My 5lb Propane Cylinder and me

WilliamA

I don't care to just start threads if what I mean to say would fit neatly into an ongoing one, but I can't seem to find one here that fits the bill.

I just had my 5lb cylinder filled today in preparation for my trip to Az. I had been using it for about 5 months and that included 2 trips of more than a week. It took 3/4 of a gallon of propane. At 4.2 lbs per gallon, that's about 3 and a quarter 1 lb cylinders. That sounds like I could very easily have just switched out the 20 lbs bottle to 1 lbs bottles and saved a lot of weight. As I've written before, I've found the 1lb bottles to be fine in the warm months, but a lot of my camping ends up being in cold weather where the temps get down toward single digits. I've not had good luck with 1lb bottles when it's cold as I find they don't develop nearly enough pressure and therefore, don't work well for basic cooking. While I only used 3 1/2 1lb bottles in the past 5 months, It would have meant many more than that as I couldn't use the whole bottle to empty because of the pressure. The 5lb cylinder works well for me and as I am finding out, for cooking a 5lber lasts a long time at 1/3 of the weight of a 20 lb job.
The bill for filling today came to $3.17. Even I can handle that.

WilliamA

Chaverim

You can likely get the refillable 1lb tanks to pressurize enough and then you can drop even more weight.

LuckyJ

I am also a 5 lbs bottle type of guy. For now, I am still using the same 20 lbs on the original fill that came with our Tag 2 season ago. But it is very possible that I am gonna instal or arrange a set-up to use my 5lbs bottle that I use for any transportation use I have, that included the fishing cabin bbq that we leave on location w/o propane on site. We don't care about the bbq, but would not like to have a propane cylinder stolen.

Joabmc

If you were to run a splitter close to the stove, a 1lb bottle would more than likely work. A short section on hose could be ran under the sink area and the 1lb bottle could be attached there. I’ve used single burners in below zero temps but always had a direct connection.

Sharon_is_SAM

@WilliamA, just curious. What does a new 5# propane cylinder cost? I wonder how difficult it is to find somewhere to fill it?

WilliamA

@Sharon_is_SAM said:
@WilliamA, just curious. What does a new 5# propane cylinder cost? I wonder how difficult it is to find somewhere to fill it?

Hey Sharon,
Good question. I paid $50 bucks for my 5 lb cylinder empty, which is a bit high considering a 20 lb'er is $20-30. I got mine at Fleet Farm but there are many places I've seen them. You can also get different shapes as in taller/narrower, etc. Try "Manchester" tank on the net to see what's out there.
As to filling, I've been able to get mine refilled easily just about everywhere. Truck stops, gas companies, filling stations etc will do the job quickly for you. I had an interesting conversation with the guy who filled my tank yesterday. They also refill tanks for the swap-out places here locally and he told me that a certain "swap-out" place with "Blue" in the name makes it policy to refill their 20 lb cylinders to 15 lbs instead of 20. I had long suspected that this was an easy place for a retailer to squeeze a couple extra bucks out of consumers. Who's gonna pick up a swap-tank and then go weigh it? Right? It's a small thing but something one should know....that their full tank isn't full. When "my gas guy" fills my little tank, he vents it a wee bit, hits the juice and then opens the bleeder valve on the top of the tank. When it starts weeping liquid out the bleeder, it's full. No need to weigh it.

One thing I'd recommend folks do with the smaller tanks is to get a fish-scale or some other accurate small portable scale so they can have it to see how much fuel is actually in the tank. I use my fish scale on-site and just hang the tank from it, subtract the tare weight stamped on the tank and then have a good idea of the working volume. It's way more accurate than the stick-on indicators or the insipid gauge most 20 lb tanks come with. To be fair, some cylinders come with a gauge that is actually attached inside the tank to a level float. That's really the only accurate way, other than weighing your cylinder, to know how much juice you have left. The 5 lb'er is easy to hang off a scale "manly style" by just holding it up. A 20 lb'er might be a bit of a heft. Now that my manly physique went south with my once smooth, suave appearance, I find the 5 lb'er to be all I want to toss around....

WilliamA

Sharon_is_SAM

I thought the tank may be pricey - limited market relative to the 20# tank. Given how little LPG a TaG uses (no Alde), nuCamp could eliminate some weight by using the smaller tanks, but it would cost them more. I suppose carrying a less than half filled 20 # tank also reduces your weight. I think some places will fill to whatever you want as opposed to filling completely. That is one way to limit weight.

LuckyJ

A tought about weight saving carying a less than full 20 lbs tank, is that it still take as much space as a full tank. And as it gets empty, still same space, where a 5 lbs tank is smaller and lighter, probably equall or close to the same weight as an empty 20 lbs.

So that free up space in the front storage compartiment of our T@Gs.

Plus, a 5lbs might be more expensive, but when the expiration date is reach, it is worth it to have it recertified, bringing its cost down and reducing our envirronmental foot print. Since most of the time, it is cheaper to throw the used 20 lbs to recycling and purchassing an other one. Revycling and old tank and manufacturing a new tank still polut more than recertifying a current tank.

WilliamA

All good things come to an end. My 5lb cylinder ran dry today while Sprocket and I were out day-camping/biking. I had just finished making lunch and started heating water for dishes and making coffee. It quit and I mean....quit. No warning. I'm not whining (except maybe a little about the coffee) as I've been using it steady since the first part of January. I do carry a backup, 1 burner that screws to a 1lb cylinder so I "could" have made coffee but sallied on and went swimming instead. We stopped in town and had it refilled. Cost me $6.32 for a full tank.
Note to the wise: Whether 20lb ir 5lb, when in doubt, get it filled.....

WilliamA

Michigan_Mike

I agree with your analogy as I do the same thing when I am refilling the big tanks for my 29 foot trailer out in Arizona. Why risk running out of propane in cold weather, during the night or when you need it the most?

willbingham1

I switched to 5 pder when I replaced tongue cover for aluminum tongue box. Been out with it about 4 camping trips covering two weeks all together. Never looked back. In 3 weeks heading out to 4 corners area and will top off before I leave. About $60 plus mounting bracket. Works great. Bill

Adventuresofmb

I replaced my 20# with an 11# Manchester. It is the same diameter as the 20# so it will fit in the same bracket and also saves weight. I had mine filled at UHaul for $8 and change. The tank cost about $60 including shipping.

TomD

When you run out of propane in some areas there is no filling large,medium,small tanks at all. I just left the Tetons in Wyoming and there was no where to get a propane refill that didn’t require massive drives.. A National Park. Go figure. I have a 5lb tank and 1lb cylinders that run my stove, Weber BBQ, and the much loved Little Red Campfire. The 5lb died after 5 days of glorious warming Little Red comfort.

tagurit

Will never go back from our 1 lb refillable tanks, have five of them in a rack in the box up front, fill 'em before we leave and replace them as we go, cooking two meals a day on the Blackstone griddle and the T@G cooktop, on an eight-day trip to and from MINI on the Mack (Mackinaw Bridge, tried to set the record for the longest parade of Mini Coopers, we had 1,311 but failed again!), we used three and if we used all five I would just buy a Coleman which are available everywhere.

Otis_60

@WilliamA The swapable tanks do have on their label that they are 15lbs, but who reads a label...I did. I just take my 20lbers to my local homebrew shop when stopping in for supplies. He does a good propane business for all the homebrewers who use propane burners like myself. When a tank is due for inspection, then we use the swap service and get an up to date tank.