Propane Torch Bottle Problem

[Ton ton]

er, from whom?

Fred Meyer in Palmer, Alaska. Saw it on the shelf yesterday.

 

[RTM]

MAPP or MAPpro gas, just to ask a clarifying question.

AK is a long ways from VA, hoping you have a good reason to be there. I have a contact in Galena AK, and I love how Google Maps can't get you there from anywhere, including Palmer

 

[Ton ton]

MAPP or MAPpro gas, just to ask a clarifying question.

AK is a long ways from VA, hoping you have a good reason to be there. I have a contact in Galena AK, and I love how Google Maps can't get you there from anywhere, including Palmer

I'm vacationing in Alaska.

 

[Ton ton]

16.1 oz. Can of Mapp gas. I get it. No one is going to believe me.

 

[dscheidt]

16.1 oz. Can of Mapp gas. I get it. No one is going to believe me.

A picture of the label would go a long way.
you probably saw this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NC5XC8H/?tag=atomicindus08-20
which is not mapp gas. I haven't seen it locally when I wanted gas, so I've never used it. I'm sure it's better than map pro (low bar, I know).

 

[RTM]

I'm vacationing in Alaska.

I hit hardware stores and similar while on vacation too, whether or not I need anything. The different climates areas are great for picking up cold weather work clothes and gloves, different hardware makers, etc.

 

[Ton ton]

A picture of the label would go a long way.
you probably saw this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NC5XC8H/?tag=atomicindus08-20
which is not mapp gas. I haven't seen it locally when I wanted gas, so I've never used it. I'm sure it's better than map pro (low bar, I know).

That's it.

 

[Ton ton]

I hit hardware stores and similar while on vacation too, whether or not I need anything. The different climates areas are great for picking up cold weather work clothes and gloves, different hardware makers, etc.

Neat finds .

 

[Ton ton]

Fred Meyers is technically a grocery store. But it has a huge hardware & tool section.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Are these small bottle pure propane or do they mix other gases in?

I am pretty certain they are. If not, they would have to specify the contents on the label.

LPG delivered to your home or at a filling station can vary quite a bit based on location and ambient temp (summer vs winter).

 

[theoldwizard1]

I really like MAPP gas. Glad to see you can get it again.

Nope ! That is MAPP-Pro. Over priced for what it is.

If you want hot, use acetlyne or oxy-propane.

 

[engineer2]

So MAPP-Pro is not the old MAPP?

 

[RTM]

Nope, so I buy all the MAPP I can find at garage sales, and save it for serious work. It burns much cooler I’m told

 

[theoldwizard1]

PSA - Exchanged BBQ propane tanks are a huge rip off ! They typically only have 15lbs of propane in them even though the are designed and approved for 20lbs !

FYI - You can now buy legal (DOT approved) handheld propane bottles. $$$ ! Not sure what threads they have.

The trick to refilling "disposable" propane bottles is not chilling the bottle (but that does help), but opening the vent until liquid propane just starts to come out ! The vent on disposable propane bottle is that funny thing on the top shoulder that looks like a recessed Schrader valve. Well, it is but it is installed backwards ! You have to PULL UP on the needle. Use a hemostat. Cheap at HF.

 

[dscheidt]

So MAPP-Pro is not the old MAPP?

No, it's propylene with a bit of propane. It burns a little hotter than straight propane (like 3700F instead of 3600.) real mapp was much hotter (5000 F), and had much more BTU available. MAP pro is not generally worth the 3 or 4X price premium.

 

[The Cobbler]

PSA - Exchanged BBQ propane tanks are a huge rip off ! They typically only have 15lbs of propane in them even though the are designed and approved for 20lbs !

propane tanks can only be filled to 80% of their rated weight. so a 20 lb rated tank can only be filled to 16 lbs of propane

 

[dscheidt]

propane tanks can only be filled to 80% of their rated weight. so a 20 lb rated tank can only be filled to 16 lbs of propane

while it's true that you can only fill a propane tank to 80% of volume, the 20lb rating already includes that derating. go look at a 20lb tank, it'll have a WC of 47.8, which if you consult a WC chart (present by regulation at every fill station) you'll see has a capacity of 20lbs of propane. (here's a chart: https://www.campgroundmaintenancemanager.com/PropaneTankFilling). Exchanges tanks came full until about 25 years ago, and then dropped to ~17 pounds, and now 15. It's a horrible scam. I'm happy to exchange a tank to get one with a good date on it, but it's a lousy way to buy propane.
Not only are you getting a horrible price, you also get a tank that's only 3/4 full. that matters a whole lot if you're trying to use the tank in cold weather.

If you have the tank filled, you should only be paying for the propane required to be filled. If you exchange a tank, you give the propane company whatever is left in the tank. (I often refill the tanks I run a shop heater on when they're still half filled, both because I don't want to run out, but also because they work better in the cold full.)

 

[WWheeler]

I worked with a total *****. He often put others at risk. His job was clean-up and go-for.
One of his more stupid moments came after the supervisor asked him to go around the shop and clean up. Mister Stupid gathered up a bunch of Bernzomatic propane bottles and took them to the machine room. He was drilling holes in the bottles and letting the fuel blow out, when I caught up with him. I yelled for the supervisor and the shop was evacuated and the fire department called.
Stupid was spoken to by the supervisor. This is a situation of the lights are out and no one is home.
The last I heard of this guy was. he was caught sleeping in a company vehicle, after several hours of the supervisor looking for him.

This story reminds me of the guy that was working for the Fast Oil Change Plus in Belleville Ill this week until he burned his place of employment up.

News report:

Here's the video of exactly how it started: https://streamable.com/5aafzn <--- stupidest thing I've ever seen anyone try to do.

 

[Ton ton]

This story reminds me of the guy that was working for the Fast Oil Change Plus in Belleville Ill this week until he burned his place of employment up.

News report:

Here's the video of exactly how it started: https://streamable.com/5aafzn <--- stupidest thing I've ever seen anyone try to do.

Care to break it down play by play? Pardon the stupid question. Was he smoking a cigarette?

 

[Ramblin Man]

Care to break it down play by play? Pardon the stupid question. Was he smoking a cigarette?

I am thinking when he drilled through the gas tank, gas got in his drill, and kaboom. If I was going to do that, I would use an air drill. Even though ther is still a chance the drill bit could spark on a metal tank.

 

[Ton ton]

I am thinking when he drilled through the gas tank, gas got in his drill, and kaboom. If I was going to do that, I would use an air drill. Even though ther is still a chance the drill bit could spark on a metal tank.

Thank you.

 

[Shiftless]

At least the guy wasn’t standing in a pit under the car.

 

[The Cobbler]

while it's true that you can only fill a propane tank to 80% of volume, the 20lb rating already includes that derating. go look at a 20lb tank, it'll have a WC of 47.8, which if you consult a WC chart (present by regulation at every fill station) you'll see has a capacity of 20lbs of propane. (here's a chart: https://www.campgroundmaintenancemanager.com/PropaneTankFilling). Exchanges tanks came full until about 25 years ago, and then dropped to ~17 pounds, and now 15. It's a horrible scam. I'm happy to exchange a tank to get one with a good date on it, but it's a lousy way to buy propane.
Not only are you getting a horrible price, you also get a tank that's only 3/4 full. that matters a whole lot if you're trying to use the tank in cold weather.

If you have the tank filled, you should only be paying for the propane required to be filled. If you exchange a tank, you give the propane company whatever is left in the tank. (I often refill the tanks I run a shop heater on when they're still half filled, both because I don't want to run out, but also because they work better in the cold full.)

everything I read online says a 20 lb tank can only fill 16lbs
Does a 20 lb propane tank hold 20 lbs?





Namely, every propane tank is filled up to 80% of its total capacity. Example: A 20 lb tank doesn't hold 20 lb of propane. Rather, it contains 16 lb of propane. This is a safety requirement.

 

[dscheidt]

everything I read online says a 20 lb tank can only fill 16lbs
Does a 20 lb propane tank hold 20 lbs?





Namely, every propane tank is filled up to 80% of its total capacity. Example: A 20 lb tank doesn't hold 20 lb of propane. Rather, it contains 16 lb of propane. This is a safety requirement.

perhaps you should find a source that's not wrong?

A 20 lb propane tank has a water capacity of 47.8 lbs. That's full to brim. 47.8 lbs of water is 5.73 gallons. 80% of that is 4.6 gallons. Propane weighs 4.25 lbs a gallon. the obvious multiplication is 19.5 lbs. the OPD on most tanks allows about 20.2 or 20.3 lbs in before it trips.

 

[WWheeler]

I am thinking when he drilled through the gas tank, gas got in his drill, and kaboom. If I was going to do that, I would use an air drill. Even though ther is still a chance the drill bit could spark on a metal tank.

I believe it was a plastic tank but a brushed drill, or at least that's what one of the witnesses who posted that vid said in the comments on reddit.

In any case, what non-idiot reason would anyone puncture a tank with fuel in it instead of siphoning it instead?

I've changed fuel pumps in many vehicles half or more full of fuel. Usually I leave the fuel in and drop the tank strapped to a trans lift, but for a really full tank I've snaked a transfer pump hose down in there and gotten it down to a more manageable level.