Mr Heater & 1lb Propane Tank Tests

[Downthehole]

Hi All,

I'm sure many have refilled 1lb propane tanks - it seems to be common practice. Yesterday we did some testing with them and a Mr Buddy heater. Here's the results:

Empty 1lb Tank - 13oz
Full 1lb Tank - 1lb 13oz
1lb Tank Cost - $12.00 - $15.00 for 4 ($3.00 - $3.75 each)
Mr Heater Consumption (lo setting) - 4oz/hr
Mr Heater Consumption (hi setting) - 6oz/hr
15lb propane refill - $15.00 - $18.00

So a 1lb tank will last 4hrs on the Mr Buddy low setting and 2.7hrs on the high setting. Depending on ambient temperature and shanty 3-4 tanks should last for around 12hrs.

Refilling the 1lb tanks is very economical. Each tank will cost $1.00 - $1.20 assuming the 15lb propane tank will fill 15 1lb tanks. This is probably not the case but refilling is a lot cheaper than buying new each time. Even savings of $1.00 per tank will give $4.00 per day overall savings - this adds up over a season.

To refill the 1lb tanks I used a Mr Buddy refill adapter ($17.99) and Mr Buddy filter ($9.99). We found that an initial charge put around 9oz in each 1lb tank. Putting the 1lb tank in the freezer after the initial charge for 2 hours allowed us to completely fill them. Using this method allowed us to get around 1lb 6oz of propane in the tanks. Ensuring the 1lb tank was at 45 degrees angle helped the filling process.

Obviously refilling the tanks can be hazardous and comes with a "Don't try this at home" warning. I thought the results of our experiment yesterday might be helpful.

Andy

[Just reeleyez]

It definitely saves money especially if the winter is a long one! Will have to plan a day and fill some up if you wouldn't mind

[Downthehole]

You're welcome anytime - early November would work?

[Just reeleyez]

Works for me buddy!

[g]

Good job on your test. Seems you were very thorough. Thanks for passing on the info.

[Downthehole]

Thanks g!

[z400wolverine]

Yes freezing them and refilling,upside down to boot,and if you can get your 20# tanks filled for $7,instead of an exchange! Plus less weight to pull!