Most caravan owners will have to use gas at some points, despite their misgivings. Safefill gas bottles aim to using LPG safer and easier for multiple purposes, but caravanners in particular.
If you haven’t heard of Safefill gas bottles before, this blog post is the perfect starting point for you. I’ve used Safefill bottles myself for a long time, so I’ve created this all-you-need-to-know guide that should answer all your questions.
What Is A Safefill Gas Bottle?
A Safefill bottle is a type of gas cylinder that can be used with caravans, boats, barbecues, motorhomes, and more. A Safefill gas cylinder has a very distinctive appearance, as shown below.
The key selling point of Safefill gas bottles is that you can refill them yourself, so you don’t have to return them to an LPG supplier to get them refilled. Ultimately, this can save you a lot of time and money, as you can refill your Safefill gas cylinder quicker and more cost-effectively at forecourts offering LPG.
You can refill the Safefill gas cylinder at hundreds of forecourts offering LPG in the UK. But that’s not where the benefits end here. I would personally recommend the Safefill gas cylinders to any caravanner. Let’s take a look at why Safefill gas bottles are highly recommended.
Where You Can Buy Safefill Gas Cylinders
Safefill gas cylinders are in high demand, so they’re very hard to come by. I ended up having to purchase my Safefill gas cylinder from eBay. You can take a look at the bottles on eBay here.
Unfortunately, purchasing a bottle on eBay will mean you pay slightly more than the retail price — for example, the 7.5kg bottle would generally cost around £160–£170 from a reputable retailer. On eBay, expect to spend around £200–£210 for a 7.5kg bottle.
I’d say it’s still worth the expense, as you’ll ultimately save a fortune in the long run if you’re regularly travelling.
Pros and Cons of Using Safefill Gas Cylinders
It’s fair to say that Safefill bottles are fantastic. But let’s break down why you should invest in a Safefill bottle.
So as you can see, there are way more pros than cons where the Safefill cylinders are concerned. I’m going to write about the pros and cons in more detail now. By the end of this section, you’ll know whether one (or multiple!) of these cylinders is worth the investment.
Refillable
As far as I’m concerned, the biggest ‘pro’ of a Safefill cylinder is that you can refill it at a number of forecourts across the UK. Safefill has even partnered with supermarkets, such as Morrisons, to make refilling easier than ever.
If you’re like most caravanners, you’re probably using expendable gas bottles at the moment. For example, the gas cylinders you get from Calor Gas that you can’t refill yourself. Every time you need more gas, you need to pay Calor Gas to refill your bottle for you – because there’s no way for you to refill one of these cylinders yourself! Furthermore, you can refill your Safefill cylinder whenever you want. Getting your cylinder refilled by a company such as Calor can take days, if not weeks.
The video below from Lodge Farm Leisure demonstrates just how easy it is to refill a Safefill bottle.
As you can see in the video above, refilling a Safefill bottle is super easy at hundreds of forecourts across the UK. Not only is it easy, but it’s safe too thanks to the overfill prevention device, automatic back-check valve, and tamperproof fittings.
It’s different if you’re using a Safefill bottle because you can refill it time and time again yourself, at hundreds of UK forecourts. There’s no more hassle going to a local retailer and paying them to refill your bottle for you because you can do it yourself!
In the long run, this will save you time and money. It’s much cheaper to refill a Safefill bottle than it is to pay Calor Gas to replenish your bottle for you, for example.
Very Lightweight
The Safefill cylinders are much lighter than your typical gas cylinders. For example, let’s compare the Safefill cylinders with the Calor gas equivalents.
| Safefill | Calor Gas | |
|---|---|---|
| Small (Empty) | 5kg cylinder: 3.4kg | 6kg cylinder: 7.3-10.9kg |
| Small (Full) | 5kg cylinder: 8.4kg | 6kg cylinder: 15-17kg |
| Large (Empty) | 10kg cylinder: 5kg | 13kg cylinder: 12.7-21.9kg |
| Large (Full) | 10kg cylinder: 15kg | 13kg cylinder: 25-35kg |
Unfortunately, these cannisters aren’t directly comparable because they are different sizes (Safefill’s smallest is 5kg, while Calor’s is 6kg). However, the disparity in weights is still obvious. The smallest Calor bottle is over double the weight of Safefill’s smallest. Right now, you’re probably wondering why.
It’s all down to what the gas bottles are made of. Calor Gas bottles, for example, are made of steel. Safefill’s bottles, on the other hand, are primarily made up of polyethylene, high density polyethylene, and glass fibres. For those who don’t know, polyethylene is the most commonly used plastic in the world. That explains why Safefill’s bottles are so much lighter.
Having a lighter gas bottle is great for numerous reasons:
- Easier to fit/refill
- Reduces the weight your carrying in your caravan
Translucent Sides
The sides of the Safefill cylinders are semi-transparent. Why’s this such a big deal? Well, it makes your life so much easier!
As caravan owners using gas cylinders will attest, having to guess when your gas is going to run out is impossible and a massive pain. Thanks to the semi-transparent sides of the Safefill cylinder, you can keep an eye on your gas. You’ll know when it’s getting low so you can go and fill it up.
If you have two cylinders, you can swap them around when one gets low and go fill the other.
There are gadgets for opaque steel gas bottles, but these seldom work effectively. With a Safefill bottle, gone are the days of wondering just when your gas is going to run out. If you use your caravan a lot and consume a lot of gas, this is a big advantage of the Safefill bottle!
Safe and Easy To Refill
As you’ll know, standard gas cylinders are not designed to be refilled by the customer. In fact, attemping to refill one yourself is dangerous to say the least.
Safefill bottles are designed to be refilled. Refilling is safe and easy, as each cylinder has several safety features.
All Safefill cylinders feature:
- Automatic overfill prevention device
- Back-check valve in case you forget to close the valve
- Tamper-proof fittings which only allow gas to exit when connected to your caravan
Long-Term Savings
In the long term, you will save a lot of money with Safefill gas cylinders.
Because you can fill the Safefill cylinder yourself, refills are much cheaper. Again, let’s compare Safefill to Calor Gas.
To refill a 6kg Calor Gas cylinder, it costs approximately £23.45. To refill a 5kg Safefill cylinder, it will cost you approximately £7. LPG costs will vary from region to region, but the savings here are immediately obvious. I don’t think many caravanners realise how much you can save when you have an LPG cylinder that you can refill yourself.
Now we’ve covered all the benefits of Safefill cylinders, let’s take a look at the cons…
There’s one big disadvantage that puts a lot of people off: upfront cost.
Con: Large Upfront Cost
The main drawback of the Safefill cylinders is how expensive they are.
| Bottle Size | Price (Approx.) |
|---|---|
| 5kg | £165 |
| 7.5kg | £168 |
| 10kg | £175 |
You can purchase a 5kg Safefill cylinder for approximately £165. The largest of the cylinders, 10kg, can be purchased for approximately £175.
Let’s compare that to the prices of the Flogas equivalents.
| Bottle Size | Price (Approx.) |
|---|---|
| 3.9kg | £60 |
| 11kg | £72 |
As you can see, the Flogas nearest equivalents are much cheaper to purchase. Also, the prices given for Flogas cylinders include the bottle as well as the gas. On the other hand, the Safehill cylinder prices don’t include the gas.
Looking at these prices, it’s easy to see why people choose to go for a traditional gas cylinder over a refillable one such as Safefill. However, when you consider the long-term savings of having a refillable Safefill cylinder, the upfront cost really doesn’t matter. Admittedly, it’s still a stumbling block for most considering how little gas some people will actually use.
Con: Lack of Awareness May Cause Problems
There’s a lack of awareness around Safefill gas bottles, which may cause you some problems. There are a lot of petrol stations up and down the country that don’t understand how Safefill cylinders work. Consequently, they may not let you fill your cylinder at their station.
A lot of petrol stations don’t understand how Safefill cylinders work. Consequently, they may not let you fill your cylinder at their station.
Awareness of Safefill is increasing. They’re partnered with some massive businesses, like Morrisons. However, if you try to fill your cylinder at a petrol station Safefill aren’t partnered with, don’t be surprised if someone stops you.
Are Safefill Containers Worth The Money?
So, despite all the benefits, the price of a Safefill cylinder is still a big stumbling block for some. There’s no question about the quality of Safehill cylinders. The question here is whether or not Safefill containers are really worth the money?
I think it all comes down to how much you’ll be using gas. If you only use your caravan a day or two a year, is it really worth spending £165 minimum on a fancy gas cylinder?
On the other hand, if you’re always using your caravan, you could save yourself a lot of money by investing in Safefill cylinders.
If you do use your caravan a lot or use propane for other purposes, I would recommend Safefill cylinders wholeheartedly. It is an investment, but it’ll save you a fortune in the long run.