filling 1lb propane tanks

Bought the refilling end for the 1 lb tanks. any tricks or just follow direction on package?

I believe this was last winter:

POLK COUNTY (WCCO) — One person is dead and another is in the hospital after a garage explosion and fire Saturday, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office says the incident occurred at 657 U.S. Highway 8 in Apple River Township. Stanley Johnson, 81, was inside the garage “actively filling a small 1 lb LP cylinder from a larger 20 lb tank” when the small tank ruptured and ignited the escaping gas.

Johnson’s wife, 77-year-old Nancy Johnson, was in the garage area when the explosion occurred. She was pronounced deceased on scene.

Stanley Johnson was able to escape the garage. He was transported to Amery Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries

what I’ve read is your 20lb tank should be at room temperature and the smaller 1 lb should be cold. guys are putting the 1 lb in freezers, but this time of year not necessary. Once I get the tank hooked up I turn 20 lb’r upside down with valve down and then open the valve slowly, untill I hear the tank is done filling. Always check the small valve on tank for leaks with soap n water. It also helps to have a full tank, otherwise you may not get small tank completely full. Just things I’ve noticed. good luck got my tank warming right now to do some filling.

I fill mine outside where there is a lot of ventilation. And check your tanks over. I have never had a problem.

I do mine outside also. I walk away for several minutes then come back. I do buy new one pounders every other season as I don’t trust one that’s more than a couple years old or has any rust or dents.

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I believe this was last winter:

POLK COUNTY (WCCO) — One person is dead and another is in the hospital after a garage explosion and fire Saturday, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office says the incident occurred at 657 U.S. Highway 8 in Apple River Township. Stanley Johnson, 81, was inside the garage “actively filling a small 1 lb LP cylinder from a larger 20 lb tank” when the small tank ruptured and ignited the escaping gas.

Johnson’s wife, 77-year-old Nancy Johnson, was in the garage area when the explosion occurred. She was pronounced deceased on scene.

Stanley Johnson was able to escape the garage. He was transported to Amery Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries

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On second thought if you don’t like your wife

Although its a really sad story

Here is the approach that works best for me. (learned from a guy who owns a fire extinguisher refilling company).

Keep the 20gal tank at room temperature.
Once it is at temperature bring the tank outside. Turn it upsided down.
connect the 1 lb tank and put maybe 1/16 of a fill. then disconnect.
Take a nail and insert it into the 1 lb valve to release the propane. (wear gloves so it doesn’t freeze you). This activity allows the depressurization of the tank which is a cooling process. Then as the tank empties it gets to nearly minus 100 degrees. Once it is empty. Reconnect it to the inverted 20 gallon tank and fill. You will get a full can. It is quite simple.

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what I’ve read is your 20lb tank should be at room temperature and the smaller 1 lb should be cold. guys are putting the 1 lb in freezers, but this time of year not necessary. Once I get the tank hooked up I turn 20 lb’r upside down with valve down and then open the valve slowly, untill I hear the tank is done filling. Always check the small valve on tank for leaks with soap n water. It also helps to have a full tank, otherwise you may not get small tank completely full. Just things I’ve noticed. good luck got my tank warming right now to do some filling.

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I will add to this that to max out a tank that is not filling enough to use a small hemostat and pull the pressure relief valve on the 1#. Make sure the valve is above the liquid line in the tank of the liquid will shoot out. Doing this will lower the pressure in the 1# allowing more liquid to transfer.

Scary. I’ll pay the $3-4 for a new, full cylinder.

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Scary. I’ll pay the $3-4 for a new, full cylinder.

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That’s the only way to make it 100% risk free…

Rich guys…

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Scary. I’ll pay the $3-4 for a new, full cylinder.

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Agree… also, not a big deal to bring the 5# or 20# tank with an extention hose along. I’m limited to transporting everything in a Yukon XL – plenty of room.

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Rich guys…

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Yep…Thanks to great decision making skills

If you want to get even richer, do what I do and use a 20 lber for the whole season and when your done, grill yourself a nice steak on the barbie with it too

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If you want to get even richer, do what I do and use a 20 lber for the whole season and when your done, grill yourself a nice steak on the barbie with it too

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I like the twenty pounder as well, less than a buck a LB

Mammbie pammbies!!! Driving to work everyday is dangerous if you don’t pay attention and drive defensively. I have been refilling one pounders for years. Never indoors, never! That is just plane STUPID!sometimes the oring don’t seal right away because it is frozen, just screw it on a propane fueled apparatus until it warms up. You might be reading about me in the paper someday, most likely because some idiot failed to yield on the road than for blowing myself up filling one pounders. The same dangers exist filling the bigger tanks at a fueling station. How many people do you see standing right there next to the kid filling your 20 pounder??? Almost everybody. How much training do you think that kid received before they they let him loose with a 1000 pounds of propane? Refilling one pounders can be done safely if you follow some general safety rules.

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Scary. I’ll pay the $3-4 for a new, full cylinder.

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$2.50 each right now all over the place, and sales down to $2 each!

I use 3 a year usually, but my father who fishes in a flipover all the time uses about 10 a year. That is $25 a year to go fishing, less than 1/2 a tank of gas for the boat which is used in 2 trips……. I fail to see the need to refill. Even if you quadruple those figures, its $100 a season which is less than 2 tanks of boat gas.

I wish it cost me $100 for 2 tanks of boat gas….. Refilling one pounders is good for the environment, all those bottles are not ending up in a land fill somewhere. More likely on the ice of some lake, just to float up on somebody’s shoreline in the spring. 99% of the one pounders I use, I have picked up on the lake. Most have bounced out of somebody’s bucket and they didn’t know it, but there are the ones that some slob has left on the ice because they dont care. Like I said, I have been refilling one pounders for a long time, and I will continue to do so until some idiot kills me while on the highway on my way to work.

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Scary. I’ll pay the $3-4 for a new, full cylinder.

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$2.50 each right now all over the place, and sales down to $2 each!

I use 3 a year usually, but my father who fishes in a flipover all the time uses about 10 a year. That is $25 a year to go fishing, less than 1/2 a tank of gas for the boat which is used in 2 trips……. I fail to see the need to refill. Even if you quadruple those figures, its $100 a season which is less than 2 tanks of boat gas.

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Well that may be for you…

Im pretty sure there are some good temperature differences between northern MN and Iowa.

I have burned over $250 of fuel in 2 days in a boat.

My personal boat holds 22 gallons, If its a good windy day I can chew that in a short weekend plowing waves.

What works for one may not exactly work for another.

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Scary. I’ll pay the $3-4 for a new, full cylinder.

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$2.50 each right now all over the place, and sales down to $2 each!

I use 3 a year usually, but my father who fishes in a flipover all the time uses about 10 a year. That is $25 a year to go fishing, less than 1/2 a tank of gas for the boat which is used in 2 trips……. I fail to see the need to refill. Even if you quadruple those figures, its $100 a season which is less than 2 tanks of boat gas.

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Well that may be for you…
Im pretty sure there are some good temperature differences between northern MN and Iowa.
I have burned over $250 of fuel in 2 days in a boat.
My personal boat holds 22 gallons, If its a good windy day I can chew that in a short weekend plowing waves.
What works for one may not exactly work for another.

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That just proves my point even further! Thank you!

So if you are willing to spend $175 in two days in open water for fuel, no need to cheap out on propane and take a risk.

Besides, if you are pulling your sled with a quad or something there is no need to use 1# in the first place, buy a 10# and a hose.

I also refill my 20lber`s from our 500 gallon tank. when they set the tank I had them install a refill hose for doing just so. Since I use LP torpedo heaters around the farm it saves a ton of money versus paying exorbitant prices downtown for a 20 lber. Going on 25 years and not one problem I DO RECOMEND WEARING EYE PROTECTION and GLOVES EPECIALY WHEN UNHOOKING THE HOSE.

I have a 10,000 lber, I use to fill my 500 lbers….. where does this madness end ???

Every year somebody puts this post up for discussion and every year all 12 of us pitch our bich on each side of the point. You can go buy as many as you need, me , I will risk life and limb, not to save money, but just for the thrill of cheating death.

So how much money is an average ice fisherman saving buy refilling the one pound cylinders that were never meant to be refilled?

$100? $200

I used to refill the one pounders.

Out of a 20 pound cylinder id get 10 – 13 refills. Not all the refills would be full and a few leaked.

When you think about it, a few hundred bucks isn’t worth the danger of getting seriously injured.

I’ve had one of the gizmos to refill but I’m convinced now I’m not going to use it.

I do get a kick out of this thread repeating year after year to save about $1 per refill, then, on other threads people are talking about 8 & 9 hundred dollar electronics.

I’ve done both. If they had a good recycle program for the empty 1# tanks that’d be great. I have about 50 running around here somewhere.

I put the 20lb in the rinse tub and fill with hot water, then 1lb in freezer for couple hrs. Turn 20 upside down when filling. I do this outside cause some does leak out.