Refillable 16.4oz propane tank update!

stand up or sit down...to sink or not to sink...want or got gas...post your Q&A here..........

Refillable 16.4oz propane tank update!

Postby dbhosttexas » Sat Sep 11, 2021 12:00 pm

For those of you looking for legally refillable 1lb propane cylinders, the Flame King bottles are now shipping, and while most outlets are getting about $25.00 per bottle, REI has them for $15.00. The refill kit at REI is going for $45.00, so basically $10.00 under other retailers pricing on these.

Hopefully this snippet helps someone else...

EDIT and MASSIVE EXPANSION!

This is a post I pulled from another forum relevant to the discussion at hand... It should be noted that I DO own a pop up camper, actually 2, neither of which are trip ready, nor are they really what I want for mobility purposes off road. Although the recently acquired Palomino could be modified to make it work well in that configuration, it also needs a lot of electrical and gas plumbing repairs before I would be willing to take it on any sort of trip...


#1. Current pricing of the 16.4oz stubby green bottles A.K.A. DOT 39 cylinders, of propane vary wildly. Where I am at my local Wally World has them 2 for $7.59 I think it was. This is up over a dollar and half since this time last year.
#2. DOT regulations, with the force of law behind them with huge fines and jail time backing it up prohibit the refilling of the standard DOT 39 cylinders. It is unclear if this applies to private vehicles / persons or only applies to commercial carriers.
#3. The refilling of theDOT 39 cylidners s being common practice is covered widely through a huge assortment of youtube videos and online tutorials. Many members here claim to refill, many are against it. I am split on this issue personally. I understand there are risks to refilling, I understand there are legal risks to refilling. I understand there are risks just sitting here minding my own business as well. I will not say one way or another about the law / regulation prohibiting this, however, I will say that I like ideas where what would have been hazardous waste, or any waste, is reduced, reused, or recycled. We are all mature, enough, adults here, and we can do our own cost / benefit analysis. You do you, and I will do my thing.
#4. There is a good bit of debate between pre chill, don't pre chill, pop the relief valve, don't pop the relief valve. I have no experience in this so I cannot say.
#5. Spent DOT 39 cylinders are never fully spent, and thus are considered hazardous waste. Many municipalities forbid standard garbage disposal, or standard recycling of these cylinders and require they be saved until a household hazardous waste recycling event.
#6. There are 2 alternatives to refilling DOT 39 cylinders for propane camping appliance operation. They are.
#6a. Use a bulk tank such as a 20lb BBQ tank, with a set of hoses, and in the case of a Mr. Heater buddy heater, a fuel filter. These work great if all of your appliances are going to be used in close proximity and you have the carrying space and capacity of the bulky tank, hoses, and post.
#6b. Refillable 16.4oz bottles and refill kit. I have heard rumors of a second MFG, but the only one I can find with any certainty is the Flame King setup. Since COVID, costs on them went up and available has been sketchy. However REI seems to have the best pricing on the kits and bottles at this current time. $44.95 for the refill kit. https://www.rei.com/product/113711/flam ... l-kit-1-lb and $14.95 for the refillable bottles.https://www.rei.com/product/113609/flam ... inder-1-lb with free shipping on orders over $50.00. Keep that in mind.
#7. Flame king, or factory filled disposables, can, and do leak every so often. I have had far too many just not seal back up when I take the lantern or whatever off of the cylinder. There are gasketed brass caps made for these bottles, marketed for the refillers, but a great safety feature for those just looking to avoid problems with leaky bottles. https://amzn.to/3tNiXcG
#8. Using a pop up camper, traditionally all of your propane appliances would be plumbed through, and installed within or fed from a quick connect to the camper itself, however there are barebones, home brewed or other pop ups that do not have this feature, and a few of us are still tenting. Not to mention there are simply appliances we may want further away from the camper. Say you have a privy tent you want away from the camper for privacy sake, You will likely want a water heater / shower and in the winter a small tent heater. I mean who wants to get out of a nice hot shower in winter into a freezing tent before you can dry off right?

Lastly, for the most part, don't forget about GPA appliances. White gas, or ethanol free unleaded gasoline can run a stove, heater, lantern etc... The only item I can not replace with a GPA appliance is the on demand hot water heater / shower. And of course propane is easier to use as most people know how to use a gas stove at home... The concepts are more or less the same.


MORE INFO FROM THE SAME THREAD.

This is a paraphrase, and I want to state as clearly as possible that I am NOT A LAWYER and this DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE!!!! however from the thread and a reading of the relevant law.

It would appear the refilling / transportation prohibition applies to common carriers in commerce, meaning it is illegal to transport for commercial purposes I.E. trucking refilled DOT39 canisters.

If you'd like, read the thread https://www.popupportal.com/threads/mor ... rs.136737/

Again I am NOT a lawyer, I am NOT giving legal advice, I am merely discussing a conversation among citizens regarding whether a specific law that could do so, directly impacts them. For my own comfort sake, I am chosing to go with the approved refillable canisters.

And my last statement about this is, I know this is a contentious issue, however I am not passing judgement on those that chose to refill the disposables. However the potential for life altering legal exposure is too great for my taste.

Best of luck, and happy camping to all!
Last edited by dbhosttexas on Sat Sep 18, 2021 2:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.
dbhosttexas
The 300 Club
 
Posts: 473
Images: 29
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2019 3:52 am

Re: Refillable 16.4oz propane tank update!

Postby RJ Howell » Sat Sep 11, 2021 1:56 pm

You using them? If so can you get them filled up?

I can get close to 75% full doing what I'm doing.. They are not these Flame King bottles.
RJ Howell
1000 Club
1000 Club
 
Posts: 1156
Images: 36
Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2019 6:08 am

Re: Refillable 16.4oz propane tank update!

Postby tony.latham » Sat Sep 11, 2021 5:23 pm

RJ Howell wrote:You using them? If so can you get them filled up?

I can get close to 75% full doing what I'm doing.. They are not these Flame King bottles.
I’ve been using them for about three years. They work well. And yes, I can fill them.

Tony
User avatar
tony.latham
Gold Donating Member
 
Posts: 6880
Images: 17
Joined: Mon Jul 08, 2013 4:03 pm
Location: Middle of Idaho on the edge of nowhere
Top

Re: Refillable 16.4oz propane tank update!

Postby dbhosttexas » Mon Sep 13, 2021 1:40 pm

RJ Howell wrote:You using them? If so can you get them filled up?

I can get close to 75% full doing what I'm doing.. They are not these Flame King bottles.


I've not gotten them in yet. Delivery is expected for this Thursday. I know I physically can refill the disposables, this route was to give me peace of mind is all.

I have heard about folks not getting the disposalbes more than 50% full. They say to pre chill the bottles before filling them. Not sure how that helps that there it is...

The reviews on the Flame Kings all seem to show they take a full fill easily if you don't stop the fill prematurely.
dbhosttexas
The 300 Club
 
Posts: 473
Images: 29
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2019 3:52 am
Top

Re: Refillable 16.4oz propane tank update!

Postby tony.latham » Mon Sep 13, 2021 5:23 pm

I have heard about folks not getting the disposalbes more than 50% full. They say to pre chill the bottles before filling them.


The Flame Kings have a vent you open just like a BBQ tank. You fill it until liquid propane comes out of the vent.

Tony
User avatar
tony.latham
Gold Donating Member
 
Posts: 6880
Images: 17
Joined: Mon Jul 08, 2013 4:03 pm
Location: Middle of Idaho on the edge of nowhere
Top

Re: Refillable 16.4oz propane tank update!

Postby mountainminded » Mon Sep 13, 2021 7:56 pm

The Flame King refill kit can also be used with the Manchester 1lb refillable bottle (just cut off the little plastic alignment tip on the underside of the Flame King filler cap). Although a bit spendier, the Manchester 1lb refillable bottle has an On/Off valve just like your bigger grill tank and I like that. I’ve improvised several refill nozzles over the years but none have worked as well as the one that comes with the Flame King kit. If the kid at the gas station can safely refill my propane tank I figure I can too and the green disposables are pure madness.
Cheers,
-Rob

168078
Rob Walker, Trailers4Two Bend Oregon
User avatar
mountainminded
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 54
Images: 58
Joined: Sat May 23, 2020 4:43 am
Top

Re: Refillable 16.4oz propane tank update!

Postby RJ Howell » Tue Sep 14, 2021 5:43 am

Watched the video from Flame King and they claim 80%. Makes sense being most tanks are filled within those spec's. Guess I'm getting closeting what I'm doing.
RJ Howell
1000 Club
1000 Club
 
Posts: 1156
Images: 36
Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2019 6:08 am
Top


Return to Plumbing & Propane Secrets

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests