While an electrical hook-up can reduce the amount of gas used in your caravan, it is not always possible to do away with gas completely. Gas bottles are still a necessity for powering heating, cooking appliances, fridges, and water heaters. If you do have an electrical hook-up, you might be able to opt for smaller, more lightweight gas bottles than if you don’t. It’s important to choose the right size gas bottle for your caravan to ensure you have enough fuel for your gas appliances without carrying any excess weight, if it’s a tourer. For static caravans manoeuvring the larger ones around can be extremely difficult especially if it’s on a steep slope and you don’t have the park giving you a hand, so smaller may be better in these circumstances.
How much gas does a static caravan use per day?
The amount of gas a static caravan uses per day varies, and obviously dependant on a number of factors, including the size of the caravan, the number of people in it, the gas appliances used, and the weather conditions. On average, a static caravan may use around 1kg of gas per day for heating and hot water. However, this can increase if additional appliances, such as a cooker or fridge, are used and there’s more people to heat if the weather is a little chilly. A good, typical range for an estimate is around 1Kg – 3Kg per day.
How much gas does a touring caravan use per day?
As with static caravan gas use, the amount of gas a tourer uses varies due to the same factors. However, the number of people is likely to be smaller than a static so this will affect it less. On average, a touring caravan may use around 0.5kg of gas per day for heating and hot water. This can also increase if additional appliances, such as a cooker or fridge, are used. A good, typical range for an estimate is around 0.5Kg – 1.5Kg per day.
What size bottle do you need?
For a touring caravan
A typical touring caravan has a pre-allocated space for a 6kg gas bottle, and sometimes space for more. So generally a 6Kg gas bottle is ideal in most cases. Some touring caravanners take a few bottles with them but this increases weight and generally not needed unless it’s a prolonged tour (and you can always refill during that period).
For a static caravan
A typical static caravan usually needs a 47kg propane gas bottle to provide enough gas for the heating, hot water, and cooking appliances. This would last around 20 hours of continuous gas use.
If you use your static caravan regularly, a changeover valve may be a good option to have as it enables you to have multiple gas bottles fitted and will automatically switch to a new bottle once the active one is empty, ensuring a continuous fuel supply. This means you don’t have to change bottles as frequently and you know when one is empty.
If you’re not sure, it’s best to consult with the caravan manufacturer or a qualified gas engineer to determine the exact size and type of gas bottle needed for your specific caravan. Generally though, the local park manager or operator would be able to advise and fit the right gas bottle for your needs. There’s a wealth of experience and knowledge in those park managers, so use them!
How much do these gas bottles cost?
The usual answer, of it depends. It depends where you are in the country, which supplier, the size of bottle and where you get it from. We cover this in more detail on our caravan Calor gas bottle prices section.