LPG "jerry can" - are they legal/practical?

[pfillery]

I saw an interesting website article about the difficulties when you run out of LPG particularly on an LPG only vehicle. They suggested the use of an LPG jerry can, simply a 6 to 9kg barbeque gas bottle with a hose and adaptor to fit onto the standard car fill point. I was a little skeptical at first but it seems there are a lot of videos showing this being done.

My first thoughts were that the gas is not the same, I had thought it was a different mix for a bbq as it was for a car, or are they the same stuff?

Then, whether the use of such devices is safe and/or legal. So I did a search and found an Australian LPG parts supplier who sells a POL to LPG fill point adaptor, and touts that is is useful when filling the vehicle from a tank such as a bbq gas bottle, aparently when you do it you turn the gas bottle upside down so the liquid gas goes in, and assuming your car tank is empty, you will be able to transfer almost all the gas from the bottle out to the car.

Great idea if it worked both ways and you could also fill the gas bottle from the LPG pump using the same adaptor setup, however I don't think that would be legal (though I'm sure it is done).

Has anyone seen this sort of thing used in australia and is it legal and practical? seems like a good idea for long distance travellers etc.

[weeds]

I saw an interesting website article about the difficulties when you run out of LPG particularly on an LPG only vehicle. They suggested the use of an LPG jerry can, simply a 6 to 9kg barbeque gas bottle with a hose and adaptor to fit onto the standard car fill point. I was a little skeptical at first but it seems there are a lot of videos showing this being done. it could be done but you would need to tranfer as a liquid

My first thoughts were that the gas is not the same, I had thought it was a different mix for a bbq as it was for a car, or are they the same stuff? yes different gas although LGP for BBQ's and heater from memory would a better quality gas than automotove and would imagine a lot more expensive.....i wonder how a car would run on it

Then, whether the use of such devices is safe and/or legal. So I did a search and found an Australian LPG parts supplier who sells a POL to LPG fill point adaptor, and touts that is is useful when filling the vehicle from a tank such as a bbq gas bottle, aparently when you do it you turn the gas bottle upside down so the liquid gas goes in, and assuming your car tank is empty, you will be able to transfer almost all the gas from the bottle out to the car. you can buy just about anything......however this would be illegal..............full stop

Great idea if it worked both ways and you could also fill the gas bottle from the LPG pump using the same adaptor setup, however I don't think that would be legal (though I'm sure it is done). yes can be done but illegal

Has anyone seen this sort of thing used in australia and is it legal and practical? seems like a good idea for long distance travellers etci have done it befroe? done similar although not for automotive use, only because my employer forgot to pack de-canting cylinders
legal?...NO
practical?..... not really
good idea for long distance travel?......NO, plan your trip and set the vehical up to suit

your're playing with fire on this one......

[bee utey]

It is legal to carry an up to 9kg vapour bottle, properly secured, in a passenger vehicle, but not recommended.

It is legal to carry a hose to connect it to your vehicle filling point.

It is totally illegal to use auto gas in a vapour withdrawal domestic bottle, or to fill it at a servo with a "cheat" adaptor. Big fines territory.

Pure propane runs great in cars, some servos make a point of selling exactly that. Google "propane auto lpg". I believe Supa Gas do it.

In an emergency you can maybe get someone to come out with a bbq bottle and decant enough into the vehicle to get it going. In ideal conditions you will get around 10% of a tank-full before transfer stops. This is when your vehicle has ceased to have any power at all, ie it has stopped and you are a traffic hazard.

But it is illegal to use a vapour bottle when inverted.

If you completely invert a used bbq bottle, the dross that collects in the bottom of the bottle will migrate into the inlet plumbing of your gas system, causing the non-return valves and AFL to fail. Gas leaks and over filling then cause more hazards.

The simplest way to manage LPG-only cars is forward planning. The next best way (100% legal) is to install twin tanks, say one large and one small, with separate fillers and switching. This way you have much more control over how far you travel on a load of LPG, i.e. your "jerry can" is a legally installed part of the vehicle gas system. This is the method I have used for the last 25 years. Automotive LPG cylinders are made down to 18 litres capacity, for diesel enhancement applications.

[101RRS]

Of course if a properly designed system rather than these backyard jobs were to be developed and approved that you could fill from an LPG bowser and using a proper hose connected to the LPG filler of your car then it would be quite safe - certainly as safe as filling petrol from a jerry. Would be even safer if the equipment has to get a gas certificate each year like the system in your car or van.

[bee utey]

Of course if a properly designed system rather than these backyard jobs were to be developed and approved that you could fill from an LPG bowser and using a proper hose connected to the LPG filler of your car then it would be quite safe - certainly as safe as filling petrol from a jerry. Would be even safer if the equipment has to get a gas certificate each year like the system in your car or van.

The cost for a dedicated and certified system would be prohibitive ($1000+), only worth it for breakdown vans. You would only be able to carry it ouside of a passenger space, such as a gas bottle locker in a camper or tradies van.

There is currently no legal method of guaranteeing the correct filling level of a LPG cylinder which is not secured to a vehicle, other than by bleed filling a BBQ bottle or by weight. Neither which is performed by Joe Public. Far better cost wise for an individual (not a company) to risk the law for the 5 minutes it takes to transfer enough gas out of a swap-and-go bottle.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Many taxi bases in Sydney have a 9Kg decanting bottle.

Not legal, but much cheaper than towing a dead taxi back to a servo.

Planning ahead????? Many taxi drivers (at least in Sydney) are unable to plan ahead without their GPS and NavMan doesn't do a LPG watch.

[richard4u2]

in w.a. it is illeagal to carry a gas bottle larger then a 4.5 kg in enclosed area
we have gas stations manly in the country where they fill cars and bbq gas bottles from the same tank
a decanting bottle the gas is drawn from the bottom of the bottle via a tube

[pfillery]

Would be even safer if the equipment has to get a gas certificate each year like the system in your car or van.

Not in Qld you don't. Every 10 years only as per the dating on the tank, and that only applies to the tank, not the install. As long as the system is working, a system can be 20 years old and only ever been "inspected" when installed from new, with the exception of the tank itself.

[Landover]

When I worked at a servo 25 odd years ago we used to fill the gas bottle filling cylinder from the car LPG tank so I assumed it was the same gas for both. I don't know if gas and regulations have changed in resent years but I might be a criminal and did not even know it.

[p38arover]

Not in Qld you don't. Every 10 years only as per the dating on the tank, and that only applies to the tank, not the install. As long as the system is working, a system can be 20 years old and only ever been "inspected" when installed from new, with the exception of the tank itself.

In NSW, if the vehicle is fitted with LPG, the whole system has to be inspected annually by a vehicle inspector who is qualified for LPG. However, I wonder if this applies to car under three years old as they no longer require an annual rego check.

When my RR was inspected the time before last, the inspector found an LPG leak from the converter.

The tanks have to be inspected internally every 10 years and restamped.