Refill 1lb Propane Tank or Take 20lb along / & Mr Heater Big Buddy Question

[Nor Easter]

if you have the new style 5 pounder just have it filled as you would a BBQ 20lber. Same price per pound anyway.

If you have an older style tank with the older valve you can us one of these: Click on it to see the price.



You need the donor tank upside down and the receiving tank right side up.

[silvercliff_46]

Does anyone know if you can fill a 20 gallon tank from a large home propane tank?

[Mainehazmt]

sure if you can tip it upside down   lol

[silvercliff_46]

Ya...,I kinda figured.

Thanks

[kchamp]

I fill the one pound tanks all the time, have the 1lb tanks cold ( put in freezer) and the 20lb tank have at room temp

[mote1977]

I bought one of the adapters at Tractor Supply and tried filling some 1 pounders but they all leaked out when I unscrewed them from it. Anyone else have this problem?

[silvercliff_46]

I bought one of the adapters at Tractor Supply and tried filling some 1 pounders but they all leaked out when I unscrewed them from it. Anyone else have this problem?

Are you just removing them when complete or slowly pulling them off.  I'm grabbing at straws here, as I have never had a problem.  I just fill them, unscrew them and pull them off.  Maybe if your slowly pulling them off the valve stays open, OR your small bottles are shot??

There is a slight relief when pulling them off, but not much.

[mote1977]

They are completely leaking out. The valve must be sticking. Maybe because my 20 pounder is outside in the cold? I read back a few pages to try tapping them on a board to get it to seal. I'll try that.

[silvercliff_46]

They are completely leaking out. The valve must be sticking. Maybe because my 20 pounder is outside in the cold? I read back a few pages to try tapping them on a board to get it to seal. I'll try that.

The twenty pounder needs to be inside the 1 pounder should be frozen.  Your probably have a liquid flow back situation going on?

Once you warm your twenty pound (room temp) and freeze the one pounder then try it again.  I hate following directions myself, but stuff seems to work better when you do.

[jigtipper]

I keep a 20 lbder in the closet, and leave the 1 lbder out side. When it real cold out , then bring it in, screw it on and open the valve on the 20 lbder. It helps if I turn the 20 lbder upside down while filling, and shake it a little. When it stops making noises, your full, or you 1 lbder wasn't cold enough. Start over if not full.

[Phoenix]

I can only use my 20 lb tank down to about half full and then it won't get hardly any in the small tank. Is this true for everyone else or are you able to use most of the 20 lb tank?

[digger953]

i have no problems using mine past half way just make sure your big 1 is warm little one is coldddddddd

[silvercliff_46]

My last short fill was because my 20lb. went dry.  The one before that was ok.

I'll probably start a fight, but I think the guys that are having problems AREN"T following directions.  BIG bottle WARM (ROOM TEMP 65-70F minimum), LITTLE bottle COLD, the colder the better (I freeze mine in the freezer over night, unless below zero outside).  Big bottle turned UPSIDE DOWN.  Big bottle valve WIDE OPEN  60-70 seconds.

Occasionally you get a bad bottle, that's the way things go.  Mostly it works GREAT!

[Fisherman 1]

Slightly different train of thought, buy a 5lb tank, get it filled at Costco for $3.45, no mess no fuss. Maybe keep one 1lb as a backup and not use it unless absolutely necessary.  No need to buy any adapters or take a chance of a 1lb tank venting(maybe in the trunk of the car as you're rolling down the road.  Sooner or later the 1lb tank valves go bad, so then you need to buy another and another, etc, that after 8 or so 1 lb tanks adds up to a brand new 5lb tank. A  5lb tank good for 10 years.

[silvercliff_46]

Slightly different train of thought, buy a 5lb tank, get it filled at Costco for $3.45, no mess no fuss. Maybe keep one 1lb as a backup and not use it unless absolutely necessary.  No need to buy any adapters or take a chance of a 1lb tank venting(maybe in the trunk of the car as you're rolling down the road.  Sooner or later the 1lb tank valves go bad, so then you need to buy another and another, etc, that after 8 or so 1 lb tanks adds up to a brand new 5lb tank. A  5lb tank good for 10 years.

You are totally correct if your using a Big Buddy type heater.  I have a Big Buddy, and use the larger tanks for it.  I also have a Black Cat that I use for my Pop-up deer blind, two man tree stand, and Clam Jr.  The Black Cat uses the one pound bottle as an integral part in positioning it to stand.  I also admit to the possibility of the small tanks venting in your trunk, as I would have to yield to my gas tank leaking, catching a spark, and blowing up while I was driving.

Life is full of choices, some easy, some hard.

[skidplate]

Comes down to...sacred, don't refill...not sacred, refill.  I'm not sacred.  Btw I have a Dyna Glow...I think, and it only won't work when it gets all full of snow.

[silvercliff_46]

Comes down to...sacred, don't refill...not sacred, refill.  I'm not sacred.  Btw I have a Dyna Glow...I think, and it only won't work when it gets all full of snow.

Ahmmm! I think you mean scared.  I refill, but I do go to church on Sunday.  I'm by no means sacred, but I do try.

Only funnin' you, I flip letters all the time.

[skidplate]

It's the t9 on my phone...thought that looked funny.

[gasman707]

Here is what can happen when you don't know what you are doing with propane!



The cylinder (the one in pieces) was over filled by an untrained individual. Luckily no one was injured!

[silvercliff_46]

and every year we see the disasters of using fire works.  Bottom line is we are dealing with one pounders being filled by 20 pounders (20lbs when topped off).

Good God do you still drive a car after seeing photos of a car accident.  Do you still fly after seeing plane crashes, do you go up in a high rise after 9/11.  Stuff happens, I have yet to see a disaster from filling a one pound container.

If you don't want to fill them DON"T!

[Nor Easter]

Here is what can happen when you don't know what you are doing with propane!

(Image removed from quote.)

The cylinder (the one in pieces) was over filled by an untrained individual. Luckily no one was injured!

Hearsay until you provide a link. Considering you stole it from the site and uploaded it to your photobucket account does not make it real. "Edit: Ok, it's a scan"

All I see is a metal recycling platform next to a dumpster with a few physically damaged cylinders and some other metal sheets, screening and angle iron. No evidence of an explosion or fire, it's someone's trash pile. Maybe something crushed those other bottles but at least tell us the story. Where, when, etc...

[gasman707]

Hearsay until you provide a link. Considering you stole it from the site and uploaded it to your photobucket account does not make it real. "Edit: Ok, it's a scan"

All I see is a metal recycling platform next to a dumpster with a few physically damaged cylinders and some other metal sheets, screening and angle iron. No evidence of an explosion or fire, it's someone's trash pile. Maybe something crushed those other bottles but at least tell us the story. Where, when, etc...

 I can not provide a link, it's being kept in house if you get my drift. And I didn't steal anything and greatly resent that insinuation!
All I trying to do is provide the other side of the story so a fellow fisher person doesn't get hurt attempting something they probably shouldn't from bad information posted by others who really have no idea and probally think its as simple as putting gas in your ice auger!

Ok, here are the facts, as I know and can report them .
 I received this from my employer during a monthly safety meeting as part of our training.
 This happened in the south this winter during the extreme cold spell we all heard about on the news.
 It was at a beverage distributors warehouse during business hours which helped to minimize damage.
 The cylinder was filled by an untrained employee early in the morning when the temp was very low.
The cylinder was past its re-qualification date and never had the relief valve changed as required.
The employee over filled the cylinder and as it warmed up significantly during the day, the propane expanded, the relief valve failed to open to release the excess pressure causing the cylinder to bleve (explode).
The released propane found and ignition source (as of yet unknown ) which then caused the other cylinders to release propane and increase the fire ( black charred metal and melted crash posts I believe are proof of a fire).
The metal and screening you see in the picture is whats left of the protective cylinder cage!
 I do believe the employee and the manager who allowed him to work with no training are now on Obama's stimulus plan.

(Now here are some links, I don't believe researching the internet is stealing! Especially seeing I including the sources.)

 NEVER BRING A PROPANE CYLINDER INTO YOUR HOUSE if you want to know why just do a news search on PROPANE FIRE every week. The amount of them will amaze you and most are from a portable heater and do it yourselfers like this genius!   http://www.lakenewsonline.com/news/x1694765798/Rubber-water-hose-determined-as-cause-for-explosion

 Here's another one that no one could have seen coming due to someone Else's stupidity. How would you like this to be your son?  He was only doing was his job at a hardware store that entailed filling customers cylinders when they brought them in. http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1287950.shtml?cat=1

 We all tell others to please be safe on the ice constantly on this site.  So, let's be safe!

What I'm trying to say is please think before you try to fill these cylinders cause it is quite dangerous even if you know what you are doing, and please don't post how to!

There are children on here, as I'm reminded every time one of my posts are removed due to a reference to a naughty word (2 removed due to replying to a post with a reference in it, and 1 scolding for a joke about a worm and hair spray).
 
 Here's the thank you one fisherman received for taking and friend fishing,
http://www.wisbar.org/res/capp/z1997/97-1420.htm

 And finally, I DON'T CARE IF YOU REFILL, YOUR LIFE NOT MINE! Just be smart and safe about it, and if you don't know do you really think you should tell others?

[kasilofchrisn]

I'ts still a personal choice. Those who are againt don't have to do it.
we are not talking about using garden hose to hook these 1#ers to our buddy heaters. Nor are we talking about refilling cylinders that once held other gasses.
I didn't read the whole page on the court case but saw where it said he was negligent in maintenance or inspections of a gas lantern. It did not specify that he was using refilled 1# cylinders. It could have been but it wasn't stated in what I read. All of the references in the previous post are good reminders to be careful with any hazardous gasses or other hazardous substances.
All refilled 1# bottles should be checked with soapy water for leaks.
People get hurt all the time even with non-hazardous stuff.
care and caution should be used whenever propane is used .
When I was a kid my dad kept a case of dynamite in the shop on the farm to take care of beaver dams. We never had an incident with it and it never caused any bodily harm or property damage. We were careful with it and I never was allowed to handle it myself. I would bet one stick of dynamite is probably more damgerous than a 1# propane cylinder.
I think refilling these cylinders can  be done safely by those who take care and use the precautions stated by others previously. I personally haven't seen or heard about any cases involving 1# cylinders. I am sure they have caused injuries but it is probably not happening very often. If you feel it is that dangerous then maybe you should not use it at all even in larger cylinders.
just my $.02 Chris

[Nor Easter]

Gasman,
I apologize for my grammar. It was a poor choice of words. I was having an all thumbs moment and could not spell 'plagiarize' correctly in it's reference to using a picture gathered from the www so I wrote 'stole' instead. There was no harm intended your way.

I did not mean to infer you were a thief.

[gasman707]

Gasman,
I apologize for my grammar. It was a poor choice of words. I was having an all thumbs moment and could not spell 'plagiarize' correctly in it's reference to using a picture gathered from the www so I wrote 'stole' instead. There was no harm intended your way.

I did not mean to infer you were a thief.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (giving credit where credit is due)
Main Entry: pla·gia·rize
Pronunciation: \ˈplā-jə-ˌrīz also -jē-ə-\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): pla·gia·rized; pla·gia·riz·ing
Etymology: plagiary
Date: 1716
transitive verb
 : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source

 Now you're just being vexatious, and still calling me a thief!
(Infer means to :to guess; speculate; surmise (also form websters) Now you're flat out telling me I'm a thief)

 No where in the post did I take credit for, nor claim ownership over the picture or links. The picture was provided by my employer to me in training and I made that clear in the last post.

 You clearly don't understand the intent of my posts on this subject, so *let me be clear* and explain.(*favorite saying and quote of Barack Obama, who I did not vote for but, will accredit this saying too, to avoid all future charges of stealing and plagiarism*)

1) If I get one person stop and think maybe I should be more careful about this, I've got a base hit!
2) If I get one person decide it's not worth it, and stop all together, I've hit a homerun!
3) If I get one person who has never done this and is researching it decide, "No way, it's not worth it!", I'm denting cars and busting windshields in the parking lot!!!
(These people will not be the first nor the last that I have saved from harm due to the hazards of propane use)
  
 I thought the purpose of this site was for ice fishermen to share their knowledge and experiences too help others enjoy the sport and have fun.
 Besides fishing and hunting my knowledge is wood working (10yrs building $250,000-$750,000 homes), driving (cdl/all endorsements and over 500,000 miles with no violations/accidents), and now the propane industry after 2 injuries took me out of the building industries.
 I've personally delivered to, and repaired all most all styles of propane containers. My total amount of propane handled and delivered will break the 10,000,000 gallon (yes,that's 10 million) mark before this fall. If you have a question about propane I have, or know the person with the answer! I am not an expert, nor claim to be! I am a certified professional in numerous aspects of the industry, therefore I post the knowledge I have on to those who have asked.  I have never started any of these topics on this subject just answered questions with the facts. If you disagree, prove me wrong and I will apologize. As of yet no one has been able to come up with anything except "it's not illegal to fill them just can't sell or transport in commerce", And I've proved this wrong also!
 I also have all the proper equipment and tools to fill this style of cylinder. This equipment and tools can not be used (I do not and will not use, nor post info on to any who ask) because the refillable cylinders are no longer produced, nor can they be recertified in order to be filled due to legislation caused by accidents, injuries, and lawsuits!

 You will not find posts on this site from me about flashers (and may other topics), I don't own one, and my only knowledge of them is from this site therefore I can not contribute, only read, use, and enjoy. I appreciate the info others post and with it plan too make that purchase someday.

 You can bust my marbles all you want, and I will keep posting. So, why don't we just go fishing!
 

[Mainehazmt]

time to bump this back to the top for the propane augers!!!   

[JKM]

I refill my 1# bottels all the time. They don't last forever, but I get at least five fills before the valve gets leaky.

[fin-n-feather]

time to bump this back to the top for the propane augers!!!   

Let sleeping dogs lie Maine, let them lie!!  Fin

[Melbs7]

As of yet no one has been able to come up with anything except "it's not illegal to fill them just can't sell or transport in commerce", And I've proved this wrong also!
 

Gasman.... can you post that info again?? I know that I agree with you 100% and I've been looking for that info for a long time... maybe some others should see it as well....

Thanks!!

[Trooper Bri]

time to bump this back to the top for the propane augers!!!   

You are pure evil Hazzy.