Derek Uzzell Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I recently came across an advert in a French motorhome magazine for the product described on the following link: http://gaslevel.de/?lang=en Although the website suggests that "GASLEVEL" may only be appropriate for 5 kg, 11 kg and 33 kg propane gas cylinders (ie. the German norm), it appears to have a wider bottle-size and gas-type capability. The website claims that GASLEVEL can work with both steel and aluminium canisters (see the website's Press section), but user comments suggest that there is a need for a bottle's metal surface to be smooth (which may not be the case with aluminium canisters) for the instrument to function correctly. User comments also suggest that the GASLEVEL will be unsuitable for Campingaz bottles. The Press Release section says: "Gaslock will be happy to provide a sample model of the Gaslevel to interested media representatives for testing purposes on request..." so it might be worth Warners representatives applying for samples for evaluation. I'm not certain how much call there might be within the motorcaravanning community for GASLEVEL but, for people who don't use refillable containers and want to know how much liquid gas is left in their bottles, the €24.90 (in Germany) asking-price doesn't seem outrageous. Assuming that the thing can provide an accurate readout, it's definitely a lot simpler than weighing a bottle and then having to calculate the amount of gas remaining. There's a short video on: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 How would they work then..?... ..are they just a flashier version of those *magnetic strip things(..which I asume work on bottle temp')?. :-S (*we had one when we bought our first van....and it was usleless..(lol) ) Edit: ignore me :$ ....I didn't see the Youtube vid' (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 There have been 'sonar' gas-contents sensing devices before. Truma used to market the "Sonatic" product, while Reich still offers their "GIM" systems. See: http://www.amazon.de/REICH-Gasflascheninhaltsmesser-GIM/dp/B00116QVQY However, the price of previous systems has always been a disincentive. GASLEVEL is a lot less sophisticated than Sonatic or GIM, just indicating where in a gas-bottle's interior the liquid gas stops and the space above the liquid begins. This should be good enough for most people I would think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Derek Uzzell - 2012-03-29 3:30 PM There have been 'sonar' gas-contents sensing devices before. Truma used to market the "Sonatic" product, while Reich still offers their "GIM" systems. See: http://www.amazon.de/REICH-Gasflascheninhaltsmesser-GIM/dp/B00116QVQY However, the price of previous systems has always been a disincentive. GASLEVEL is a lot less sophisticated than Sonatic or GIM, just indicating where in a gas-bottle's interior the liquid gas stops and the space above the liquid begins. This should be good enough for most people I would think. Pedant's corner here! :-) Probably not significant in terms of its performance, but it won't actually attach to an aluminium cylinder with a magnet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 We have a twin bottle setup with two bottles permanently connected via a 'T' piece connected to the regulator, so all I need to do when one bottle expires is quickly nip out and turn the new one on and the old one off. That way I always use all of the gas in every bottle and are not dependent on having to unfit and refit a bottle at an inconvenient time. Beats faffing about checking level gauges that will only tell you with some uncertainty what you already suspect in my ever so humble view! But each to their own! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 The gas in your bottle is a liquid. Simply disconnect the cylinder and hold it at about 45 degrees and slosh it about and you will have a fair idea how much is left. We used to do this on the hire vans on our family caravan site 50 years ago to decide when to change the cylinders on our hire vans. It worked just fine. The light weight 6Kg calor gas cylinders have a gauge on them which we find very handy. If it shows we have plenty of gas we only take one cylinder with us. If it is low we take the spare cylinder which is normally connected to the BBQ at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Just in case my earlier observation could be taken as having a jibe at Derek, it was intended solely to provide a different perspective on resolving the same problem of running not out of gas and not as a go at Derek. As far as Colin's idea of bottle shaking goes, that's fine if the part bottle is in the garage but as most of us carry the gas bottles in a locker with a smallish access door and with them secured in place with straps and also connected with a pigtail it kinda makes shaking or weighing a gas bottle that is in use something of a pain in the proverbial methinks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Tracker - 2012-03-29 6:43 PM We have a twin bottle setup with two bottles permanently connected via a 'T' piece connected to the regulator, so all I need to do when one bottle expires is quickly nip out and turn the new one on and the old one off. That way I always use all of the gas in every bottle and are not dependent on having to unfit and refit a bottle at an inconvenient time. Beats faffing about checking level gauges that will only tell you with some uncertainty what you already suspect in my ever so humble view! But each to their own! On our previous motorhome we used to have an automatic change over valve. Never trusted it so like you we used to allow a cylinder to run out and change over manually. Only time we ever used to leave both cylinders on and rely on it was when we had the fridge on gas. Being diabetic I could not afford to have the fridge where I stored my insulin run out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 30, 2012 Author Share Posted March 30, 2012 Brian Kirby - 2012-03-29 6:17 PM Derek Uzzell - 2012-03-29 3:30 PM There have been 'sonar' gas-contents sensing devices before. Truma used to market the "Sonatic" product, while Reich still offers their "GIM" systems. See: http://www.amazon.de/REICH-Gasflascheninhaltsmesser-GIM/dp/B00116QVQY However, the price of previous systems has always been a disincentive. GASLEVEL is a lot less sophisticated than Sonatic or GIM, just indicating where in a gas-bottle's interior the liquid gas stops and the space above the liquid begins. This should be good enough for most people I would think. Pedant's corner here! :-) Probably not significant in terms of its performance, but it won't actually attach to an aluminium cylinder with a magnet. The GASLEVEL Press Release says: "...And this is how it works! With the aid of a magnet on the rear, the Gaslevel is moved vertically along the gas cylinder. The signal light changes from red to green according to the level measured. Various tests have shown that the Gaslevel functions reliably on aluminum gas cylinders as well. However, in this case the device must be pressed against the cylinder manually due to the non-magnetic properties of aluminum. For all other types of gas cylinders, the Gaslevel can simply be left sticking to the gas cylinder until the next level check..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Bulgaria Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I, too, have seen this device advertised. I run with just a single 11Kg Gaslow refillable. I treat the Gaslow cylinder guage as a very crude indicator, so a more reliable/accurate measuring device would be helpful. Has anyone actually used one, and does it work? Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Uncle Bulgaria - 2012-05-31 3:13 PM I, too, have seen this device advertised. I run with just a single 11Kg Gaslow refillable. I treat the Gaslow cylinder guage as a very crude indicator, so a more reliable/accurate measuring device would be helpful. Has anyone actually used one, and does it work? Richard. I've no practical experience of the device I referred to at the start of this thread, but I note Truma now offers something similar. http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/Caravans/News/Accessories-and-Gadgets/Ultrasound-your-gas-bottle/_ch2_nw2055_pg1 http://www.truma.com/uk/en/gas-supply/accessories-gas-pressure-regulators.php http://www.gttowing.co.uk/TRUMA-LEVELCHECK/product/50500-01/505002D01/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Tracker - 2012-03-29 6:43 PM We have a twin bottle setup with two bottles permanently connected via a 'T' piece connected to the regulator, so all I need to do when one bottle expires is quickly nip out and turn the new one on and the old one off. That way I always use all of the gas in every bottle and are not dependent on having to unfit and refit a bottle at an inconvenient time. Beats faffing about checking level gauges that will only tell you with some uncertainty what you already suspect in my ever so humble view! But each to their own!We also currently have this set up which enables us to use all gas before changing over. Downside is that you never know wh3n this might happen, but no problem. We will be off on a longish trip across the Channel in a few weeks (post French mayhem) and will be fitting single 11kg Gaslow. The latest cylinders come with a crude guage and this should be sufficient in planning the next refill. For single cylinder (non refillable) users, a device to measure contents might be useful in allowing full use of remaining gas without risk of running out. For twin bottle systems, I don't really see a huge market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Bulgaria Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Derek Uzzell - 2012-06-01 7:50 AM Uncle Bulgaria - 2012-05-31 3:13 PM I, too, have seen this device advertised. I run with just a single 11Kg Gaslow refillable. I treat the Gaslow cylinder guage as a very crude indicator, so a more reliable/accurate measuring device would be helpful. Has anyone actually used one, and does it work? Richard. I've no practical experience of the device I referred to at the start of this thread, but I note Truma now offers something similar. http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/Caravans/News/Accessories-and-Gadgets/Ultrasound-your-gas-bottle/_ch2_nw2055_pg1 http://www.truma.com/uk/en/gas-supply/accessories-gas-pressure-regulators.php http://www.gttowing.co.uk/TRUMA-LEVELCHECK/product/50500-01/505002D01/ Derek, many thanks for the links to the Truma device. Appears expensive at over £60, but is clearly an option when running on a single cylinder, like I do. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Uncle Bulgaria - 2012-05-31 3:13 PM I, too, have seen this device advertised. I run with just a single 11Kg Gaslow refillable. I treat the Gaslow cylinder guage as a very crude indicator, so a more reliable/accurate measuring device would be helpful. Has anyone actually used one, and does it work? Richard. Richard, I have just purchased a single bottle 11kg Gaslow system and will be fitting it when my remaining Propane bottle (nearly) expires. The 'guage' on the new bottle is a tiny plastic clip-on affair - I was expecting something far more grand! How does this device work as it is not connected physically to the bottle so cannot measure pressure. Is it a version of what is being discussed in this thread? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 bolero boy - 2012-06-06 6:43 PM Uncle Bulgaria - 2012-05-31 3:13 PM I, too, have seen this device advertised. I run with just a single 11Kg Gaslow refillable. I treat the Gaslow cylinder guage as a very crude indicator, so a more reliable/accurate measuring device would be helpful. Has anyone actually used one, and does it work? Richard. Richard, I have just purchased a single bottle 11kg Gaslow system and will be fitting it when my remaining Propane bottle (nearly) expires. The 'guage' on the new bottle is a tiny plastic clip-on affair - I was expecting something far more grand! How does this device work as it is not connected physically to the bottle so cannot measure pressure. Is it a version of what is being discussed in this thread? Thanks. My understanding is that the gauge fitted to Gaslow bottles uses a 'mechanical' float arrangement as described in the Gaslow brochure: http://www.gaslow.co.uk/pdf/Gaslow-2011-brochure.pdf Gaslow's pressure-sensing gauges are basically a waste of money for measuring bottle contents. The Truma and "GasLevel" hand-held products are used externally, but the latter's price is much the cheaper. They should work satisfactorily, as the principles involved are not novel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dikyenfo Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Have got one coming from Germany so will report effectiveness later. Their website is very simple and Paypal identifies firm instantly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I get a cloth wet it with hot water, as hot as I can hold, and rolled up lay down side of cylinder and hold, after a 10 seconds or so, turn it over to get more heat out of the cloth into cylinder wall. Then run my hand/fingers down where cloth was placed and its very easy to detect the change in temp where the liquid level is. Or you get just let the cylinder dry and the bit above the gas level dries quicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Derek Uzzell - 2012-06-07 9:41 AM bolero boy - 2012-06-06 6:43 PM Uncle Bulgaria - 2012-05-31 3:13 PM I, too, have seen this device advertised. I run with just a single 11Kg Gaslow refillable. I treat the Gaslow cylinder guage as a very crude indicator, so a more reliable/accurate measuring device would be helpful. Has anyone actually used one, and does it work? Richard. Richard, I have just purchased a single bottle 11kg Gaslow system and will be fitting it when my remaining Propane bottle (nearly) expires. The 'guage' on the new bottle is a tiny plastic clip-on affair - I was expecting something far more grand! How does this device work as it is not connected physically to the bottle so cannot measure pressure. Is it a version of what is being discussed in this thread? Thanks. My understanding is that the gauge fitted to Gaslow bottles uses a 'mechanical' float arrangement as described in the Gaslow brochure: http://www.gaslow.co.uk/pdf/Gaslow-2011-brochure.pdf Gaslow's pressure-sensing gauges are basically a waste of money for measuring bottle contents. The Truma and "GasLevel" hand-held products are used externally, but the latter's price is much the cheaper. They should work satisfactorily, as the principles involved are not novel Thanks Derek, it's just that I can't see how this plastic clip-on guage can read any info from the float in the bottle - the two elements dont seem to be connected (certainly not mechanically). I will be doing my first fill shortly and will see what hapens guage wise, then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve928 Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 The same clip-on gauge with no visible connection is used on Calor Lite bottles - except in their case it's a screw-on gauge. I've always presumed it must be done my magnetism. Perhaps the float mechanism in the cylinder moves a magnet which swings the gauge needle?. I'm sure someone will know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 bolero boy - 2012-06-07 2:51 PM Thanks Derek, it's just that I can't see how this plastic clip-on guage can read any info from the float in the bottle - the two elements dont seem to be connected (certainly not mechanically). I will be doing my first fill shortly and will see what hapens guage wise, then. I admit that I've never examined a gauge-equipped Gaslow bottle closely, but a float-driven gauge is quite common nowadays even on exchange-only gas bottles (eg. Calor Lite canisters). Examples of float-operated level gauges for LPG containers are shown here http://www.squibbtaylor.com/subfiles/taylorcatalog.pdf and it's plain that, in these cases, the float mechanism is mechanically connected to the gauge. I was under the impression that there was a 'thingie' on the brass body of the outlet-valve of a Gaslow bottle that connected to a matching 'thingie' on the back of the gauge but, if you've unclipped the gauge and found no evidence of 'thingies' on either the gauge or outlet-valve, then I assume (as Steve928 suggests) a moving magnet must be used to operate the gauge. As lots of people have Gaslow bottles with gauges, the gauges must react appropriately when the bottles are filled/emptied otherwise there would have been so much moaning by now that I could not have missed hearing about it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Derek thanks again. I'm sure you (ans Steve) are correct in that there must be som ephysical movement in the fill neck which is detected by the guage, most likely a magnet. As I said, I am due my first fill soon (when the remains of my 2nd Calor are gone...) so I will see with my own eyes B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dikyenfo Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Got the Gaslevel and tried it out on 3 bottles of various types and it really works a treat and gives a precise reading and at a balance point it goes red/green in flashes. Highly recommended and the firm are very responsive with any difficulties with payment methods. Well worth it to not prat about unpacking my locker and wrestling a full size gas bottle. Hope this is of interest. The english price with post is about 25 quid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Bulgaria Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Thanks dikyenfo. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Picked up one of the new lightweight 6kg calor bottles at weekend for BBQ ....they weigh less full then old bottles empty. and have a meter. They are aluminum I think with grey plastic handles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dipsticks Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Just for those who are interested in the operation of the display by way of a pointer on a scale or display by means of Led's and if you are mechanically/electrically minded searching all the diagrams on the Schramifa website will likely explain all in the case of seeing no connection between the inside of the bottle and the display. It is done by a magnet. http://www.schramifa.com/index.php?id=uk&pid=2 These gauges are normally fitted to bulk tanks which give a very accurate level display both with a pointer on a scale and by means of Led's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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