disposable propane bottle refiller

[howlinowl]

I used one of those for years. Never had a problem and saved a lot of $.

I haven't used one recently but when I did, the 1# canister had a pressure relief valve on it. Not sure if they do anymore. However, if they do, remember that you are transferring liquid. Liquid take a lot more volume than gas. If you keep the 1# container upright and push the relief valve, you will release gas and make more room for the liquid. Just make sure that you do it outside. Propane gas is heavier than air and can settle in pockets near the floor.

I never had a problem with leaking. In fact, I still have a bottle that I filled about 6 years ago in my work shop. I use it for my propane torch (obviously not very often :p )

Hmmmm..... I wonder......
I am an refrigeration technician, and I have a vacuum pump that is used to evacuate and pull refrigeration systems down into a deep vacuum.  I probably could rig up something so I could evacuate the gas out of the bottle and then recharge it.  Not really sure if the small amount of extra liquid is worth the hassel.

Allan

[Old Goat]

howelinowl, There is no need to evacuate the cylinder  of gas before refilling. This is only done to a new cylinder or tank that has never been filled before in order to remove any air and moisture...As I have stated above, placing the cylinder in a freezer for 30 minutes before refilling will vastly cut down on the vaporizing of liquid propane as it enters the empty cylinder. The cold temperture helps the vapor to condense back into liquid..Don't ask me how,I don't know, but I do know that it works. I have done it many times and I get a full refill every time........Hope this helps...

[67L48]

Filled another bottle this weekend.  As I said above, there is absolutely no discernable difference between the one I filled and the one I bought new from WalMart.  Just do as the instructions (or Old Goat) say -- chill the bottle before filling.

Probably the easiest/best way I've found to save money since internet shopping in the late 90s.

On another note.  I bought my empty tank from Lowe's for $29.  I then had a local station fill the tank for $11.  Total for the spare tank: $40 and change.  

You've probably all seen the tank-exchange deals at Wal-Mart and just about every hardware store.  It's over $15 here, which is a total rip-off.  Most people don't have an empty tank, so to fill it would probably cost around $7.  I assumed that the new tank would be a rip-off, just like the exchange tank is.  I was wrong; the Wal-Mart price for a filled tank (no exchange) was $41.36.

All of my running around saved me less than a dollar.

So, my advice is if you need a spare tank for filling your bottles, or any other reason, check the prices on pre-filled tanks FIRST.  If it's within a few dollars of $40, then probably not worth the run-around that I did.

[flyfisherman]

Filled another bottle this weekend.  As I said above, there is absolutely no discernable difference between the one I filled and the one I bought new from WalMart.

Yes there is one BIG difference. You and The Old Goat are refilling those little bottles with 100% propane where as the one's you buy from Wally-Mart or elsewhere, are filled mostly with butane, and that stuff is not as efficient as propane. I think they are something like 70% butane and 30% propane for the Coleman brand, with some of the others being 80% butane to 20% propane.

If I remember correcty, butane ceases to vaporize at 14 degrees (and slows down way before that) whereas the propane totally quits at -144 degrees. A lot of folks (yours truly included) have been in near freezing conditions (and in higher elevations, which slows the performance down even more) and had appliances using those 16oz tanks almost cease to function.

A few years back I was looking into refilling those tanks but there was the talk that the inside valves of the 16oz disposable tanks were not designed to be refilled and might leak. So instead, I went the refillable 5 lb tank route. Now the problem with that is the 5 lb tanks are more expensive that the 20 pounders! Well, to get around that, I let Santa know that was what I wanted for Christmas and low & behold, under the tree that year appeared this 5 lb tank. Costs me $4.47 to have refilled by my L/P supplier ... I should say that if your home uses propane and your one of his customers, you get a special rate for these small tank (5, 11 & 20) refills.



Fly

[howlinowl]

Haven't gotten my valve yet, but I purchased a new bottle of propane today.  I have one that is almost empty, so I'll burn some 'dogs on the grill to use it up.  I will use my refrigeration scale to weigh the empty and the full bottle, and then fill the empty with a fresh tank I got and see just how close it gets to full.

Even if it just gets to 3/4 full, I think it will be $$ well invested.

Allan

[chasd60]

Hmmmm..... I wonder......
I am an refrigeration technician, and I have a vacuum pump that is used to evacuate and pull refrigeration systems down into a deep vacuum. I probably could rig up something so I could evacuate the gas out of the bottle and then recharge it. Not really sure if the small amount of extra liquid is worth the hassel.
 
Allan

Not sure you want to use a vacuum pump on propane. Maybe if you pulled a vacuum on a separate tank and used it to pull the vacuum on the small tank. When you buy a new tank they just purge the air out before doing a final fill, they don't evacuate it.

[howlinowl]

Received my MacCoupler in the mail last week from Harbor Freight.  I purchased a new Coleman 1lb cylinder and weighed it and my old cylinder. Still have about 5 oz. of propane in the old one.  Gonna try to use it up during the week burning burgers and dogs.... hopefully it will be empty so I can fill it this weekend.  

Allan

[67L48]

Or you could just screw the filler nozzle onto the bottle and evacuate the propane that way.  You'd waste 5 oz. of propane, but you'd get to try out the filling process.

[Scott Nelson]

I have had one of these from Harbor Freight for three years.  I have filled probably 30-50 tanks with it and only had one leaky tank.  Here is my advice:

1) Chill the tank in the freezer for a while.
2) Fill the tank per the directions
3) (Here is what they don't tell you)  Gasses move to cold....so chill the now partially filled tank a second time and fill again, it will now fill completely.

The one leaky tank I had was due to the emergency pop-off valve releasing when I left a cannister in the sun in my vehicle.  I have refilled that same bottle probably 20 or more times with no other problems (including the one that popped off).  

My only problem has been that the repeated threading and unthreading has taken it's toll on the o-ring in the adapter.  I'd highly recommend one of these devices.  They work as advertised.

[ScouterMom]

I work at Farm & Fleet - a midwest chain of farm implement and general merchandise stores.  They will periodically, thru the summer, have a 4 pack of the green propane 16 oz cylinders for $8.19 - can't beat $2.05 each!

Since i prefer my little propane stove and cooking OUTSIDE the camper, I'm gonna get me one of those refillers.  We use them often enough on non-PUP trips, too that it will be well worth it.

I did the exchange program for my two 20 tanks - because they had the old style valves on them and I wanted to get the newer ones. Menards took the old tanks - no questions, even though one was VERY old and rusted.  Both had some propane in them, but with no idea how long it had been since they were used, I didn't trust them.  I deliberately picked out fairly new, good condition tanks in the exchange, hooked them up with new regulator and hoses, and they will stay on my camper and be refilled as needed.  I have a third tank for my portable 'mr.Buddy' heater that I'll probably use for refilling the small tanks.  I'm lucky - there's a propane place less than 1 mile from my home and on the way to work - so I can buzz down and get them topped off as we head out on a trip.

[austinado16]

Just checked the Harbor Freight website and there's is now $20.  Still, a cool new tool.  Thanks for posting about this!

[beacher]

It is perfectly legal to transport refilled cylinders across state lines if they are for your own personal use and not to be sold..Law says "Refilled cylinders not to be sold or transported in commerce".[49 USC 1809]. Manufacturers leave "in commerce" off the transport regulation inorder to sell more new ones and discourage people from refilling them.......

Thanks Old Goat!

Whenever this topic appears the safety police always quote the DOT39 warning on the 1lb cylinders.  After looking up 49 USC 5124, (supercedes 49 USC 1809), it indeed includes the words, "in commerce", that the manufacturer's conveniently leave out.  Actually, DOT39 specifically only requires all of the words that they do print, (see below), except for the words "in commerce" included in the actual law that they are quoting.:p

Kinda makes you wonder who wrote DOT39?  Hmmm?


From DOT39,

[AustinBoston]

Thanks Old Goat!

Whenever this topic appears the safety police always quote the DOT39 warning on the 1lb cylinders.  After looking up 49 USC 5124, (supercedes 49 USC 1809), it indeed includes the words, "in commerce", that the manufacturer's conveniently leave out.  Actually, DOT39 specifically only requires all of the words that they do print, (see below), except for the words "in commerce" included in the actual law that they are quoting.:p

Kinda makes you wonder who wrote DOT39?  Hmmm?


From DOT39,