Refilling 1lb tanks, who does it?

[lhoffm4]

Refilling the one lb tanks has been done for decades. Never against the law, multiple companies have made and sold refill adapters. Several vids on YouTube on how to refill them. I guess the best advice I'd give is to NOT led the FBI know you are doing it. They are raiding homes for goofy stuff these days. Don't think I'd mention it to the IRS either, for similar reasons...

 

[D4R4x4]

I have two of the green refillable Flame King 1 lb bottles and they have worked out great for me. I also have the Flame King adapter valve to refill them. They have a pinion screw to open that releases the liquid when it is full and to keep you from over pressurizing the bottle. That is one risk of refilling the disposable bottles. I use them for my single burner, griddle and Mr heater. Two are typically more than enough for my getaways. But if you have your adapter valve, you can "borrow" some from a friend that carries the 5 or 11 lb tanks.

When I plan an adventure, safety is one thing I consider. The risk of refilling a disposable bottle may be low, but spending the extra dollars for the proper refillable bottle is worth it to not have preventable property damage or bodily injury. If you check out some of those vids of bottle exploding, they can do some damage. As many times as I have refilled them now, they have payed for themselves.

My only tip is to not overtighten the pinion screw. Seems like they could strip with too much torque and possibly leak.

BTW, I checked the recall and my bottles are safe.

Adventure is necessary, be safe and keep exploring!

 

[obchristo]

Prior to Flame King, I refilled the single use 1lb bottles often.

When I was a Buyer at an Outdoor Company (Adventure 16), I was looking for refillable 1lb tanks for YEARS. When I found Flame King was in the process of bringing them to market, I jumped on and partenered with them immediately. Besides a College Rec program in NorCal that was starting to use them, Adventure 16 was literally the first company to offer both Retail Sales and Rentals of the Flame Kings Refillables. Needless to say, we went through the inevitable hiccups of being first to market but we believed it was the future.

Short way of saying I have used them for many years in a professional and personal environment.

It's awesome always starting a trip with full tanks. No more "Gee.. this one has some, this one has a bit more and I THINK this one is almost full... I'll just take all of them" Also, no more dealing with disposal of empty tanks.

Are they a pain to fill? Kinda, but I am used to it. I wish every Outdoor Shop and Propane Station had an exchange program. If it cost $5, I think people would do it - at least that was our experience.

 

[Overlanding Lawyer]

I have refilled them quite a bit. Tahoe's method works well.

I don't know what stove I have now. It was a gift. It's a Coleman 2-burner propane model.

Another option is to use a larger tank and a hose. I have an 11 lb tank on the back and a 12' hose that lets me run the stove, the Mr. Heater Buddy, the Zodi shower, etc.

View attachment 236013

I agree, this is most likely the best and safest method, the tank has an inspection process / date, more bang for the buck, hose is cheap. Just my two-cents worth.

 

[Ragman]

Yes, it is illegal, no arguing that. I also understand the safety concerns. It does make me wonder, how would anyone even know if it has been refilled? There is no outward signs that it has been refilled, I can have 2 cans next to each other, one refilled and one new/used, there would be no way to tell. So, unless someone watched you fill one, then watched you put it in your car, and saw you drive away with it, how would anyone know? Then, what evidence would be used to convict you? Without a video, how could it even be proved?
I am not saying this to encourage anyone to break the law. I just have to wonder about the law and how to possibly enforce it. The age of a tank does not mean anything either, I have old tanks still full, and new tanks that are full. Neither are refilled, both new.
Again, I am not advocating the breaking of the law or doing anything unsafe, please don't do it. Just thinking that this would be a really hard law to enforce.

I expect that no one would ever know unless you are the person who has one fail. How likely a failure is I have no idea but expect it to be pretty rare. I think the real issue is that the standard green bottles are not designed to be refilled so the engineering of the bottles doesn't support that and the law is written to keep commercial entities from refilling them and transporting for resale (it is the transport that is illegal I believe). It is like a lot of things, not wearing a seatbelt is fine 99% of the time, but I don't want to be the one going through the windshield on that odd 1% and I was never that kid that lost a mouthful of teeth on the old playground equipment kind of thing, or more relevant for this group my jack never failed while I was under the vehicle...