Reuse is better than recycle or discard.
Here's a gizmo that allows you to refill them from a big propane tank.
formatting link
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
Where is a "safe place" to dispose of 14 oz. propane tanks?
Loading thread data ...
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
I have one of those.
I found that they do not fill to little tank to anywhere near full. They always seem to run out a lot faster. So if you don't mind carrying around ~twice as many as you might otherwise, or refilling them pretty often, it's an OK device.
The instructions say not to refill any containers showing rust, so eventually you'll have to dispose of them anyway. Another issue is the moisture content of the propane which may rust the container from the inside. This is an older discussion, but it dicusses both the moisture issue and the transport of refilled containers. Maybe the rules have changed since it was written...
formatting link
When I go camping, I take my big tank with a T and 2 long hoses - one for the grill and one for the stove. Saves bucks deluxe over buying the disposable tanks.
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
Had one, but the problem is that those tanks are built to be disposable. The gaskets and seals on them are not very good, and you can't refill them very many times before they leak.
You're driving down the freeway on a camping trip. What's that smell? It smell like propane................
Steve
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
I have one of those.
I found that they do not fill to little tank to anywhere near full. They always seem to run out a lot faster. So if you don't mind carrying around ~twice as many as you might otherwise, or refilling them pretty often, it's an OK device.
The instructions say not to refill any containers showing rust, so eventually you'll have to dispose of them anyway. Another issue is the moisture content of the propane which may rust the container from the inside. This is an older discussion, but it dicusses both the moisture issue and the transport of refilled containers. Maybe the rules have changed since it was written...
formatting link
When I go camping, I take my big tank with a T and 2 long hoses - one for the grill and one for the stove. Saves bucks deluxe over buying the disposable tanks.
This thread has gone round and round before. Bottom line, is that personal use tanks are not subject to the laws of commercially transported cargo. And yes, I, too have a hose that lets me hook up to a big tank for my camping devices, and those last two forevers.
I tried freezing the canisters before filling, made a special rack to hold the old style tank upside down thinking that it would run liquid in instead of vapor. And I found that they only filled 1/3 to 1/2 full at best. They don't work as advertised.
Steve
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
put doner tank in freezer before refilling, a buddy does that helps them to fill better.
i have reused some for other uses. left sit for a week with torch valve open outside. a buddy suggested putting it on a vacuumn pump but thats overkill if you asked me.
drilled out valve, puped with compressed air they can be handy for clean ups, like bottled air.
added 2 to a small piston compressor for reserve capacity used for many years. replaced with a rubber bladder i guess bigger HP compressor that works better and weighs a fraction of the old one.
dont think in the box, the box isnt your friend.
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
st. =EF=BF=BDThey
i know upside don is greater flow, will ask a buddy if heating gently a full 20 pound tank would get more into a smaller one
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
Or one could use a wrench and remove the schrader valves. With those openings it is very doubtful the tank could ever explode.
sdb
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
It does my heart good to see a poster on here with an actual sense of humor....
aem sends...
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
Harbor Freight sells 'em. I've had one for years and refill my Bernz-O-Matic style propane torch bottles from a grille tank using it.
IIRC there was some note that came with it saying something about not taking refilled bottles across state lines.
I'm careful not to "overfill" those bottles I weighed a "full" newly purchased one abd don't refill to any more weight than that.
Jeff
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
A) Could it fill more than that? If the pressure when new in the small tank is as much as the pressure in the large on when new (is it?), how could you fill the small one to any higher pressure (and weight)?
B) Do you have that kind of control? Obviously you think you do, but I'm surprised unless it fills slowly. I thought there would be no orifices in the hose, just a full size opening.
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
Very clever, even if it didn't work.
I drove over a chrome strip and put a hole in my gas tank. I smelled it when I got to work, but I thought that was because I worked in a steel mill. A guy who came up behind me said I had gasoline pouring out.
A co-worker took me out at lunch and bought an epoxee kit especially for gas tanks. Hot july day, hardened before I was done. Drove home anyhow, stopping every 5 or 10 miles to buy another gallon of gasoline. I think I stopped 5 times, in 25 miles.
Bought another kit and the next morning I put it in the freezer for
10? minutes to give me more time to put it on. The extra time was a big help and the patch lasted 3 years.Had the car painted, and it leaked the day I got the car from the painter. I'm pretty sure because of the vapors there, but the second patch also failed after 3 years with no paint shop invovled.
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
Probably because the little tanks are designed for greater pressure than the big tanks.
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
re: Bottom line, is that personal use tanks are not subject to the laws of commercially transported cargo.
I quote from my 16.4 oz Ozark Trail propane container:
- Never refill this cylinder. Refilling may cause explosion. Federal law prohibits transportation if refilled - penalty up to 0,000 and
The cylinder is marked as DOT-39. This website reiterates the transportation statement noted above:
formatting link
I couldn't find anything that denoted a difference between personal vs. commercial transport. If you could cite a reference I'd appreciate it, since there may come a time when I would like to transport a refilled container.
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
wrote
Actually, I used the refiller pre OPD gas tanks. I don't even know if the ones with OPD would flow any gas out if upside down.
I have seen some LPG devastation, and I'd just as not apply heat to a tank, thank you.
Steve
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
re: Bottom line, is that personal use tanks are not subject to the laws of commercially transported cargo.
I quote from my 16.4 oz Ozark Trail propane container:
- Never refill this cylinder. Refilling may cause explosion. Federal law prohibits transportation if refilled - penalty up to 0,000 and
The cylinder is marked as DOT-39. This website reiterates the transportation statement noted above:
formatting link
I couldn't find anything that denoted a difference between personal vs. commercial transport. If you could cite a reference I'd appreciate it, since there may come a time when I would like to transport a refilled container.
I said it, therefore, it must be true. Is there a refilled canister police agency in your locale that does roadbocks, inspections, or other police work regarding these little canisters? Can you cite ANY case in which ANYONE has been cited or arrested or prosecuted?
I thought so.
Steve
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
Yes, shooting them is a lot of fun.
Steve
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
re: I said it, therefore, it must be true.
No one said it wasn't. I simply asked for a reference.
BTW since "not subject to" and "not enforced" are two very different things, I'm not sure how the lack of prosecuted cases enters into this discussion. I'm sure we can all cite instances of illegal activties that are not prosecuted. Heck, I've been to a concert or two in my day and we were all subject to certain laws that were broken but not prosecuted. (But I never inhaled!)
All I'm looking for is something official that says it's legal for me to transport a refilled 16.4 oz DOT-39 propane tank if it's for personal use. It wasn't a personal attack.
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
re: I said it, therefore, it must be true.
No one said it wasn't. I simply asked for a reference.
BTW since "not subject to" and "not enforced" are two very different things, I'm not sure how the lack of prosecuted cases enters into this discussion. I'm sure we can all cite instances of illegal activties that are not prosecuted. Heck, I've been to a concert or two in my day and we were all subject to certain laws that were broken but not prosecuted. (But I never inhaled!)
I didn't take it personal. Just looking at it realistically, and from the viewpoint of having been there, done that. If they were truly illegal to be refilled, they would outlaw the refilling devices available at most Walmarts and everywhere.
Bottom line is people will do what they want, law or no. Be careful, the sky is falling out there. It's a jungle. It always is and was, but your own personal life is all perception as to whether you live it or hide in a closet.
Steve
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
..
re: If they were truly illegal to be refilled, they would outlaw the refilling devices available at most Walmarts and everywhere.
Ah, but AFAIK it is not illegal to refill them, so there is no need to outlaw the device. It's only illegal to transport them after they have been refilled - but as we both agree, that is not something that is actively enforced.
I can imagine, albeit remotely, that if damage or injury were caused by a refilled tank while being transported *and* it could be proved that the tank was refilled *and* it could be proved that the person doing the transporting knew that it had been refilled, then the person doing the transporting could be found liable. The chances of that happening are slim to none.
Remember - refilling devices don't kill people, people kill people.
- Vote on answer
- posted
16 years ago
If the large (grille) tank has been sitting outside in warm weather and you put the small tank in the kitchen freezer for a while before filling it, as mentioned in the instructions which came with the HF adaptor, then there WILL be a pressure difference, at least until the small tank gets as warm as the large tank.
I'm not saying that I ever actually "overfilled" a small tank that way. I was just being curious and cautious and decided to weigh the refilled tanks to be on the safe side. I realize that the Schraeder valve would open and let gas vent out if the tank was totally filled with liquid and subjected to a temperature increase, but that's not something I want happening in my house.
No small orifices, (and no hose either on the refiller I've got) but you can "crack" the large tank's valve to regulate the liquid flow.
Jeff