# lpg bottled propane catalunia, how to obtain?



## samcos (Mar 17, 2013)

I have a caravan sited in Amposta, Catalunia, anyone know where to get bottled propane locally and what do you need to do to get it? As ive been taking bottles over with us from the UK everytime we drive over but it would be a lot easier if i could pick them up local.


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## JoCatalunya (Mar 16, 2011)

samcos said:


> I have a caravan sited in Amposta, Catalunia, anyone know where to get bottled propane locally and what do you need to do to get it? As ive been taking bottles over with us from the UK everytime we drive over but it would be a lot easier if i could pick them up local.


There are two ways of doing it. 

First way....

Go to the local garage in your area and sometimes they have bottles of gas for sale. However, you cannot usually buy if you do not trade a bottle in, not sure if they will accept UK gas bottles or not so this option may not be open to you.

Second way...

You will need to find your local dealer in Amposta and register with him/her as to your desire to buy gas from him/her. There is one in Amposta though I am not sure where he/she is situated, but I would have thought the local Ajuntament will know, if not ask your neighbours (always assuming you speak either Spanish or Catalan) or hang out on the street corner for the gas delivery guy to come and pick up the gas bottles folk leave outside their houses and ask him how you can buy one and he might be able to point you in the right direction. 

Once you find the dealer he/she will usually then order an Engineer to come out and inspect your appliances (those that use Propane/Butane) and certify (if appropriate) that they are in good working order whereupon he will give you a certificate. All for a small fee of course. (tongue in cheek)

Once you have the certificate you can then take it into the dealer to show him/her after which you will be able to go on contract and buy gas bottles. 
Bear in mind that there is a deposit to be paid the first time you purchase. In theory you will get the deposit back if you have your contract and go in and cancel it but as I don't know anyone who has done this, I cannot say for sure it will or won't happen as it is supposed too. 

Not knowing how many gas bottles you will be wanting it is wise to state on your contract that you will likely want double the actual amount. This doesnt mean you have to buy them, but it does mean that if later on down the road you need to increase the number you won't have to have the engineer come out again etc, etc. So say if you want only one gas bottle, tell them you want a contract for 2 and bobs your uncle once you have your safety certificate you can buy up to 2 bottles of propane or butane and everyone will be happy. 

Hope that all makes sense. 

There is a way to get round the engineers inspection. Go out and buy something like a gas fire or cooker (table top one will surfice) and take the receipt into the dealer and you will not have to have the engineer come out and inspect your appliances because you will say any gas bottle is for the new appliance. 

To be honest, the buy a new appliance is the easiest way and the cheapest, but of course there is no guarentee in life especially here.

Oh did you know the big Carrefour in Amposta has just shut down.
It only just opened up a year or so back. Guess there just wasnt enough custom going through its doors.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Most (?) Repsol garages sell the orange Butano bottles, but you will need to obtain an empty one in order to exchange it. You can sometimes find these foe sale at car boot sales. The other way would be to talk to one of the Repsol or Cepsa delivery drivers that go around the villages.

Unless you live above the snow line you should not need Propane, Butane can be used instead. 

For fixed installations in order to obtain the first bottle it is necessary to set up a contract which involves an inspection of the installation. This may also apply to caravans. When we signed up with our local Repsol agent we were required to buy two bottles initially; the contract does not bind you to the agent nor is there a ongoing minimum purchase clause. Once you have your first bottle you can exchange it at your convenience when and where you please. The first bottles(s) supplied by Repsol will cost around 50-70 Euros. When exchanging empties for full, I think the going rate is around 16.50 Euros.

I'm not certain but you might well find the hose connector on the caravan is incompatible with the Spanish bottles. The gas hoses have a life of 5 years and should be renewed after this period. New hoses and compatible connectors are available from most ferretarias (hardware shops).

Hope this helps.

* JoCatalunya*

Cross posting Sorry! Got interrupted whilst typing!


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## JoCatalunya (Mar 16, 2011)

whitenoiz said:


> Most (?) Repsol garages sell the orange Butano bottles, but you will need to obtain an empty one in order to exchange it. You can sometimes find these foe sale at car boot sales. The other way would be to talk to one of the Repsol or Cepsa delivery drivers that go around the villages.
> 
> Unless you live above the snow line you should not need Propane, Butane can be used instead.
> 
> ...


No worries.

Car Boots are not that popular here, there is a Car Boot sale up Mora de Nova and there used to be one over L'Ametlla though I am not too sure if you can get gas bottles from either.

Price of gas here in Catalunya starts at 17.50 for Propane and`18.50 for Butane, however it is going up by 1.50 a bottle (for each type) at the end of this month.

If the OP needs help with this he can send me a PM and I will try and point him in the right direction but in the end he will have to get a contract in order to get gas over here.

The engineers report must be obtained for caravans as well as houses.


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## samcos (Mar 17, 2013)

Thanks for the posts guys, some really useful info there. I like the sound of buying a new heater and taking the receipt to the garage to get a contract without the inspection, sounds a lot less hasstle in the long run. And i can bring the heater back over here after (UK) where we need it!! Thanks again. Sam


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## JoCatalunya (Mar 16, 2011)

samcos said:


> Thanks for the posts guys, some really useful info there. I like the sound of buying a new heater and taking the receipt to the garage to get a contract without the inspection, sounds a lot less hasstle in the long run. And i can bring the heater back over here after (UK) where we need it!! Thanks again. Sam


The new item only works when you get a contract from the dealer. So be sure to find out where they are and pop into the office to get a contract. Take your new item receipt in to show them (I even took the item in the car with me just in case) and it was pretty straight forward from that point onwards.


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## samcos (Mar 17, 2013)

Ive managed to find a repsol gas bottle foe sale on ebay, if i was to buy this would it just be a case of taking it into a repsol garage for an exchange? Or does the whole inspection, contract still stand?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

samcos said:


> Ive managed to find a repsol gas bottle foe sale on ebay, if i was to buy this would it just be a case of taking it into a repsol garage for an exchange? Or does the whole inspection, contract still stand?


if you have an empty one, you can just swap it for full

out of interest.... how much is it on ebay ???

they go for about 10-15€ around here on FB groups


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## samcos (Mar 17, 2013)

Ah that sounds good and hasstle free, the one on ebay is £20 at the moment i wouldnt have thaught it will go for a lot more than that, only prob is its over 100 miles from me to go and collect if i win!


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## samcos (Mar 17, 2013)

Thanks guys for all your help regarding the propane gas, in the end i purchased a repsol bottle from here on the UK on ebay, took it to repsol garage in Amposta and swapped it, simple as that made life a lot easier.

Jo, Yes your right the Carrefour is shut already, couldnt beleave it!


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