Here's an easy way to save money by refilling your Thermacell butane cartridges. You will need the following:
Empty cartridge
Ronsol or other butane bottle
Wire cutters or electrical pliers
Balloon, rubber band, or ?
Small screw
Screwdriver
Knife or sandpaper
Take your empty cartridge and make yourself a mark where you will fill to. I like to do this with a new one when I get it, or just use the following pic for reference.
Next, we need to remove the brass top from the cartridge. I use either wire cutters or electrical pliers work well too. Anything you can use that won't damage the rubber o-ring. The fitting is pressed in so get a grip and wiggle as you pull. Now, get your mind out of the gutter.
With the fitting removed, you will be able to see another piece down in there with a membrane of sort in it. This is where the screw comes in. Take a small screw and get it started into the membrane. Once you have it in there good, give it a good pull. It will come out fairly easy.
Now, you're ready to replace the brass fitting. I like to get it started by hand and then turn it upside down and press down. It will go back into place relatively easily.
You're now ready to prepare your butane bottle. The plastic tip is larger than the opening of the cartridge so we need to either whittle it down a bit with a knife or use sandpaper. You want it just small enough to go into the cartridge without hanging up.
Finished it will look similar to this.
Lastly, before you can fill your empty cartridge, you need to make a gasket of sorts for the butane bottle. I've used a small rubber band and recently found that a piece of a balloon works well. This keeps the butane from escaping when filling. Positing your "gasket" pretty close to the top.
With your cartridge on a flat surface, you're now ready to fill er up. Every once in awhile, it may stop the filling process. Simple let a little air out of the cartridge and continue. Here's the end result.
There you have it. With things you have around the house and a bottle of butane, you can easily refill your old Thermacell cartridges.
Empty cartridge
Ronsol or other butane bottle
Wire cutters or electrical pliers
Balloon, rubber band, or ?
Small screw
Screwdriver
Knife or sandpaper
Take your empty cartridge and make yourself a mark where you will fill to. I like to do this with a new one when I get it, or just use the following pic for reference.
Next, we need to remove the brass top from the cartridge. I use either wire cutters or electrical pliers work well too. Anything you can use that won't damage the rubber o-ring. The fitting is pressed in so get a grip and wiggle as you pull. Now, get your mind out of the gutter.
With the fitting removed, you will be able to see another piece down in there with a membrane of sort in it. This is where the screw comes in. Take a small screw and get it started into the membrane. Once you have it in there good, give it a good pull. It will come out fairly easy.
Now, you're ready to replace the brass fitting. I like to get it started by hand and then turn it upside down and press down. It will go back into place relatively easily.
You're now ready to prepare your butane bottle. The plastic tip is larger than the opening of the cartridge so we need to either whittle it down a bit with a knife or use sandpaper. You want it just small enough to go into the cartridge without hanging up.
Finished it will look similar to this.
Lastly, before you can fill your empty cartridge, you need to make a gasket of sorts for the butane bottle. I've used a small rubber band and recently found that a piece of a balloon works well. This keeps the butane from escaping when filling. Positing your "gasket" pretty close to the top.
With your cartridge on a flat surface, you're now ready to fill er up. Every once in awhile, it may stop the filling process. Simple let a little air out of the cartridge and continue. Here's the end result.
There you have it. With things you have around the house and a bottle of butane, you can easily refill your old Thermacell cartridges.
Comment