How to Fill a Barbecue Propane Cylinder

The tank on a propane barbecue contains a highly flammable liquid that is converted into vapour in order to be lit at the burner. Propane is the most common fuel used in outdoor cooking, and, of the 70% of families that own a personal barbecue, around 65% of them use a propane barbecue. Propane is ordinarily a gas, but in a propane barbecue cylinder it is compressed into a liquid, as it does not require much pressure to be converted from gas to a liquid.

Propane barbecue cylinder filling should usually be done by a certified official, as propane gas is dangerous and highly flammable.

Using a New Propane Cylinder

It is possible to fill a new propane barbecue cylinder by transferring it from another tank while both cylinders have their gases in a liquid state. There are several steps that have to be performed when filling the cylinder.

• Check that the supply tank’s hose has a coupling which will allow connection to the fill valve on the other tank. This hose will have a rubber gasket which forms a tight seal around the fill valve.
• Connect the supply tank and tank to be filled; it should be possible to screw the two ends together.
• Open the supply tank’s valve. When this is done, liquid should flow from the supply tank to the empty cylinder.
• Watch both tanks carefully to ensure that the empty cylinder does not become over-filled. When it appears to be almost full, turn off the valve in the supply tank.
• Push any fuel remaining in the hose to the portable tank. When it is empty, disconnect the hose, and ensure that the valves on both tanks are in the ‘off’ position.

If you have a brand new propane barbecue tank, this will have to be ‘purged’ of air, as new gas tanks are shipped with air in order to enable pressure to be kept regular over different altitudes. In order to properly fill a new tank, this air must be expelled, using either propane vapour, or vacuum pressure in order to clear the air in the tank.

Refilling an Old Propane Barbecue Cylinder

Before taking your old barbecue propane cylinder to be refilled, first check that the cylinder has not been made prior to 1998–if you don’t use your barbecue very often, this is still a possibility. Since 2002, these old cylinders have been obsolete, and it is not possible to fill up the old versions anymore. Old propane barbecue cylinders have a circular valve knob with five prongs; the newer models have a triangular shaped knob. If you still have old propane cylinders with the five-prong valve, they are best disposed of through recycling depots or scrap dealers.

Tanks which have been repeatedly refilled should always be taken to a professional in order to be checked for bulges and dents before being filled again. Always check valves and hoses, as well as the tanks themselves, in order to ensure that there are no gas leaks.