interesting & less than $200 each!

BTW ... we have been the gas bottle path in the past .. it might be worth searching the archives ..  I seem to recall that it was finally established that the swap & go ones are OK as indicated above.