We have two 4kg gas bottles on the front of our caravan, a pretty standard thing.
They're housed in a very tight fiberglass cowling.
We were advised 6 years ago when we bought our new caravan not to swap them & keep refilling them as gas bottle shapes vary a fair bit in height & diameter.
Recently we were at a large country town agricultural supply business getting our gas bottles filled.
The person filling them said that Swap & Go type bottles exchanged by caravan owners can null & void the insurance policies on their caravans.
We're not sure if this is true but we'll be hanging onto our own bottles?
As a footnote, we exchanged a bottle for our BBQ a few months back that looked very suspicious.
It had an original manufactured date from 20 years ago & no retest date stamped on it?
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Wednesday 30th of May 2018 06:34:22 PM
Robreen said
06:48 PM May 30, 2018
G'day,
Have you checked with your insurance company? If the person filling the out of date gas cylinder was aware of the fact the cylinder was out of date then he could be held liable if something goes wrong.
Desert Dweller said
07:10 PM May 30, 2018
Robreen wrote:
G'day, Have you checked with your insurance company? If the person filling the out of date gas cylinder was aware of the fact the cylinder was out of date then he could be held liable if something goes wrong.
Read our post more carefully, it was a swap & go bottle for our BBQ not a refill for our caravan.
rockylizard said
07:15 PM May 30, 2018
Gday...
No Insurance Issues Based on Coatings
The supposed insurance requirement is just another myth. There are no grounds for an insurance company to reject a claim on the basis of the Coating Classification Code. This is because there is no Standard or legal requirement for any specific Coating Classification Code for a caravan application. In addition, we have never seen such a clause in any policy and the LPG industry association would almost surely oppose any such arbitrary and capricious clause. If anyone actually has a policy that states this, we would love to see a copy!
One needs to exercise care when buying a "swap-and-go" bottle and check the bottle date ... if the date is 'out of date' and the new date is not stamped on an expired bottle, then that should be rejected and brought to the attention of the operator. They are required by law to provide a bottle, if refurbished, with an 'in-date'.
In Australia, BBQ gas bottles must be tested every ten years. It is illegal to fill a gas bottle that is past its expiry date but you are allowed to use it, past the expiry date, if it still contains gas.
Why would anyone walk away with the bottle without checking the date/s. Even when buying a brand new gas bottle, I check the date.
I have found some places selling brand new bottles with a use-by-date that is only four years away ... if it isn't 10 years when I buy a new one - they get some 'informed feedback'. If they cannot provide a bottle with at least 9 years on it, I go elsewhere.
Cheers - John
-- Edited by rockylizard on Wednesday 30th of May 2018 07:17:42 PM
Desert Dweller said
07:41 PM May 30, 2018
Helpful post Rocky, yes we've seen brand new gas bottles for sale in camping outlets with a use by date within 5 years & rejected them.
In some remote places the Swap & Go companies have given franchises permission to refill their bottles as delivery is unregular.
Not everyone abides by the rules.
Phillipn said
02:58 PM May 31, 2018
Desert Dweller wrote:
Helpful post Rocky, yes we've seen brand new gas bottles for sale in camping outlets with a use by date within 5 years & rejected them.
In some remote places the Swap & Go companies have given franchises permission to refill their bottles as delivery is unregular.
Not everyone abides by the rules.
I went to Bunnings in Toowoomba prior to going to Tasmania about 18 months ago to get swap n go 9 Kg cylinder. I requested a bottle that was no out of date. The team member [ as they call them]said they are OK, I told him that gas cylinders that are out of date were not allowed on the ferry to Tasmania. He said he had not heard of that.
We searched a lot of cylinders before we found one that was in date.
Plus I needed a cylinder that was in date so I could get it refilled.
While in Tasmania I needed the second cylinder , I was at a Bunnings shop and requested a cylinder that was in date. the shop assistant their said that they were not allowed to sell cylinders that were out of date.
All refillers that I have been to all check the dates on the cylinder.
outlaw40 said
03:06 PM May 31, 2018
Think the insurance comment is a furphy as its quite legal to use an out of date gas bottle just not to refill it .can't see how using a swap and go bott 'll e c ould c ause
outlaw40 said
03:09 PM May 31, 2018
Sorry fat fingers and small phone. Should read can't see how a swap and go could cause an issue insurance wise
Desert Dweller said
06:27 PM May 31, 2018
outlaw40 wrote:
Sorry fat fingers and small phone. Should read can't see how a swap and go could cause an issue insurance wise
If the out of date swap & go bottle that you bought & fitted to your caravan proved to be the reason for a claim it would be an issue to your insurer.
PeterD said
07:44 PM May 31, 2018
You are responsible for what you fit to your van. Gas bottles should be clearly labelled as to their expiry dates. It is up to you to make sure the bottles, whether refilled or exchange bottles, are in date. If they are not in date and they are the cause of an insurance claim incident then do not expect the insurance company to be forthcoming. You have not maintained your van properly if you have out of date bottles on it.
Plain Truth said
07:48 PM May 31, 2018
Desert Dweller wrote:
Robreen wrote:
G'day, Have you checked with your insurance company? If the person filling the out of date gas cylinder was aware of the fact the cylinder was out of date then he could be held liable if something goes wrong.
Read our post more carefully, it was a swap & go bottle for our BBQ not a refill for our caravan.
Keith you are saying that the Swap & Go bottle had no retest date stamped on it,sometimes it is hard to see,and it is stamped well away from the original date and is not as prominent.
G'day, Have you checked with your insurance company? If the person filling the out of date gas cylinder was aware of the fact the cylinder was out of date then he could be held liable if something goes wrong.
Read our post more carefully, it was a swap & go bottle for our BBQ not a refill for our caravan.
Keith you are saying that the Swap & Go bottle had no retest date stamped on it,sometimes it is hard to see,and it is stamped well away from the original date and is not as prominent.
Yes I agree that the retest stamp can be hard to find. There wasn't one on this particular bottle though.
outlaw40 said
06:10 AM Jun 1, 2018
If its not illegal to USE an out of date gas bottle,(which its not )how could the insurance company void your cover unless they could prove you knowingly use a faulty bottle. An out of date bottle is not automatically faulty.Not saying we should all be using out of date and i would definitely not pay for an out of date swap n go just stating the facts s i know them.
TheMonties said
10:45 AM Jun 1, 2018
Hi there, attached are links to Origin Energy documents directly related to portable LPG cylinders. There are two documents, one for cylinders refillable by owners and the other for exchange cylinders.
Even though these documents are Origin Energy Policy and practice, they are derived from and refer directly to Australian and New Zealand Standards.
Hi there, attached are links to Origin Energy documents directly related to portable LPG cylinders. There are two documents, one for cylinders refillable by owners and the other for exchange cylinders.
Even though these documents are Origin Energy Policy and practice, they are derived from and refer directly to Australian and New Zealand Standards.
We have two 4kg gas bottles on the front of our caravan, a pretty standard thing.
They're housed in a very tight fiberglass cowling.
We were advised 6 years ago when we bought our new caravan not to swap them & keep refilling them as gas bottle shapes vary a fair bit in height & diameter.
Recently we were at a large country town agricultural supply business getting our gas bottles filled.
The person filling them said that Swap & Go type bottles exchanged by caravan owners can null & void the insurance policies on their caravans.
We're not sure if this is true but we'll be hanging onto our own bottles?
As a footnote, we exchanged a bottle for our BBQ a few months back that looked very suspicious.
It had an original manufactured date from 20 years ago & no retest date stamped on it?
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Wednesday 30th of May 2018 06:34:22 PM
Read our post more carefully, it was a swap & go bottle for our BBQ not a refill for our caravan.
Gday...
No Insurance Issues Based on Coatings
The supposed insurance requirement is just another myth.
There are no grounds for an insurance company to reject a claim on the basis of the Coating Classification Code.
This is because there is no Standard or legal requirement for any specific Coating Classification Code for a caravan application.
In addition, we have never seen such a clause in any policy and the LPG industry association would almost surely oppose any such arbitrary and capricious clause.
If anyone actually has a policy that states this, we would love to see a copy!
http://www.elgas.com.au/blog/393-legality-of-gas-bottles-for-caravans-urban-myths
One needs to exercise care when buying a "swap-and-go" bottle and check the bottle date ... if the date is 'out of date' and the new date is not stamped on an expired bottle, then that should be rejected and brought to the attention of the operator. They are required by law to provide a bottle, if refurbished, with an 'in-date'.
In Australia, BBQ gas bottles must be tested every ten years.
It is illegal to fill a gas bottle that is past its expiry date but you are allowed to use it, past the expiry date, if it still contains gas.
http://www.elgas.com.au/blog/396-gas-bottle-cylinder-testing-facts
Why would anyone walk away with the bottle without checking the date/s. Even when buying a brand new gas bottle, I check the date.
I have found some places selling brand new bottles with a use-by-date that is only four years away ... if it isn't 10 years when I buy a new one - they get some 'informed feedback'. If they cannot provide a bottle with at least 9 years on it, I go elsewhere.
Cheers - John
-- Edited by rockylizard on Wednesday 30th of May 2018 07:17:42 PM
In some remote places the Swap & Go companies have given franchises permission to refill their bottles as delivery is unregular.
Not everyone abides by the rules.
I went to Bunnings in Toowoomba prior to going to Tasmania about 18 months ago to get swap n go 9 Kg cylinder. I requested a bottle that was no out of date. The team member [ as they call them]said they are OK, I told him that gas cylinders that are out of date were not allowed on the ferry to Tasmania. He said he had not heard of that.
We searched a lot of cylinders before we found one that was in date.
Plus I needed a cylinder that was in date so I could get it refilled.
While in Tasmania I needed the second cylinder , I was at a Bunnings shop and requested a cylinder that was in date. the shop assistant their said that they were not allowed to sell cylinders that were out of date.
All refillers that I have been to all check the dates on the cylinder.
If the out of date swap & go bottle that you bought & fitted to your caravan proved to be the reason for a claim it would be an issue to your insurer.
Keith you are saying that the Swap & Go bottle had no retest date stamped on it,sometimes it is hard to see,and it is stamped well away from the original date and is not as prominent.
http://www.elgas.com.au/blog/396-gas-bottle-cylinder-testing-facts
The Gas bottles do vary a lot in size
Yes I agree that the retest stamp can be hard to find. There wasn't one on this particular bottle though.
Even though these documents are Origin Energy Policy and practice, they are derived from and refer directly to Australian and New Zealand Standards.
They should answer most questions you might have.
www.originenergy.com.au/content/dam/origin/shared/LPG/docs/Portable%20Recreational%20Cylinder%20Filling%20By%20Decanting%20Guidelines%20-%20Origin%20LPG%20(1).pdf
www.originenergy.com.au/content/dam/origin/shared/LPG/docs/Portable%20Cylinder%20Exchange%20Guidelines%20-%20Origin%20LPG.pdf
Cheers :)
Gday...
Links fixed
cheers - John