Refilling 3.9 kg Calor botas.

[MontyMariner]

Air in the bottle at 1 Bar or 14.7 psi is unlikely to have any affect unless it's pumped in under high pressure.
From 't net:
For normal temperature ranges you can expect to see around 100 psi to 200 psi, but it could be as high as 400 psi if you leave the cylinder in the sun
and
The bottles are manufactured to DOT specs. Working pressure 240 psi, test pressure 480 psi, design, burst pressure 960 psi.
Depending upon the ambient temperature, propane in a tank is around 110 - 130 psi

 

[Metalicmike]

If this bottle is off an old forklift, that would explain your problem.

 

[rotrax]

We got quite adept at decanting gas while we were sailing about and used a cheap spring balance to avoid overfilling: Weigh the empty receiving bottle, leave it hanging on the spring balance while you're decanting and stop filling when it's got 3.9kg heavier. The transfer will get slower with each decant and you won't ever get the final kilo or two of gas to transfer. Besides hanging the donor bottle upside down and at least a metre (preferably two or three) higher than the recipient bottle, also try to have the donor bottle significantly warmer than the recipient bottle when you transfer.

I almost - but not quite - got all the liquid out of my last donor.

I put the reciever in iced water, in the shade, the donor upside down and hung up, in the sun, wrapped in a couple of black bin liners.

Worked a treat, barely anything in the donor, 2/3rds full in the reciever.

 

[snowbird30ds]

Instead of weighing empty calor bottles just read the collar, 4 digits is lb oz, very simple to convert to kg.

 

[Boathook]

Instead of weighing empty calor bottles just read the collar, 4 digits is lb oz, very simple to convert to kg.

On mine most of the collars are unreadable so I weigh when empty and then 4.5kg on and write this on the bottle. I do find the 'float in water' works well.

 

[ProDave]

On mine most of the collars are unreadable so I weigh when empty and then 4.5kg on and write this on the bottle. I do find the 'float in water' works well.

You can never guarantee your bottle is entirely empty when you do that.

Much easier when you get a new bottle direct from calor, to weigh it before you use any and mark that as "max weight"

as long as you never fill it to more weight than that, you should be okay.

 

[Boathook]

You can never guarantee your bottle is entirely empty when you do that.

Much easier when you get a new bottle direct from calor, to weigh it before you use any and mark that as "max weight"

as long as you never fill it to more weight than that, you should be okay.

If I can't light my cooker as there is no gas in it, it must be empty ?

 

[gaylord694]

Just go to flo-gas and get two new gas bottles... . . Once you have the ones which fit keep hold of them & every time you want to fill take them to the depot and they will fill them there and then .... .Two bottles refilled has just cost me £38 .........There absolutely fantastic I can't praise flo-gas enough always willing to just get the empty bottles filled while you wait , far better than crappy Calor who I'm so pleased have lost thousands of customers via Camping/Sailing network

 

[Boathook]

Just go to flo-gas and get two new gas bottles... . . Once you have the ones which fit keep hold of them & every time you want to fill take them to the depot and they will fill them there and then .... .Two bottles refilled has just cost me £38 .........There absolutely fantastic I can't praise flo-gas enough always willing to just get the empty bottles filled while you wait , far better than crappy Calor who I'm so pleased have lost thousands of customers via Camping/Sailing network

and if you are on your boat away and need a refill ? Calor still have a large network in places that boats go to.

 

[gaylord694]

So do flo-gas

 

[ProDave]

There is a good reason for wanting to self refill, and not just because you are tight, or can't find your cylinder size in your local dealer.

I have a small motorhome that only fits one gas bottle. Not unlike many boats. So you want to set off on a cruise and you would like your one gas bottle to be full so it stands a fair chance of lasting for your cruise. To achieve that officially you would have to exchange a part full bottle for a full bottle but still pay the price for a full refill. So of course it is much more attractive to just top up your part filled bottle back to fully filled before you go.

 

[Aja]

Just go to flo-gas and get two new gas bottles... . . Once you have the ones which fit keep hold of them & every time you want to fill take them to the depot and they will fill them there and then .... .Two bottles refilled has just cost me £38 .........There absolutely fantastic I can't praise flo-gas enough always willing to just get the empty bottles filled while you wait , far better than crappy Calor who I'm so pleased have lost thousands of customers via Camping/Sailing network

For me neither of the Flo-gas shapes of bottles fit in my gas locker. Calor bottles do and thankfully, they have more availability in my cruising area.