@Nutman posted:Does a refilled cylinder contain the same amount of propane as a store purchased 1# cylinder ?
If you're referring to refilling the disposables, I would say no. You can get pretty close with the Hot/Cold method mentioned above, but I always erred on the side of caution to not over pressure them.
If we're talking the Flamekings I'd think they would since you fill them till it starts to come out the relief valve just like filling the 20 lb tanks.
Nice idea...but wouldn't it be simpler and cost effective to just hook the grill to the LP system of your rig?
Maybe you have lots of toys that use those tiny bottles...
where do you store them all? 
But on the other hand...gives you something to do and play with at this time! 
I believe Bruce R is correct.
The FK 1 lb bottles fill similar to a regular 20/30 lb bottle. When filling, a person uses a supplied Allen wrench to loosen a set screw. When the tank starts spewing gas, the bottle has reached it's full volume.
Here's a video showing a guy filling some one pound bottles with the FK kit. Their little stand makes it easier than just turning a bottle upside down.
@Capt PJ posted:Nice idea...but wouldn't it be simpler and cost effective to just hook the grill to the LP system of your rig?
Maybe you have lots of toys that use those tiny bottles...
where do you store them all?
But on the other hand...gives you something to do and play with at this time!
Kinda Hard to do with all this stuff, for a Mr Buddy!
Thanks Bruce and Les......., good to know. I watched the video, and the venting upon fill I think is a good thing and prevents overfilling.
I have heard overfilling can be dangerous (fire hazard), especially on the larger cylinders on our rigs cuz it may force liquid propane instead of propane gas vapor into lines and appliances. If true, I would assume overfilling a 1# cylinder might result in a similar situation of the risk of liquid propane entering a portable appliance.
@Nutman posted:Thanks Bruce and Les......., good to know. I watched the video, and the venting upon fill I think is a good thing and prevents overfilling.
I have heard overfilling can be dangerous (fire hazard), especially on the larger cylinders on our rigs cuz it may force liquid propane instead of propane gas vapor into lines and appliances. If true, I would assume overfilling a 1# cylinder might result in a similar situation of the risk of liquid propane entering a portable appliance.
My understanding is that the even bigger risk of overfilling the disposables is that they can bulge the sidewalls and once weakened can go kablooey.
Say you overfill them in Death Valley and then take them up to your campsite in Colorado @ 10,000' the expansion has nowhere to vent.
@Stretch posted:This bottle refill system looks great but at some cost when you include multiple bottle which I would want. I’ll probably just stick to refilling the “disposables” as I likely have almost 20. People give me their empties and I have found new and partially used disposables left outside of campground dumpsters. There is risk in refilling the disposables but I have been doing it with the same equipment since 1968 so it seems to work!
Same here. Practice makes perfect. Cold bottles and warm tank. You get the feel for it quick. Full Coleman is 1 lb 15 oz on my wife's kitchen scale. That's what I refill to. If a little heavy just bleed a bit out. Only had one when I started a little too full and the relief valve opened and bleed some off before reclosing. Since then never a problem and never had a leaker. Price can't be beat. Looked at that Flame King but too many bad reviews and too damned expensive. Each to their own.
By the way. In Q last Jan we never used the furnace. We like it nice and cool at night. I'm up early and run a Little Buddy while I hit the can and make coffee. Then turn it off and sit outside with coffee and firepit watching the sun come up. That Little Buddy warms up quick. Momma doesn't stir till much later and it's still usually warm enough in the trailer for her by then.
Here's a home built filler for the flame kings. Cost me 12 bucks for the fitting I did not have. Beats dicking around freezing cylinders and weighing them. The cylinders are about $11.00 is you look around. My camp chef everest runs off higher pressure.
I believe chuck was telling us about these at Q, so we just ordered oours a few months ago...cans filled easy...so ready when there needed..
@RobertMT posted:I just use one of these.
@RobertMT, you certainly can use the adapter hose as described. For a Mr Buddy Heater, it's not as easy as you might think or such a good idea.
We used our buddy heater extensively during our past winter trip. We have a Truma, of course, for our 1575's furnace.
We used the buddy heater for:
Having a one-pound propane bottle attached to our Buddy heater makes it very portable. We can put it anywhere on the floor. We can even take it outside. Using the adapter hose creates some problems:
Sure, use any standard adapter hose from your propane bottle to your stove's brass adapter or BBQ. I might mention that Camp Chef make an adapter hose that threads directly in most stoves' threaded fitting. No more brass adapter. The regulator is on the tank's end of the adapter hose. The only problem is that it appears to be almost permanently out of stock.
I have purchased several more of the FK bottles. My modus operandi now is to fill all of the bottles from my grill at home. The home grill 20 lb bottle is much easier to remove and replace than the ones in my camper.
If we meet up with our children to camp together, I supply the propane for all the portable grills.
@Les1 posted:I have purchased several more of the FK bottles. My modus operandi now is to fill all of the bottles from my grill at home. The home grill 20 lb bottle is much easier to remove and replace than the ones in my camper.
If we meet up with our children to camp together, I supply the propane for all the portable grills.
I have 6 of the refillable bottles and like you I make sure they are all full before a trip but I bring the hardware to refill them on the road if need be. I updated the propane compartment so its easier to remove the tanks. Click Here
@Lancer18 posted:@RobertMT, you certainly can use the adapter hose as described. For a Mr Buddy Heater, it's not as easy as you might think or such a good idea.
We used our buddy heater extensively during our past winter trip. We have a Truma, of course, for our 1575's furnace.
We used the buddy heater for:
- When getting out of the shower. It nice to have something to warm up to when your thermostat is set at 65° F.
- To warm our coach up faster on a cold morning.
- To warm up frozen hands. We had temps as low as 12°F in Bryce NP on our recent southern Utah winter trip. Our Buddy received much use.
Having a one-pound propane bottle attached to our Buddy heater makes it very portable. We can put it anywhere on the floor. We can even take it outside. Using the adapter hose creates some problems:
- You will need to have your 5, 10, or 20 pound bulk propane bottle inside your coach.
- You have lost the easy portability of your Buddy if you have it tethered to a hose, Also, you must hook up a Buddy filter between the hose and the Buddy Heater.
- The oils pulled out of most hoses will ruin the Buddy's heating element. Buddy claims to have their own branded hose that doesn't require the filter. My local propane dealer tells me that they still repair Buddies using the Mr Heater proprietary hose. Best to use the filter with any hose.
Sure, use any standard adapter hose from your propane bottle to your stove's brass adapter or BBQ. I might mention that Camp Chef make an adapter hose that threads directly in most stoves' threaded fitting. No more brass adapter. The regulator is on the tank's end of the adapter hose. The only problem is that it appears to be almost permanently out of stock.
The single use one pound cylinders of propane are really convenient to use, but very costly at just under about $5 each at Walmart. Buying propane in bulk to refill my TC tanks is much, much cheaper, and convinced me to invest in the refillable one pound Flame King cylinders.
The Big Buddy heater sips propane compared to the RV furnace. In cold weather camping months where the ambient temperatures are constantly below the low 30°s, I usually use a Big Buddy heater to supplement the furnace in the TC during awake hours only. In the name of safety I never use the Big Buddy during times of un-occupancy and especially not when sleeping. A one pound cylinder of propane on the low setting of the Big Buddy usually lasts about 4 hours. Camping over multiple days would consume the contents of more than all four Flame King one pound refillable cylinders I own, so in such situations I use the Big Buddy quick connect hose instead of the one pound cylinders. I run the hose to the outside through the bottom flipper seal on the dinette slideout and connect it to the TC’s quick connection to draw directly from the TC propane system consisting of two 30 pound tanks.
Something to be VERY CAUTIOUS about is dangerous carbon monoxide (CO) buildup inside the living space of the RV when using Buddy heater. Cracking open a roof vent and a window provide fresh air and helps prevent CO buildup. Lower concentrations of CO in breathing atmospheres over time has affects on the human body, and CO can be a silent killer in higher concentrations……… CO is odorless and cannot be detected by smell.
I have a residential battery operated CO monitor/alarm I purchased and use every time I use use my camper. I always keep it next to the bed when sleeping, but when the Big Buddy is in use I keep it on the dinette table. From a personal safety perspective I do not have much confidence that the CO/Propane alarm installed by Lance or any other RV manufacturer is very sensitive or reliable in the early detection of potentially harmful/dangerous levels of CO.
The following foto of the CO detector helps to demonstrate the importance of cracking open a window and a vent. The monitor/alarm was displaying 35ppm CO after less than 3 hours of Big Buddy operating on the low setting without any window or vent cracked open. Not necessarily deadly at that level, but the potential health effects and well being over time are not good either. Later, a repeat of this demonstration with a window and a vent cracked open yielded no detection of CO by the monitor.
Be safe, and be aware of the dangers of CO. A Google search of the dangers of CO is very informative.
FWIW,
According to the rep at Mr. Heater, their 12 foot and shorter hoses do not need a filter between the Mr. Buddy and a propane tank.
He said that the rubber material in their shorter hoses is a different material than in the longer hoses. He said that if a person is using one of their longer hoses or any other brand of hoses, he recommends using their small filter at their Mr. Buddy heaters.
@Nutman, thank you for reminding us of the necessity for ventilation when using a Mr. Heater. I believe that their instructions specify how many square inches of opening are required for various BTU settings.
The above holds true for any other iteration of a ventless heater involving combustion such as the Olympians.
@ Les1, it would seem like you should be okay with a Mr. Heater branded adapter hose. Nevertheless, the repair guy at our local propane shop reports that he still gets clogged Mr. Heaters in even when they use Mr. Heater's hose without the filter. They recommend to use a filter with any hose.
Another alternative is to refill your own one-pound propane canisters and swap them out when one runs out. I like this method as I can move my Buddy to the front or back of our 1575 without having to deal with a hose. And since there is no hose, the filter is a non-issue.
