Refillable 16 oz. Propane Cylinder

[misfits]

If your anchor locker has a drain that dumps overboard not into the bilge, that may not be a bad place to store a couple one pounders.

[Jd1]

That is really great news, especially if the refillable tank is not made from steel .... just the connector being brass helps but it would be ideal if the entire thing was brass (probably too much to ask for).
A similar wish list item - a smaller fiberglass propane tank. Something with a smaller diameter to actually fit my propane well. I think all the different sized tanks have the same diameter and just change the height. A small ten pounder fiberglass tank would be ideal also to go with the Lehr engine. I have not mastered installing the one lb tank on the Lehr without substantial leakage.

[a64pilot]

Petrol, gasoline fumes are just like propane, heavier than air.
That is why they are so dangerous and you run your blower on a gas boat etc.

[jongleur]

Quick google **: Gasoline has a vapor density of 3 to 4. At normal temperatures, liquid gasoline is producing vapors which accumulate in low places.

My propane holder is a PVC pipe on the outside of a stanchion at the back of the cockpit with an open bottom. See pix here:
https://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/bod/6096745152.html
I think it looks fine.

I think the refillable ones are a great idea.

[Plangstraat]

Originally Posted by gardeningal

Thanks for this information. As an aside, how to do you like your propane Lehr outboard? We are considering this for our dinghy?

We have a 2.5 LEHR that we use on our dinghy. I have owned a number of Honda and Yamaha outboards over the years. The LEHR beats them all. Obviously, no gas and oil to worry about.
My LEHR starts on the first or second pull every time. The 2.5 consumes very little propane so I only use the 1 pound disposable cylinders.
Plenty of power, clean and easy to start.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, gardeningal.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Petrol, gasoline fumes are just like propane, heavier than air.
That is why they are so dangerous and you run your blower on a gas boat etc.

MY bad you're right. Although I don't think they are quite as heavy? Propane scares the sh%#&t out of me. Call it paranoia if you like. It may be? It seems some people don't treat a gas under pressure with the respect it deserves in a hole in the water.

[HopCar]

Originally Posted by Cadence

MY bad you're right. Although I don't think they are quite as heavy? Propane scares the sh%#&t out of me. Call it paranoia if you like. It may be? It seems some people don't treat a gas under pressure with the respect it deserves in a hole in the water.

You should be equally scared of gasoline. The explosive concentration range of gasoline is actually slightly larger than propane but not enough to make propane significantly safer.

Gasoline is also more powerful than propane. Again not enough difference to say propane is safer.

Propane vapor is also easier to get rid of as the liquid instantly turns to vapor and can be dispersed by a very slight breeze. Gasoline stays liquid and can release explosive levels of vapor for long periods of time.

I once had a bilge full of gasoline. It was several hours before I turned the switch to start the engine. Propane would have dispersed much faster.

No need to fear either but respect both and be careful handling both.

[leftbrainstuff]

Those steel cylinders are junk. They rust quickly. Why not just use a decent larger cylinder. Much less hassle.

We use them four rail mounted bbq. Those cylinders are stored in the deck box. They are only $3 each at Walmart.

Storing propane below decks is just plain dumb.

We have 2 20lb cylinders in a purpose designed vented locker. Our hoses are in good condition and we have two isolators. Propane is quite safe when used in this manner.

[Rorzech]

Originally Posted by HopCar

For those of you who use a lot of the one pound propane cylinders, there is now a cylinder designed to be refilled. Yes I know you can refill the disposable ones but this makes it safer and easier.

I saw it at Home Depot yesterday. The cylinder was $10 and the kit with a cylinder was $30. That would make the break even point about 10 refills.

The problem with refilling the disposable cylinders is that it is hard to get a good fill. You have to either freeze the cylinder before you start or pull up on the safety vent with pliers while filling it. They often leak after refilling as the valves were not designed for refilling.

The refillable cylinder has a vent that you can open and close with an Allen key.

I haven't tried this yet, but it looks good to me. I have a 2.5 hp Lehr Outboard that I normally run on an eleven pound tank because the disposables are expensive. I might just change to the 16 oz refillable cylinders.

Here is a link to a video of it in action.

Gasoline turns into varnish and harms your equipment when stored, Where as propane never goes bad. If you spray a lube like Fluid Film on the connector and relief valve, you'll never have a rust problem. Every boat should have a bilge blower leading outside for many reasons.
I think refillable 1 lb bottles are a great concept. Propane outboards are worth every penny you pay for them. They alleviate so many headaches that are associated with gasoline.
I have a little brass adapter (probably illegal) two inches long that screws onto my 20 lb tank so I can fill my non-refillable 1 lb bottles.Just make sure you fill them less than 80% and you'll have no problem . There's no spillage when using that adapter. Just remember that it is illegal to refill a nonrefillable tank.You should be able to chew gum and walk at the same time , before attempting such a feat !
Being safety conscious, I always play with propane outside on deck with that cabin door closed and I extinguish all sources of ignition. They have propane detectors just like smoke detectors and the smell is unmistakeable and a simple soap test makes leaks easy to find.If you respect propane you'll find that it's very safe . Propane has a small window of explosive ability. You need between 4% and 14% concentration in the air for it to explode. It's Gasoline and Naphtha that scares the hell out of me.
I can just anticipate the negative replies i'm about to receive.

[a64pilot]

I believe the most logical reason was to power an outboard.
If these things have brass fittings and don't rust, that gets rid of my biggest reason for not liking them, and storage wise, if I were using them to power the dinghy, since I leave mine in davits, I'd likely just store them in the dinghy

[phoenix-marie]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

A big portion of my problem was storage. I could put one in the LPG locker, but on my boat there is no where else safe, so I have to keep them on deck under the spray hood where they are in the way, and of.

We stick ours in a large PVC pipe secured to the stern rail. Out of weather and sun and no chance of leaking to interior.

[Cheechako]

There are little 3# small real propane bottles BTW. I saw an aluminum one in an Ace hardware a year ago. Cant see it online with a quick search though. Tiny thing.

[Cadence]

Re: Aluminum tanks. I had an LPG supplier tell me , years ago, that in a salt water environment you can not see the deterioration of them like rust on a steel tank. He had no dog in the hunt. For what it is worth.

[Cheechako]

Seems corrosion is pretty obvious on aluminum usually. I have worried about the brass fittings on alum tanks though, but I've had many alum tanks over the years with no issues. A long skinny one (for the bbq, lived on the pulpit) I transferred it from boat to boat for a while.