Using 47KG LPG cylinders - advice sought from existing users

ilikecookies

Hello and thanks for looking - I'm after a bit of advice from folks who use 47KG LPG cylinders for cooking/central heating.

To cut a long story short we are going to do away with our bulk LPG tank as part of a switch from LPG to oil for our central heating. However, we are retaining the existing Rayburn (which currently does both our central heating and cooking) as a cooker only. As such we plan to run the Rayburn from cylinders going forward and so am looking for a bit of advice:

1) Are there any special health and safety considerations when using cyclinders? For example, do the cylinders need to be kept in a locked cage?

2) Is it possible to connect multiple cylinders together to reduce the number of cylinder changes required?

3) Are the cylinders usually delivered or can you collect (47KG would seem pretty heavy after all)? What happens when they are empty - do you have to take them back/get them collected?

4) And the most important of all - what are the cons/gotchas to watch out for in terms of pricing? For example, do companies charge you a "deposit" when you first order? I assume refills are cheaper than the initial purchase, etc? How easy is it to change supplier, etc?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

bobhawke

1) When you buy a change over kit you can get them with a metal holder thing for bottles though they cost quite a lot of money. As far as I know there is no health and safety requirement, it is purely aesthetic.

2) You can get a 2 way or 4 way changeover kit. If you are only using it for cooking a 2 way will be sufficient.

3)You can collect or get them delivered. Easier to get it delivered as a full 47kg bottle usually weighs at least 84kg. Difficult to get in your car and you have to roll it in a blanket or something to stop it damaging your car. When 1 bottle is empty, phone up get a full one delivered. They will take away the empty one and replace it with a full one.

4) Most businesses charge you a deposit which you have no hope of getting back. Refills are only cheaper if you have paid a deposit on your initial purchase. If a place insists on a bottle deposit then go to your local dump and pick up an empty bottle, they will happily let you take a couple, just make sure it is the right brand (Calor empty if buying from Calor etc).
Easy to change supplier, you won't be signing a contract. Ring around and find the best price, you are usually best buying from a small business that is a dealer for one of the big companies as you can bargain with them, get better service, better prices etc