Shnozzle tool re: refill 1lb. propane tanks

[alky]

Though i would post my experience with the "Shnozzle"
Its an adapter i bought on amazon a few months ago.

It has that common size of thread from barbeque bottles and such on one end and has the threads to a 1lb. bottle on the other.
This allows refilling of the smaller bottle

I was curious and actually weighed the bottles.
The big bottle came in at 150.30 lbs.
The bad on my part is that i don't know just how full the big bottle is other than to say its somewhat full

The little bottle came in at .84 lbs empty each or very close to that

It's suggested to warm the full bottle so i did that a slight amount.

The shnozzle connects w a 1 1/8 inch but wrench fit almost to close( demonstrated w adjustable wrench online video), reverse thread

Also it is suggested to flip upside down so i did that.
I never did the putting of the small bottle in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Open the valve and after the sound of filling stops close valve and remove bottle. Results are....

They aren't quite the same, i think i waited longer to fill on one than the other. I managed about 3/4 of a pound so 3/4 full i believe

Next i connect this other hose

empty weight = 18.84 lbs

and fill=24.26 lbs

note the line just at the top of red. this is the only bottle i have with an indicator and red is empty, green full. It had started w the line at very lowest part of red and has now rotated slightly clockwise closer to yellow.

filled additional 2 more identical barbeque bottles with similar weights before and after.

then onto a slightly taller bottle probably from a travel trailer
weigh in empty = 27.02
in image below background twin bottle i picked up from CL freestuff, time expired

image messed up, i can read it but it is posting way huge even though i batch resized smaller

filling, block its easier to turn valve

weight full, then filled second of this type w similar results

so filled 3 little guys then 3 regular bbq then 2 travel trailer and whats left?

if i just round off the starting to 150 lbs and finish at 105 then thats 45 lbs of transfer.
3/4lbs X 3 little
6lbs X 3bbq
7lbs X 2 travel trailer

I am only coming up with 35 lbs when i add it up.
I did lose a little when i disconnect the line.

I doubt i actually lost ten pounds, there is probably a few extra pounds in the bottles somewhere.
And my opinion of this product the Shnozzle is... Pass
I would consider buying it again if it got lost or such
check out this price
yikes!

and i am still puzzled how the blue bottle is supposed to have 20% more if a regular bottle is 1 lb (454 grams)~bigger actually~ then times that by 1.2 and you get 544 grams

not 479
guess its 20% of some kind of smaller bottle
just like a sale that 50% off of all items that were, what, just marked up 40%

 

[lessersivad]

The "20% more" is followed by an *. The 20% is compairing it to a standard 14.1 oz. bottle. Which still don't calculate correctly. 14.1 x 1.20= 16.92. (Gotta love advertising)

The typical grill tank, camper tank, and the larger tank should all have some stampings around the protective collar (as seen in the 11th picture) or around the valve as in the case of some of the larger, non safety collared tanks.

Referring to the same picture it looks like it has a "TW 18" stamping. This is the "tare" or empty weight of the tank in pounds.

The "WC 47.6" is the water capacity in pounds.

Old designations in the propane industry for typical tanks are;

BBQ tank =20 pounder

Camper tanks = 30 pounder or 40 pounder (depending on tank size of course)

The larger, silver colored tanks = 100 pounders

Forklift fuel tank= 33 pounder

These names have been pretty much replaced with the "BBQ or grill" tank, Camper tank, etc. for the simple reason someone , somewhere, decided it may be considered "false advertising or misrepresentation" calling a tank a "20 pounder" when in fact, your only getting 18.4-18.7 pounds.

This pretty much started after the introduction of the new "safety" valves, or OPD valve.

These valves don't allow quite as much propane to be put into the tank due to the float valve which shuts an internal valve to prevent overfilling of the tank.

As you probably already know, heating the larger tank and chilling the smaller tanks create a pressure difference inside the tanks which makes for more complete and quicker filling of the smaller tank.

A couple of misc. tidbits concerning propane.

Liquid propane boils at -44° F

A cubic foot of liquid propane will produce approx. 270 cubic feet of vapor.

Propane vapor is heavier than air and will seek the lowest elevation.

Liquid propane weighs approx. half the amount of water.

More "stuff" about propane can be found here;

http://www.propanesafety.com/upload...mergencies_(PE)_Program/MTK_02-Properties.pdf

Glad to see the "Schnozzle" can work for the smaller tanks. Quite a bit more economical than buying the tanks outright.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[Responder]

I have been using that same adapter for a couple of years now. It has paid for itself many times. Thanks for the write-up!

 

[lilredex]

Be careful.......this is exactly what these guys were doing, only on a much larger scale.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_propane_explosion


https://www.google.ca/search?q=toro...noDICw&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=605


Nice scale you have BTW, but that open flame makes me nervous. Cannot emphasize the fact that propane vapours are heavier than air.


Long time user of propane powered vehicles here.

 

[Banjorear]

Been thinking about getting one, but the HD sells a 4 pack of 1 lb bottles for $10.50 and a 20 lb. trade in for $16.00.

I would do it for to reduce waste more so than to save money.

 

[Davefr]

150 lbs of propane in an enclosed building getting cooked by an open flame

Let's hope you're not the first Darwin Award winner of 2014!!

 

[theoldwizard1]

Been thinking about getting one, but the HD sells a 4 pack of 1 lb bottles for $10.50 and a 20 lb. trade in for $16.00.

READ THE FINE PRINT !

Most "exchange" tanks only contain 15 lbs of fuel !

 

[Ign]

We used to refill the small green LP bottles as pictured (usually Coleman brand) for camping but they always seemed to leak afterward. Anyone else experience this?

 

[theoldwizard1]

Heating a propane bottle near an open flame is not the smartest because safety valve are designed to vent excess pressure at about 310psi which occurs at about 140F. Venting a high combustible gas near and open flame , well ...

The same effect can be achieved immersing the receiving tank in an ice water bath.

One guy did it even simpler, using a longer hose. The larger "supply" tank was placed outside in the sunshine. The smaller "receiving" tank was place inside a garage in the shade. Sure it took some time, but the results were the same.

 

[monster1]

I have some older refillable cylinders from when we had the rv store. The relief valves actually open like on larger tanks. Makes refilling much easier.

 

[alky]

Excellent comments and discussion folks!
special thanks to lessersivad for the information, i have always wondered what all those markings are for.

the scale just happened to be kept in the shop lately, its used for various weighing of farm products, veggies etc. Seemed like the perfect opportunity as i needed to fill those tanks and w all the pics i could make a thread as a way of contributing to GJ. I also have access to a larger scale that fits a 4' X 4' pallet and takes higher weight.

Gonna keep my sights on that Darwin Award

Very much enjoying my time here on GJ, can't believe i never found it sooner!!

 

[Amitygravel]

Great info from everyone. Thanks to all.
Use quite a few of the small bottles in the shop.
Will have to pick up one of the the fill adapters.
Fortunately I can get a 20 lb bottle filled for $10 at the local FS farm supply

 

[4x4_G30_Sportvan]

Those little adapters are great. I have 2.

 

[Highlux]

This thread is full of danger. Do not base your propane and propane related accesory safety to anything in this thread. Hank Hill.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Propane tanks "pop off"' in the direct sun in the mojave, ...

WOW !

 

[Chuck122]

There are 2 ways to fill a LPG tank safely:
By volume: on white refillable tanks there is a screw on te side of the valve. Un screw it and start filling. When liquid starts to come out, the tank is filled to 80% of its volume, wich is the maximum, to allow for variations in temperature.
The other way is by weight:
On the neck of the tank there are several markings:
TW: tare weight, wich is the weight of the empty tank
WC: it gives you the amount of water that the tank can hold, wich is the volume of the tank. It is given either in liters or lbs
For a 20lb bottle for instance adding 20lbs to the TW will give you the maximum weight the bottle should hold.
If the valve handle is triangular, the tan is OPD equipped meaning it should not allow itself to be over filled. This should not be relied on because the float may be broken
Small Coleman tanks should not be filled because they are designed for single use. By this I mean it was not engineered to be used more than once. They may develop stress fractures or the valves will fail
Also, they are not marked with the TW meaning you have no clue how much it weights empty and therfore you can't know how much it should weight full.
Small, refillable 1lbs bottles exist if you really want to refill 1lbs bottles
Also, propane is sold by the pound. If you go at Costco and have your 100lbs bottle filled it will cost you 5 times as much as having a 20 pounder filled. So there is no economy in buying larger quantities.
Also, can be refilled only if it is no less than 10 years old, per the date stamped on it.
While it may seem appealing to fill your 1 lbs bottles like this it is very unsafe, especially if you are doing it in an enclosed space with an open flame near.
Sorry for the long post but I felt some points had to be made

Source:I am certified to fill propane tanks

 

[alky]

"Also, propane is sold by the pound. If you go at Costco and have your 100lbs bottle filled it will cost you 5 times as much as having a 20 pounder filled. So there is no economy in buying larger quantities."

totally agree w this part. Thats why all the propane vehicles should have an accessory line that we can use to fill all these bottles at home. Is it really fair if i was to show up at a gas station w a 1 gallon gasoline can that i would get charged extra? But they get away w/it on propane. In my experience the automotive sales price of propane was always less than bottle fill etc.

 

[Chuck122]

"Also, propane is sold by the pound. If you go at Costco and have your 100lbs bottle filled it will cost you 5 times as much as having a 20 pounder filled. So there is no economy in buying larger quantities."

totally agree w this part. Thats why all the propane vehicles should have an accessory line that we can use to fill all these bottles at home. Is it really fair if i was to show up at a gas station w a 1 gallon gasoline can that i would get charged extra? But they get away w/it on propane. In my experience the automotive sales price of propane was always less than bottle fill etc.

the difference with coleman bottles is that the bottle is sold along with the propane. let's say you are at Costco again and buy a filled 20lbs bottle, it will run you closer to 40 bucks

 

[gungatim]

I made a hose and ball valve that I can screw on my large propane home tank to access the liquid leg. It is a little scary when you blow off to reset the valve but it is cheaper than paying the outrageous exchange prices...

 

[c4cruiser]

The refill adapter is available at Cabela's too. I have 6 of the small Coleman bottles and the fill adapter works great for my small camp stove and hand-held propane torch.

I put the small bottles in a freezer for awhile and it does help with the amount of propane you can fill.

 

[CNGsaves]

Be careful filling the little 1 lb Coleman tanks as sometimes they leak.

 

[4x4_G30_Sportvan]

You can also buy brass caps that screw on the thread of the 1#'er, that will help a lot w/ slight leaks that may occur.

Do be very careful when you do this, and I would only do it outside.