Explain Calor Gas to me like I'm a 5 year old

[Simon]

I have an old bottle that a colleague gave me sitting on the patio. It doesn't connect to my BBQ. I know Calor will give me a few quid for it.

I need to get one of the BBQ/Patio bottles for the BBQ - I have the hose for this.

When I tried to do this last year everywhere local was out of stock. Now I can sign up to Calor and do it from them? But I have to pay a deposit etc?

I also see the local garden centre and B&Q advertise that they have gas. Will they use my 'Calor account'? Do they refill my own bottle or swap it over?

Sorry, I don't understand any of this. Just want a small patio bottle so I don't have to keep using the propape/butane mix cannisters from Screwfix anymore.

Thx!

[ZedLeg]

It's been a long time but iirc, if you do it with direct Calor they will deliver new bottles and collect the empties.

If you go to a shop they'll take the empty and give you a full one.

[mik]

Places like B&Q and garages yada yada will provide a full bottle in return for an empty one. At the moment I think it is like-for-like only (ie they'll only sell you a 15kg bottle if you are returning a 15kg bottle, but in the past you could swap for a different size (so long as it was the same gas type).

You can get a new one from Calor, or a 2nd hand one from eBay/gumtree etc if you want to save some money.

edit: I don't believe Calor will give you anything for an old bottle unless you can prove purchase. To try and combat bottle theft.

[Carlos]

Calor BBQ/Patio gas (Green Bottle) is the same gas as Calor Propane (Orange/Red) but has a different connector.

You can use Propane but will need to buy a new regulator (connector).

Mik is correct that there is a shortage and most garages and garden centres will only exchange like for like but I found Go Outdoors didn't care what I exchanged as long as there was a bottle coming in.

[Simon]

Thanks everyone. Seems simplest then is to just buy a patio gas from Faceache marketplace, then go to 'somewhere' to exchange it for a refilled one when it runs out.

[Jobbo]

That was what I did during COVID; cost me £75 I think for a patio gas 13kg cylinder which was about half full.

You could potentially use Flogas which seems to be more available.