How to refill camping gas? (worth the risk ?) revisited

[@w9jim]

I've used this system to refill my canisters for years, now. Works perfectly. Some of my canisters have been refilled at least 20 times.

[@bigstick5278]

I usually refill three time then recycle the can. Another thing for faster fill put your receiving canister in the freezer for a couple hours. It will fill fast.

[@WildGingerBruce]

yeah I did freeze mine too to contract the gas as much as possible so the canister maintains the pressure. Filling 3 times is a good idea to save the risk if micro fractures in the steel from expansion and contraction. thanks for the comment Pete atb Bruce

[@charlietango1635]

Like the idea of the tube with the fittings, I use the G-works adapter, but I found out today that the pins on it does not go deep enough into the seal to open it, but that is ONLY on the tall cans that you can get from B&Q what I done was buy a canister like the one you have, then check the grams that should be in it, then weigh it and put the gross weight on the bottom of the can, but seeing your idea is better as you can put the can you want to fill on the scales, then stop when you reach it when you reach that weight, I am putting the gas in up to the weight that is shown on the tin, making it that gross weight, if you know what I mean.

[@normlor8109]

I have been going nuts trying to find this adapter for my backpacking stove to connect it to my 1lb propane tank and this is the only one you have but I found the same one but with a solid brass female end to fit onto my propane hose I use for my Coleman Propane stove as I can use my 20lb tank with it. I have a 3 legged transfer adapter for my stove which a butane can will attach to on the side. thanks for this demo or demo to be after that Chinese thing snapped off!!

[@RobertMcKenzie]

Nice one, thanks for the shout out :D It really is a pretty safe way to refill. As you've done, check for leaks and you should be good.

[@WildGingerBruce]

fanks Mr rob, it a dam sight safer then flipping a full size propane tank. really happy with how easy it is , and how cheap it works out atb Bruce x

[@RobertMcKenzie]

Wild Ginger Bruce Yeah those big bottles are really cheap when you buy a bunch of them.

[@sparkysteve3780]

definitely worth doing if you use the small cans we used to do similar thing to mix spray can colours years ago when you put the can in freezer it lowers the pressure think that's what the issue is when butane is cold the pressure drops in the can atb steve

[@WildGingerBruce]

The propane burns a bit hotter too , but yeah deffo lacks pressure when its cold , thanks for watching bud , atb Bruce

[@LifeofKev]

of course they dont want us to refill them! not with that mark up! great useful video mate

[@WildGingerBruce]

there is a chance that the expansion and contraction of the cylinder could cause it to fail over time. just look down to Landmans comment below , but its cheap so what the hell

[@SunnyWu]

Still 2-3 times should be ok... The expansion and contraction will happen anyways during cooking when the bottle freezes and warms back up again.

[@edgeeffect]

I've been wondering about those adaptors and whether they're made of chocolate or not... thanks for the tips.

[@WildGingerBruce]

+edgeeffect there is an earlier video trying to fit it to a propane tank... It was a huge fail Thanks for watching Atb Bruce

[@tobiaswyatt2968]

Abit concerning how much liquid gas you put in. You filled it until it stopped?? I believe you must leave room for expansion?

[@charlietango1635]

Yes I noticed this, so I made a comment to that effect further up the page, as he said the can was already full.

[@jimmyinman4564]

can a larer bottle connect to abuddy heater

[@LJones-uu4xy]

Probably better to weigh the small canister. It tells you the weight on the can. More accurate for seeing how full, or how much is needed.

[@WildGingerBruce]

Hi, most cans have about 100 grams of gas in but that's without the weight of the canister, so you need to weigh the new full can when you get it, and then again when it's empty. As all cans are slightly different, but from what I've found you cannot put more in than was originally in it Atb Bruce

[@MasterChief-sl9ro]

@@WildGingerBruce You can't over pressure one to start with. As they all flow at a designed rate. As that plastic tube would give out. Way before you ever reached the canister limit..As these canisters are deigned for like 300 PSI.. You put 300 psi to a stove. You would blow every gasket in it.. Why the factory has special fillers. They need the extra pressure to reach the fill weight they sell them at.

[@BradClarke]

do those canisters have n-butane or iso-butane in them? Wish we could get 70/30 in North America; 80/20 is the best we can get.

[@WildGingerBruce]

Ive looked all over the packaging and i cant see what butane it is , it just says Butane ...the cylinders are made by Coleman if thats any help , www.amazon.co.uk/Coleman-Gas-Cartridge-Butane-Propane/dp/B000P3H2DK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472403247&sr=8-2&keywords=coleman+gas+canisters

[@aabbushcraft]

Nice 🤗 I will give it a go mate 👍

[@outdoorsmansgarage]

OUTSTANDING!

[@lastadolkgGM]

Hey Bruce, thanks for the video! I have a couple of questions: 1) I understand that the gas goes from 1 canister to the other due to difference in pressure and how much a can is filled or not, right? How would you fill the empty canister full when the big canister has the fuel mass in it equal or lower than the fuel mass a smaller canister can hold? 2) Now you said it filled it by 75g? How much did the smaller fuel canister come with when you buy it new? You can/cannot fill it to full like it was brand new? Thanks!

[@eaglessj]

Not sure about question number 1 but you absolutely can add fuel to a brand new tank and thus overfill. This happens by cooling down the receiving tank thus lowering the pressure inside. Then when connected to the warmer tank that has a higher pressure it forces more fuel into the cooler one with the lower pressure. Then when the cooler tank is allowed to warm back up to room temperature or even hotter the pressure inside increases to levels the canister was not designed for and thus creates a possible hazard. This is why it’s best to weigh the tanks as you fill them to ensure you don’t overfill.

[@manstufftvOriginal]

awesome how to video dude that's a serious saving, might have to switch back lol

[@thomasditsas976]

I wonder before putting effort to make this little device; when the big cylinder is, let's say, at 20%, can you still use it to fill the small one? By puting the little one in the freezer maybe?

[@WildGingerBruce]

I did put the small can in the freezer, but it tends to wam up quickly, so I now pack it in sone ice cubes, works much better, the big cans do empty right out.... Another change I've made is to purge the pipe first so no oxygen gets into the small can Thanks for Watching Atb Bruce

[@stalbansroundtable434]

Hi, this looks very interesting and a safe way to do this. Would quite like to give this a go but am struggling to find where to buy the hoses? Any tips?

[@dongayanamarasinghe4559]

Good information. Thanks for sharing. Cant you fill them with propane instead of butane?

[@WildGingerBruce]

Don Gayan Amarasinghe the canisters I used are propane butane mix, only the lighter filling canister was pure butane, on a previous video I linked on this, I tried to fill with pure propane but the adaptor failed. Thanks for Watching Atb Bruce

[@JayWandersOut]

Propane stores at over double the pressure compared to butane so if you tried to fill it gram per gram with propane you could blow up the cannister.

[@GlennLRiggs]

Good job explaining the refill procedure. Where are you buying these adapters. Live in Germany.

[@WildGingerBruce]

Ebay or ali express

[@shaunomercy3376]

Why not just use the big canister?, am I missing something here?

[@WildGingerBruce]

Weight & space

[@michaelmcphee2930]

Depends on the duration of your hike. You'll get about 20 boils out of small canister which would be enough for a hike of ten days or more. The larger canister would be an extra 200 grams you wouldn't need to carry. All those extras grams invariably add up.

[@tituspullo9210]

Hi Bruce. Nice video, well executed. I might have a stupid suggestion, but what if you put the small gas canister on the scales and tare before filling. Then fill while the small canister is still on the scales? That way you could monitor how much gas is going into it. It means that you would have to stop the large canister from moving around so as not to affect the reading, but easily done. All the best 👍👍👍

[@WildGingerBruce]

+Titus Pullo yeah good idea, I also need to find the weight of a new canister and an empty one. So that I don't over fill it

[@ipedros7]

@@WildGingerBruce weighting every 'to be refilled' canister when new and sharpie the weight info in the bottom of the can.

[@has997]

is it safe to fill that mini tanks with propane only ?

[@koziniec]

No absolutely not. The vapour pressure of propane is higher than butane. The factory fill is a blend of the two gases. Butane on its own is ok but not propane.

[@kawaman5469]

for 7 years without any problems

[@bradmajerus6466]

I will spend the money for new tanks I'm keeping my face intact.

[@СергейСтепаненко-ч8ь]

Отлично !

[@colonelchimp]

all of the best ideas were ripped off at some stage.....and they were all/mine i tell you all mine........naaaahh not really i have rubbish ideas...but we do have coleman out here in novaly scotia land and robs not sexy...i am...well actually not but i live in denial..and thats not just a river in egypt haha

[@WildGingerBruce]

+Colonelchimp, Bushcraft, Survival and Prepping OK, we can all be agreed your best ideas come from the dog, thank you so much for watching Atb Bruce

[@colonelchimp]

+Wild Ginger Bruce damn it you found me out.......yes it's true..wonder dog is the brains of the outfit haha

[@dustinfrost5214]

That was a waste of time you can get proper fittings for a couple of bucks😂😂

[@WildGingerBruce]

Thanks for wasting your time to leave a comment, the video is 7 years old, when the fittings were hard to get, Atb Bruce

[@BillSikes.]

What a complete waste of time, why not just use the bigger bottle

[@WildGingerBruce]

If you don't know why, maybe this isn't the hack for you? Thanks for watching Atb Bruce