How to Set Up an LPG Coffee Machine in Your Catering Van: Fracino CON2ELPG Install Guide (2026)

Last updated: May 2026

Last updated: May 2026

Setting up an LPG coffee machine in a catering van comes down to four parallel installs — gas, water, power, and the machine itself — done in the right order so nothing gets damaged on first switch-on. The Fracino Contempo dual-fuel range is the only commercial espresso machine line in the UK built to run on propane in a mobile trailer, and the Fracino Contempo CON2ELPG (2 group, push-button automatic) is the model most coffee vans land on once they realise high-street espresso machines simply don’t have a gas option.

This guide walks through every step a mobile coffee operator needs to commission their machine: battery and inverter sizing, the 37 mbar propane regulator, water tank and softener, COMCAT 2 gas install, first-shot calibration, the mistakes that wreck boilers in week one, and the safety checks that keep the trailer trading.

Quick verdict — what a CON2ELPG install actually needs

Headline price for the CON2ELPG is from £3,189 plus VAT, complimentary barista kit included as standard. If lever-pull is non-negotiable for your brand, the Fracino FCL2LPG mobile coffee machine buying guide covers the Retro range alternative — same boiler size, same 37 mbar gas spec, lever group head instead of push-button.

How to set up an LPG coffee machine in your catering van (6 steps)

Before you start: this is a commercial gas appliance. Steps 1–4 are jobs you can plan and stage yourself, but the final gas connection in step 5 must be done by a COMCAT 2 registered engineer. Trying to commission the machine end-to-end without the gas-side cert will void the Fracino warranty and leave you uninsured if the trailer is inspected on a pitch.

Step 1 — Plan the bench layout and clearances

The CON2ELPG sits 575 mm tall, 580 mm wide, 500 mm deep, weighs 55 kg, and needs a flat, level worktop rated for ≥80 kg once full of water. Leave 600 mm clearance above the machine for steam wand operation and heat venting, plus 75 mm at the rear and 75 mm at each side. Most mobile coffee builds also drop in the grinder to the left and a small knock-out drawer beneath — sketch it before fitting because once the gas line is plumbed in you can’t easily slide the machine left or right.

Step 2 — Install the 12V battery and 1000W inverter

On gas mode the CON2ELPG draws around 350 W from its auxiliary boost element plus a few amps for the water pump and digital controls. A 110 Ah leisure battery wired to a 1000 W pure-sine inverter (never modified-sine — Fracino’s pump electronics don’t like it) covers a full eight-hour trading day comfortably. Mount the battery in a vented compartment, fuse the positive lead within 300 mm of the terminal, and run cable rated for the load (10 mm² for short runs, larger for 2 m+). If you plan to switch to full electric mode (2.85 kW element) when on shore power or a generator, you’ll need a separate 13A or 16A feed; the inverter alone cannot carry the electric element.

Step 3 — Plumb the fresh water tank, softener, and pump

The 14 L boiler is fed by a high-pressure pump pulling from a food-grade fresh water tank. Fit a softener / scale filter inline between the tank and the pump — limescale is the single most common warranty-killer in mobile coffee machines because hard UK water concentrates inside the boiler at every refill. Fracino’s filter advisory is replacement every two months minimum at trading volume; budget for it as a consumable, not a one-off. Set the pump to deliver around 9 bar brewing pressure; anything over 12 bar means the regulator on the pump head needs adjusting before the machine goes any further.

Step 4 — Mount the propane cylinder, regulator, and gas line

A 19 kg propane patio cylinder is the mobile-catering standard and the right match for the CON2ELPG’s 5.0 kW heat input — it’ll typically run a full trading day at moderate use before needing a swap. Mount the cylinder upright in a vented external locker (never inside the serving area), fit a 37 mbar propane regulator matched to the I3P(37) category on the machine’s data plate, and run armoured LPG hose to the appliance. Never substitute butane: butane stops vaporising below about 2 °C, which means a butane cylinder will leave you with no coffee on a frosty November morning at exactly the moment your queue is longest. Propane vaporises down to roughly -42 °C and is the only fuel the appliance is rated for.

Step 5 — COMCAT 2 gas commissioning and CP44 certificate

This is the step that has to be a registered engineer. A COMCAT 2 (Commercial Catering Appliances) Gas Safe engineer will pressure-test the line, confirm 37 mbar at the appliance inlet, check for leaks at every joint, set the gas valve, fire the boiler, and issue a CP44 commercial gas safety certificate. Keep the CP44 in the trailer — local authority Environmental Health Officers and event organisers will ask for it. The same engineer should return annually for the service. Without a current CP44, your public liability insurance is generally void and most reputable event organisers will turn you away at the gate.

Step 6 — First fire-up, boiler fill, and steam calibration

With gas live and water plumbed in, fill the boiler to the level marker before powering on — running a dry boiler is the second most common warranty-killer after limescale. Switch the fuel selector (right of the right-hand group) to “GAS”, open the cylinder valve, and let the boiler warm up. Cold-start to full pressure takes around 30 minutes on gas (about 15 minutes on electric mode if you have shore power). Watch the boiler gauge climb to 1.0–1.2 bar — that’s the target operating range. Pump pressure during a shot should sit at 9 bar. If steam pressure climbs above 1.5 bar or pump pressure exceeds 12 bar, isolate the machine and call a Fracino-approved service centre before the next trading day.

Power: why 12V battery + 1000W inverter is the standard

The reason most mobile coffee builds end up at this exact specification isn’t accident — it’s the lowest-cost setup that can run the CON2ELPG on gas mode for a full trading day without a generator. On gas, the machine draws 350 W for the auxiliary boost element plus a small constant load for the water pump and electronics. A 110 Ah leisure battery stores roughly 1,320 Wh of usable energy at 50% depth of discharge, which comfortably covers eight hours of trading with the pump cycling normally.

If you plan to operate in fully electric mode — useful when you’ve got 13A or 16A shore power at a regular pitch, or when you want to dial in extra-quick recovery between shots — the CON2ELPG’s electric element rates at 2.85 kW. That’s well beyond what a 1000 W inverter can deliver, which is why electric-mode operation always assumes mains or generator power. A MobCater LPG generator sized at 3 kW or 5 kW handles this comfortably and keeps the whole rig running off the same propane supply as the machine.

Fracino’s manual carries a warning that’s easy to miss: if you’re running on inverter power, the fuel selector switch must be on “GAS” — not “ELECTRIC” — otherwise the inverter will trip trying to source the 2.85 kW element. The selector lives on the right-hand side of the right-hand group head. Click towards you for electric mode, away for gas. It is the most-overlooked switch on the entire machine.

Gas: the 37 mbar propane rule and why butane fails

Every Fracino dual-fuel espresso machine carries the I3P(37) category on its data plate. That code means the appliance is designed for propane at 37 millibar — and only that. The 37 mbar regulator at the cylinder head is matched to that spec; an LPG gas engineer will not certify a CP44 on a machine fed by anything else.

The propane-vs-butane question comes up often enough that it deserves a plain answer: butane is for patio heaters, indoor camping stoves, and domestic use. It stops vaporising below roughly 2 °C, which in UK trading terms means it fails on a cold morning, an autumn evening, or any winter event. Propane vaporises down to roughly -42 °C, which is why every commercial mobile catering appliance is rated for propane. Substituting butane will not work — the machine will starve, the regulator will not seat correctly on a propane cylinder, and the gas engineer cannot certify the install.

The 19 kg patio cylinder is the size most mobile coffee operators settle on. It fits in a standard external locker, gives you a full day of steady trading on the CON2ELPG’s 5.0 kW heat input, and is widely available at Calor stockists across the UK. A few high-volume festival operators run a pair of 19 kg cylinders on an automatic changeover valve so trading never pauses for a cylinder swap.

Water: tank, softener, pump, and the limescale problem

Mobile coffee builds split into two camps on water: tanked (everything onboard) or mains-fed (rare in the UK because most pitches don’t offer it). Tanked is the norm and the only setup the warranty assumes. A 25–40 L fresh water tank in food-grade plastic, plumbed through an inline softener / scale filter, then to the high-pressure pump, then to the machine — that is the install pattern Fracino’s engineers commission to.

The softener is not optional. UK tap water averages between 200–400 ppm hardness depending on region; concentrated through a 14 L boiler at 1.2 bar steam pressure, that scale builds fast. Limescale damage is excluded from the standard warranty because it is treated as a maintenance failure rather than a manufacturing fault. Replace the softener cartridge every two months at trading volume, every three months at low volume — Fracino’s advisory, not ours.

A second waste-water tank captures spent water from the drip tray; size it at least as large as the fresh tank so you can trade a full day without overflow. Some operators run a foot-valve on the waste line so it self-empties at the end of trading; others lift it out manually. Either works.

First-shot calibration: pressures, temperatures, and tasting

The CON2ELPG ships pre-calibrated, but every install needs a sense-check on first fire-up before you serve a paying customer. Target numbers from the manual:

• Boiler steam pressure: 1.0–1.2 bar (over 1.5 bar = isolate the machine)
• Pump brewing pressure: 9 bar (over 12 bar = isolate the machine)
• Group head temperature: roughly 93–94 °C at the basket
• Warm-up time from cold: ~30 min on gas, ~15 min on electric
• Boiler max working pressure: 1.3 bar (safety valve set 1.6–1.8 bar)

Pull three back-to-back doubles into a small jug and check the shot is running 25–30 seconds for a 36 g yield from an 18 g dose. If the shot is sub-20 seconds, the grinder is too coarse for the basket — adjust at the grinder, not at the machine. The CON2ELPG holds temperature exceptionally well between shots, which is one of the practical reasons it has stayed at the top of the mobile coffee market for the last decade.

Common setup mistakes that wreck machines in week one

1. Switching on with an empty boiler. Fill to the boiler-level marker first. Dry firing burns the element and the heating sleeve in minutes; not a warranty claim, just damage.
2. Running on butane “to save money” before swapping in propane. The regulator won’t seat correctly and the burner will starve. Propane is the only fuel rated for the appliance.
3. Skipping the water softener. Even a single trading season on hard UK water lays down enough scale to need a boiler descale, which means downtime and a service call.
4. Using a modified-sine inverter to save £80. Pure sine is required for the pump electronics — modified sine causes erratic pump pressure and shortens electronic component life.
5. No CP44 certificate at handover. The gas engineer must issue one. Without it, your trading insurance is generally void and most event organisers will not let you on a pitch.
6. Cylinder lying horizontal in a locker. Propane cylinders are upright-only. Horizontal means liquid in the regulator and a dangerous over-supply when the valve opens.
7. Skipping the annual COMCAT 2 service. Required under the PSSR Act 2000, required by your insurer, required by the warranty terms. It’s not optional.

Safety checks: daily, weekly, annual

The trading-rhythm checklist most full-time mobile coffee operators run:

Daily (open and close): visually inspect the gas hose for splits or kinks; sniff-test for leaks near the regulator; check boiler pressure is steady between 1.0–1.2 bar; check pump runs cleanly at 9 bar on a test shot; backflush the group head at end of trading; empty waste tank.

Weekly: wipe the boiler casing and check there’s no scale staining around the safety valve; replace shower screens if they’re coking up; backflush with detergent; check the water softener cartridge for colour change (most cartridges visibly darken as they exhaust).

Annual: COMCAT 2 service and CP44 renewal (Fracino-approved engineer); PSSR boiler inspection; replace gas hose if showing wear; replace water softener housing seals; gauge check on steam and pump pressures.

COMCAT 2 servicing — what the annual visit covers

The annual service is required under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 and forms part of the Fracino warranty conditions. A COMCAT 2 (Commercial Catering Appliances) Gas Safe registered engineer is qualified to work on commercial LPG appliances — a domestic-only Gas Safe ticket is not enough for a CP44.

The service covers a gas-tightness test on the line, a pressure check at the inlet, a flame-failure-device check on every burner, a flue-check (the machine vents internally — relevant in enclosed trailers), a boiler safety-valve test, a pump pressure-relief test, descale and clean if needed, and the renewed CP44 certificate. Budget around half a day for the visit and have the trailer level and powered on for the engineer’s arrival.

If you don’t have a commercial gas engineer locally, Fracino’s authorised service network covers most of the UK and can either visit or collect the machine for workshop service. Collection-and-return is the standard route for the smaller Cherub, Bambino, and Little Gem models; for the CON2ELPG most operators have a local engineer come to the trailer.

FAQs — how to set up an LPG coffee machine in a catering van

Can I install a Fracino Contempo CON2ELPG myself?

You can handle the bench layout, the battery and inverter wiring, the water tank and softener plumb-in, and the cylinder mounting yourself. The final gas connection from the regulator to the appliance must be done by a COMCAT 2 registered Gas Safe engineer who will issue a CP44 commercial gas safety certificate. Without that certificate, the warranty is void and most event organisers and insurers will not accept the trailer.

What size propane cylinder for a CON2ELPG?

A 19 kg propane cylinder is the standard size for mobile coffee vans running the CON2ELPG. At the machine’s 5.0 kW heat input it will run a typical trading day at moderate use before needing a swap. High-volume festival operators sometimes run a pair of 19 kg cylinders on an automatic changeover valve. Never substitute butane — it stops vaporising below 2 °C.

Do I need a generator if I’m running on gas?

No — a 12V leisure battery wired to a 1000 W pure-sine inverter covers the machine’s gas-mode electrical load (350 W auxiliary boost element plus the water pump and electronics) for a full trading day. A generator is only needed if you want to run the machine in full electric mode (2.85 kW element), which the battery and inverter cannot sustain.

What pressure regulator does the CON2ELPG need?

A 37 mbar propane regulator matched to the I3P(37) category on the machine’s data plate. The machine is rated for this pressure only — substituting a 28/30 mbar butane regulator will cause the burner to starve and the regulator will not seat correctly on a propane cylinder.

How long does the CON2ELPG take to warm up from cold?

Around 30 minutes on gas mode, or around 15 minutes on electric mode if you have shore power. Plan your trading rhythm around this — most operators fire up the machine before the rest of the prep so it’s at full 1.0–1.2 bar steam pressure by the time the first customer arrives.

How often does the water softener need replacing?

Every two months at trading volume, or every three months at low volume, per Fracino’s filter advisory. UK tap water averages 200–400 ppm hardness depending on region, and concentrated through a 14 L boiler at 1.2 bar that scale builds quickly. Limescale damage is not covered under the warranty — it’s treated as a maintenance failure.

What’s the difference between the CON2ELPG and the FCL2LPG?

Both are 2-group dual-fuel machines running on propane at 37 mbar with a 14 L boiler. The CON2ELPG is push-button electronic (volumetric dosing, faster service, more forgiving for new baristas). The FCL2LPG is a lever-pull machine with the espresso-bar aesthetic preferred by specialist coffee operators. The CON2ELPG is the higher-volume bestseller; the FCL2LPG is the brand-led alternative for skilled baristas.

Do I really need an annual COMCAT 2 service?

Yes — it’s required by the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, by the Fracino warranty terms, and by most public liability insurers. The annual visit renews the CP44 certificate. A domestic Gas Safe ticket is not sufficient for commercial catering appliances; the engineer must hold COMCAT 2 certification.

Next steps

If you’re at the planning stage, work through How to Start a Mobile Catering Business in the UK for the wider costs, licences, and trading-pitch picture before committing to a specific machine. For the CON2ELPG itself, the Fracino Contempo CON2ELPG dual-fuel coffee machine product page has current pricing, lead times, and the complimentary barista kit detail.

If you’d rather a lever-pull build, the Retro range alternative — same boiler, same 37 mbar gas spec, different group-head — is covered in the Fracino FCL2LPG mobile coffee machine buying guide.