BBQ gas bottles: Swap n Rort

[Bribie G]

I'm an electric brewer but use BBQ bottles during the winter to run a portable gas heater.

I assumed that the so called 9 kg bottles that only hold 8.5 were not full for some safety on technical reason, maybe because the filling equipment at the factory wasn't able to handle the full volume.

So I've been paying around $23 at either Masters or Bunnings.

Today I drove past BCF and see they have a refilling station and advertising $20 so I filled up there. I was assured this is the normal price not a special, and the storage tanks were pretty big so they obviously do a lot of trade.

I got home and weighed the bottle (I tare them off [edit: tare off the empties - I own four bottles] on my home scales at 8.6 kg so I can test how full or empty a particular bottle is) and wahoo I got the full 9 kg.

Using around six bottles a month for four months of the cold weather that works out at an extra 12 kg of gas worth around $25, plus an extra saving of $72 on the swap/refill price - five free bottles compared to Swap n Rort over the winter period. That would be marginally even more because I'll require fewer refills, can't be arsed to do the maths.

Even more if we get a chilly one this year.



I expect veteran gas brewers already have this worked out, but might be of interest to new adopters.

 

[yum beer]

Most refill stations will cut the gas as soon as they get overflow from the bleed valve....this is industry practice and gets you about 8.5kg.
Allowing the bottle to keep filling until it starts throwing chunks of ice from the bleeder will get you a full bottle around 9kg.

They fill to 8.5 to allow for expansion of gas if you leave it sitting in the sun.
Filling to 9.0 also allows an amount to escape into the 'environment' around the filling station, as these are normally petrol stations the authorities are a bit cautious.
Always best to buy a refill where they do it for.

 

[Bribie G]

Aha, I had a good chat to the slave guy with the heavy gloves on as it takes a wee while. He explained the process with the bleed valve etc and says at BCF they go to the "white jet of fog" stage which would be the full 9kg. This happened actually quite quickly but before then there was a bit of dripping and vaporising happening.

Not being a servo, and the gas installation being out in the open in an industrial park I expect there's less issues than a servo.

Thanks for that info, I'll be going there from now on.

 

[seamad]

The condition of some of those swap bottles are very dubious as well.
I have 2X 45kg botlles for gas cooking/hot water, I was going to get a filling valve/hose myself to fill up my 10kg fibreglass gas bottles for the boat but it's $1/kg cheaper to get them filled at a local camping store, how does that work ?

 

[mosto]

Not a swap and rort story, but still The Big Green Shed. I asked the wife to buy an empty 9kg gas bottle at Bunnings for a caravan we recently bought. While she was looking at them, an employee came up and said, 'Don't buy those, no one around here can fill them.' My wife, a bit puzzled as we get our other gas bottles re-filled at our local farm supplies store, said she didn't think that was correct. He was quite sure this was the case and tried to steer her to one of the Swap & Go bottles. She said she'd be happy with the empty one, but asked why they would sell bottles they know can't be re-filled locally, to which he replied with a blank look. Now, we don't actually live in that town, but a smaller one about 50km away, so gave him the benefit of the doubt that maybe no one in THAT town could refill them, so, just out of interest, I rang BOC and another place (can't recall the name) in that town, both of which had no problem re-filling the bottle.

 

[woodwormm]

Yet another outstanding example of an under informed green shed employee. (I'm allowed to bag them, I used to be one of them - but a well informed one who could hold his tongue on subjects he didn't know about )

 

[Kodos]

The green she'd swap and go prices are less than the only place nearby that will refill - and it takes a fraction of the time. (Was asked to come back in half an hour last time. I didn't go back)

So not worth refilling here. And I don't have to worry about the bottle being out of date.

 

[Bribie G]

I'd guess that if you are in a touristic area like the Mid North Coast, as hereabouts, you'd be in a better position to refill than Darlinghurst or Fitzroy.

 

[yum beer]

Grabbed a swap n go before Xmas as my bottle was almost out of date so wanted one with a longer test on it.
Got it home to find it was already out of date,
try to refill a few weeks back and of course local guy won't fill,
return to garage, talk to staff, she says no problem after a little bit of too and fro, and gives me an empty bottle,
I ask the fella how much to grab a full one to save going back to other servo...$38....
"i'll be good mate, I'll take the empty one....$19 to fill, wait 5-6 minutes and a full 9kg."
8 years till out of date for less than half price of new cylinder.

 

[sp0rk]

My Gasmate 9kg bottle and the swap n go 8.5kg bottles I have are exactly the same, I figure when my Gasmate bottle is close on expiring I'll just take it to Bunnings and swap it
I get both bottles filled at my local BCF for $19, I'm happy to wait 5 minutes and chat with the young bloke who fills the bottles

 

[Bribie G]

Both Bunnings and Masters advertise "We swap any bottle". The swap n go bottles are labelled 8.5 kg but as spork says are actually 9kg.

 

[Red Baron]

I have never weighed my bottles before, but did notice that the BCF filled ones lasted longer. So if the fill price is less or the same BCF is where I get them from. I'll be watching the certify date to swap them at the swap and go when they get close though.

Cheers,
RB.

 

[Dave70]

Get an adapter that allows you to fill your bottles from the AUTOGAS bowser.
Should cost about $13..

 

[seamad]

Get an adapter that allows you to fill your bottles from the AUTOGAS bowser.
Should cost about $13..

Is that legal though ?

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Doesn't sound legal, definitely sounds scary.

 

[Dave70]

Is that legal though ?

Not if you're a qualified gas fitter......which would have been my line of reasoning if I ever got pulled up. Its not like we were stealing it. We use to do it when I was still plumbing and we were using propane instead of acetylene.
But that was back in the day, when everything was legal.
But anyway, don't do it. I'd hate to see an AHB member on TEN news doing a Thích Quảng Đức impersonation.

Doesn't sound legal, definitely sounds scary.

It is. Makes a hell of a psssssssssss noise.
Thats why I always wore sunnies, stuck a finger in my ear and left my stubby in the Hilux.

 

[seamad]

Thats why I always wore sunnies, stuck a finger in my ear and left my stubby and ciggy in the Hilux.

FTFY

 

[Danwood]

I've taken to weighing my LPG cylinders as a bit of a guide as to how much is left.

The second line down is the full weights of 8.5kg Bunnings swap cylinders.

The (almost) 2kg difference between the current cylinder and the last seems very hit-and-miss to me.

Ed. I'm wondering if I wrote that 19.15kg reading down correctly?? Seems too heavy...did I rest my pint on the bottle whilst weighing it....hmmmm.

 

[antiphile]

I hear ya. I did a test a while ago and weighed the "full" 8.5 kg gas bottle that I got from one of those swap-your-bottle service stations. Then I weighed it when it was empty and needed repalcing before I returned it. Difference was less than 6KG!!!

What a rort.

 

[pist]

They have to under fill them for safety reasons. Most of those dodgy swap and rort cages are stored outside in the sun. There needs to be heaD space to account for expansion when they become heated from poor storage. Id never buY/use onE of those for safety reasons. You always see badly rusted bottles in those cages which questions the level of "testing and inspection" being done