Change from Repsol gas bottles to Cepsa silver bottles

Can the lovely people on this forum help with my query please? We have the red Repsol gas bottles and we have the contract from the Repsol office in Almoradi. We would like to change to the silver Cepsa bottles as they are lighter and easier to replace. Can this be done easily? Are the regulator fittings the same and where is the office to get a new contract?

I'm 99% certain that the fittings are the same, but I've never actually put a red bottle on one of my regulators, so can't say categorically. Having said that, you only ever see one style of regulator for sale in Spain, so they must be the same.
I've taken-out a Cepsa contract at the BP garage in La Zenia before, but I suppose most outlets will let you do that. I'd guess a Cepsa petrol station would be the most logical place to go - probably easy to park near the gas bottle store too.

The other - and probably cheaper alternative is to buy a few used bottles from forums like this - no contract needed then.

If you do take-out a contract they need your name and address and NIE number, but I guess that a passport number may also be acceptable. When I did it they didn't ask for the actual paperwork to prove the address and NIE, just wanted the info writing on the form.

Pete.

Thank you

wish someone would tell me why you need a contract, been here 6 years and never had one, got our bottles from buy and sell sites, just take empty ones to where ever and get a full one, simple.

Very true I have been her 12 years never had one either, and yes the 2 types of cilenders are compatible for the regulators. Pete.

If you take out a contract (OK, it's Spanish law and the Brits are very good at ignoring things they aren't used to) then you get free delivery of the refills (handy if you live out in the campo). You should also have your items registered so they can be checked every five years (not applicable to portable items like fires). If you don't have an up to date safety certificate for gas stoves, hot water boilers etc then you may find a problem with an insurance claim should anything happen. (Beware of the gas scammers).

However, I only use mine for the portable gas heater and check the hoses etc each year and don't have a contract for the two gas bottles I have.

The "Contract" is the same as in the UK with Calor or BP & I suspect EU wide . . . . It is actually a "First Use" User Agreement stating you will only use them to refill/exchange the cylinders and that you don't actually own the cylinder - they do - so wont sell it or transfer it away from the registered address. It is totally ignored both in Spain & UK, but it covers their back if you were daft enough to try and refill it yourself!! From earlier this year BP Gas, or at least Homebase that sell it don't bother with getting you to sign the initial agreement anymore.
The regulator fittings are universal for each gas type i.e. Butane or Propane - but you cant fit a butane regulator on a propane cylinder or vice versa as they need different regulation settings.

Babu wrote:The "Contract" is the same as in the UK with Calor or BP & I suspect EU wide . . . . It is actually a "First Use" User Agreement stating you will only use them to refill/exchange the cylinders and that you don't actually own the cylinder - they do - so wont sell it or transfer it away from the registered address. It is totally ignored both in Spain & UK, but it covers their back if you were daft enough to try and refill it yourself!! From earlier this year BP Gas, or at least Homebase that sell it don't bother with getting you to sign the initial agreement anymore.
The regulator fittings are universal for each gas type i.e. Butane or Propane - but you cant fit a butane regulator on a propane cylinder or vice versa as they need different regulation settings.

but the regulator fits both bottles.

Yes Both are Propane normally . . .

A few thoughts on the Butane/Propane thing...
Most people seem, to use Butane. When we bought our place in Spain the previous owner used Cepsa Butane bottles for a built-in gas fire. He has two bottles connected to the fire and both had to be turned on at the same time to get a decent amount of heat. This meant that both bottles ran-out at the same time, and he didn't have any spares.
I found the instructions for the gas fire and it said to use a two Butane bottles, or a single Propane bottle. I picked-up a Propane bottle and a new regulator that was suitable for both types of gas tried it. Suure enough you get the same pressure from a single Propane bottle as you do from two Butane bottles.

I now have a setup with an automatic chahangeover valve and two Propane bottles. When one bottle runs out it automatically switches over to the other bottle and you can remove the empty one and go and get a refil.
The automatic switchover valve only works with Propane bottles as they retain a fairly constant output pressure right until the end, unlike Butane where the pressure drops-off quite quickly when the start to become empty.
With my setup the fitting that goes on the bottle doesn't include a regulator, so you have high pressure gas feeds into the changeover valve, which then has a regulator on the outlet side. I bought this stuff in the UK, from a company that specialises in camping equipment. The gas bottle fittings used in Spain are the same as those used in Ireland, so it was fairly easy to get the parts in the UK.

The other advantage of using Propane is that the refils are about €2 cheaper than Butane (the last time I had a refil, which was a couple of months ago, it cost €9.95).

The only problem for Maxiep, if he wants to Propane rather than Butane is that the Cepsa Propane bottles seem a bit heavier than their Butane ones - probably because the gas it at higher pressure so they have to be a bit stronger.

Pete.