I am planning on having a bbq on Sunday. My wife got me one of these new fangled gas bbqs a few months ago and only now have I had the desire for a bbq.
So I went to the store to get gas for it. And the broad wanted 100CHF and said something about getting 35CHF back if I bring the bottle back.
That price pretty much shocked me. Is that normal or did I go to an expensive shop?
Anyone ever just given up on the gas I stuck some old fashioned charcoal in the thing? I can imagine it working if I put some aluminium foil over the gas burners?
What stores sell gas? I checked migros and coop and couldn't see any!
Garages like Shell and BP sell gas so do the big Migros garages. Yes there is a deposit on the gas bottle and they give it back eventually when you take an empty back and don't want a new one... like we did when we gave our BBQ.
To give an approximate idea the deposit is usually in the CHF50-60 francs range. Then c. CHF50 for the gas itself - depending on bottle size & vendor. Make sure you get a receipt or a card for the deposit on the bottle.
We use the larger 20-something kilo bottles and grill on average every other night through the summer. Usually get about 20-30 dinners out of that on a 3 burner grill.
As well as garages these things are also sold at some branches of DIY type places such as Coop Bau & Hobby, Jumbo etc.
That's fine as long as you don't light the charcoal. The charcoal will burn at temperatures well in excess of 1000C, the melting point of aluminium is about 700C, and the conversion to a traditional bbq will be a one-way journey.
Oh, and don't forget to disconnect and put the gas cylinder somewhere out of the way, lest you inadvertently build yourself a daisy-cutter and upset the neighbours ( especially if it's a Sunday )
Another option for gas is from a friendly Dachdecher (the blokes who do roof tiling and waterproofing) then a 9kg is about CHF10/15. But be warned they are very Swiss and you need some local cred or an introduction before they will help.
For the record, a 10.5kg Vitagas (the big, grey one) container at my local Co-op costs CHF55- deposit on the canister, CHF10- deposit on the cap, and CHF45- for the gas itself.
See that would be fine for me because I'd get the 65CHF back. 45CHF isn't that bad for 10.5KG of gas....but the place I wanted said 105CHF for 5L of gas can't remember the weight and said that they would simply refill the canister when I came back.
Something may have gotten lost in translation though...I might pop into the giant coop and see what's up today....wish me luck!
When you pay your CHF55- you'll get an application form (which you can fill out at home) and a deposit card that you hang onto until you want your deposit back.