How To Refill 1 lb Propane Cylinders, Tanks And “Disposable” Small Camping Propane Bottles
How To Refill 1 lb Propane Cylinders, Tanks And “Disposable” Small Camping Propane Bottles
Why throw away “disposable” small camping propane bottles when you can refill them? It is easy, safe, inexpensive and environmentally friendly to re-use 1 pound propane tanks. We’ll show you how to use a propane refill adapter to refill 1 lb propane cylinders in minutes … and, we’re guessing you are going to love this cool camping gadget! Psst we’re compensated…see our disclosures.
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Tools Needed To Refill “Disposable” Small Camping Bottles / 1 lb Propane Tank Cylinders
Assuming you already have a “disposable” small propane camping bottle and a larger propane tank, you really only need one tool, a Propane Refill Adapter, to transfer propane from the larger tank into the small one. Here are the items we use when we refill our cylinders.
- Propane Refill Adapter
- 1 lb Propane Cylinders (the empty 1 pound tanks you want to fill)
- Propane Tank 20 Pound (the full tank you will be transferring from)
- Safety Glasses (not required, but a good idea to use)
- Kitchen Scale with ounce/gram measurements
- Work Gloves (not required, but a good idea to use)
Propane Refill Adapter
1 lb. Propane Cylinders20 Pound Propane TankSafety GlassesScaleGloves
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Steps To Refill 1 lb Propane Cylinders, Tanks And “Disposable” Small Propane Bottles
NOTE: This process should be done outdoors for proper ventilation.
1. Check The Empty 1 lb Cylinder For Good Condition.
1 Pound Propane Camping Bottles
Check the condition of your 1 lb Propane Cylinders to ensure the tanks are not dented or rusty and that the threads are in good condition. If a bottle is not suitable for refilling, dispose of it properly. Only refill bottles that are in good shape.
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2. Chill The Empty 1 lb Cylinder.
The propane is actually moved from one tank to another by pressure. When there is a pressure difference between the two tanks, the higher pressure tank will force propane to move to the tank with the lower pressure until the pressure in both tanks equalizes. To help this along, leave the Larger Propane Tank in the sun to warm it up and raise the internal pressure AND cool the 1 pound Propane Cylinder by placing it in a cooler environment such as inside a freezer, refrigerator, ice cooler or at the very least, in the shade which lowers the internal pressure of the bottle. This will ensure adequate propane transfer into the smaller bottle.
3. Weigh The 1 lb Empty Cylinder.
Don’t refill the 1 pound cylinder beyond its allowable limit. In order to know how much propane you have in the bottle once it is refilled, you have to know the weight of the empty bottle prior to filling it. We use a Kitchen Scale for this step.
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4. Thread The Adapter To The Larger Filled Tank.
When you connect the Propane Refill Adapter into the valve of the larger tank, remember it has left-handed threads (so turn the adapter to the left to tighten). You may need to use a wrench to get a snug fit but hand-tightening with a pair of Work Gloves has always worked for us.
UPDATE: Thank you to Tommy who mentioned in a comment to tighten the propane refill adapter to the larger propane tank a little more than hand tight because you don’t want the refill adapter to remain on the refilled 1 lb camping propane bottle when you remove it from the larger tank.
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5. Connect The Empty 1 lb Cylinder To The Adapter.
Just screw the 1 pound cylinder to the Propane Refill Adapter being careful not to cross-thread!
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6. Invert The Connected Propane Tanks.
Now that both tanks are connected by the Propane Refill Adapter, you want to invert the entire “contraption” and set it on a flat surface.
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7. Open The Larger Tank’s Valve.
With everything inverted, VERY SLOWLY open the valve on the Larger Propane Tank until you hear the transfer of propane taking place. Keep everything inverted during this part of the process so maximum liquid transfer takes place.
UPDATE: Thank you to Steve who mentioned in a comment that new propane valves have a “sudden lock out” safety feature (which is triggered in the event that there is suddenly an open line, such as a pipe rupturing.) To avoid triggering the sudden lock out, just open the valve much more slowly at first. There will be a point where there is enough pressure in the little bottle to keep the safety valve from closing, then you can fully open the large tank valve.
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8. Listen For The Transfer To Stop.
The sound of the transfer will come to a stop when the pressure in both tanks is equalized. We usually get just over 1 pound of propane in a refilled cylinder which is well within the safety limits of the max-rated capacity of the cylinder.
9. Turn Off The Larger Tank’s Valve.
After the transfer is complete, close the larger tank’s valve and turn the tanks right-side-up.
10. Remove Both Tanks From The Adapter.
Solid Brass Refill 1 LB Propane Bottle Caps
Unscrew the 1 lb refilled propane cylinder from the Propane Refill Adapter and replace its plastic thread protector cap to safeguard the threads. If the original caps are not in good shape, you may want to consider replacing them with Solid Brass Refill 1 LB Propane Bottle Caps. Now, remove the adapter from the larger propane tank by turning the Adapter to the right (remember these are left-handed threads.)
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11. Weigh The 1 lb Refilled Propane Cylinder.
To ensure you have not exceeded the max-rated capacity of the 1 lb cylinder, use a Kitchen Scale to weigh the refilled cylinder and calculate the net propane weight by subtracting the empty weight from the new refilled weight. Each model is different so check with your manufacturer for specific details. UPDATE: Thank you to Tommy who mentioned in a comment to check the refilled bottle for leaks with soapy water … he suggests 1 part Dawn Dish Soap to 10 parts water. Use a soap that has no phosphorus which attacks copper and brass. Now you are done and ready to use your refilled camping propane cylinder with some totally cool gear … check these out! 😎
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Camping Gear That Uses 1 Pound Propane Cylinders
Most people use 1 lb Propane Cylinders to provide energy for cooking food. We have used these cylinders with other types of camping equipment too. Here are some other cool camp items you may want to use with your refilled “disposable” small propane bottles on your next camp trip.
Propane LanternIndoor Safe Propane HeaterPropane Coffee MakerHot Tap Travel ShowerGarden TorchPropane Outdoor Oven/StoveBottle Top Propane StoveCamp Propane Grill/StovePropane 2-Burner Folding Stove3-Burner Propane StovePortable Propane GrillPropane/Butane Dual Fuel Stove
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Great article, thanks for your share <3
Thanks Karl! Glad you liked it.
Hi, I’m from the Netherlands and used this type of adapter to make it fit on the Propane tanks we have here. I tried to do the refilling however after the inverting thing and opening the valve I only get a gas flow of one second and no more gas comes through. I made sure that the bottle was cold enough but it seems that no more gas fits in. I have also tried to see what happens when I pull the “over pressure valve”, but this function normally. I thought maybe it was the difference in pressure we use here in the tanks, but 10 bar equals to 145 psi what is normal as far I can find on the internet. I really can’t find anything on the internet that can explain why this happens. I have three Coleman propane tanks and all three show the same. Hopefully, someone can help me out.
Hello Wim. Thanks for the note; unfortunately we are not familiar with the equipment specifications in the Netherlands. The steps we have outlined in our blog post work on the equipment we have in the U.S.
You are opening the larger tank valve too quickly…open it *very* slowly. All new propane valves have a “sudden lock out” safety feature if there’s suddenly an open line such as a pipe rupturing. Just open the valve much more slowly at first. There will be a point where there is enuff pressure in the little bottle to keep the safety valve from closing…then you can fully open the large tank valve.
Thanks for your comment Steve! I am going to update the post to make this more clear…maybe you should be my editor! LOL
After completing the refilling process, what do you do if the 1 lb propane canister cylinder ends up weighing more than the max rated 1 lb? What’s the best way to reduce the weight?
Hello Will! Thanks for your question. You should not have a problem with the cylinder being overfilled if you follow the process we have outlined; it is actually more likely that the bottle won’t be totally filled because we do not encourage anyone to manipulate the pressure relief valve on the cylinder. But, after refilling, if the cylinder does exceed the manufacturer’s stated limit, a common way to reduce the propane in the cylinder is to connect the refill adapter to the cylinder (and not connect it to the larger propane tank) and let it bleed off the overfill (you’ll want to wear gloves for this process too). We have never overfilled our cylinder tanks so we don’t have personal experience with bleeding off the overfill but we do have friends who have done what we have described with much success.
First, tighten the adaptor to the “doner ” propane tank a little more than hand tight. You don’t want the refill adaptor to remain on the refilled 1 lb tank when you remove it from the diner tank!
Second, after refilling the 1lb bottle, close the valve on the doner tank BEFORE you turn the combination right-side-up.
Lastly, check the refilled bottle for leaks with soapy water, 1 part Dawn to 10 parts water. Dawn has no phosphorus which attacks copper and brass
Hi Tommy! Thanks for your comment! I am going to update this post to include your awesome tips!!!
What is the tare weight of the bottle?
Hi Alan, Thanks for the question. You can find the tare weight of the bottle by weighing the empty bottle as we discussed in Step 3 of the process outlined in our post.