Propane tank tip......

[surmisez]

But for the time being, here is a photo or two for adult show & tell.

I love adult show and tell! What kind of stove is that? It looks pretty big -- how many burners?

[renodesertfox]

It's called the Big Gas Grill by Camp Chef. Cabela's Sporting carries the line. The Big Gas Grill has 3 burners with output of 33,000 btu p/hr. Ya can slow cook everything and it won't scald coffee either. I hook it up to a see-through fiberglass 3 1/2 g propane tank. The fiberglass models of propane tanks are lighter than the steel ones but generally run about three times as much! The legs are detachable so I can place it on a table or use the legs for free-standing. We even dutch oven cook with it too....with a burner down low for underneath heating then I'll place briquettes on top on the concave lid of our DO.

There are more photos of it in my photo album located on my profile page. See the Photo Album entitled "Campin Gear"!

[Bigdog57]

Word around the TT Camper forums is to always get your 20 lb tank refilled - the exchange programs short-change you. The tanks are often only 1/2 to 3/4 filled, and they charge a flat rate per tank - you lose money......

We have a "Wayside Farms" gas station just down the highway from me that does refills, and many U-haul stores do too.

[ontariocamper]

The exchange programs are a farce.....
The lure there is that you get a tank of propane instantly....no waiting for the attendant to come and fill yours up.
And so you spend about 35-40 bucks just to have a tank to take right away.

No........wait 3-4 minutes, pay your 13.51 (Costco in Canada) and get your tank refilled up to whatever 10 years will allow.
Do the math..........assume you fill your tank weekly....
Exchange places ......520 fills over 10 years @ even 30 per = $15,600
Costco (ie)...tank is about 49.00 initially 520 fills @ $14.00= $7329....

I know propane will not stay price frozen over 10 years, but just for example sake.
I know where I am going.

[Loucinda]

We have used the refill valve thing for refilling the small propane bottles for quite a while. We got ours at Harbor Freight. One thing that makes the bottle fill fuller is to have the large tank you are filling from warm, and the small tanks very cold. (we put them in a freezer if it is hot out, if it is winter, we just set them outside till they are good and cold)

It will release propane when you are detaching the small bottle from the large one. MAKE SURE TO TURN THE VALVE OFF on the big tank before detaching too.

It is still more economical to just use a line from the big tank, but it is nice to be able to refill the small ones when needed.

[tplife]

Only in Canada could an empty steel can with a bit of pressure left in it be declared hazardous waste! They also outlawed the MSR fuel can caps because a child could open them...Geez, Lord help us! Anyway, if you feel that way about the little green cylinders buy a refill kit, they can be refilled without too much trouble. :D

[tplife]

That is good info. It cements my choice to stay with coleman liquid fuel verses the propane. I have seen some info pushing toward the propane. I like the liquid fuel though becuase it burns for at least two to three trips in the lanterns and stove before needing to be refilled and the gallon jug does not take a lot of room.

RX camping, I'm going to assume that you always remember to empty your lantern and stove tanks after each campout back into the coleman fuel can through your funhole. If you don't lacquer will build up inside your appliance and foul your generators. Not fun! :eek:

[ontariocamper]

Up here in Canada, they have very tight rules about haz waste.
The little green cylinders are a lot more dangerous when empty than full.
That refill kit is a great idea for the weekender or overnighter, who has space limitations, but I still use my 20 pounder.
Up where I camp, they soak you about 7.99 for ONE green cylinder..:eek: