Refilling 1lb propane tanks

[gonehunting]

Has anyone tried refilling 1lb propane tanks from a grill size tank? I believe there is a special valve you can buy to transfer propane from the large tank to the 1lb tanks. Is it worth the hassle? I like the portability of the 1lbers and don't like to throw away so many tanks. Don't want to have problems with the refilled tanks either though. I know there have been threads on this subject but just can't find them.

[mrklean]

i might be wrong but i believe it is illegal to refill and transport them, i know there has been a number of talks on this and cant remember exact details

[Sonicrunch]

When I used to go through a lot a propane, I refilled them bout 3 times, then they wen tin the garbage.

I had an overused one leak on me, so then I decided to refill only three times.

I don't refill anymore though. I buy in bulk at walmart, or sams club. For 2 bucks a piece, refilling is not worth the hassel.

[Sonicrunch]

i might be wrong but i believe it is illegal to refill and transport them, i know there has been a number of talks on this and cant remember exact details

you are correct.

It is illegal to transport,on public roads, a refilled one-pounder.

[lazyhounedaleth]

how can they tell if its refill ? you could of just unscrew for storage

[Mid-Lake Rock]

I shop around and get them cheap. No reason to break the law. I also bring my 1lb tanks to the recycler. When I go to the recycler, about half the tanks are those I pickup from other anglers that leave them on the ice.

[pulleye16]

How come I can purchase a refilled 20lb at Holiday? How come I can get these refilled at UHAUL? Maybe a more indepth post with some laws and regulations need to be followed up before making this a black and white issue...

Many people do this with success but you need to check the seals... just use some common sense and safety when filling.

[BobT]

Has anyone tried refilling 1lb propane tanks from a grill size tank? I believe there is a special valve you can buy to transfer propane from the large tank to the 1lb tanks. Is it worth the hassle? I like the portability of the 1lbers and don't like to throw away so many tanks. Don't want to have problems with the refilled tanks either though. I know there have been threads on this subject but just can't find them.

I appreciate that you don’t like to throw them away. If the refill option doesn’t pan out for you there is another option. Look around. They do make recyclable 1lb tanks. You can identify them because they include a green key that can be inserted into the cap that allows them to depressurize completely and makes them suitable and acceptable for recycling.

They are a bit difficult to find so you’ll need to keep your eyes open. I don’t recall if they are more expensive and if so how much more but when I find them, that’s what I like to use. I’ve been able to get them at the local True Value in Osakis and naturally they are a few pennies higher in price coming from there but I don’t know if it has anything to do with the recyclable label. I hate the idea of throwing something away when it can be recycled with little effort. Something to consider.

[CrewJones]

its a complete diff. regulator and valve. Thats why you may not refill the one pounders there more of like a soda can, one time use.

You can refill them, anyone can do whatever they want but for my saftey and time new ones from fleet work for me, there on sale for 9.90 for 4 right now

[pulleye16]

How come I can purchase a refilled 20lb at Holiday? How come I can get these refilled at UHAUL? Maybe a more indepth post with some laws and regulations need to be followed up before making this a black and white issue...

Many people do this with success but you need to check the seals... just use some common sense and safety when filling.

I'll rip on myself here as I realize 1 lbs are different..oops

Still though, this is not rocket science and seems to sowrk for many, including people i fish with.

[LindellProStaf]

I refill them a couple of times. I don't put any of them that I refill inside a building, like a garage, fishhouse,or in a vehicle. I do smell some propane sometimes so I think they leak after a refill or two. ONLY for outside use when refilled. Also you don't know if they are overfilled or not so if they warm up they might blow the popoff valve thing which would be deadly inside a building or vehicle.

[JollyJoker]

You can get the brass caps (2 pack) at camping world for $5.65 to your door. These work great if you are worried about the bottle leaking after a refill

[gonehunting]

Legality is a big thing for me. If I can't then I won't. Seems like there is alot of problem with leaking tanks also. Last thing I want is empty tanks when I need them most. They can be found on sale often so I think that will be my option. To each there own. Thanks to everyone that replied.

[bowtie]

Anybody pay attention when getting a 20# propane

tank filled? They weigh it. So..... if you want to be sure you did not overfill it, weigh it. I make sure to have a full store bought just for comparison.

[Dooley87]

One thing a friend of mine showed me to make refilling 1 lbers easier is to take a valve stem tool and use it to open the safety valve on the top of the 1 lb tank while filling. This allows only the liquid to flow into the tank and lets gas release out the safety valve. Make sure to do this outside as you will have gas coming out the safety valve but one problem with refilling is getting it full. Most of the time it will only take a little at a time. This way when you can fill with just the liquid you can make sure to get a full pound in it. Also you can avoid a sticking valve when refilling by putting a drop of oil on the main valve when filling. That will help the valve to seat after filling, a simple way to check for a leak after filling is to wait a few minutes then smell the valve. No smell no leak.

[tom fellegy]

when refilling, put 1 pounders in the freezer and have the 20 pounder at room temp. screw on 1 pounder take outside tip 20 pounder upside down, open the valve. it only takes a few seconds and the 1 pounder will be full. if you have a leaker, screw that bottle on to some type applience.

[Dooley87]

I used to do that but I still found it hard to get a full pound in it. The new valve stem tool on the safety valve is defiantly the fastest easiest way to get a full pound in it and you don't have to screw around with freezing the one pounders and warming the 20 pounder

[Pooh]

I wait till its 0 or 10 below outside. Leave my big tank in the house overnight. Small tanks in the garage. Take the big tank outside and screw the valve on, tip upside down add small tank, open valve, wait 1 minute, close valve, unscrew small tank repeat. Never weight them but going by feel they are pretty close to a store bought tank. I do all this on a breezy afternoon on the tailgate of my truck.

If i got a tank that is a leaker it gets marked with a sharpie. When its all leaked out I pull the pop off valve to depressureize the tank. Once the tank is empty I take a center punch and hammer and punch the tank. Shooting it with a 22 would be easier but can to that in town.

[CigarGuy]

I don't think I would bring the full 20-lber in the house when cold. Had one in back seat of my pick up truck on a 5 house drive up deer hunting last year. After a few hours on the road the safety valve opened and filled the inside of the truck pretty good with gas. Tank was too cold and the heat must expanded the gas-opening the safety valve????? That could happen in your house!

I weigh a full 1-lber for reference. Re-fill one and weigh it to make sure it's full enough. If I get it close enough that's good for my usage, will always have a few extra with me. Like I mentioned in a post last year, the only tank I have ever seen leak was a new one. I only use newer 1-lbers when I re-fill.

[CAMAN]

I agree with CigarGuy, bringing a propane tank into your home is a bomb waiting to happen. VERY DANGEROUS!! If a propane tank changes temperatures too fast it will pop off it's safety valve and fill your home with propane. The first flame or spark it encounters and BOOM!!

[LindellProStaf]

Great ideas about a brass cap and the venting through the valve. I will do both. Thanks

[Rube]

Will have to try that venting while filling. I had trouble of overfilling- when the tank got warm they woud start to release pressure. I will also use a good scale- weigh a new one and compare to my refilled one.

[Down Deep]

I've been a risk manager and have specialized in workplace safety for 35 years. A personal interest of mine has been in the area of off-the-job and recreational safety. I think it's tragic when people injure or kill themselves in the pursuit of their love for a sport or outdoors. This is not a rant, but a sincere effort to save someone a serious injury or the loss of life.

Simply said the practice of filling a 1 lb propane tank is just plain foolish. I could write a long technical explanation why, but I'll simplify it. Unless you are using a tested graded scale, can calculate the exact amount of propane you put into the tank and know the tolerances and specifications of the tank you run the risk of explosion. The risk is not just limited to filling, but extends to discharge and storage. A 20 pounder can only be filled to 17 lbs so you have to do a proportional calculation know when a 1 pounder is full. A refillable tank has a different design and mandated manufacturing specifications. It is not the same tank as a disposable 1 pounder. Remember propane is an explosive property, has an extremely low flashpoint and its vapor can expand up to 270 times in a millisecond. That means that that 1 pounder expands to 270 times it's volume when discharged - an area about the size of your fish house. You might run less of risk of accidental discharge in the dead of winter, but what about the tank stored in the garage when the temp goes to 90 degrees during the summer months and then expands beyond capacity.

The manufactures of these tanks do not print Do Not Refill on these tanks just sell more to the consumer. Just google " safety in filling propane tanks and canisters" and you might just come to the conclusion that this is not a good idea. Think of it like this. You could pour gasoline into your lawn mower while smoking a cigarette over and over again and nothing happens. But, there is a very bad outcome the day it explodes into a ball of fire. There are many ways to save money, but refilling propane tanks should not be one of them.

[Rube]

Down Deep I took your sugestion and looked on line about refilling 1 lb tanks. Tooo! big a risk for me. I won't be doing it anymore. I will be using new 1# tanks or my 5#. It is a shame that there isn't a recycle program for the 1#.

[Jarrod32]

I've been a risk manager and have specialized in workplace safety for 35 years. A personal interest of mine has been in the area of off-the-job and recreational safety. I think it's tragic when people injure or kill themselves in the pursuit of their love for a sport or outdoors. This is not a rant, but a sincere effort to save someone a serious injury or the loss of life.

Simply said the practice of filling a 1 lb propane tank is just plain foolish. I could write a long technical explanation why, but I'll simplify it. Unless you are using a tested graded scale, can calculate the exact amount of propane you put into the tank and know the tolerances and specifications of the tank you run the risk of explosion. The risk is not just limited to filling, but extends to discharge and storage. A 20 pounder can only be filled to 17 lbs so you have to do a proportional calculation know when a 1 pounder is full. A refillable tank has a different design and mandated manufacturing specifications. It is not the same tank as a disposable 1 pounder. Remember propane is an explosive property, has an extremely low flashpoint and its vapor can expand up to 270 times in a millisecond. That means that that 1 pounder expands to 270 times it's volume when discharged - an area about the size of your fish house. You might run less of risk of accidental discharge in the dead of winter, but what about the tank stored in the garage when the temp goes to 90 degrees during the summer months and then expands beyond capacity.

The manufactures of these tanks do not print Do Not Refill on these tanks just sell more to the consumer. Just google " safety in filling propane tanks and canisters" and you might just come to the conclusion that this is not a good idea. Think of it like this. You could pour gasoline into your lawn mower while smoking a cigarette over and over again and nothing happens. But, there is a very bad outcome the day it explodes into a ball of fire. There are many ways to save money, but refilling propane tanks should not be one of them.

+1 to everything he said, especially this part: "Simply said the practice of filling a 1 lb propane tank is just plain foolish."

Not worth it to save a few bucks. The time spent trying to refill them is probably worth more than the money you will save.