How a 45kg Gas Bottle Setup Works at a Rural Home

May 12, 2025

It's never a question of will you run out of gas, it's always a question of when

That's the line I use in the shop and I keep using it because it's true. A 45kg bottle empties on its own schedule rather than yours, and the people who get caught out are almost never the ones who use the most gas, they're the ones who had no way of knowing where they were up to. So this is how the setup actually works, and who does what when something needs attention.

Why country homes run 45kg bottles

Out here there's no mains gas, so the bottle is the supply, and a 45kg is the size that makes that workable. It runs the cooktop and the hot water and the heater without you thinking about it, and it is heavy enough that nobody is lifting it in and out of a car, which is the whole reason it gets delivered instead.

How long one lasts is the question I get asked most and it's the one I refuse to answer with a number, because there is no correct answer for how long a 45 kilo gas bottle lasts, there is only an answer for you. A household with gas hot water and a gas heater goes through it at a completely different rate to one that only cooks on it.

Two bottles and a changeover valve

Nearly every setup out here runs a pair. One bottle feeds the house, the second sits there full, and an automatic changeover valve switches over when the first one empties so you don't lose supply mid shower.

The bit people miss is that the valve is not a set and forget. It has an indicator on it, usually a little window that goes from green to red, and that indicator is the only warning you get that you're now running on your last bottle. Once it flips, you have a full bottle's worth of time to get the empty one swapped, which is plenty if you notice it and nothing at all if you don't. Walk past it once a month and you'll never be caught.

Who supplies it, and who bills you for what

This one confuses a lot of people and it's worth being plain about. Elgas is the supplier. We're the distributor, which means we buy the gas and the bottles from them and we sell them on to you. The gas you buy, you buy from us.

If your bottles are rented, Elgas bills you for that rental directly and that money never comes near us. We don't administer it and we take no cut of it, which is exactly why I'll explain it rather than sell it. It's also worth doing the sum on, because a rented bottle is a fee you pay every year forever for something you'll never own, and you can buy the bottle outright instead. We sell bottles, 45kg included.

Gas prices move, so we don't put them in anything that's going to sit here for years. The current price is on the 45kg LPG listing, which is always the live one.

How a changeover actually goes

Changeovers happen at your place on the run, never at the shop. Whoever is out that day swaps the empty over, then soap tests the connection for leaks before leaving, and the pigtails get a look at the same time.

One thing we do that's worth knowing about. We won't take a 45kg bottle away if we find it with gas still in it. You paid for that gas. Leaving it on site is the only version of that which makes sense, and it means a changeover sometimes turns into a conversation about timing rather than a swap.

And for older customers, the taps on a 45kg can be genuinely hard to turn, so we leave them on rather than making somebody wrestle with a valve they can't grip.

What we can do and what we can't

Pigtails are the flexible hoses between the bottle and the regulator. They perish and crack with age, and a cracked one is the commonest fault on an old setup. We replace those in house.

Regulators we do not touch. We're not licensed for that work and it's not a corner anybody should cut, so if the regulator is the problem we'll tell you and point you at a licensed gas fitter. Gas leak testing goes on every hook-up we do, and if we find a leak you get a photo of it and a referral rather than a patch.

When we're out your way

Strathalbyn runs go out Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons. The southern run is Thursday mornings, covering Langhorne Creek, Belvedere, Clayton, Milang, Finniss and Tooperang. Ashbourne, Macclesfield, Woodchester, Callington and Wistow are done on demand, fitted around the existing runs.

If you're on one of those runs, the easiest thing you can do for yourself is ring before the day rather than after the bottle goes empty.

The Gas Guardians Alliance

This is our membership for gas customers and it runs to four things: a free annual gas pigtail check, priority delivery, member-only discounts on gas and in-store gear, and service tags so you get a reminder rather than a cold shower. Have a look at the Gas Guardians page if that sounds useful.

Work out where you're up to

Gas Companion. Tracks a 45kg bottle so you're not guessing when it'll run out. It's built for the big ones nobody can lift to check.
Cassie. Our gas helper, for the questions that don't need a phone call.

Shop related products

LPG 45kg. Order it online any time, with the live price on the page.
The Definitive Guide to Gas Supply in the Fleurieu. The long version of all of this.

Did you know we also do refills on 9kg bottles and under when you bring them in, and Swap-and-Go on 4kg and 9kg. We sell bottles outright too, so you can own yours. None of that is a website transaction, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 or come in.

Where to get it sorted

Everything above sits on the LPG and industrial gas supply page, including the BOC agency side for welding gases and medical oxygen.

Keep reading

I still check my own changeover indicator by walking out with a torch at the wrong time of night, so the Gas Companion exists partly because I'm exactly the person it was built for.

Cheers,

Candeece