METERED ESTATES - Improving LPG Manageability in Seafield Caravan Park

By Richard Smith, lpg business development manager, Meter Provida

When I was invited to visit Seafield Caravan Park, I was truly surprised - it was one of the nicest parks I have visited. It was a ‘holiday’ park where the customer is put first; a family run business with a priority for the comfort and safety of its most valuable possessions – its customers.

The park is under a continuous upgrading scheme that involves electrics, digital TV and, most importantly, gas. Simon Manners, the site manager, was very positive about the upgrade work, which is all improving the manageability of the site.

“Installing the gas main has been an interesting experience,” he said. “We decided to improve the image of the site by removing the gas cylinders. I contacted Pat Ardis of LPG Park Services, who was brilliant. A fount of knowledge, Pat talked me through the pros and cons of a piped gas system and we then formulated a plan to convert the site to a distribution system.”

The advantages are obvious for Simon – no ugly red bottles distracting from the beautiful views of the Northumberland coast. Added advantages are a less costly bottle replacement at all hours of the day.

“We are involving the caravan owners in our development programme by offering the option of staying on bottles or moving onto piped gas and having the advantage of a continuous supply,” said Simon.

Keeping it local is an important part of Simon’s philosophy. The people installing the PE pipe are local CORGI engineers.

“They know every inch of the site so it seemed like the best option,” said Simon.
Rather than digging the whole park up in one go to install the PE, this is being done continuously but extremely carefully. If you didn’t know it was being installed, you wouldn’t notice it.

Once again, LPG Park Services supplied all the planning, routing, materials and commissioning for the site, ensuring that the continuous installation continues. As most of the caravans are on gravel, LPG Park Services had to be innovative with the mounting of the meter boxes.

“We wanted to have the facility of a knock in post with the advantage of being able to remove the meter box for moving the caravan if required. After chatting with Richard Smith of Meter Provida over a quiet drink at the UKLPG conference, a solution was found - to produce a knock in post with a base plate welded to the top. This also has the advantage of securing the PE transition fitting,” said Pat Ardis.

One of the features with Seafields is the lack of ‘clutter’. Caravans these days are expensive and their owners are proud of them. They personalise them with nice gardens and ornaments, so the last thing they want is a dirty great ugly box standing in pride of place in their garden.

“The meter box design had to be small so it isn’t obtrusive and doesn’t detract from the design of their gardens,” said Simon. “I particularly like the meter boxes Pat has supplied from Meter Provida that have a hinge on the door. When the wind blows, and it does blow in the winter, there is a tendency for meter box lids to come lose and litter the park.”

The decision to upgrade the lpg system did not come easily. Simon’s philosophy is to own everything and, after much thought, he bought the bulk tanks that supply the park. As he now has his own CORGI engineers onsite, they are in a better position to manage the gas supply themselves, enabling him to choose the best gas prices for the site. Two tank farms ensure supply, with active/slam twin streams controlling the supply through old faithful HPR10 first stage regulators.

When asked the question: “So, is the underground distribution system the way to go?” Simon’s answer was a definite: “Yes!”

Pictures:
Pipework was installed whilst reducing disruption to holiday makers
Knock in base plate
Seafields lacks ‘clutter’
Bottles outside a caravan

Contact Meter Provida on 01246 269807 www.meterprovida.com

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