Propane Refills

[WaveWolf]

[#502800]Has anyone had any experience filling the small propane cans from a big tank with one of those adapter thingys?[/#502800]
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[keystonecop]

Yes, it really does work. It doesn't get them as full as a new bottle but saves lots of money on small tanks. The biggest thing to remember is to put the small empty ones in the freezer for a few hours. Then make sure your big tank has been inside the house and is warm. Then start the fill process. This will get more propane into the small bottles.
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[heavycod]

We get 35 oz in ours way more that what u buy them. There are a couple things you have to do. We use a big trailer bottle hung upside down about chest high. You need to freeze the little bottles take the right out of the freezer and fill then put them back in the freezer. Fill again you will get 30-35oz doing it this way. The new bottles only last 4 hours on high ours last 9. Good luck hopes this helps and be very careful. Be safe
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[jiggaWHAT]

I do it the same way as heavycod and usually get about 6-7 hours out of a refill. Make sure to check the seals on the bottles after you refill them. I had one last year that was leaking, had the potential to cause a bad situation. I have a spray bottle with soapy water that I hit each one with after they are filled.

Worth the extra couple seconds to avoid a catastrophe.

Jigga.
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[heavycod]

Great idea we have had 1 leak but it was found when filling. We save all caps to try to keep them in the best shape. I wonder how many times you can keep refilling them? We are on like 5 ish.
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[WaveWolf]

[#502800]Thanks everyone ....... I got a chuckle out of the little green bomb pm messsage.[/#502800]
[#502800][/#502800]
[#502800]"It is a total adrenalin rush refilling them, and if someone gets hurt with one that you refilled, they could end up driving your truck and living in your house."[/#502800]

[#502800]Someone also stated it was illegal to transport them?[/#502800]
[#502800]So it's legal to fill them, just don't move them?[/#502800]

[#502800]Thanks for the pm, Fishrmn.[/#502800]
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[Fishrmn]

You and I can transport them. Commercial carriers can't.
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[lakepowellnut]

I too refill my own bottles. Saves money! I've found that the Coleman bottle refill the best. I've tried the cheap ones you can get at Walmart and Home Depot, but I still like the Coleman bottles over the others. Good luck!
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[Therapist]

So are you guys using the adapters sold at Harbor Freight or a different one. I have one from HF, but have not used it yet !!

[flygoddess]

I felt the need to post this.

Disclaimer : Whenever there is propane there is risk. If you decide to refill your propane tanks yourself, you have to understand that you do it at your own risk. These cylinders are NOT DOT approved for refilling. This means that you can't take your cylinders to the local propane-equipped service station and have them refilled. That's against the law. And refilled cylinders can't be sold commercially. And commercial operators can't transport refilled cylinders across state lines. There are all sorts of limitations and potential liabilities associated with refilling these cylinders. It's perfectly legal to refill them for personal use, however.

There is some safety precautions that you have to take when refilling your disposable propane cylinders and you will need to handle it properly and observe all the best-practice safety protocols.

#1 Always do the refill process outside.

#2 Never smoke during the entire process.

#3 Be sure there is no open flame in the area.

#4 Wear safety glasses and protection gloves for added safety.


Be safe guys
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[Fishrmn]

Which are the same precautions for when you go to a propane dealer and have your refillable bottle filled. When they build the 1 pound disposable bottles, they're empty. They have to be filled with propane in the first place.
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[flygoddess]

And they are DOT approved and labeled refillable.
Plus the meters and the better equipment as well
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[lakepowellnut]

Mine is made by Mr. Heater.
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[Fishrmn]

Without a pump and pressure it would be rather difficult to put too much propane into a bottle.

HP doesn't like me to refill the ink cartridges in my printer either. Something about the 1,500% markup, I believe. They tell me it voids the warranty, might damage the print heads. Huh? I've printed more from 3 refills and about $2 worth of ink than I did with nearly $300 worth of factory fresh HP cartridges. And I've got enough for probably 20 more refills.
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[flygoddess]

[quote Fishrmn]Without a pump and pressure it would be rather difficult to put too much propane into a bottle.

HP doesn't like me to refill the ink cartridges in my printer either. Something about the 1,500% markup, I believe. They tell me it voids the warranty, might damage the print heads. Huh? I've printed more from 3 refills and about $2 worth of ink than I did with nearly $300 worth of factory fresh HP cartridges. And I've got enough for probably 20 more refills.[/quote]

And these two are comparable how? I don't hear of too many accidents from refilling ink cartridges. But whatever
They can explode so I just say use caution. There is a reason they are labeled non refillable and it isn't always about the $, but knock yourself out.

Have a great night all.
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[riverdog]

"Without a pump and pressure it would be rather difficult to put too much propane into a bottle. " Not true at all.
By hanging a bigger warm bottle upside down and filling a bottle that was placed in the freezer as described people are overfilling these bottles as surely as using a pump. That's why they describe getting roughly twice the normal volume in and lasting twice as long. This will dramatically increase the pressure on the container once the recipient container warms up.
Refill with both bottles at similar temps or just spend a few bucks like I did once and get a smaller refillable bottle like 5 or 10 lbs depending on your need. Lot less hassle than guessing when your 1 lb bottle will run out anyway. They do make adapter hoses to run off the larger refillable bottles instead of 1 lb ones.
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[Zfish]

Wow. I puckered just reading your post. I think the best advice to say here is weigh your empty bottle before you fill it and weigh it after. If you overfill it make sure you empty some out ASAP. A overfilled bottle is all fine and dandy til you forget about it on a hot day. Propane is scary stuff. I too refill with frozen bottle and warm supply tank, I just make sure not to overfill. And yes it is possible to fill those small bottles just like They were new. Just gotta be extra careful when playing with propane!
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[Fishrmn]

My bad. You're right. You can put too much propane in. You can't put too much pressure by simply filling. However, if you fill improperly, you can create a situation that will cause too much pressure. Fill once, and be satisfied with the amount per fill. And fill in the right position. Big bottle upside down. One pounder on it's side.

The 5 or 10 pound bottle is a good idea sometimes, but not for every situation.

And remember this; the one pound bottles aren't magically full of propane when they are manufactured. They are built and then filled. When they are empty they can be filled. You can't inspect the inside of them, but you can inspect the outside. You can't hydro-test them, but you can't check for leaks. Use your head.
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