Refilling "Disposable" Bottles of Propane

[Brandon270]

It AMAZES me the risks people will take to save a dollar.

I worked in an oil refinery for many years. Part of my job was testing propane. Propane is potentially VERY dangerous. There is a reason they went to the float shutoff valves in refillable tanks. While it is not likely you could overfill a one pound bottle,,,how would you know???

Nothing about how they designed the throwaway bottles was designed for multiple refills. There is no fail safe way to limit the amount of the refill.

The reason the hint to put the larger bottle in the sun and the one pound bottle in the freezer is to create a vapor pressure differential between the bottles. After you connect the bottles the small bottle will fill until there is equal vapor pressure one each container.

What I do is what others have suggested above. Get a five pound bottle and a hose with the appropriate fittings. You will save money on propane,,safely.

I've tried multiple adapter hoses including different brands and they all failed on me within a few months. No doubt the hose is safer and handier than refilling bottles but I went to the refill adapter after getting tired of tossing those adapter hoses.

 

[406dn]

I've tried multiple adapter hoses including different brands and they all failed on me within a few months. No doubt the hose is safer and handier than refilling bottles but I went to the refill adapter after getting tired of tossing those adapter hoses.

Yes, I've had to replace a hose or two. I think that is preferable to taking a chance on a black swan event messing with bottles that are not engineered to be refilled.

At the end of the day we all decide on the risks we want to take.

 

[Pelican]

There is a company called Flame King that makes refillable 1lb. propane bottles and a refill kit. It seems like a safer option than refilling something that wasn’t designed to be refilled.

 

[FAIR CHASE]

Go or no go refilling disposable/recyclable water bottles? How would you rate the danger factor?

 

[WyoDoug]

There is a company called Flame King that makes refillable 1lb. propane bottles and a refill kit. It seems like a safer option than refilling something that wasn’t designed to be refilled.

Refillable bottles have a float valve to prevent overfill. Disposable ones have no float valve and has single use relief valves that can spark if they get corroded or rusty. You should never attempt to use disposable bottles that have rusted or corroded valves or tops. I think that it is likely that if you had one in your garage a couple years you might think about giving a good look before you use it. If it has a plastic cap and has never been opened, that bottle is probably good for several years as long as the seal on the plastic cap is not broken.

 

[Hummer]

They work great, I use one all the time for my camping stove and small bbq. I have the all brass mr. Heater one, but it's the same concept.

Couple tips for you....

-The threads on the big bottle are left handed threads so to attach the filling adapter to the supply bottle you thread it on turning to the left. The little 1 pound bottle with thread on to the adapter clockwise like normal.

-You get the best fill if you have the supply bottle in the sun keeping it warm and throwing your empty one pound bottles in the freezer for a half hour or so. The temperature difference helps with getting them full, otherwise you can only get them about half filled.

-Also, when you fill the little bottles put the supply bottle upsidedown to help fill the little bottle better. (Gravity and liquid propane).

-After youre done filling, put water where the fill valve is and the pressure relief valve is on the 1 pound bottle to check for leaks. You'll see bubbles if you have a bad valve, I've only had a couple from the hundred or so times I've refilled these.

You'll be glad you got that adapter, it pays for itself really fast over buying those little bottles new all the time.

Excellent tips all, I've been refilling this way for a few decades and never had a problem. I keep a supply (outdoors and protected from weather) of about 80 1 lb. bottles. I refill as needed every 2 or 3 years. I use a scale to weigh the bottles to make sure they aren't over filled. Always test to be sure the valve isn't leaking. If it doesn't fully seat as sometimes happens, use a wood dowel or chop stick to re seal the valve.

 

[WyoDoug]

Excellent tips all, I've been refilling this way for a few decades and never had a problem. I keep a supply (outdoors and protected from weather) of about 80 1 lb. bottles. I refill as needed every 2 or 3 years. I use a scale to weigh the bottles to make sure they aren't over filled. Always test to be sure the valve isn't leaking. If it doesn't fully seat as sometimes happens, use a wood dowel or chop stick to re seal the valve.

I will likely refill the ones I have AT the location where I am camping or hunting as needed, but I plan to move away from one pound bottles to using hoses. I found where I can get hoses fairly inexpensive compared to buying one pound bottles all the time so going to have plenty of adapter hoses around.

 

[recurveman]

Short story. Buddy had one leak in his garage while getting it ready to fill up. Turned his garage into a very large bomb and got the opportunity to remodel most of his house and buy his wife a new car!!!!

Long story. The bottles don't fill up all the way and they will leak quite a a bit after being refilled. My buddy was told to put them in the freezer to make it easier to fill the tanks. So he took about a dozen "empty" bottles and put them in his freezer. Well at some point in time his freezer became full of propane and when the motor kicked on there must have been a spark. Turned his chest freezer into a nice size bomb. Moved one wall of his house that was attached to his garage a bit farther than you would want. His daughter was sitting at a desk against the wall and was immediately placed in the middle of the room she was in because of the blast. Destroyed a chunk of his house. Turned into a remodel his kitchen, garage, and living room project for the next six months. Destroyed his wife's car also........to save a few dollars per bottle????? Think if this happened in your camper or truck. Things could get interesting. None of our group of friends have filled a bottle since. This happened about 20 years ago.

 

[Bigjay73]

This sounds like a terrible idea. I'll bring the beer

 

[Schism]

There is a company called Flame King that makes refillable 1lb. propane bottles and a refill kit. It seems like a safer option than refilling something that wasn’t designed to be refilled.

Thank you! I have an ice auger that is fueled by 1lb bottles and have been looking for a safe way to avoid buying a bunch of disposable 1lb bottles each winter.

 

[MT_Chad]

I will likely refill the ones I have AT the location where I am camping or hunting as needed, but I plan to move away from one pound bottles to using hoses. I found where I can get hoses fairly inexpensive compared to buying one pound bottles all the time so going to have plenty of adapter hoses around.

I have had one of our local propane shops build me some hoses and the price was decent I thought. They could probably build you whatever you want and the materials they use will probably be of higher quality. I know the stuff I had built is much nicer than the store bought stuff I have.

 

[WyoDoug]

I have had one of our local propane shops build me some hoses and the price was decent I thought. They could probably build you whatever you want and the materials they use will probably be of higher quality. I know the stuff I had built is much nicer than the store bought stuff I have.

I am finding premade ones on Amazon at fairly descent prices that I have been ordering. They make the crimping tool where you can do your own but as cheap as they are, I am going to rethink that idea of making my own. I get ones ordered from Amazon within 3 days normally and far cheaper than I can get in Cheyenne which is sky high for that kind of stuff.

 

[runningmt]

I wouldn't recommend it, an old friend of my brother blew up his garage and nearly lost his life. The steel these are in are easily recycled as scrap metal, no need to risk your life to save a couple bucks, IMO

 

[furness]

I just use a hose with the appropriate fitting off a bulk tank. Works great, is easy & convenient and safe.

 

[WyoDoug]

I am going to Flame King refillables. They are both legal to refill and to transport. Disposable ones like Coleman are not. Research I did on Flame King is very promising and safe from what I seen so far. This refill kit prevents overfill and the refillable bottles are DOT compatible with the required overfill prevention valve.

Amazon.com: Flame King Refillable 1 lb Empty Propane Cylinder Tank - with Refill Kit and CGA600 Connection - Reusable - Safe and Legal Refill Option - DOT Compliant - 16.4 oz, Green: Garden & Outdoor

Buy Flame King Refillable 1 lb Empty Propane Cylinder Tank - with Refill Kit and CGA600 Connection - Reusable - Safe and Legal Refill Option - DOT Compliant - 16.4 oz, Green: Automotive - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

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It is clear that disposable bottles ARE NOT safe to refill and might explode during transportation or use.

 

[Bigjav]

If you’re worried about them going to the landfill, sell them as scrap metal

 

[Gr8bawana]

I wouldn't recommend it, an old friend of my brother blew up his garage and nearly lost his life. The steel these are in are easily recycled as scrap metal, no need to risk your life to save a couple bucks, IMO

I agree 100%. Risking your life or your truck or home to save $3-$4 just makes no sense at all.

 

[WyoDoug]

Refilling one pound bottles would be worth it to me because I have access to propane at wholesale. There are also safety precautions you should follow like never filling near an ignition source and never doing it in enclosed spaces. You should also never refill bottles marked as disposable because they do not have the right safety valves and can ignite nearly spontaneously just from the relief value resetting during movement or if you bump it.

I have tested out the Flame King certified refillables and checked with WYDOT and the guy I talked to had personal experience with it. He strongly recommended Flame King but said I need to watch the dates on them and if there is none, I should write the date of purchase on them. You also should not fill old refillable bottles OR tanks due to corrosion you can not see. Least not without it being professionally inspected.

 

[longrunner]

Just get one of these and an adapter hose.

Flame King 5 lbs. Empty Propane Tank Cylinder with Overfill Protection Device YSN5LB - The Home Depot

Whether you need to eat, power or grill, Flame King specializes in making propane tanks and cylinders used daily across the globe. You'll find the quality of our customer service equals that of the propane

www.homedepot.com