Interior Filling gas bottles

Middo

Active Member
Apr 25, 2014
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You won't be able to. All you will get off the household bottles is gas. Bottles used for filling your van bottles have a setup so it takes the liquid off the bottom of the bottles. The liquid is converted to a gaseous state when you use it. That is why if you put warm water on your bottles, you will find a freeze line on it and this is how full it is. Hope this answers your question.
Pete
 

macca

(aka maccayak)
Mar 20, 2012
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Victoria
As Middo said, you need a decanting 45kg bottle. It is just not worth the grief and the potential safety implication with sparks and sources of ignition close by. If you shop around, some places are pretty cheap and as stated above, its not worth the grief. I am a gasfitter and I get them filled at the shop. Sure it costs, but I would rather be safe than sorry. Blacky, I wont go into how to do it, as many people read these forums, just don't! Sometimes people have spare 45kg bottles half filled with gas, but they could be butane and not propane of a mix, but that's another safety issue. A proper re filler will sell you the correct amount and type of gas (propane).
 

Marv_mart

Well-Known Member
Jan 3, 2014
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BCF fill them cheap enough and Bunnings does a 9kg exchange for around $21 or so .
I wouldn't bother doing it myself
I have been told by a reliable source that exchange bottles, although seemingly cheaper have issues:
1. You don't know how they have been treated by previous users
2. Are not necessarily 'filled'
I always refill,my bottles, remove them from the van cradles and take them to a reputable filling station.
That way I know exactly how they have been treated and I know they are full!
On our last big trip, 4 weeks and 10,700km, used gas for HWS, cooking and only just used up one bottle.
Used my own 4kg bottle for the Baby Q
Do not use house gas as this is not the same as the proper gas in van gas bottles (propane?).
Take heed of what @macca just said.
@Middo
 

chartrock

Forum Patriarch
Staff member
Sep 26, 2010
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As Middo said, you need a decanting 45kg bottle. It is just not worth the grief and the potential safety implication with sparks and sources of ignition close by. If you shop around, some places are pretty cheap and as stated above, its not worth the grief. I am a gasfitter and I get them filled at the shop. Sure it costs, but I would rather be safe than sorry. Blacky, I wont go into how to do it, as many people read these forums, just don't! Sometimes people have spare 45kg bottles half filled with gas, but they could be butane and not propane of a mix, but that's another safety issue. A proper re filler will sell you the correct amount and type of gas (propane).

This might be a good time to bring back this old post for the benefit of new members.
 
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Griffo

Active Member
Apr 15, 2014
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One thing to watch if you swap a bottle is that not all bottles are the same size. Jayco bottles tend to be 9kg whereas Bunnings are 8.5. THis is not hoever really relevant but you would expect the Bunnings and others of the 8.5kg variety to be smaller in size but in reality most are larger in diameter and thus when you put them in the holder on the van they don't quite fit and you may not be able to do up the cam lock.

A trend that's happening at the moment is that is that refillers are becoming scarcer. Bunnings no longer refill, at least in my area. Travelling in NZ last year we found that it was almost impossible to get a refill and most swap and go type operations don't do 4.5kg bottles which is what the motor home had.
 
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macca

(aka maccayak)
Mar 20, 2012
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I have a third "spare bottle" at home. As suggested above don't swap your bottles, as exchange bottles can be wider, taller and different classes. (the little number in the circle stamped into the handle).
I had an old 9kg bottle at home that I had for years. Typical, We were going away this time last year and on the morning I thought Ohoh, I haven't got gas in the van and as suggested you have to plan your re fill. I took the old bottle to the swap n go servo and went thru the cage until I found a "Manchester " class two bottle. Exactly the same a Jayco use:). The third bottle has come in handy.
 

jdove

Active Member
Aug 23, 2011
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Sunshine Coast Qld
I find most refill stations don't have scales to weigh your bottle before and after filling. they just want to charge you for 9kg even if you only want a top up before a trip away.
My local independent fishing tackle shop has a cheap set of bathroom scales next to the fill bottle and only charges for the gas that goes in. At the servo we only pay for the fuel that goes into our vehicles tank why is a bottle refill any different.
 
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Marv_mart

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Jan 3, 2014
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I get mine filled at my local Mitre10. They don't use scales, they fill until the liquid starts to escape through the relief valve. That's the way others have also filled my gas bottles in the past even when I went to a hardware shop in Queensland recently. They charge the same whether the bottle is completely full or half full, fair enough.
When getting my air tanks filled (scuba tanks), they charge the same no matter how empty they are, fair enough.
 
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blacky

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Sep 17, 2013
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Well, this all came up after a bloke i know offered to fill my bottles up at his place as he says hes got the adaptors necessary. Anyway, after talking to another mate today, he told me how he does his.... He has an lpg tank from a car he wrote off in a frame which he straps down to his ute. He takes it to the servo and fills it up.. And then uses an adaptor to fill his 9kg bottles from the big tank. Gets 4x refills from the big tank.
 

Drover

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Nov 7, 2013
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Filling at a servo or camp store I have found that half the time the person filling my bottles didn't know what they were doing as they usually turned it off when the first sputter came from the valve, so the bottle wasn't full it needs to have liquid from the valve. Have used Bunnings for ages and the bottles are full weight, stamped and they are filled from the local gas station which charge you $10 more for the same thing and as for size of bottles what is really the problem unless you have el cheapo gas racks, I just mount them and lock them in.
As for filling them your self the bottle needs to have a pick up which draws from the bottom of the tank and have the right gear, a lot of pressure is there and can do some damage. As`we used to say " One flash and your ash".
 
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Marv_mart

Well-Known Member
Jan 3, 2014
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Well, this all came up after a bloke i know offered to fill my bottles up at his place as he says hes got the adaptors necessary. Anyway, after talking to another mate today, he told me how he does his.... He has an lpg tank from a car he wrote off in a frame which he straps down to his ute. He takes it to the servo and fills it up.. And then uses an adaptor to fill his 9kg bottles from the big tank. Gets 4x refills from the big tank.
Be very careful, car gas Lpg Is NOT the same gas mixture as the gas for vans and BBQs. Using car gas in the van can be very dangerous!
 
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blacky

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Haha well there ya go.. Just shows how different people get things done huh.. I wont be filling mine myself, i use my local independent camping shop (also does my home brew supplies there ;) ) but jeez these blokes reckon theyve been doing it these ways for years. Never had a drama apparently. Farmers have a way of finding ways to get by with what theyve got on hand.
 
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cruza driver

Hercules
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Nov 9, 2010
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Haha well there ya go.. Just shows how different people get things done huh.. I wont be filling mine myself, i use my local independent camping shop (also does my home brew supplies there ;) ) but jeez these blokes reckon theyve been doing it these ways for years. Never had a drama apparently. Farmers have a way of finding ways to get by with what theyve got on hand.
And to save a few bucks, o_O I would rather go the safe option and live another day knowing its done safely