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waltbennett's avatar
waltbennett
Explorer
May 23, 2016

Who has been refilling 1 lb propane tanks?

We've a table top grill and a Big Buddy that we use periodically. Don't want to lug around a BBQ tank (or a shorter version either), and the costs of the little guys is getting too high for my budget - close to $7 a pair lately. I've seen the adapters to refill them, but haven't tried it yet. Anyone want to share their experiences doing so?

36 Replies

  • I refilled for about a summer without a problem. It just got to where it didn't seem worth it to me. But then we never cooked enough with our table top propane to make it worthwhile. You may have an entirely different situation.
    The majority of replies you are likely to get here will be very negative with little to back those opinions. Give it try, but research and read as much as you can about propane gas properties and fill techniques. You CAN do it safely.
  • I have the adapter to refill the small canister. Too make sure that I would get a good refill, I would chill the small canister and place the 20lb tank in the sun so it would warm up. Connect the adapter to the canister, then to the 20lb tank,turn it valve down and open. After a few minutes, close and remove the canister. Doing this, I have almost got a full canister.

    The problem that I found doing this, that after a few refills, the canister would leak off. This lead me to quit the practice and bought a small 5lb tank.
  • We filled them for years. Freeze the can. Hook up to 20 pound tank and turn upside down. Works perfectly.

    We just purchased a hose that hooks the 20 pound tank to the coleman.

    I have not tried it yet as we are using up the 1 pound tanks.

    Ken
  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    Not me I bring all of mine back from the trips and they go to a special place in our local dump...

    I usually get a two pack at WALMART for $5-$6 I think it is...

    Roy Ken