Filling your own 907 at home

[chockswahay]

So I have been looking into the possibility of filling my own 907’s at home. As it happens the subject was discussed at length on a different thread I started about Propane.

If this helps anyone who wishes to refill their own 907’s this is what I have done.

I bought an empty (well 2Kgs left) 15Kg Calor Butane cylinder for £10 off Gumtree
From BES I ordered a clip on adaptor for the 15Kg cylinder (part no 16642) and a pigtail (part no 12648) to connect it to the GOK valve on the 907 (supplied by VW).

I placed the 15 kg cylinder upside down a little higher than the 907, opened the valve on the 15, opened the valve on the 907…. and liquid transfer started. To increase the pressure differential between the two I cooled the small one and poured a kettle of boiling water on the big one.

I weighed the 907 and used the difference between tare and total full to calculate when the 907 was full. As it happens due to not being able to vent any gas during the process the liquid transfer slowed down to a snails pace at a total weight of 6.1 Kg so it is 0.5 under maximum. This I am happy with.

Now I know that anyone reading this may have their own views and opinions regarding the safety and integrity and I am certainly not suggesting that anyone else does the same. However it is a matter of competence and common sense and should only be carried out in a well ventilated area away from people, superstructures and any potential source of ignition,

(Disclaimer: I was a professional hot air balloon pilot for many years and this procedure is fairly standard when pressure fuel pumps and bulk gas tanks are not at hand. We used to get through many 100s of litres a week of Propane)

 

[yossarian]

I'd use one of the simple taps from Amazon or the gas suppliers. The Gok tap is designed to vent under some circumstances.

 

[kp64zl]

So I have been looking into the possibility of filling my own 907’s at home. As it happens the subject was discussed at length on a different thread I started about Propane.

If this helps anyone who wishes to refill their own 907’s this is what I have done.

I bought an empty (well 2Kgs left) 15Kg Calor Butane cylinder for £10 off Gumtree
From BES I ordered a clip on adaptor for the 15Kg cylinder (part no 16642) and a pigtail (part no 12648) to connect it to the GOK valve on the 907 (supplied by VW).

I placed the 15 kg cylinder upside down a little higher than the 907, opened the valve on the 15, opened the valve on the 907…. and liquid transfer started. To increase the pressure differential between the two I cooled the small one and poured a kettle of boiling water on the big one.

I weighed the 907 and used the difference between tare and total full to calculate when the 907 was full. As it happens due to not being able to vent any gas during the process the liquid transfer slowed down to a snails pace at a total weight of 6.1 Kg so it is 0.5 under maximum. This I am happy with.

Now I know that anyone reading this may have their own views and opinions regarding the safety and integrity and I am certainly not suggesting that anyone else does the same. However it is a matter of competence and common sense and should only be carried out in a well ventilated area away from people, superstructures and any potential source of ignition,

(Disclaimer: I was a professional hot air balloon pilot for many years and this procedure is fairly standard when pressure fuel pumps and bulk gas tanks are not at hand. We used to get through many 100s of litres a week of Propane)

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If you put the campingaz cylinder into the freezer for a while before filling it speeds things up

 

[chockswahay]

I'd use one of the simple taps from Amazon or the gas suppliers. The Gok tap is designed to vent under some circumstances.

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I did spot that but other than CYA policy I don’t think it will have any effect. It would certainly be in appropriate to run liquid through the valve when using a gas appliance with a flame for sure……

 

[chockswahay]

Two 907’s filled for less than £9 each

Job done

 

[Adno]

i'd also same way not only for cost , but simply it is impossible to buy 907 in Poland I use LPG gas , no problem in winter because the us a mixture of propane-butane

 

[chockswahay]

Also has the advantage of not having to wait till the cylinder runs out or changing one with gas remaining

 

[chockswahay]

In the grand scheme of things, depending on where you buy your gas……

1 Kg of LPG from a filling station ……………………………………..£1.50.

1 Kg of Calor Butane from a 15Kg cylinder…………………….. £3.33.

1 Kg of Camping Gaz butane from a 907 cylinder ………..£13.33.

I used to have Gaslow refills on previous van so the LPG price sets the cost comparison.

An empty 15Kg Calor cylinder cost me £10 off Gumtree, the pigtail and adaptor cost just under £32 from BES and a refill exchange for a full cylinder cost £50

I’m QUIDS in!

 

[Stirling Maxwell]

So I have been looking into the possibility of filling my own 907’s at home. As it happens the subject was discussed at length on a different thread I started about Propane.

If this helps anyone who wishes to refill their own 907’s this is what I have done.

I bought an empty (well 2Kgs left) 15Kg Calor Butane cylinder for £10 off Gumtree
From BES I ordered a clip on adaptor for the 15Kg cylinder (part no 16642) and a pigtail (part no 12648) to connect it to the GOK valve on the 907 (supplied by VW).

I placed the 15 kg cylinder upside down a little higher than the 907, opened the valve on the 15, opened the valve on the 907…. and liquid transfer started. To increase the pressure differential between the two I cooled the small one and poured a kettle of boiling water on the big one.

I weighed the 907 and used the difference between tare and total full to calculate when the 907 was full. As it happens due to not being able to vent any gas during the process the liquid transfer slowed down to a snails pace at a total weight of 6.1 Kg so it is 0.5 under maximum. This I am happy with.

Now I know that anyone reading this may have their own views and opinions regarding the safety and integrity and I am certainly not suggesting that anyone else does the same. However it is a matter of competence and common sense and should only be carried out in a well ventilated area away from people, superstructures and any potential source of ignition,

(Disclaimer: I was a professional hot air balloon pilot for many years and this procedure is fairly standard when pressure fuel pumps and bulk gas tanks are not at hand. We used to get through many 100s of litres a week of Propane)

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Hi chockswahay!
Inspired by your message, I determined to give filling my own 907 a go, but from a 7kg Calor butane bottle (not a 15kg bottle like you).
I bought the clip on adaptor you indicated from BES but when I connect it to the calor bottle with the tap closed the gas still floods out!
Am I doing something wrong? Do I need a different adaptor for the 7kg? Or is the adaptor not working correctly?
Thanks for any help

 

[yossarian]

Hi chockswahay!
Inspired by your message, I determined to give filling my own 907 a go, but from a 7kg Calor butane bottle (not a 15kg bottle like you).
I bought the clip on adaptor you indicated from BES but when I connect it to the calor bottle with the tap closed the gas still floods out!
Am I doing something wrong? Do I need a different adaptor for the 7kg? Or is the adaptor not working correctly?
Thanks for any help

Test your clip on connector by blowing through it. If it doesn't hold breath pressure it is faulty or the tap is open.

The clip on connector should have a pin controlled by the 'tap' lever. Make sure the pin extends and retracts. In the extended position it is open, in the retracted position it is closed.

Attach it to the cylinder in the retracted position.

 

[Californication69]

 

[Stirling Maxwell]

Test your clip on connector by blowing through it. If it doesn't hold breath pressure it is faulty or the tap is open.

The clip on connector should have a pin controlled by the 'tap' lever. Make sure the pin extends and retracts. In the extended position it is open, in the retracted position it is closed.

Attach it to the cylinder in the retracted position.

Thanks for your help. I contacted BES and said the clip on adaptor was faulty.
They have sent me a replacement and it works fine!
Good customer service from BES.

 

[chockswahay]

Sorry chaps, been away but it seems you have it all sorted now

 

[Wesel]

So I have been looking into the possibility of filling my own 907’s at home. As it happens the subject was discussed at length on a different thread I started about Propane.

If this helps anyone who wishes to refill their own 907’s this is what I have done.

I bought an empty (well 2Kgs left) 15Kg Calor Butane cylinder for £10 off Gumtree
From BES I ordered a clip on adaptor for the 15Kg cylinder (part no 16642) and a pigtail (part no 12648) to connect it to the GOK valve on the 907 (supplied by VW).

I placed the 15 kg cylinder upside down a little higher than the 907, opened the valve on the 15, opened the valve on the 907…. and liquid transfer started. To increase the pressure differential between the two I cooled the small one and poured a kettle of boiling water on the big one.

I weighed the 907 and used the difference between tare and total full to calculate when the 907 was full. As it happens due to not being able to vent any gas during the process the liquid transfer slowed down to a snails pace at a total weight of 6.1 Kg so it is 0.5 under maximum. This I am happy with.

Now I know that anyone reading this may have their own views and opinions regarding the safety and integrity and I am certainly not suggesting that anyone else does the same. However it is a matter of competence and common sense and should only be carried out in a well ventilated area away from people, superstructures and any potential source of ignition,

(Disclaimer: I was a professional hot air balloon pilot for many years and this procedure is fairly standard when pressure fuel pumps and bulk gas tanks are not at hand. We used to get through many 100s of litres a week of Propane)

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How long does it take to fill a 907 bottle?

 

[chockswahay]

How long does it take to fill a 907 bottle?

Depends on ambient temperature and pressure difference between the two cylinders. Took me about 20 to 30 mins to fill two cylinders when I did it but that included all the messing about and prep

 

[Wesel]

Depends on ambient temperature and pressure difference between the two cylinders. Took me about 20 to 30 mins to fill two cylinders when I did it but that included all the messing about and prep

Thanks a lot. I thought it would take a few hours. I am preparing to do a test to fill a bottle that is still at 50%. So it should take less than 10 minutes.

 

[Perfectos]

Thanks a lot. I thought it would take a few hours. I am preparing to do a test to fill a bottle that is still at 50%. So it should take less than 10 minutes.

Never leave it unattended when filling.

A new 15kg bottle filled an empty 907 cylinder in a few minutes (less than 10)!

 

[sbmcd]

Here is a photo of my set up, I use propane as I use my van all year round. 6 kg fill.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

By the way. Having now got a full 907 and put it in the van I was left over with a full 904. I was going to put this in our garage and then I thought ‘am I allowed to keep gas canisters in my house? Would that be on my insurance?’ Our garage is part of the house.

It seemed the sort of thing that might be. So instead of checking my policy a put the 904 in the garden under the bbq cover.

 

[Brian S]

I wouldn't worry about campingaz cylinders in a garage or house. If the carry handle is screwed on there is double sealing of the cylinder. People store butane lighter refill cans and indeed disposable cigarette lighters in their homes and there is no question of problems with insurance.

 

[Vagophile]

I thought ‘am I allowed to keep gas canisters in my house?

There are still parts of the country where home owners use stoves and ovens running on bottled gas, usually supplied by a pipe through the wall from a propane cylinder immediately outside, but sometimes using a standard butane cylinder adjacent to the appliance inside.

 

[chockswahay]

Back in the day I had a portable heater with a 15Kg cylinder inside it. This was for use in the home (assume they still make em?)

Butane is considered safer for use indoors because of the considerably lower gas pressure compared to propane.

As for storage, why not?

 

[SusiBus]

I used to store a lot of propane for ballooning in our attached garage. One day a passenger, who was an Insurance Loss Assessor advised us to notify our insurance company of the fact we had propane on our premises, because if not noted, it could be used as a get out of jail card for them.
I did, it was noted, and luckily it didn't affect the premium, but I still moved the cylinders into a separate shed in the garden. There were a lot of cylinders, sometimes up to 16 at the same time. It would have been a big bang if they had gone up. So being in a detached shed made very little difference, but it was away from sources of ignition. I slept better!

 

[chockswahay]

I used to store a lot of propane for ballooning in our attached garage. One day a passenger, who was an Insurance Loss Assessor advised us to notify our insurance company of the fact we had propane on our premises, because if not noted, it could be used as a get out of jail card for them.
I did, it was noted, and luckily it didn't affect the premium, but I still moved the cylinders into a separate shed in the garden. There were a lot of cylinders, sometimes up to 16 at the same time. It would have been a big bang if they had gone up. So being in a detached shed made very little difference, but it was away from sources of ignition. I slept better!

Hey @SusiBus, I only just found this..... I didn't know you flew hot air balloons too Perhaps we met 'on the field' somewhere? I did a lot of 'circuit' flying for Virgin and Flying Pictures back in the day (good times )

 

[SusiBus]

Hey @SusiBus, I only just found this..... I didn't know you flew hot air balloons too Perhaps we met 'on the field' somewhere? I did a lot of 'circuit' flying for Virgin and Flying Pictures back in the day (good times )

We ran a rides company from Watford and Hemel Hempstead. Also flew the BP, Charles Church, Douwe Egberts and Commercial Union around the country for a good few years, so we probably have stood in a field together. Gave up just after the Foot and Mouth outbreak. Don't remember any pilot called chockswahay in Scotland, only Austin Spindler.
Cheers, Graham Spencer.