refilling 1 pound propane tanks

Look on youtube for filling instructions I think you have a tub with ice water  put filling tank in that and fill.

NO Pre-Chilling! FULLY Refill a 1lb Propane Bottle (Avoid 700% Markup on Propane) Coleman

On youtube seems like best method I have seen.

Been doing it for a few years with an adapter that I bought at Harbor Freight for I think 20$.  Just go to any campground and check the trash/recycling piles, usually find a few free bottles each trip.  The threading on them seems to be a bit weak, and will sometimes strip.  Toss them when they do that and grab another free one to fill up!

NO Pre-Chilling! FULLY Refill a 1lb Propane Bottle (Avoid 700% Markup on Propane) Coleman

On youtube seems like best method I have seen.

That is a very informative youtube link

Thanks for sharing

When I first saw this post I was gonna put in a little warning but thought better of it,

Now with some of the posts about how to get the tank "fuller" I gotta chime in.

I have quite a bit of experience with high pressure tanks and propane in particular.

The dip tube length (the little screw vent on the valve) on a liquid propane tank is set to spray liquid out at 80% full. This is also the DOT reg. And the setting on the OPD.

This is so that you can't (shouldn't) fill past that to allow for expansion of the liquid.

Gas compresses, liquid doesn't, if a tank is too full and the liquid in the tank expands enough from heat whether it be from a hot day or a fire it can and WILL rupture the tank.

In my mind any effort to go past the 80% full rule is insane,  sure the chances are really minimal that you could get the tank full enough to rupture but the consequences are catastrophic. Bear in mind any rupture wouldn't happen at the time of filling because the tank will be cold, it would happen later on with a little warmth.

The pressure relief valves on propane tanks ought to take care of this but bottom line some times they don't.

+1

I hate to be "that guy" and rain on parades but this activity carries the potential for injury:

“Single trip,” “nonrefillable,” or “disposable” cylinders shall not be refilled with LP-Gas.

Single-trip, nonrefillable, or disposable cylinders are not designed for extended service. Their small size increases the chance that they will be overfilled when commonly available filling equipment and procedures are used. The cylinders are designed for filling by weight and are equipped with filling connections that common filling equipment will not fit, in an effort to control these hazards. However, adapters for refilling are widely available because refillable cylinders come in the same sizes as nonrefillable cylinders.

Accidents have resulted from the refilling of nonrefillable cylinders, which is prohibited both by federal law in the DOT cylinder regulations and by NFPA 58.

Single use non-refillable gas cylinders are NOT manufactured to withstand refilling or reuse.  They are not even pressure-tested after manufacturing.  They are checked for leaks after being filled with LP and that's it!  Another very important point is that they are filled at the factory with dehumidified propane so they do not rust from the inside out.  When they are refilled with one of these little adapters they are being filled with NON-dehumidified propane and those cylinders will begin to rust on the inside- where YOU cannot see it!


I realize it is cheap, easy, and environmentally sound to refill these things but please be careful!!

FUN POLICE STRIKE AGAIN!

Just ordered 2. Thanks for the Amazon tip and refill info!

Al

FUN POLICE STRIKE AGAIN!

More like safety police

i WONDER IF YOU CAN BUY MAP GAS IN 5 GALLON CONTAINERS?

FUN POLICE STRIKE AGAIN!

I figured that was coming LOL

Brought to you  by the same people that require you to  wear motorcycle helmets and bicycle helmets but think its ok to text and drive.

One of the problems is the poor quality of most 1-gal cylinders. I feel like quality has gone down in the last decade or so. Even when I buy the real Coleman brand cylinders...seems like 30-50% have seal issues or leak. First time it happened, I was driving home from camping trip and smelled something funny. Now I triple-check them after using.
I would suggest spending a few extra $ to get the refillable cylinders. Instead of the cheapo disposable cylinders. http://www.propane-refill.com/products/refillable-propane-cylinders

Got one ordered up. Thanks for the link.

When I first saw this post I was gonna put in a little warning but thought better of it,

Now with some of the posts about how to get the tank "fuller" I gotta chime in.

I have quite a bit of experience with high pressure tanks and propane in particular.

The dip tube length (the little screw vent on the valve) on a liquid propane tank is set to spray liquid out at 80% full. This is also the DOT reg. And the setting on the OPD.

This is so that you can't (shouldn't) fill past that to allow for expansion of the liquid.

Gas compresses, liquid doesn't, if a tank is too full and the liquid in the tank expands enough from heat whether it be from a hot day or a fire it can and WILL rupture the tank.

In my mind any effort to go past the 80% full rule is insane,  sure the chances are really minimal that you could get the tank full enough to rupture but the consequences are catastrophic. Bear in mind any rupture wouldn't happen at the time of filling because the tank will be cold, it would happen later on with a little warmth.

The pressure relief valves on propane tanks ought to take care of this but bottom line some times they don't.

+1

I hate to be "that guy" and rain on parades but this activity carries the potential for injury:

“Single trip,” “nonrefillable,” or “disposable” cylinders shall not be refilled with LP-Gas.

Single-trip, nonrefillable, or disposable cylinders are not designed for extended service. Their small size increases the chance that they will be overfilled when commonly available filling equipment and procedures are used. The cylinders are designed for filling by weight and are equipped with filling connections that common filling equipment will not fit, in an effort to control these hazards. However, adapters for refilling are widely available because refillable cylinders come in the same sizes as nonrefillable cylinders.

Accidents have resulted from the refilling of nonrefillable cylinders, which is prohibited both by federal law in the DOT cylinder regulations and by NFPA 58.

Single use non-refillable gas cylinders are NOT manufactured to withstand refilling or reuse.  They are not even pressure-tested after manufacturing.  They are checked for leaks after being filled with LP and that's it!  Another very important point is that they are filled at the factory with dehumidified propane so they do not rust from the inside out.  When they are refilled with one of these little adapters they are being filled with NON-dehumidified propane and those cylinders will begin to rust on the inside- where YOU cannot see it!


I realize it is cheap, easy, and environmentally sound to refill these things but please be careful!!

No wonder I never do good at the tourneys.  I've use up all my GOOD luck using those dangerous re-used propane cylinders.

On a more serious note, wouldn't the propane I fill my re-used cylinders with, coming from my 5 gallon propane tank, be filled with dehumidified propane.  I fail to see how humidity could enter the system.

When I first saw this post I was gonna put in a little warning but thought better of it,

Now with some of the posts about how to get the tank "fuller" I gotta chime in.

I have quite a bit of experience with high pressure tanks and propane in particular.

The dip tube length (the little screw vent on the valve) on a liquid propane tank is set to spray liquid out at 80% full. This is also the DOT reg. And the setting on the OPD.

This is so that you can't (shouldn't) fill past that to allow for expansion of the liquid.

Gas compresses, liquid doesn't, if a tank is too full and the liquid in the tank expands enough from heat whether it be from a hot day or a fire it can and WILL rupture the tank.

In my mind any effort to go past the 80% full rule is insane,  sure the chances are really minimal that you could get the tank full enough to rupture but the consequences are catastrophic. Bear in mind any rupture wouldn't happen at the time of filling because the tank will be cold, it would happen later on with a little warmth.

The pressure relief valves on propane tanks ought to take care of this but bottom line some times they don't.

+1

I hate to be "that guy" and rain on parades but this activity carries the potential for injury:

“Single trip,” “nonrefillable,” or “disposable” cylinders shall not be refilled with LP-Gas.

Single-trip, nonrefillable, or disposable cylinders are not designed for extended service. Their small size increases the chance that they will be overfilled when commonly available filling equipment and procedures are used. The cylinders are designed for filling by weight and are equipped with filling connections that common filling equipment will not fit, in an effort to control these hazards. However, adapters for refilling are widely available because refillable cylinders come in the same sizes as nonrefillable cylinders.

Accidents have resulted from the refilling of nonrefillable cylinders, which is prohibited both by federal law in the DOT cylinder regulations and by NFPA 58.

Single use non-refillable gas cylinders are NOT manufactured to withstand refilling or reuse.  They are not even pressure-tested after manufacturing.  They are checked for leaks after being filled with LP and that's it!  Another very important point is that they are filled at the factory with dehumidified propane so they do not rust from the inside out.  When they are refilled with one of these little adapters they are being filled with NON-dehumidified propane and those cylinders will begin to rust on the inside- where YOU cannot see it!


I realize it is cheap, easy, and environmentally sound to refill these things but please be careful!!

No wonder I never do good at the tourneys.  I've use up all my GOOD luck using those dangerous re-used propane cylinders.

On a more serious note, wouldn't the propane I fill my re-used cylinders with, coming from my 5 gallon propane tank, be filled with dehumidified propane.  I fail to see how humidity could enter the system.

I expected to take a few shots for my post but so far not bad.   On humidity, commercial propane does have a water specification and while I don't remember it exactly, it's not zero.  When liquid propane vaporizes in a cylinder to supply gas out the valve any water in the propane is left behind because propane vaporizes faster at any given temp than water, hence repeated filling and emptying can at some point leave a little liquid water in the cylinder where it can work on the metal in the form of rust or accelerated corrosion if some other element also gets left behind.  Not a big issue but possible.  This is true for all propane cylinders hence the test requirements for reusable cylinders

Where I worked for 40 years we ran risk matrixes which rated situations based on probability of it happening AND the consequence of it happening.  Admittedly a cylinder failure would be a very remote possibility but the consequence could be severe.