this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2025
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I've got several of these empty steel propane tanks from heating the chicken coop during the recent cold weather before I got an adapter to run the heater off of a larger refillable tank. Any ideas on what they could be repurposed for?

Seems like there should be some use for them besides tossing them in the recycling. I'd assume I'd need to poke a hole in them before recycling since they are/were pressure vessels.

I know there are adapters out there to refill them but now that I can use a larger, more easily refillable, tank I don't really have any inclination to do so.

My only thought so far was to cut the top off, drill some holes, and make a little stick burning camp stove. But, that's not something I'll ever use.

I've got a fairly extensive workshop and metal working tools so pretty much everything is on the table. I can even do really shitty welding if required.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 hours ago

Maybe you could use them to store gas

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago

Make a pulse jet engine

[–] Chainweasel 14 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

I refill and reuse mine, I got an adapter I can use a grill tank to fill them up with and take them camping for my lantern and camp grill

[–] [email protected] 66 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Important! Before you drill, cut, puncture or do anything with them you need to remove the residual gas or they may explode on you!

  1. obtain or make a valve tool for propane cylinder valves (check youtube).
  2. screw on a torch head and try to light it to burn off as much as you can EVEN WHEN THE TORCH WONT LIGHT THERE IS STILL PROPANE IN THE CYLINDER
  3. outside in a well ventilated area remove the torch and press the center valve in to verify that pressure is equalized
  4. look for the fill valve off center on the top, using the valve tool remove the valve.
  5. fill the cylinder ALL THE WAY with water, this will force out any remaining gas.
  6. the cylinder should now be safe to work on
[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

This guy Propane's, I tell you whut.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Wonder hwut he thinks of butane.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

I tell you wut, I prefer propane and propane accessories

[–] [email protected] 18 points 16 hours ago

Here you take them back and you get a discount off the next one.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 17 hours ago

We always used them for target practice. They need to be punctured for disposal anyways, you know when you hit one, and They're about the right size for sighting in on a 100yd range.

[–] [email protected] 131 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Do not under any circumstances cut into these cylinders with power tools.

They might not contain enough propane to be useful to you, but there might very well be enough in there to mess you up.

Brother of a friend wanted to turn an supposedly empty oil barrel into an outdoor heater. The residual fumes were enough to cause an explosion large enough to fracture his skull and put him into a coma for multiple weeks.

[–] this_1_is_mine 42 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Thread a torch nozzle and just open it set it in the sun and leave it a couple days the thermal transitions will help purge the bottle enough it doesn't matter. Drums should always be purged and water filled before cutting or burn it first.

[–] Voyajer 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Just displace whatever gas is left in there with water first.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 23 hours ago

That's easy enough on full sized propane bottles, but more of a pain in the ass on the small ones

[–] [email protected] 23 points 21 hours ago

Put them next to chickens and take a photo that makes it look like you have enormous chickens.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago

Feed it to the chicken.

[–] Brkdncr 59 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Nothing. It's why they are being phased out. recycle them at any place that sells propane tanks.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I hadn't heard that. What are they being replaced with?

[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

California (only so far) banned specifically disposable propane tanks of any size.

Small propane canisters will still be available, but they must provide provisions for being refilled and reused. Which is fine by me, I always hate throwing the steel tanks out at the end of a camping season and usually try to refill them if I can.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago

It would be nice to refill them instead of taking 5 partials left over from previous trips.

[–] hedgehogging_the_bed 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They've always been refillable with an adapter from the hardware store but it's an enormous pain, so few people bother. I've always hoped Coleman would start an exchange program at REI or somewhere similar.

If I recall, the adapter hooked to a grill tank but to fill the green cans you had to have the larger tank above the smaller one and it's impractical for most people.

[–] Crashumbc 1 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

And upside down, and that will still only fill it 2/3 or 3/4...

I've read tricks like chilling the cylinders. And depressing the Schrader valves. But some sound pretty sketchy.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 15 hours ago
[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I would take them to a recycling center that advertises that they accept fuel / propellents.

[–] highlow 5 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

I used to shoot them with a 30-06. Unfortunately I never got one to go boom like the movies

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

Put some tannerite on them, you want to be at least 100 yards away though.

[–] Majorllama 5 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

You have to tamper with the pressure release safety valves and provide a secondary flame unless you are using some bougie incendiary ammo (and even those aren't a guarantee to ignite something like propane on its own).

We used to blow up the normal sized ones like for your the backyard grill. We would fill the pressure release with valve with JB weld and then toss it into a bonfire and shoot it from like 500 feet away lol.

[–] Crashumbc 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)
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[–] Pregnenolone 6 points 20 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] -1 points 12 hours ago

They sell the adapter on the tiktok shop Weirdly enough haha.

[–] Know_not_Scotty_does 7 points 22 hours ago

You can get adapters to partially refill them from the 20lb bottles.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Tomato/tomahto

[–] anon6789 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Mini Probot of course...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Find a metal saucer to sit them in, drill some big holes around the bottom edge, then a bigger hole in the top

Even better if you could turn them upside down and do this

Ta-da! Mini chicken feeder

I mean, the clue was in the picture

[–] DrFistington 10 points 1 day ago

They're fun to use as shooting targets, just do it at 100+ yards

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You could refill them then give them away.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 16 hours ago

Exactly. The hose to refill them from a propane tank isn't that expensive, and it will save you loads of money in the long run if you go through those small tanks at any reasonable pace.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago

Under no circumstances should you puncture the container. It's still a pressure vessel with flammable gas in it and will explode if you try.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

In my country if you get bottled gas supplied on contract, the cylinders usually remain the property of the supplier. They'd' take them back and recycle, or the vendor should take them and pass them back.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago

These are tiny portable 0.5kg cylinders, e.g as a cooking fuel while camping. Not larger bbq or house supply tanks.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Very good question. Where I live they are supposed to be separated as "dangerous waste", because people are not trusted to empty them themselves.

[–] clif 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Makes sense; people are stupid. Me included at least half of the time.

I remember a backpacking buddy talking about a tool for puncturing the (empty) fuel cans for "jet boil" camping stoves because they couldn't be recycled without very clearly being empty.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 22 hours ago

This may be the Canadian in me, but my municipal dump literally has a spot for people to bring these (and other pressurized gas canisters) for safe handling and recycling

[–] 474D 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Turn it into a big ass flask, they can't arrest you for drinking good 'ol clean burning propane, I tell ya hwat

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[–] lennybird 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Could you refill these with methane / biogas from an anaerobic digester? I assume you'd need a specialized compressor.

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