gas fittings for camping

see also:

• bushwalking in Australia
• hot water and showers for campers
• heaters for camping
• gas leak detectors
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propane,_butane,_and_LPG_container_valve_connections
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaOvPP2K3Fg how to refill gas canisters and which ones you can't refill

• “Universal LPG appliances” can use butane, propane or a mixture of both
• other appliances are designed to use only ONE of propane, butane or natural gas

• LPG stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas and this may refer to propane (as it usually is in Australia), butane or a mixture of both
• n-butane has a boiling point of -0.5degC and at 21deg is stored in cylinders or cartridges at 215kPa
• iso-butane has a boiling point of -11.7degC and at 21deg is stored in cylinders or cartridges at 310kPa
• propane has a boiling point of -42degC and at 21deg is stored in cylinders or cartridges at 860kPa hence requires extra strong and heavy cylinders but is better than butane in sub-zero temperatures
• natural gas is methane and appliances operate at much lower pressures than LPG (1.1kPa vs 2.75kPa)

• whilst you can use appliances with different fitting to the bottle via adapters such as 3/8”BSP–POL, these add extra connections and thus extra risk of gas leaks - so check the fitting before use
• you cannot in any instance join two gas hoses together as this can be dangerous
• you cannot lengthen the hose of a high-pressure stove but you can lengthen the hose of a low-pressure stove
• some principles regarding LPG gas cylinders
  • it is not legal to store an LPG gas inside the car except for a short trip to and from a refill
    • it may leak creating an explosion risk within an enclosed car cabin or in a roof pod
  • it is not legal to refill a cylinder that is more than 10yrs old unless you have it re-certified
  • they must be stored upright and out of direct sun
  • avoid storing them on your vehicle in an impact zone - most transport them on the roof rack - perhaps tied down in a milk crate - check your local regulations!
  • they are heavy a 1.25kg gas bottle actually weighs around 4kg when full
  • they are hard to judge how empty they are
  • the pressure inside them is generally high at 600-900kPa
    • a pressure regulator is usually needed to attach to most appliances and this reduces pressure to a more manageable and controlled 2.75kPa
      • caravans often have this regulator at the gas cylinder and thus you don't need to add extra regulators into the system for each appliance connected to the gas line - these must be fitted by licensed gas fitters.
      • some appliances have an internal regulator such as the Mr Buddy camping heater, but these also need a fuel filter to be used at the heater end of the hose

• this is used on larger 4-9kg cylinders such as those at service stations, Swap'n'Go, etc
• has a counter-intuitive thread rotation and thread is internal on the gas cylinder (ie. female) requiring a male POL hose

• LCC27 (Leisure Cylinder Connection) is a newer Australian safety standard for LPG gas cylinders introduced in 2021 and identifiable by a black valve knob and has an external thread as well as an internal thread like the older POL gas cylinders
• used on larger 4-9kg cylinders such as those at service stations, Swap'n'Go, etc
• designed to be backward-compatible with older POL hoses
• safer design as thread is no longer counter-intuitive and is less likely to leak - the older POL could have valve opened and leak even if nothing was attached
  • has an integrated ‘check-valve’ that does not allow gas to flow when the valve is opened, unless an appliance is securely attached to the cylinder
  • a gas seal achieved at the connection point prior to the check-valve being opened by the fitting of the appliance, irrespective of how tightly the ‘nut’ has been fastened by the user
  • external right-handed ACME thread
  • a large plastic ‘nut’ designed to soften in the event of a fire at or near the cylinder. This allows the appliance fitting to eject, in turn triggering the check-valve to stop gas flow
• you can use POL hoses on a LCC27 gas bottle but you cannot use a LLL27 hose on a POL gas bottle
• see https://www.snowys.com.au/blog/pol-and-new-lcc27-gas-fitting/

• this is used on smaller 1-4kg cylinders such as Companion brand cylinders

• proprietary fitting used on Primus bottles that has an internal fitting that only allows gas to flow once the fitting is fully inserted into the cylinder

• a new fitting which will replace POL and improves safety

• BOM fitting 465g propane cartridges
  • designed for BOM fittings on portable appliances
  • eg. Mr Buddy Heater
• threaded puncture cartridges
  • eg. Jetboil JetPower (propane/isobutane mix)
  • eg. Companion butane/propane mix Pro-Fuel cartridge
• aerosol can style butane canisters
  • eg. Companion butane/propane mix Pro-Fuel cartridge

• these are used to ensure you use the correct hose eg. cast iron burners

• used to connect to BOM 465g propane canisters eg. Coleman, Companion, Gasmate, Oztrail
• aka 1“-20 UNEF (Unified National Extra Fine) thread (1 inch outer diameter, 20 threads per inch)
• can be used with LPG cylinders via BOM to POL and BOM to 3/8″ LH adapters HOWEVER it is recommended to use a “fuel filter” as well otherwise you may have issues with your Mr Buddy heater or similar appliance not running

• threaded brass pipe fitting for gas or water connections
• external dimension of female is 1”
• internal dimension of female is 25/32“

• designed for more rapid connect/disconnect