Propane and Propane Accessories (Flame King)

[tx2sturgis]

Yep you do need to make sure the notch and the 'peg' or whatever it is called, are lined up fairly close. They should have included markings on the bottles....cuz it is hard to see in dim light...and night time is exactly when you might be needing to fill a bottle or two.

I bet I can fix that with a black marker or a piece of tape and we'll be good to go...

 

[Freelander]

Currently the only thing I have that uses the green bottles is my buddy heater, I do have a Coleman propane lantern, but have never used it, I carry a Coleman camp stove but it uses white gas/unleaded, I will probably get rid of the propane lantern and go with a white gas/unleaded model.

In time I will plumb the buddy heater into the on-board tank.

I don't see any need to carry any more than I have to.

 

[highdesertranger]

don't you find white gas stuff expensive compared to propane. many years ago I converted everything to propane because it was so much cheaper than white gas. highdesertranger

 

[Freelander]

Thats why I bought the model that can run off of unleaded gas. The military has been running their field ranges on gasoline for years without problems.

 

[highdesertranger]

"The military has been running their field ranges on gasoline for years without problems."

that's because they had vehicles that ran off it to, so they wouldn't have to carry multiple fuels.

highdesertranger

 

[Freelander]

Those field ranges are made by Coleman. They also made little one burner units for tankers.

White gas is gasoline that is higher refined than unleaded. They say that the Colemens running Unleaded tend to get more carbon build up in the preheat tube, and it needs to be cleaned out more often. There are quite a few YouTube videos on cleaning these out. Also with a little work to refine your own white gas.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/4x-NEW-Mil...783068?hash=item365a64b3dc:g:dY4AAOSwUvheAohB
Technical the fuel the Military uses is called Mo-Gas for Motor Gasoline compared to Av-Gas for Aviation.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Army-M1950...807598?hash=item1f1a64eb2e:g:E3MAAOSwfw5fvSxi

 

[tx2sturgis]

Of course nobody here would buy disposable propane bottles online at this price, but it just amazes me that apparently SOMEBODY would:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Coleman-Pr...772?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c10#viTabs_0

That's $15 each to get them to your 'door'....wow...

 

[bullfrog]

I’m sorta on the fence with propane in small bottles. The disposable ones are expensive, do take up space and you always worry about leakage. The larger tanks are getting heavy for this old man but with the Teflon hoses don’t seem to have any problems. Gasoline which I was more familiar with is also heavy, spills, leaks, has flammable vapors and burns dirtier. I think if I had to start all over I would run a propane generator/solar and everything else as much as possible propane/battery powered. I used to use air or 110 volt tools but now the 18 volt battery powered tools are my go to. My understanding is small engines run cleaner on propane and therefore longer with less maintenance. It does get old having to deal with both gasoline and propane as well as big bottles and small bottles.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Everything is a trade-off...

You might want to buy a propane tank that is in the 'goldilocks' zone...right in between the extremes. I have both an 11 pounder and a 5 pounder and they are just about the perfect size to hook up with a hose to a cooking appliance...and very easy to carry and use even when full.  

The 11 pounder will last for several months if used with a propane camp stove, cooking one or two meals a day for a solo or couple. Not really big enough to support long term use with a heater though. And certainly not for mounting on the tongue of an RV....unless it is a tiny teardrop with maybe a campstove kitchen out back.

You can have these smaller tanks filled at any propane filling station, but you wont be exchanging them at the local c-mart. A refill (around 2 gallons) will usually be less than $10 at most locations.

And they do cost more to buy than the typical 20 pounder tank.

 

[Freelander]

I used to run a GMC Pickup on propane, all and all I liked it, but I couldn't park at work with the windows rolled down, the flys like the smell and the cab would be full at the end of the day. Fuel milage on Gasoline was about 11 mpg and on propane about 7 mpg.

The oil never really changed color between oil changes and had a distinctive smell to it, and seemed almost slimy. Propane motors will not sludge up like a gasoline motor.

 

[highdesertranger]

holy cow 30 bucks for two 1 pound bottles that's almost 60 bucks a gallon. last time I was in Wally world I got a 2 pack for 6.44 which is still way expensive compared to bulk prices. highdesertranger

 

[tx2sturgis]

One thing I have noticed about these refillable FlameKing bottles....

They seem to have a very slightly smaller diameter 'footring'...which means that when you pick up a lantern (for example) the plastic stand will not lift with the lantern. Yes you could use tape duct tape...

But what I did was remove the plastic base on the disposable bottle (the dark green one) and slide that onto the FlameKing bottle and now the fit is a bit better.

 

[PeterPiper]

At one time, long ago in a place far far away....... I was wondering why so many people complained about the weight of a ""20 LB"" propane tank
I thought.....man....people sure are weak these days
Then I got one ..yep...I can only carry two at a time.

Just bought a Mr. Heater just for giggles since Diesel heaters are the love of my life.
Also because I have 4 or 5 full 20lb propane tanks on hand just sitting in storage (I better check if they are still full)
I love the dry heat of the diesel heaters and IMO they are super easy to work with.

I landed in this thread because I started wondering about refilling my small 1lb bottles now that I have the Buddy Heater.

 

[gizmotron]

I've been refilling the giveaway 1lb free Coleman bottles for years using the freezing the bottle trick. This is way better and does a full refill. This is how to do it:

 

[Ravella and X]

I use the flame king bottles and valve. Here’s some safety related reading about refilling disposable cylinders:

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/regulator...ance/stop-never-refill-1-lb-propane-bottles-0
https://www.rvtravel.com/why-you-should-not-refill-disposable-propane-cylinders/
For those who are still inclined, I recall reading something ages ago that explained why you shouldn’t use the freezing method to get more propane in the bottle. There needs to be room to expand in the bottle with temperature changes. That, too, is a safety thing.

 

[hugemoth]

For safe refilling of the 1 lb bottles just use a scale. Weigh the empty bottle then fill with 1 lb of propane. Just vent some out if you overfill.

 

[gizmotron]

For those who are still inclined, I recall reading something ages ago that explained why you shouldn’t use the freezing method to get more propane in the bottle.

I did this for years. But I never purged the bottles so that I ever got even close to over filling them. So I just looked them up to see what is what.

"For example, a standard 20-pound propane tank at 70 degrees will have 145 psi internal pressure. That same tank on a 100-degree day will have 172 psi of pressure."

And I looked up propane: "Generally, propane pressure should be between 100 and 200 psi ensures that the liquid propane gas remains in a liquid state."

So don't store your refills in the sun. When you do use a transfer method the 20lb tank and the 1lb tank equalize. So you can't over pressure the 1lb tanks unless you use a compressor.

Also don't drink the fluid in your battery.

 

[gizmotron]

... more on this subject: "Though they are commonly used for outdoor activities, 1lb disposable propane cylinders fall under the category of DOT 39. But just because they are certified by the DOT, does not mean they are meant to be refilled. DOT 39 cylinders aren’t manufactured to withstand the refilling process, leaving them with thinner walls and weaker valves. In addition, they aren’t required to undergo the numerous safety tests DOT 4BA – or refillable – cylinders must pass. This means that it is dangerous to even attempt to refill a disposable tank."

Now if you really want to get with the program then keep reading. The inspection process to recertify a tank is basic. They take the valve out of a 20lb tank and do an inspection inside for rust. Rust is caused by air in the tanks as condensation. It's why new tanks come under pressure so that they don't get moisture in them to begin with. I never would get 20 fills or more on a used Coleman 1lb bottle. It's because so many people throw them away that I always have access to so many new empty bottles. Looks like that will change if it hasn't already. So never use rusty old bottles.

I use to have steal SCUBA tanks. They can rust too. They are also DOT certified and tested every few years. It's all about rust in steal tanks. Those would charge up to 2500 pounds per cubic inch of air pressure.

 

[hugemoth]

You can indeed overfill a 1 lb bottle from a 20 lb bottle without any sort of compressor. It can be done by partially filling the 1 lb bottle, then cooling in the freezer or purging some propane, then topping it off. Liquid propane needs air space to expand into as it warms. If there is not enough airspace left in the bottle the pressure from warming liquid propane is enough to balloon out the steel bottle. Danger!

 

[gizmotron]

You can indeed overfill a 1 lb bottle from a 20 lb bottle without any sort of compressor.

I mean pounds per square inch pressure. Yes, you can put too much liquid propane in a bottle. So don't do it. Better yet buy new bottles and I'll be happy to take the empties off your hands. You see I'm inclined to blow myself up and go out with a big bang. Camping needs to be a thrill.