refilling the small green LP tanks??

[Melbs7]

Cause it weighs 19 + lbs more ...

They have smaller refillable tanks. I just plain don't understand WHY this topic keeps coming up over and over again. I think there is 2 or three CURRENT threads on this topic right now going. let along all of the archived ones. It's illegal to transport them. It's unsafe to do. There are other safER options. Are we really THAT cheap when we spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on gear every year that we can't spend $2 to stay warm? or spend $20 to get a small refillable tank? Come on now.

[doogie494]

I have been refilling mine for a few years now and I have never had a problem. I do the same as the rest but in addition I buy new tanks every year and dispose of the old.

For those of you who do not feel safe filling the 1#ers, dont do it! Your point is made.  Easy as that. I see no reason to to critizise those of us that do.

And i really don't feel like hauling a 20# tank out with me when im in a portable, hardside different story.

FYI : http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=45989

[augerlips]

Cause it weighs 19 + lbs more ...

yup, my sled is pulled manually.either 20 pounds of propane or 20 pounds of beer and food (in that order) the kid gets hungry after all that pullin and i get thirsty watchin him.

[Melbs7]

I have been refilling mine for a few years now and I have never had a problem. I do the same as the rest but in addition I buy new tanks every year and dispose of the old.

For those of you who do not feel safe filling the 1#ers, dont do it! Your point is made.  Easy as that. I see no reason to to critizise those of us that do.

And i really don't feel like hauling a 20# tank out with me when im in a portable, hardside different story.

OK... several things here. Just because you've been doing it for a fer years and haven't had a problem.... DOESNT mean that it's safe to do. It just means you've been lucky. Second, Not criticizing... just informing. If I didn't respond to this post, then I heard that someone that got info from this post was hurt or killed, anyone would feel horrible. Third, they sell refillable tanks as small as 4.25 lbs.

FYI: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0013259516602a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCHFEAT_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=propane&sort=all&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch

[doogie494]

Ok so a 4. whatever tank that costs $50 and weighs 12#'s that doesn't fit my heater without a hose that runs $25 then the shipping runs me to $85 and its not even filled yet. See where I am going with this?  I will take my chances and fill my "disposables".  I understand your concerns, but it will not change the way I do things right now. Ok?

[trapper2000]

yep it's funny we don't like drunks on the road,we don't like second hand smoke but to save about a buck in a quarter were willing to break laws and endanger ourselves and those around us,i personally don't care if you refill them if thats your desire ,i will warn you of the danger! you can ask any propane dealer,fireman,call the coleman factory why it's dangerous so education isn't the problem here ,the fact that you can purchace a safe refillable tank yet decide to use a thin soildered tank with a once uses valve,i have come to the conclusion  your just bullheaded which is fine however some people (a lot) would rather  know what the safest options are. thats what we are posting here! the recommended and safest options

[Melbs7]

Ok so a 4. whatever tank that costs $50 and weighs 12#'s that doesn't fit my heater without a hose that runs $25 then the shipping runs me to $85 and its not even filled yet. See where I am going with this?  I will take my chances and fill my "disposables".  I understand your concerns, but it will not change the way I do things right now. Ok?

Don't Bi@#h at me because you put money over safety. Buy a few less jigs and live to fish next year. Just a thought.

[PIE]

* - Hose for heater $22.00
*- 20# tank $50.00 roughly depending on were you are
*- both of these items are available any hardware, sport shop, camping shop ect. (no shipping needed)

*- new fingers, limbs, and your life and the lifes of others???

*-Everybody is saying theyve never had any problems and gasoline is more dangerous than propane. its all relevant. they make gas cans to transport gas safely. and they make one pound tanks that are safe for ONE TIME USE ONLY, like it says right on the can. pressurized flamable gas is very dangerous. I was at a motorcross race in minnesota and watched a faulty propane tank blow a camper up and damage many others. It can happen. But this argument could continue on for a long time so, just do what you want and lets get back to talking about cool stuf like fishing.

[rayman54]

I HAVE BEEN RECHARGING 1LB TANKS FOR 10-15 YEARS AND THE ONLY PROBLEM I EVER HAD WAS A TANK THAT WOULD LEAK FROM THE TOP VALVE.   IF YA HAVE IT SCREWED ONTO YOUR HEATER, LANTERN OR WHAT EVER IT IS NOT GOING TO LEAK.   WHEN EMPTY GET RID OF THE LEAKER.
AS FAR AS BEING ILLEGAL THAT MOST LIKELY APPLIES TO PROP, TANK REFILL CENTERS.  YA DONT' HAVE TO ADVERTISE TO EVERYONE THAT YOU ARE REFILLING YOUR TANKS ANYWAYS.
SURE THEY DON'T WANT YA TO REFILL THEM, HOW ARE THEY GOING TO SELL MORE.
ALSO HAVING THAT ILLEGAL CRAP ON THERE GETS THEM OFF THE HOOK IF ANYTHING DID GO SOUTH.
JUST USE EVERYDAY COMMON SENSE, CHECK YOUR TANKS FOR PROBLEMS AND REPLACE THEM WHEN NEEDED.
I NEVER HEARD OF ANY  PROBLEMS WITH REFILLS.
SAVE THE PLANET......REFILL!!!

WE HAVE MORE AND MORE LAWS TO PROTECT US FROM OURSELVES, WHO IS GOING TO PROTECT US FROM THE LAWMAKERS?

R..............

[miket.]

I believe the 1# tanks are supposed to be "disposable" so if you refill them and something goes wrong, and you or someone else gets hurt.....IT'S YOUR A$$!!!...ie....you don't have a leg to stand on in court...not worth it to me... WK

they are illegal to refill yourself. i just dispose of them and buy new ones. better safe than sorry.

[doogie494]

Don't Bi@#h at me because you put money over safety. Buy a few less jigs and live to fish next year. Just a thought.

I would never think to Bi@#h at you melbs, I have more important things to do.


 First of all if these bottles are so flimsy then why does Coleman use them? Next don't they still have to put Propane into them??  Why is it safe for them and not the consumer?  Once again I understand everyones concern, back your comments up with facts so everyone can read, not just take your word for it.

[Hardwaterhunter]

Have been filling those things for years.  $10 to fill a 20 lb. tank or $5 for 1 lb. tank makes the decision pretty easy.  Have only had one leak and it was a pretty rusty old one, just hooked that one up to the heater first.  I try to discard them when they show signs of wear. 

 I wish I could get a 20lber filled for 10 bucks and sure as heck would`nt pay 5 bucks for a 1lber. I think all of our Sporting goods stores should step up to the plate and have recycle bins on site for 1lbers,just a thought.

Bob

[miket.]

 I wish I could get a 20lber filled for 10 bucks and sure as heck would`nt pay 5 bucks for a 1lber. I think all of our Sporting goods stores should step up to the plate and have recycle bins on site for 1lbers,just a thought.

Bob

thats a great idea hardwaterhunter.

[mungo544]

Ok so a 4. whatever tank that costs $50 and weighs 12#'s that doesn't fit my heater without a hose that runs $25 then the shipping runs me to $85 and its not even filled yet. See where I am going with this?  I will take my chances and fill my "disposables".  I understand your concerns, but it will not change the way I do things right now. Ok?

I see where you are going , you be seem unconcerned with the safety of others.  You want to take a chance with your own safety, I don't have a problem with that. However if you are storing propane indoors, (one of the posts here said to store the large cylinder indoors overnight) you are endangering anyone that enters your house or even goes near it. Any fire emergency in a residence with illegal storage of propane puts you your neighbors and fire emergency responders at risk. Please don't store propane indoors. If you want to chill the small tank, go for it. The instructions for the valve say it is better if the large tank is at room temp, but storing it indoors to achieve that goal is a no no. Filling that small tank is not an exact science. You are essentially pouring the liquid propane from the large tank to the small one. You can leave the small tank connected all day long it will never over pressure, the relief valve would pop first. As long as you are outdoors the risk of fire is minimal. However, it would be quite possible for a 20 lb tank to overpressure if you brought it indoors, especially in the winter. For example, if the tank was freshly filled in subfreezing weather and then brought indoors to warm up the propane could expand enough to pop the relief valve. (this actually happens during the summer, people get their tanks filled, throw them in their trunk then leave them baking in the sun while they shop at Walmart) They heat up, pop the relief valve and the fire dept has to come and bail their dumb asses out. If the gas found an ignition source, (furnace, hot water heater, even flicking on a light switch) could ignite the gas.

[Melbs7]

SURE THEY DON'T WANT YA TO REFILL THEM, HOW ARE THEY GOING TO SELL MORE.
ALSO HAVING THAT ILLEGAL CRAP ON THERE GETS THEM OFF THE HOOK IF ANYTHING DID GO SOUTH.

Last I checked the Department of Transportation was not in the business of selling 1 lb propane cylanders. If they are worried about covering thier but if things do "go south", why don't they put those same statements on 5#, 11#, 20#, so on and so forth as well as the one pound cylanders. The reason is that the valve is made differently.

[doogie494]

I never said I stored the propane indoors, thats foolish!! Yes, It is better to have the large tank warmer than the little one, however it is not neccesary.  I'll tell you what, seeings how your so worried about this, how about you supply us all with the right equipment?

[MichiganMan]

I'm going to risk the wrath of some by saying I also refill the 1# tanks. I started with a homade fitting more years back than I can remember, perhaps 35 years ago. At that time, to my knowledge a comercially produced adapter was not for sale. I eventually misplaced the homade job. About 8 years ago I bought one very similar to my homade fitting from Cabelas and have been filling about 40+ tanks per year. I use them ice fishing and deer hunting. With a summer temp 20# tank and 1# er from the freezer they fill to a pound in about a minute and a half. They will not over fill. I try to fill most of them in warmer weather. When I need to fill in the winter I wait for a warmer day, maybe 40 deg f or so, the tanks from the freezer then fill about 2/3 full. Still much cheaper than $3 per tank. Everyone may not want to do this, and I'm not trying to talk anyone into it. I'm just trying to answer the poster question and passing on my experiance to anyone who wants to weigh the pros and cons.

[rayman54]

I never said I stored the propane indoors, thats foolish!! Yes, It is better to have the large tank warmer than the little one, however it is not neccesary.  I'll tell you what, seeings how your so worried about this, how about you supply us all with the right equipment?

ANYBODY THAT HAS A QUOTE FROM THE NUGE' ON HIS POST IS OK BY ME AND SOMEONE I THINK I CAN TRUST.
HOW ABOUT YOU, ME AND ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO NEED TO SAVE A BUCK JUST KEEP FILLING OUR TANKS LIKE WE WERE AND BE HAPPY, I DON'T FEEL I'M TAKING A CHANCE OR I WOULD NOT BE DOING IT.    I JUST DON'T BUCKLE TO THE WISHY-WASHY CRAP.
BEER IS ON ME IF I EVER RUN INTO YA'

RAYMAN.............ALS O A MICHIGAN MAN!

[FISHFORPIKE]

I agree that that the risk factor is low, if the process is done properly.  I would say getting caught transporting them and getting a fine for that act, would prolly buy a WHOLE bunch of brand new, factory-filled, bottles; negating what ever one might have saved by doing their own refilling for a long time.  Now I think that the likely-hood of is getting caught is pretty small; however, that risk is present and by my way of thinking, greater than the risk of refilling bottles.

[Bugman1964]

But they drag so easy in the sled behind the wheeler.

[FISHFORPIKE]

Maybe we could "fix" the problem of refilling small green LP tanks if we just paint them black.

[Bellybuster]

OK, right off the tank itself, it is indeed illegal to transport if refilled although the code 49 USC 5124 is in reference to transporting dangerous substances in "commerce" Not private use, therefor transporting in your own car for personal use is indeed legal.
   There is very little research online or otherwise on these bottles although it is knwn they are manufactued to DOT39 standards, refillable bottles are also DOT39 or DOT4BA the latter being a higher standard with different testing procedures.
   Just for interest the recomendation to not refill is simply that. "Do not refill" is lumped in with "Do not puncture or place in fire". There is no law against refilling.
   The refillng process is very closed and overpressurising the tank is near impossible due to physics alone

[dkfry]

How do they know that the tank has been refilled? I just bought an adaptor to fill my own 1lb. tanks. I don't really care if others approve or not. I'm going to machine up some caps with O-rings to screw on the end just in case there are any leaks from the valve the cap won't let it out. If its not leaking at the valve after the refill is done chances are its not going to leak.

Every lake I fish does NOT allow atvs, snowmobiles and etc. on the lake so everything has to be pulled by hand. 1lbers fit perfect on my buddy heater and last pretty long. Buying 1lbers all the time is expensive and a pain. I have no room in my sled for a larger tank.

[spoxick]

do they not have little single use blow off valves on them for a reason ....

so if they have the valve on them i cant see a problem at all what so ever  they aint going to blow in your hands off

[Bellybuster]

other than tossing in a fire it is next to impossible to make a propane tank explode

[spoxick]

i was out yesterday and i foiund out that aparently some people like to bob them in there holes till they freeze in there were 2 of em stuck in the ice

[BASSandICE65]

I think I'll pay the extra money for a new tank refilling is dangerous

[Steve Kerns]

Sombody better call the explosive gas police on Wal-Mart and Cabella's cause last time I was there both of them had dozens of tanks (1 lb'ers) of propane stored inside!  

[doogie494]

Sombody better call the explosive gas police on Wal-Mart and Cabella's cause last time I was there both of them had dozens of tanks (1 lb'ers) of propane stored inside!  

Good Point!! 

Like I said before, if you object, thats your business, don't do it. 

[fishersofmen]

it is illegal for a propane dealer to use these adapters....not private individuals....

I question why they would make a adapter available to the public to refill the 1 lb tank if it were that dangerous.  I suspect that the regulatory agency that over sees the industry deems the adapter safe or they would restrict the sale and use of the adapter.