Refilling Gas Canisters

I refill my ain gas canisters.  This physical care for is non recommended past times whatsoever manufacturer.  There may also live sure legal sanctions against refilled canisters.  I'm non a lawyer, but my agreement is that inwards the U.S. refilled canisters may non live transported across solid reason lines together with that refilled canisters may non live sold.

UPDATE 26 March 2017:  There is a some other method of canister refilling, a method using the G-Works Gas Saver.  The G-Works Gas Saver is cheaper and easier to exercise than the adapter I used inwards the below post.  The G-Works Gas Saver is also amend inwards that it does non exercise 100% butane (which is exclusively expert for warmer weather).  Please see:  The G-Works R1 Gas Saver – Refilling Backpacking Canisters II.

There are sure dangers that proceed alongside using gas, fifty-fifty if you're using your stove inwards precisely the agency prescribed past times the manufacturer.  Gas is flammable.  Gas tin explode.  Know together with empathise the dangers earlier working alongside gas.

If 1 chooses to refill his or her ain canisters, at that spot are sure additional dangers including but non express to:

1. Overfilling.  If yous fill upwards a gas canister beyond it's stated capacity, the internal pressure level may drive the canister to leak, burst, or explode.
2. Gas leaks.  Gas may escape during refilling alongside or without equipment failures or malfunctions.  Such gas could ignite or explode.  Leaking gas tin also live real very cold, together with mutual depression temperature injuries could result.
3. Damage to valve or threads.  The valve or threads could boot the bucket damaged or worn during refilling.  No occupation may come about during the refilling itself, but the damaged threads or valve could live hazardous afterward on.
4. Refilling alongside gases alongside also high a vapor pressure.  Canisters come upwards alongside a specific mix of gases.  If 1 were to refill alongside dissimilar gases or a dissimilar mix of the same gases, the vapor pressure level of the resultant mix mightiness transcend the forcefulness of the canister.   Do NOT fill upwards backpacking type canisters alongside 100% propane nether whatsoever circumstances.

Clearly, at that spot are dangers to canister refilling.  If yous guide to refill gas canisters, you are making a conclusion to engage inwards a do that yous know to live dangerous.  If yous of your ain costless volition guide to engage inwards a do that yous know to live dangerous, don't blame me or anyone else for your choices.

That said, I volition depict how I refill canisters.  I volition also depict what steps I get got to partially mitigate the dangers of refilling, but empathise that no affair how rubber your procedures are, refilling gas canisters is past times its real nature dangerous.  You mightiness live able to somewhat cut back the danger, but refilling is unsafe no affair what.

Step 1 is of class to teach an empty canister.  Today, I'm going to refill a Coleman create criterion threaded 220g canister.

Caution
The newer orangish label Coleman canisters create non work with many brands of stoves. The older light-green label Coleman canisters seem to piece of work fine.

A Coleman create 220g criterion threaded gas canister.

The offset stride inwards refilling is to weigh the canister.  Why weigh the canister?  I weigh the canister to flora a maxium total weight.  You create NOT desire to overfill the canister.  The best do is to weigh the total canister when yous offset convey it habitation from the store.   The weight of the total canister when yous convey it habitation from the shop should live considered the maximum total weight.  

What if I forgot to weigh the canister when it was new?  Well, if yous weigh the canister when it is empty together with so add together the capacity of the canister, inwards this instance 220g, so yous should also live able to decide the maximum total weight of the canister.

The empty weight of a Coleman 220g canister is to a greater extent than or less 143g 

The empty weight of a Coleman create 220g canister is 143g.  The capacity is 220g.  Therefore, the maximum total weight is 363g.  Do NOT transcend the maximum total weight when yous refill.  If yous transcend this weight, the pressure level within the canister may transcend the forcefulness of the canister.  If the canister leaks, bursts, or explodes, real serious injuries could result.  Do NOT transcend the maximum total weight of the canister.

Next, I grade the weights on the canister.  I tend to lose slips of paper, so I grade the canister itself.

The empty together with total weights, marked straight on the canister.

Next, I grade the canister equally refilled past times writing an "R" on the bottom of the canister.  I so set a hash grade adjacent to the "R" every fourth dimension I refill the canister.  One hash grade indicates 1 refill, 2 hash marks indicates 2 refills, together with so on.  

An "R" on the bottom of the canister indicates that the canister has been refilled.  Hash marks scream for the let out of refills.  This canister has been refilled 1 time.

Eventually the valve may boot the bucket weakened alongside use.  After I've refilled a canister 12 times, I get got the canister to the recycling center.  Twelve is an arbitrary number, but it is a relatively depression number.  So far twelve has been a rubber number.  I visually inspect the canister together with threads/valve earlier refilling. If it looks bad, it is bad, together with it goes inwards the recycle bin.

Now, after all that, I get got out my refiller.

A refiller for criterion threaded gas canisters.

I bought this refiller via eBay seller world_wide_2009 who obviously is inwards Japan.  I believe I paid $37.00 USD for the refiller.  I've had the refiller for at to the lowest degree 2 years.  With this somewhat expensive but high lineament refiller, I experience similar at that spot is a) a reduced gamble of damaging the threads or valve on a receiving canister, together with b) real little gas leaks -- virtually the same amount equally would usually leak when hooking upwards or unhooking a stove.  Very little inwards other words.  I've seen lots of scary looking homemade rigs of questionable quality.  I personally would rather pay the extra coin together with create it right. 

The instructions that came alongside the refiller were inwards Japanese but did include helpful pictograms.  Notice that I get got the weight written on the refiller itself (88g).  While I'm inwards the physical care for of refilling, I tin weigh the canister without removing the refiller.  I just subtract 88g from the weight displayed on the scale inwards lodge to know the weight of the canister I'm inwards the physical care for of refilling.

Note inwards the inwards a higher identify photograph that the connection shown attaches to a criterion threaded backpacking type canister.  What does the other side connect to?

This side of the refiller connects to 100% butane canisters.

The contrary side of the refiller connects to the inexpensive 100% butane canisters of the type used inwards the eatery industry.  Why butane?  Well, offset butane is cheap.  If you're going to create your ain refills, so you'd amend get got a source of gas cheaper than backpacking canisters.  If your refill gas isn't cheaper, why would yous refill?  You'd just boot the bucket purchase the regular backpacking gas.  In my area, 227g of butane is $1.25 USD.  Backpacking canisters are virtually $5.00 for 110g or $6.00 for 220g.  100% butane is far cheaper.  Personally, I exercise 110g canisters to a greater extent than than whatsoever other size.  With refilling, I'm inwards outcome paying $0.63 per 110g canister.  If yous saw perfectly expert 110g canisters on sale for $0.63, wouldn't yous pick a few up?  I bet most people would.  My canisters are e'er on sale for $0.63.  I never hesitate to get got out the gas stove whether on a hateful solar daytime hike or a backpacking trip.  You desire some other loving cup of coffee?  Sure!  Why not?  How virtually two?  I rather similar having an abundant source of inexpensive gas.  YMMV.  Each to his or her own.

Second, butane is relatively safe.  Pick upwards 1 of those little clear plastic cigarette lighters some time.  Hold it upwards to the light.  That clear liquid yous run into inwards at that spot is butane.  Of the gases commonly used for backpacking canisters, butane has the lowest vapor pressure.  If that little inexpensive plastic lighter tin concur the pressure level of butane, your steel backpacking canister for sure can.  No affair what mix originally came inwards your backpacking canister, butane volition get got a lower vapor pressure.  Butane is pretty rubber to exercise for refilling.  Do NOT fill upwards backpacking type canisters alongside 100% propane nether whatsoever circumstances.

The adjacent stride inwards refilling is to claw everything up.  First I screw the refiller onto the receiving canister.

The refiller screwed on to an empty 220g backpacking type gas canister

Next, I claw upwards the donating butane canister.  The larger claw on the connection clips onto the neckband on the butane canister.

The neckband on the butane canister clips on to the larger of the 2 hooks on the connection of the refiller.

The smaller of the 2 hooks on the refiller's connection slips through the notch on the neckband of the butane canister.

The smaller of the 2 hooks on the refiller goes through the notch on the butane canister's collar.

The canister is so rotated to the correct to a greater extent than or less 1/16th of a turn, locking the canister into the connection on the refiller.

The butane canister turns to the correct together with locks inwards place.

When all is said together with done, the rig looks similar this:

A refiller all hooked upwards together with create to transfer fuel.

Now, but opened upwards the valve, together with gravity volition create the piece of work for you.  The liquid butane inwards the donor canister volition current into the receiving canister.  Recall though that at that spot is 1 complication:  There is a vapor feed underground within the canister.

There is a plastic vapor feed underground within the butane canister.

That underground aligns alongside the notch inwards the neckband of the butane canister.   For maximum transfer, yous desire to argument the canister at a fighting of an angle alongside the notch on the neckband of the butane canister pointing down. 

Prop the canister at a steep angle equally shown alongside the notch pointing down.

The transfer is real slow.  Normally, I gear upwards it upwards together with so boot the bucket virtually my business.  I cheque it after a distich of hours.  The vapor feed underground appears to vary slightly create to brand.  As a purely practical matter, MegaOne gas seems to live the easiest create to transfer gas from.  GasOne is a fighting to a greater extent than tricky.  Sometimes I've had to chill the receiving canister together with warm the donating canister to teach it to piece of work right.  Each canister create has a "sweet spot," that is an angle where the transfer industrial plant best.  You'll just get got to experiment alongside that.  I've tried iii dissimilar brands of butane thus far.  I've e'er been able to teach it to piece of work although some brands require to a greater extent than trivial than others.

Since I'm writing a weblog post, I don't desire to hold off a distich of hours for my results, so I'll just detach the refiller now and weigh it after exclusively a few minutes.  Recall that our receiving canister weighed 143g when empty. 

The canister immediately weighs 184g

Not the world's clearest photo, but the canister immediately weighs 184g, a make of 41g inwards just a few minutes.  I notice that there's typically a rush of gas when I offset opened upwards the valve, together with so a real very boring bubbling after that.  I tin exclusively remove heed the boring bubbling if I physically press my ear upwards to the donating canister.  When using a boring gravity feed similar this, I haven't had a lot of problems alongside overfilling, but retrieve to periodically cheque the canister, particularly alongside the pocket-size 100g cast canisters.  When filling a 220g canister from a 227g canister, at that spot is no worry of whatsoever pregnant overfilling.  I oft exit 220g canisters hooked upwards overnight together with but unhook them inwards the morning.  The transfer is never 100%.  The donating canister almost e'er has at to the lowest degree a few grams of gas left behind.  Such is life.

NOTE:  These photos were all taken indoors where the lite is good.  I typically refill outdoors where vapors cannot construct upwards together with at that spot are no sources of ignition.

That's it.  That's how to refill canisters.  Remember, no affair how yous boot the bucket virtually it, refilling is innately dangerous.  Refill at your ain risk.

Thanks for joining me on some other Adventure inwards Stoving,

HJ

Appendix -- Advantages together with Disadantages of Refilling

Advantages
1.  Lower toll inwards the long run.
2.  Custom filling.  If I am going on a trip where I'll scream for 140g of gas, I fill upwards my canister to 140g together with stop.  I create non scream for to behaviour a total 230g canister.  Weight savings: 70g.
3.  Topping off.  Say I come upwards dorsum from a trip alongside a canister alongside exclusively 25g left.  Before I had a refiller, that gas would just sit down on a shelf alongside no existent value to me.  25g is also little to bother with.  Now, I just top off the canister, together with the canister is equally useful to me equally the hateful solar daytime I bought it.
4.  Reduced environmental impact.  Reusing anything reduces one's overall touching on the environment.  Yes, canisters tin (and should!) live recycled, but recycling has environmental costs.  Yes, recycling is amend than the landfill, but at that spot are transport, processing, re-manufacturing, together with distribution costs associated alongside recycling.  Yes of class I get got the empty butane canister to bargain alongside after refilling, but I'm primarily refilling the pocket-size 110g canisters from the larger 227g butane canisters.  I'm thence reducing the overall let out of waste materials canisters.  Ideally, I'd similar to honor an fifty-fifty bigger canister to refill from, but that chance has so far failed to materialize.

Disadvantages
1.  "Fiddle" factor.  You get got to pass some fourth dimension to refill the canisters.  Of course, whatsoever such fiddle is done inwards advance.  There is zero extra fiddle out on the trail.  I much prefer filling inwards advance over using an adapter out on the trail.
2.  Butane is exclusively expert for warm weather condition use.  100% butane is exclusively expert so long equally the fuel stays inwards a higher identify virtually 40F/5C.  If the fuel gets colder than 40F/5C, so your stove volition get got lackluster performance.  I personally create the bulk of my backpacking together with hiking inwards warmer weather, so this is non an inconvenience to me.

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