You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I've been working at a lady's house and she asked me to take away a Calor Gas heater as she can't drag the bottles around anymore.
So is it worth keeping? Looks a fairly modernish one. Has a blue 15kg Butane bottle which is empty. Where do you get it filled? How much is it? Is it worth it economically. How long would a full bottle last. How do you disconnect the bottle? Is the little disk thing part of the heater or the bottle. Is it safe in a flat?
My Dibnah-esque dad says they're great and to crack on, whereas my modern fearful friends are reacting like I'm considering bringing a live bomb into my home.
Oh yeah, and if I do buy a new gas bottle, is it dodgy to have it just shoved in the boot of the car?
The combustible portion of the fuel is hydrogen.
It burns with oxygen to make.... H20.
Where does all that water go? On your walls, windows, in your house generally.
I'd avoid.
APF
We've got one at our off grid place. Does what it is supposed to. You can sit in front of it like a log burner but a lot less faff. Easy to get full bottles. Lots of petrol stations have them, as do one stop type shops in rural areas. Take the empty one and swap for a full one. Not the cheapest way to get heat but not too bad either. Never actually worked it out but a bottle lasts us ages.
There should be a little lever to unclip the regulator. That stays with the heater and you have a bottle ready to swap
Not very economical. Creates humidity.
Only use if you don’t have other options.
Disk thing I presume is the regulator which stays with the heater.
Bottles are on an exchange basis from petrol stations, B&Q etc
For transportation they are pretty safe. I usually put a strap round it in case of an accident. You don't want it hitting you in the back of the head
Great. Thanks all. Might try it for a bottle's worth.
Not for regular use as mains gas is cheaper and condensation. If I got a free one I would get a full gas bottle then stick it in the shed for if we get power cuts this winter.
As irc said. Handy to have.
We used one for a while, its really convenient as long as you can lift the bottle but ours is in the shed, unused, as the bottles are now over £50
I keep it only because its completely independent of electricity so a good backup.
Commonly known as bombs on wheels….
Not for the threat of explosion, more the CO risk due to the very high ventilation requirements needed
I find them a great portable heat source, mainly used in the garage and workshop over winter. Press the arrow shaped knob in and twist to disconnect the bottle. Reverse to connect. Never had damp issues but then always used in well ventilated spaces. I think it's about £40 for a 15mg exchange now, but they last for ages.
Sorry, 15mg. Fits in a rear footwear but keep them upright; if laid over stand upright for an hour before using.
As above, useful as a back up. Used to use mine a lot in the garage but the gas has gone up (should really get a refill) and things got really wet away from the heat source due to the condensation.
The combustible portion of the fuel is hydrogen
Wrong, the combustible portion is hydrocarbons, CHx plus O2 equals H2O and CO2 or if it's not burning well CO which is why it can be dangerous. I did have a CO monitor in the garage but the cold used to kill the battery.
I'd hang onto it but buy a CO monitor.