5lb (one gallon) Propane Tank

AnOldUR

Thinking that my habit of refilling 1lb propane tanks might someday catch up to me, I went searching for a 5lb tank after reading about them here. The cost was much higher than expected. The cheapest I found was at Costco for $50 (plus $2.50 because I'm not a member) with free shipping. Dropping the link here in case someone else is looking or knows of a better price.

https://www.costco.com/.product.1528555.html?emid=transactional_ordershipped_product

Spruce1

We switched from disposable 1 pounders for the refillable 5lb like you're doing.  We love it.  I paid more than $50 for our tank.  Even with the expense no regrets.

AnOldUR

Just purchased a small Baja 900/700W propane generator for emergency (no sun) charging. It takes the 1lb size, but has and adapter for the larger tanks. Between that and our Blackstone griddle, it was a no-brainer to stop using the disposables.

[Deleted User]

For some reason those smaller tanks always seem to be disproportionatly higher cost. I swapped out my 20lb tank for and 11lb. I think it was $70. 

Dutch061

In case you want to use a refillable 1 LB (that you can refill yourself), here is a link. The brand is Flame King, I have one that I got from REI. It works great!!!

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Flame-King-1-lb-Refillable-Propane-Cylinder-with-Refill-Kit-YSN1LBKT/305539519

Brad

ChanW

Ditto what @Dutch061 said. Good one.

Homebodyatheart

Ace Hardware has 11 pound tanks although they have increased in price to $100 now. It’s a great size, not too heavy or bulky. I maybe refill it once a season, using it for my gas grill and Little Red Campfire fire pit. 

WayneW

We also have the 11 lb tank that we use for a fire pit and stove. And it’s a nice backup for the main tank if I happen to run out. Lowes has a Flame King tank for $70. It’s the taller skinny one that I find easier to pack as opposed to the squatty ones.

AnOldUR

@Dutch061 & @ChanW. I had the 1lb refillable Flame King in my Amazon and Home Depot carts for almost a year, but they never have stock. It may have something to do with this recall.

https://flameking.com/1-lb-recall-notice/

CrabTab

As I understand it, the blue color, 14oz., bottles are no longer available. The green color 16 oz. bottle is good, if you can find them (except for some older production code numbers). I've had them for several years along with the refill stand. The bottles used to cost $10 each. I've seen them used as high as $100 each on Amazon recently.

ChanW

Ok. Thanks for the heads-up. I'll have to check my numbers.

AnOldUR said:

@Dutch061 & @ChanW. I had the 1lb refillable Flame King in my Amazon and Home Depot carts for almost a year, but they never have stock. It may have something to do with this recall.

https://flameking.com/1-lb-recall-notice/

qhumberd

AnOldUR said:

@Dutch061 & @ChanW. I had the 1lb refillable Flame King in my Amazon and Home Depot carts for almost a year, but they never have stock. It may have something to do with this recall.

https://flameking.com/1-lb-recall-notice/

They have been hard to find (maybe cause of the recall; maybe due to supply chain issues) but I got the one lb refillable Flame King from Amazon about a year ago that seems fine. Thanks for the recall info as a lot of folks may not have seen that

JeffroNC

@AnOldUR tell me more about the generator. Have you been able to bulk charge with it through the shore power connector? I remember a 1K unit that could not handle it that was reviewed on Hobotech. 

AnOldUR

@JeffroNC my Baja generator should be here in a couple of days. I'll have a better reply for you once I've had the chance to put some hours on it. From the research I did prior to purchasing I believe it should handle charging. There were many others, but here's a post from @VictoriaP. I'm assuming she's still happy with it?

VictoriaP said:

I have the Ryobi. It’s sufficient to charge the 320 battery, which is all I ask from it.

The ALP looks interesting (and yay, color choices!), but I don’t like that they’re claiming it’s quieter than the competition without providing actual numbers or details on who they’re comparing themselves to. That sort of marketing throws red flags for me—it doesn’t mean the product is necessarily bad or deceptive, but it does mean I’d be digging a whole lot deeper into independent reviews to confirm their claims before buying.

Also annoying that at that price, they don’t include a hose for use with a 20 lb tank.

VictoriaP

@JeffroNC Can’t answer that for you. I tested it by plugging the trailer’s 30 amp cable and a 15 amp adapter into the Ryobi (Baja is a clone of that unit), and during that test, running the Ryobi for an hour added charge to the battery. But I didn’t have a shunt at that point, and as it was two years ago, couldn’t give you exact data. I’ve tested it twice since using a battery charger instead of the converter. Quite literally it is my absolute last resort; the goal is to never ever need it. And if I do need it, I’m much more likely to use it with my NOCO Genius charger attached to the battery to top it off regularly on heavy cloud days rather than waiting for a significant drain. For my use—single AGM battery, Jackery 1500 lithium power pack as backup + a half dozen other battery based chargers in various sizes up to 40 ah, relatively light power requirements (propane fridge), and the biggie—disability that makes lugging around a better genny near impossible? It does what I personally need. 

But…if you are physically capable of carrying a typical 2000 watt Honda/Yamaha/etc., I see no reason to buy a smaller genny. These small units are simply much less capable than the large ones. And given the bigger batteries of the 400, using the trailer’s converter makes far more sense than charging with a NOCO or equivalent.

AnOldUR

Now @VictoriaP you have me wondering if I should also get a NOCO charger. Which model do you have? I had planned to charge through T@B's converter, but you have me questioning if that is the best plan. We have a long trip planned starting in a month. I'd like to have this all worked out before then.

In our case, we're still physically able to handle a larger generator, but have to consider how much weight we add to our trailer and TV. I figure that a larger generator, even if run on propane, will consume more gas, so that would be even more additional weight. This has me wondering the difference in battery charging efficiency between something like a Honda and this little Baja? Which would use less fuel to give the same amount of charge?

rcarlson1957

I have two 5 lb tanks. Like their light weight. I use one for my camp stove and the other for my Little Red Campfire fire pit. I also use two fold up 1/2 size milk crates to move around (don't have to worry about them tipping over). Very easy to store and secure in my truck bed. I use Mopeka tank gauges on bottom of all my LP tanks both at home and for camping. Easy to keep tabs on propane use through app on phone. 

VictoriaP

@AnOldUR I was originally using the g3700, no longer available. I now have the Genius 10, but have not tested it with the Ryobi. Whether or not you need one? No idea. The trailer’s converter does draw more power and presumably would therefore charge faster than with the NOCO, but how much is lost in conversion, how the programming is set to charge…I just don’t know. I like not having to use the bulky 30 amp cable for charging, I like that the NOCO has a repair function, I like that it can be used with the starter battery as well. But it may make more sense or be more efficient to just use the converter. That’s certainly something I would suggest you driveway test before leaving. 

As for the larger generator, again, no idea which is more efficient at charging the battery on the least amount of fuel. But honestly? Fuel consumption would be lower on my list of genset concerns for a portable unit. A 2200 watt Honda would absolutely be my choice instead of the Baja if you can find space in your weight limits for one, given your trip plans (do I remember correctly you’re trying to hit all 50 states in one year, or was that someone else?) The Honda is the quietest generator out there, it has rock solid reliability and plenty of people around the country can service it if something does go sideways. The Baja may be significantly more difficult to find service for, and there are vanlifers who have run into issues with theirs. The Honda would run the Air8 if we end up with another weird record breaking heat dome that you can’t easily escape. And *if* the converter doesn’t play nicely with smaller generators? There are no reports of that being an issue for the 2200 watt model. I believe propane conversion kits are available for them if you want to stick with that fuel source, and after that, your new 5 lb tank should work perfectly with one.

And to further complicate things: the more I learn, the more I think getting a DC-DC charger installed should come before buying a generator unless you have non-trailer needs that require keeping a generator handy. With a DC-DC setup, a genny may not even be necessary.

AnOldUR

VictoriaP said:

I like not having to use the bulky 30 amp cable for charging ...

I was thinking that the SAE port on my storage box that goes directly to the batteries could be used with the NOCO, but probably doesn't justify buying the it.

VictoriaP said:

A 2200 watt Honda would absolutely be my choice instead of the Baja if you can find space in your weight limits for one.

I'll be sticking with my two door Wrangler, so weight and space are important considerations. For now I kind of enjoy the challenge of making this setup work, but suppose it will get old before long.

VictoriaP said:

... do I remember correctly you’re trying to hit all 50 states in one year, or was that someone else?

That would be us. Hope we can get all the things we planned done in time, but either way, we'll make it work. None of it is critical, mostly just things that will make life a little easier.

VictoriaP said:

The Baja may be significantly more difficult to find service for, and there are vanlifers who have run into issues with theirs.

My search skills failed me. Google didn't lead me to any vanlifer discussions about this generator. Almost afraid to search for it now. Hope the problems they had weren't too bad or maybe specific to the way they were using the generator. Like your Roybi, this Baja won't see much use. Or at least that's the plan.

I haven't done any serious looking into a DC-DC setup. That may be the route I should have taken. There's always next year?

Thanks for all you thoughts!

[Deleted User]

@AnOldUR, let us know how you like the Baha. Perhaps it's own seperate thread would be best since I'm sure it will spur alot of interest. I have a "Honda" like clone  2200 gas generator but don't like lugging the weight in my Jeep.  I only use the canned 4 stroke engine (ethanol free) fuel in it that you buy at Lowes (will never use regular kind of gas ever again because it gummed up my only 2 year old Gen and cost $250 to repair even though i ran it dry last use and did perodic maintenance runs) I like the little Baja since it takes the little canisters.  My only goal for using it would be to top off batteries in a 400. 

In was just checking some reviews on YouTubefor the Baha and I see its louder than the "Honda" gen. The guy was showing 72 decibels standing about 5 feet from it.  I know my Gen is rated at 62 but I'm not sure what distance that was tested. I'm going to get a decibel Meter and check mine.  Maybe mine is that loud too at 5ft.

AnOldUR

That's a good idea @TabbyShack. I'll start a Baja specific thread when I've had the chance to do some testing. I would be interested to hear your apples to apples results comparing the decibel rating to other generators. Published specs never tell the real story.

Getting back to the 5lb tank, the description says it has a "proprietary built-in gauge". Flame King also sells a 20lb tanks with a built-in gauge that's a lot more expensive than a standard tank. From what I've read, this gauge measure the actual volume remaining, not pressure the way the inaccurate accessory gauges work. If this Flame King 5lb tank uses the same method, that could explain the higher price and be a big plus.

Denny16

Adding to TabbyShack’s generator fuel recommendation, if you have private/civil airport nearby, you can purchase AvGas (which is what the expensive bottled gas sold is) one to five gallons, and keep it on hand.  I would get a standard gas metal safety can (they vapor seal) to store the gas in.  I do this for my small engine mix fuel used in chain saws, and non mix for my lawnmowers and generator.  

Unlike gas you get at the pump for your car, AvGas does not go bad with long storage times, and will not damage carburetors and fuel lines on small gas engines, used in many small generators.d
Cheers

ChanW

AvGas... Good idea. The standard ethanol-added automobile fuel does a number on rubber fuel lines - BTDT. Tends to separate and gel in the tank over time too. Great stuff. Thank the corn industry lobby. Years ago, the small-boat industry was trying to make non-ethanol gas available to those who store their boats over-winter with fuel in them. Not sure if they succeeded.
The county next to ours here in NYS has it available w/o ethanol at the pumps, possibly because of the strong agriculture base.
In the early 80s, we had a v8 Ford that had developed severe pre-ignition (pinging), I was told it was possibly due to carbon build-up in the cylinders. It concerned me, so driving across the country, we stopped every so often at various small airports to fill up with high-octane AvGas. It would fix the pinging for a while - expensive, but no highway taxes.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

PNWtabber

I've been looking into propane options, hate that the 1lb canisters can't be refilled and are difficult or impossible to recycle.  I was thinking of just getting an adapter hose so I can use my propane grill off the propane tank on the trailer, but then I wouldn't be able to simultaneously use both the grill and the inside stove (not sure that would be a problem or not).  Also I would need a separate table as the hoses I find are between 4' and 6' -- won't reach the external lagun mount on my T@B.

I am going to do some measuring in my tub and see if I could carry a 5lb tank in there. [UPDATE:  nope, won't fit.]

ScottG

@PNWtabber, you can get these for your propane tank. It allows you to tee-off another device without interrupting the flow to the trailer. I used this set-up for several years to power my Weber Q grill.

There's a potential catch, though. Apparently unregulated propane can leach oils from certain hoses. The oils will eventually flow into and clog the regulator on the grill, reducing its performance. At least that is what happened to me, and I eventually had to replace the regulator on the Q.

PNWtabber

Thanks, @ScottG

ScottG

I forgot to add that Mr. Heater sells a "fuel filter" (really an oil trap) that you install between the hose and your grill regulator. I used one of these but can't completely vouch for it as I think I added it too late, after my regulator was already compromised.