How to Refill 1lb Propane Cylinders - SAFE and LEGAL - Flame King 

It can be a little unnerving the first time you do it because you can really small the gas. Just take the necessary precautions and all will be good. These kits and tanks are getting harder to find... demand skyrocketed this year! Hopefully they can catch up to demand!

Not my usual video by any means but I wanted to encourage people to do this to reduce waste but do it in a safe way. Glad it was helpful!

Nice! I use mine in all seasons!

Thanks!

Absolutely! The more people who do it, the better!

Yeah... they're great for ice fishing heaters or camp stoves. I'm really glad I found them. Glad you had a good time with Ryan. He fishes a lot like me and he definitely works hard to provide a good trip for people! It was honestly an off year for ice fishing... last year was amazing. I'm with you now... breaking out the fly rods (hopefully this weekend).

You do it your way colmen 1lbs tanks aren't real steel and against the law to refill and transport them you can pay a big fine and be in jail 1 or both why are you afraid of a little propane on your hands. Or fingers it's more dangerous the way you do it and you cause sparks to propane the way I do it all the propane bleeds out before you risk any sparking on the propane

Duh some people just like to waste money and ruin the environment

@@russellacaswelljr5647 how is he causing sparks? I’m trying to understand this. It does seem that your equipment causes quite a bit of propane leaking but I like the sturdier cans. Coleman should just make better cans maybe. It’s such a waste.

@@russellacaswelljr5647 ive filled colmans for 13 years. no one is scared of some ignorant law. when has a cop ever inspected your camp gear lmfao. sparks?? tf you yacking about??? lol.

Glad it was helpful!

Hopefully you can find them. They have been tough to get for over a year. I just filled my 4 bottles today.

Yeah...I did some research and consulted a knowledgeable friend and even he wouldn't do it because of the safety concerns... so there was no way I was gonna do it. Really like the kit and good to invest in a few extra tanks too. I might get one more actually. At $11 how can I not really...

The Flame King canisters are also considerably heavier duty material than the Coleman/BernzOmatic disposable canisters. Comparing empty weight, the Colemans weigh around 390g, while the Flame King canisters weigh 680g (74% heavier, meaning thicker steel and tougher connectors.) I haven't purchased a Coleman canister in years, and the investment cost (~$40 for the stand, connector, wrench, and empty canister) was easily recovered the first summer I used it, with all the camp stove and lantern uses. Now, I refill a Flame King 16.4 oz canister for approximately $0.75 ($3.20/gal propane cost, 4.7 gal to fill 20 lb tank, total cost ~$15.00, one 20 lb tank fills 20 x 1 lb canisters, so $15.00/20 = $0.75 refill cost per 1 lb canister.) That sure beats the $5.00 price per canister they wanted at a local Walmart. There is so much waste surrounding those one-time-use Coleman canisters, which are supposed to be disposed of properly, but we all know they're just getting buried in the landfill with other trash. What a waste of resources.

I wholeheartedly agree with you!!! Not using a refillable system is such a waste. I just couldn't keep doing it with a clean conscience. And it saves money in the long run (and as you said you recoup that very quickly)! Thanks for you comment!

Refilling the Coleman tank is safe, just use a postage scale to avoid overfilling.There's tons of videos on how to do this. And I've never met a person who can tell a refilled tank from one that wasn't refilled. Oh, ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION! Otherwise you may never be able to use another propane tank-full or empty. Nice video, I just don't want to pay this much for refills.

I hope so too! They have been very hard to get and it sounds like prices have gone up considerably since I did the video. I'm glad I got my tanks when I did.

Very good point! I have had a 20 pound tank that had a bad valve which created a leak... which is incredibly cold on your hand. I always wear gloves and safety glasses when doing this.

@@WhiteDogTrailCompanyI agree with ssng1, having transported propane professionally (semi, 10,000 gal. at a time) safety is paramount. Propane is so cold it can burn you if you get some of the actual liquid on your skin. A friend almost lost three fingers because a large amount of actual liquid propane got behind his gloves (third degree burns). This is what happens when you get in a hurry. Plus propane will expand as the temp rises, (hence the 80% fill rule) so keeping your 20lb-er out of the sun in the summer will help a lot. Filling them when its cold out like Mr. Dog :^) did is a very good idea. People, you might balk at the initial cost of this kit but it will pay for itself in one season, even if you spring for extra bottles if you do a lot of camping.

Yeah... ever since the pandemic hit they've been so hard to find and prices have gone way up. Glad I got mine when I did!

Yeah... demand for these tanks was through the charts too and you couldn't get them for a while. Last time I checked they had caught back up with the demand.

I do not know if they make refillables for those or what the recycling regs are on those. I know a lot of people use them for backpacking and such so it would be nice.

Yeah... prices changed big time when the pandemic hit. I'm glad I got my tanks when I did!

Totally agree. I have 4 and I'm thinking about getting 2 more. I just refilled them all on Saturday and so easy to do.

HAHA!!!

Yes it is!

they're the standard 1# cylinder size and it definitely fits in the Buddy heaters as that's where I use mine most of the time. However, they are hard to find these days and the places that have them have inflated prices...

They came with the tanks when I bought them.

Thank you so much for getting back to me. Do you personally like the Flame King 1LB bottles??? are they worth $15 each@@WhiteDogTrailCompany

@@Larry-nw6yj I do. I use them regularly and have 4 or 5 of them.

Thanks again for your time and input. Have a great weekend@@WhiteDogTrailCompany

The allen key is ONLY for when you are filling it. It is a vent to let you know when to stop filling the tank. Once it is full, use the allen key to close the valve. When using the tank you do NOT use the allen key. Just screw the tank into whatever device you are using and it will work.

That's not bad these days... prices went up big time during the pandemic...

Went to Menards this afternoon and all the refillables were sold out again! They don't last long!

The canisters are built with a bleeder that will not allow you to overfill them. I do sometimes weigh mine now though to make sure they look good.

That would be a good option if you can carry a 5 pound canister.

I've stored them full for a year and they still seemed full.. However, at the time I was not weighing them to see if they were losing any gas.

Yes they are. I use the in my Mr Buddy heater all the time. That was the main reason I bought them. I hate going through disposables when ice fishing.

@@WhiteDogTrailCompany Great. THANKS

They don't describe that in their process at all and I have never done it.

There’s absolutely no point. The bleed screw allows you to know when the liquid level reaches the proper amount. Chilling won’t do anything

ya but they are scared that the fbi might come after them lmfao. no one is checking your propane camp thanks.

I’ve had my tanks (4 of them) for probably 4 years now and they all work just like when they were brand new. I added a 5th tank this winter for ice fishing season.

you absolutely can. its only against the law if some fbi agent inspects your tanks and has them sent to a lab for inspection. which is a one in 1000 trillion chance of happening.

Absolutely! That is the entire reason I started using them actually!

Yes

I hadn't heard about a recall but looked it up... it appears to be on tanks they made back in 2013-2016 and they replace them for free if you have any of those. They have the announcement on their site.

No... there was one small recall when they first started but nothing I'm aware of since and I just did a little search to make sure. The problem has been that there is such a high demand and they can't keep up with it. They have been really hard to get over the last 12-18 months. You have to look harder to find them now.

If you can bring a big tank, that is great!

That's a good question. I'm honestly not sure how that works. Everything I saw and the kit they provided was to put it upside down so the "liquid" flows into the small tank. Anyone else know the answer to his question?

NO, your grill runs on vapors not on liquid, that’s why you have to turn the tank upside down that way the liquid propane flows into the 1 lb tank. If you leave the tank right side up all you get is vapor. Propane liquid will expand 270 times as it changes from a liquid state to vapor state.

@@georgerogero3185 I thought that was the case but was not 100% sure... Thank you for answering this!!!

@@georgerogero3185 Thanks, I thought that was the case also @White Dog Outdoors. Thanks for clearing it up for me!

These tanks are specifically designed with a bleeder so they can only be filled to 80%. That is why they are legal for refill and their valve and tanks are built more durably for refill.

@@WhiteDogTrailCompany I just filled mine this past week. I can confirm that one tank filled to ~18oz (an overfill by nearly 20oz). This was measured with a scale that measures grams. They in fact can be overfilled. The other 4 all filled to 15.5oz. It also has a warning on the label to not overfill them.

@@brandonnelson4164 So you weighted the empty tank and then weighed after refill and subtracted the tank weight? I wonder if the bleeder didn't work in that one tank? I don't have a scale to weigh to that detail.

White Dog Outdoors yes. Empty the tank was 1lb 6.5oz. Full was 2lb 8.4oz. That would be a 17.9oz fill.

@@brandonnelson4164 Sounds like you might have a defective tank? I've heard of other people who had valve issues and the company replaced the tanks for free.

If you don't line up the notches you won't get a secure, air tight connection.

When the pandemic hit everyone wanted to go camping and do things in the outdoors and demand when through the roof. They all sold out and have not been able to keep up with demand.

When the pandemic hit they went into really high demand and I don't think they've been able to keep up. they are hard to find everywhere.

count on it. They don't want you using fossil fuel.

Yeah... I just looked it up for someone who was asking about it and even my link below changed from spare tanks to the full kit on me. I couldn't find them anywhere. The guy who was asking ended up finding a place (Menard's) and they claimed to have some. Hopefully they can produce enough to meet demand. I'm lucky that I have 4 tanks I guess!

Availability has been a problem for the last 2 years although I have noticed they seem to be coming back in stock more. I'm not sure about shipping to Canada though.

@@WhiteDogTrailCompany I like to buy 2 refillable cylinders instead of the kit where you get 1. Great idea and there is some money to be made if they ship these to Canada. I know Amazon had a 2 pack but not available anymore.

Wow! That is a crazy price... Glad I bought mine when I did!

Yeah, but think about purchasing coleman 1 pounders at 4 x (rate) = 48.00 dollars every time you buy... Your purchase will pay for itself rather quickly...

Interesting. I've had all 3 of mine for about a year and half with no leaking after several refills. One of the steps they mention that I didn't cover was spraying soapy water on the valve of the 1 pound canister after filling it to make sure it isn't leaking. I suppose that even if I have to replace the refillable canisters once in a while it is still way better than the one time use canisters.

@@WhiteDogTrailCompany I did contact flame king...the O ring became dislodged. I have a video showing propane spraying out the top. They sent me a new tank after I showed them & proof of purchase...so in my book customer service is 100% top notch. Still a great product, I now have 4 tanks & Menards has them on sale for $12.49 right now🙂✌

The other tank was a recall one and amazon refunded me.

Nice! I now have 4 tanks myself. I found them for $10.98. Kind of a no brainer...

and whos out scouring the highways looking and sending them in for inspection????? no one.

are you going to tell them you refilled the tanks when they pull you over ?, if not , how the heck are they going to know you refilled those coleman tanks ?, you are either one very legal person ?..or..you work for the DOT ?..LMFAO.

Yeah... Covid shot prices WAY up!

Totally been hard to get them these days. There has been almost no availability. I just filled my 4 cans today so glad I got them when I did.

You are correct. Prices have gone way up since this video was filmed (the pandemic really changed things). I just bought an extra 1 pound canister myself and it was $30.

They have a 2 pack for $35 on Amazon now. That's only $17.50 each

You must be doing something wrong if you’re saying you can’t fill the Colemans. I chill mine for an hour and I get a full load every time. I’ve even overfilled the Colemans a little bit. Key thing is to weigh them and make sure there’s no more than 30 ounces total weight of the bottle.

@@condor5635 - I keep my Empties in the Freezer. Never get more than like One Third Full from a Newly Filled 10 Gallon tank. Using Either of the Two Brass Couplers, from different sellers. With the 10 gal. completely on it's Head. So not sure what is going on, as these are Coleman Tanks. Even after 20 minutes, I get like One Third Full.

dead 100$% wrong. they will ffill fine if you know what you are doing. i just filled 6.

@@cruzinthru8285 then you aint bleeding the pressure.

Let's be careful facts. They recalled a batch of the 100 pound tanks recently... not the refillable 1lb tanks. Back in 2017 they did have a batch of the small tanks recalled as well (not because of explosions) that were some of the first tanks they made and they replaced them. There have been no recalls on the tanks in this video in the last 4 years of production.