When processing rope it has to be singed to burn off the the excess fibers from the rope to make it smooth. To do this the rope is pulled over a single burner camp stove. The stove screws onto the top of a 1lb propane tank. These tanks are convenient but cost between $5.50 and $8.00 each.
The propane tanks that are used to fuel the generator are 20lb tanks and cost about $21.00 to fill. So that’s a lot cheaper per pound. But there’s a problem with powering the generator with 20lb propane tanks. As the tanks get low, there isn’t enough pressure to supply the generator with enough fuel. So the tanks end up with a pound or two of fuel that can’t be used. The propane industry doesn’t really care how much is in your tank when you go for a refill or exchange. It’s $20 for the refill or exchange regardless of how much was already in the tank. So it’s beneficial to get the tank as empty as possible before you go to buy propane.
So the generator wastes propane by not being able to use it all and the camp stove uses expensive tanks. There is a lot to be gained by refilling the 1lb tanks. The cost per pound savings is already very attractive. Add to that the savings to be had by simply getting the unused propane out of the 20lb and it seemed like the only reasonable course of action was to buy a refill adapter.
Using this adapter I’ve been able to refill the 1lb tanks multiple times. Due to the low pressure in the 20lb tank it’s not quite possible to get the small tanks completely full but every refilled tank is a savings of at least $6.50. $5.50 for the 1lb tank and $1.00 for the leftover propane in the 20lb tank.
The refill process seemes to have damaged the valves in the 1lb tanks so a little propane leaks out over time. This is not desirable since it wastes fuel and it can lead to a dangerous build up of explosive gas. 1lb propane tank screw on caps have been ordered to resolve this problem.