# Prepping / Emergency Preparedness > General Emergency Preparedness >  Shelf life on propane canisters?

## marylp

So I went to Academy this weekend and bought a camp stove and some little coleman propane tanks. We tested it out, it worked fine and put everything away. I am thinking everytime I go to Walmart or Academy I will buy a few and just leave them there to build up in case of emergency.  Well lets say its been a few years .. say 5 years.. I have an emergency now I need my propane canisters, are they still good? Do they last that long? BTW does anyone know how long they burn? Am I wasting money just to let them build up then, they wont work when I need them. Any help would be great!!

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## crashdive123

Mary - The shelf life on propane is virtually indefinite as long as the tanks do not leak, or the valve become damaged.  The length of time a canister will last will depend on the rate at which the fuel is used.  In my coleman 2 burner stove, using both burners - maybe a couple of days.  Using one burner and and lower settings maybe 4 or 5 days.  You can also use the bigger bottles (the 20 lb lp bottles you normally see on gas grills).  They may last you more than a month.

*Edit*:  If you use the larger bottle, you will need an adapter hose.

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## trax

You can actually buy an adapter hose with multiple connections so you can run  a camp stove and your lanterns and any other propane devices you want off one big tank if you're setting up something long term for a camp.

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## marylp

Thanks Crash! Thanks Trax! I am learning so much from you guys, I suppose I can find the adaptor hose at Academy also?  I will take a look next time when I am in town.  Also I thought propane was safe for indoor use but I was reading the warnings against carbon monoxcide (sp?) dangers.

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## trax

I've used propane stoves inside wall tents, always good to have some ventilation I suppose. I heer that prolgoned expozhur to propain can affekt sum of yer fizicul and menatl capabililities, lik tpynig and speeling.

well and yeah, enough of it can kill you, there is that, ventilation's a good thing.

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## wareagle69

have i been gone from the good ole us that long what is academy?

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## crashdive123

Never heard of it.  Just figured it was some kind of store that sold stoves.

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## wareagle69

yeah but you breathe in bug spray all day long soooo i take your ramblings light sometimes or maybe you have heard of it but forgot  you never know with these bug and pest guys

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## crashdive123

What the?  Now wait just a minute there mister........What were we talking about?  Oh Look!  Rabbits!

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## erunkiswldrnssurvival

C'mon Crash from here that looked like rock,not a wabbit
And I never heard of that store either

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## crashdive123

Ha Ha.  Now you know what I've been talking about.  At least it was a fuzzy rock.

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## wareagle69

oh dang it now i forgot what was the question again

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## marylp

Hey Guys, Academy is a huge  sporting, fishing, camping, hunting store. It is all over the Texas Valley I just thought it would be upnorth also. They have a great website that you can shop from. Did I mention I also bought a stand to make Beer up the Butt Chicken? At 4 bucks and it holds 2 chickens with a can of beer up the butt!! What a bargain!! A hillybillies paradise!!

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## crashdive123

> Hey Guys, Academy is a huge  sporting, fishing, camping, hunting store. It is all over the Texas Valley I just thought it would be upnorth also. They have a great website that you can shop from. Did I mention I also bought a stand to make Beer up the Butt Chicken? At 4 bucks and it holds 2 chickens with a can of beer up the butt!! What a bargain!! A hillybillies paradise!!


Don't you get feathers on your lips while you're drinking?

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## nell67

So,when chicken take their beer up the wazoo,they require assistance standing?? hmmmm never knew that,butt then I've never seen chickens take their beer that way either  :Big Grin: 



J/K :Stick Out Tongue:

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## crashdive123

> So,when chicken take their beer up the wazoo,they require assistance standing??


I know that I would......ouch!

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## Arkansas_Ranger

C3H8.  That's the chemical formula for propane, lol.  I can't get the 3 and 8 to be in subscript.  That's about all I know of propane other than it's a heavy gas, and Hank Hill has a peculiar affection for it.  He's referred to it as "a family fuel" and "God's gas."  lol

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## marylp

Gods gas.. wow weird,  as long as it burns.. I suppose.  Thanks Ranger!

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## Arkansas_Ranger

> Gods gas.. wow weird,  as long as it burns.. I suppose.  Thanks Ranger!



You'd have to see the show.  King of the Hill actually delivers a moral message at the end if you're intuitive enough to grasp it.  I think he calls it "God's gas" because it's efficient and clean burning.

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## Sarge47

I've had those little propane canisters for 10 years & every time I use one I have no problems.  I actually think that it's a good idea to store them.. Or, like Trax was saying, get a larger tank, but read all the warnings.  When I was a young-un we lived in a mobile home out in the country and had to use propane for both our furnace & cook stove.  we never had any problems, at least I'm normal, at least I'm normal, at least I'm normal, at least I'm normal....Oh look, it's the little aliens again, and they brought Sasquatch with them.... :Embarrassment:

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## marylp

I see them too Sarge!  Sasquatch is wearing the skirt I gave him last Christmas!  How cute!

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## Rick

There's little difference between CNG (natural gas) and LPG (propane). Folks cook on CNG stoves indoors everyday. CNG has a safety advantage because it's lighter than air while LPG can "pool" if there is a leak presenting a potential fire hazard. You should never store LPG tanks on their sides or indoors for that reason. 

On the flip side, LPG is a bit more economical because you'll use less LPG to do the same work when compared to CNG.

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## mattco

If you want to be sure, and especially if they're the smaller canisters, weigh them on a gram-accurate scale. Weigh them when new, weigh them after each use, baseline how much you use per meal. If you don't use them for a year, weigh them again to make sure none have outgassed. Make sure you know what kind of gas it is - if it's plain old propane, that's not very complicated, but there are a variety of mixes out there in the smaller hiking/camping size cartridges. It's good to know the performance characteristics of your gas at different temperatures - some deal better with cold temps than others. All in all, they seem to last at least a few years with no problem in my experience.

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## marylp

Thank you, Mattco, I have started a small collection already and weighing them is an excellent idea.  Mary

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## mattco

Great. Uh, I forgot to mention it, but just in case it's not self-evident, use a permanent marker to record the date and weight on each canister as you go along. Once you know your baseline use (x grams/cup of coffee...x grams per meal when cold/windy...), you can also annotate that on the bottoms as a reminder. This way, when you're packing gear, you don't have to think too hard, waste time, or overpack. I hope I'm not being too wordy or too stunningly obvious.  :-)

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## crashdive123

Good tips Mattco.

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## marylp

Great tips!! I would have never thought of it, I'am just learning this stuff.

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## HOP

You can get an adapter to refill the small canisters from the bigger tanks or bottles.

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## A190

Ive got propane bottles 15 years old.  Just opened one up last week and it worked fine..................

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## crashdive123

Thanks for the update.  It's always good to hear practical experience.  When you get a chance, head on over to the introduction section and tell us a bit about yourself.  Thanks.

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## BH206L3

I always been partial to wood, since the woods are full of it and all you need is an axe. But I have to admit, those new Coleman Propane stoves are the way to go, with a 20 or 30 lb propane tank. Those little canisters are ok I guess, just seems to be an expensive way to buy propane. One of the things I like is that Coleman Calytic propane heater. Anybody have one?

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## crashdive123

I've used a catalytic heater when I lived in the Seattle area.  I used to spend the weekends skiing in the Cascades.  Couldn't aford a room, so I folded down the seats of my Pinto hatchback and slept in the back.  Built a little platform for the heater......it's amazing that I didn't blow anything up.

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## Rick

Pinto hatchback. Ah, it was a good life wasn't it?

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