I would like to seek advice. We have 2x 10kg composite propane bottles we acquired in Iceland. We cannot get these commercially refilled in Greenland and we don’t really want to replace them with the indigenous steel ones. I understand if I connect the regulator on our empty composite via a hose to a regulator on a Greenlandic steel cylinder and the hold the latter upside down and above the composite then the liquid will flow into our composite.

Before I do this can someone please confirm I’m not going to blow up the harbour. I am a little nervous so advice please.
Simon

Hi Simon,
Although I have never done so, I have friends who decanted propane in Europe for years in order to keep using their American bottles. The bigger trick is to find to find the proper proprietorial fittings and attach them to the decanting hose. Here is a URL for a youtube tutorial (which I did not watch, but suspect is good, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dATQPGm8_jw).
I believe that a bottle is just a bottle and can be filled through decanting, composite or otherwise.
I hesitate, without permission, to put someone’s name on a public site without permission, but anyone can write me off line and I can set up contact with American boats who have decanted and are willing to talk about the ins and outs of doing so.
I took our Icelandic bottle through Greenland and on to Newfoundland where it hopefully will find a home on another boat going east.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Hi Simon,
We have been filling our Composite 5KG cylinders for many years. Either with Propane when available or Butane. I am not a techno person as you know, but the decanting works well. We carry a selection of fitting for different countries, and if your composite bottles are of the type where you can see the level of liquid gas in them, there is no necessity to even weigh them. Please note you must empty the bottle completely of propane if you wish (or can only obtain ) butane or visa versa.
The other advantage is that those on Camping Gaz bottles pay through the nose for an exchange cylinder in Europe We just buy a local exchangable bottle and fill our own tanks at a quarter of the cost. I can explain more when we meet.
Cheers Brian s/v Darramy

Thanks Brian. I think what I will struggle with is the Iceland’s connections. I presume they are the same system as the Danish. The regulators just push on but I presume I need to mimic that fitting for a direct feed to the connecting hose?
Simon

Ciao Simon,
I would assume the connection would be Danish, but worth asking the question. You do have to come direct from the bottle ie no regulator so you get a direct flow. We had a problem getting a direct fitting in Panama, so in best Spanish we explained that the regulator was fixed on a wall, and we did not need a regulator. Once they understood, they found a connection to enable us to get a flow. Although a bit heath Robinson we would use a clear pipe with Jubillee clips to make the connections. Clear Pipe is good as you can see the liquid gas flowing through the pipe, and I believe there is no pressure in the pipe. Just Liquid. We hang the local cylinder about 1.5 metres above the empty bottle. (Halyard).a couple of pipe connectors are useful stock so you can change the connections from one country to another to suit locla bottles. I'm sure some Health and Safety Wag would have us shot, but it works well for us.
Cheers
Brian S/V Darramy
edited by bwallace on 3/17/2018

After much internet surfing I came up with this site: http://www.whayward.com/Details.cfm?ProdID=631
It is not the kit I bought as it has parts I don't needd. They do, however, have a comprehensive stock of international connectors and high pressure hoses. Thank you for everyone's advice. I am looking forward to my first regressing experience!1
Simon

Hi Simon,
Will Hayward's equipment served us well over our years in Northern Europe and he was based in the River Orwell area where did excellent work for us. We used his universal fittings and proprietorial international fittings all over Europe and used our Norway (Scandinavian?) fitting on a tank we bought in Iceland with his universal fitting. He was often hard to reach by phone, but usually persistence paid off. Last I saw him (2013), he said he was starting to split his time between the Med area and the UK. A few years ago, a friend tried ordering on the internet site and had trouble, so please let us know if there is success in ordering from his site as he was a very helpful resource in an area that can be a royal PITA for cruisers.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Greetings All,

We have the opposite problem, we have US tanks and are now in the Mediterranean. For folk from Europe there is a good adaptor for sale that converts Gas G.3 to the US POL G.9 - from Island waterworks; but we haven't found an adaptor tp take us from the G.3 tanks into our POL G.9 system. Does anybody know of such an adaptor?

Hi Peter,
You sound highly educated as to what the fittings are actually called. I will answer in my highly un-technical way. I used an adapter that attached to my US fitting that went into my US tanks that allowed my to use Camping Gas bottles when we were in the Med for 5 years. It was not the cheapest gas, but it worked fine for us and we were able to get CG bottles swapped everywhere in the Med and many places in Northern Europe. The adapter can be had in the US from Trident and may be called a Euro to US adapter rather than the more accurate Camping Gas to US adapter.
I hope that comes close to answering your question as I do not know what Gas G.3 or US POL G.9 referrs to.
Let us know how things unfold, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Thanks Dick,

The POL US G.9 refers to the male fitting that attaches into the Cylinder used with the USA and Australian system. The Gaz G.3 is the standard for the Camping Gas systems used in most European countries. If your adaptor has a G.3 male on one end (to go into the Camping Gas cylinder) and a Female POL US G.9 fitting on the other (for your existing male POL US G.9 fitting) we will be in business. I did do a bit of a search for trident but apart from Missile systems could not find anything useful. Would you please let me know the URL of the Trident people so I can order the adaptor. Thanks again for your response.