Trouble with Coleman Propane Cylinders

uintahiker

uintahiker

Adventure Guru
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Messages
719
Anybody else have trouble with Coleman propane cylinders lately? I bought a two 2-packs of their propane cylinders and the threads didn't screw on to the pressure regulator of my stove. Having 4 propane bottles not screw on to the regulator sure is a bad way to go after you've mixed your pancake batter. It's not the regulator, because other bottles have screwed on just fine since then.

I contacted Coleman about the problem, and they basically said "It's manufactured by someone else, contact them at this contact info". I'm not impressed with the Coleman customer service response.

Anyone else had similar problems?
 
That is way lame. Way to stand behind your products, Coleman! :facepalm:

FWIW, I just switched from using the little propane cans to just bringing along a big tank. Not always a feasible solution with limited space in the car, but it sure is nice not to be burning through all those little cans. I just bought this hose and it connects the regulator to a standard propane tank. No more running out of fuel mid-meal.

bowns-canyon-4-jpg.17183
 
I've had a couple just like that lately too. Kind of boogered up the threads on a regulator trying to make one of them go.

- DAA
 
River said:
I picked up a one gallon refillable tank and hose like this years ago:
http://www.amazon.com/Worthington-281149-1-Gallon-Cylinder-Prevention/dp/B000SKX63U
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-2000005062-5-Ft-High-Pressure-Adapter/dp/B00GVLKWZK/ref=pd_sim_lg_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=14MXNMB98BASED9AFDCK

It's a little more initially, but cheaper in the long run. It's only $3-4 to fill and will run a stove for a long time. And it's not nearly as bulky as packing around the standard BBQ cylinder.
Click to expand...

Yeah- this latest round of failure has left me thinking of picking up one of those 1-gallon tanks. More flame and over the long haul cheaper than the little cylinders, but not as bulky as the big 5 gallon tanks.
 
uintahiker said:
Anybody else have trouble with Coleman propane cylinders lately? I bought a two 2-packs of their propane cylinders and the threads didn't screw on to the pressure regulator of my stove. Having 4 propane bottles not screw on to the regulator sure is a bad way to go after you've mixed your pancake batter. It's not the regulator, because other bottles have screwed on just fine since then.

I contacted Coleman about the problem, and they basically said "It's manufactured by someone else, contact them at this contact info". I'm not impressed with the Coleman customer service response.

Anyone else had similar problems?
Click to expand...
Yes. I've had several of the canisters with bad threads lately. If you look at the threads that don't work, and compare them to good bottles that do work, the threads on the good ones have sharp crests and are deep, where the ones that don't work appear flattened and the grooves are more shallow. The bad ones don't seem to have enough of a lip to "grab" the regulator when you try to screw them in.
 
uintahiker said:
Anybody else have trouble with Coleman propane cylinders lately? I bought a two 2-packs of their propane cylinders and the threads didn't screw on to the pressure regulator of my stove. Having 4 propane bottles not screw on to the regulator sure is a bad way to go after you've mixed your pancake batter. It's not the regulator, because other bottles have screwed on just fine since then.

I contacted Coleman about the problem, and they basically said "It's manufactured by someone else, contact them at this contact info". I'm not impressed with the Coleman customer service response.

Anyone else had similar problems?
Click to expand...
Yes. Bought a set of the propane cylinders for a camping trip this summer. All were bad and would not attach to either my stove or my lantern. Coleman response was that it was not their problem.
 
Take them back to the store......................
 
I just bought a 4-pack from Sportsman's Warehouse tonight. I checked the threads after seeing this. They all looked a-okay.
 
DMB6 said:
Yes. Bought a set of the propane cylinders for a camping trip this summer. All were bad and would not attach to either my stove or my lantern. Coleman response was that it was not their problem.
Click to expand...
Yes. Bought a new Cadac Safari Chef and the Coleman bottle threads wouldn't engage properly, resulting in a fire. Same bottles had worked fine on another portable BBQ. I compared the threads to those on another brand and found the same difference that you did. I have seen new Coleman stock in stores with both styles of thread. I placed a query with Coleman before seeing your post, so will advise on the response. My feeling is that it's a safety hazard and merits some serious attention.
 
uintahiker said:
Anybody else have trouble with Coleman propane cylinders lately? I bought a two 2-packs of their propane cylinders and the threads didn't screw on to the pressure regulator of my stove. Having 4 propane bottles not screw on to the regulator sure is a bad way to go after you've mixed your pancake batter. It's not the regulator, because other bottles have screwed on just fine since then.

I contacted Coleman about the problem, and they basically said "It's manufactured by someone else, contact them at this contact info". I'm not impressed with the Coleman customer service response.

Anyone else had similar problems?
Click to expand...
Yes. Been through 4 of them. It's making me crazy. Glad I'm not alone. Is there a resolution?
 
I've found that the ones with the black plastic around the bottom of the cylinder don't work with my buddy heater, but the ones with the green metal around the bottom work fine.
 
Nick said:
I've thought about getting one of those smaller tanks as well. I have my eyes on this 6 pound aluminum one that is tall and skinny. Perfect fit under the grill on the boat, but damn they are expensive...
Click to expand...
All the refillables are really expensive. I finally bought one of the little ones @River linked to but it made me mad. I don't use this method as much anymore. I use small canisters for backpacking and the big refillables on the RV. Pure car camping only happens <10x a year now.
 
What didn't you like about the one gallon cylinder? The hose? I don't car camp much either, but it sure is nice to run a Buddy heater for a bit in the morning this time of the year.
 
We ended up getting one of these 11 pound tanks: http://amzn.to/1I8mNh1

It's like that 1 gallon but taller. Audra saw it on the top shelf at Smith's one day and got them to pull it down. They gave it to us for $35! It's great on the boat. Took it out for 4 long trips and it was still like half full when we topped it off.
 
River said:
What didn't you like about the one gallon cylinder? The hose? I don't car camp much either, but it sure is nice to run a Buddy heater for a bit in the morning this time of the year.
Click to expand...
No, it only made me mad because of the expense. I like the form factor. It is bigger than the little green colemans so takes up more room in the 4Runner and we are sometimes space limited. Seems a little more dangerous rattling around in the back vs. the little ones in our kitchen box too. If we have a rollover accident I'd rather have the little ones in the box.

When do you use it if not for car camping? A buddy heater? Not for your RV surely. So, in a tent?
 
Nick said:
We ended up getting one of these 11 pound tanks: http://amzn.to/1I8mNh1

It's like that 1 gallon but taller. Audra saw it on the top shelf at Smith's one day and got them to pull it down. They gave it to us for $35! It's great on the boat. Took it out for 4 long trips and it was still like half full when we topped it off.
Click to expand...
I'll take 2!
 
We just bought one of those buddy heaters. I was going to use it to heat the boat with the enclosure on over Turkey weekend but the weather is taking too big of a nosedive for us to go out on the water. Looks great though. And yes, we also bought an excellent CO detector.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top