# Is it dangerous to use propane in butane lighter?



## Juggernaut

My mother bought me this silly gun display thing because it was on sale at one of those cheap Asian gift shops. It had a sort of ok looking lighter that fit on top of the gun. The lighter sat for a long time since I didn’t have any butane to fill it with “I use a Zippo lighter” Well since then, I can’t find my Zippo:mecry:. And I bought a Gas powered airsoft gun. I bought the adaptor to use regular lantern propane with it. Well I was looking at the nozzle which looked like it would fit the lighter. I tried it and it did. So I filled up the lighter with Propane.

Is it dangerous to use propane in butane lighter? Is there to much pressure? The lighter doesn’t leak at all and I have seen the blue torch like flame from butane lighters and my new lighter running on propane isn’t like that it is only slightly blue on the bottom of the flame and the rest of the flame is completely transparent, if you go in a completely dark room you can see the flame which stretches a little over an inch high. The flame is extremely intense and load “it sounds like blowtorch even from faraway!” It’s a little difficult to get to light, but I can always get it go eventually. Is it safe to continue using it as such:thinking::duck:. 





The Flame, in a dark room so you can see it better.


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## medicjim

Butane is more energetic than propane. The lighter may under-perform, but I cannot think of anything that would make it more dangerous.


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## Illum

Sometimes you'll find that it won't ignite...in fact, I'm inclined to believe the lighters have jet nozzles designed for only Butane or iso-butane 

Propane doesn't work very well fin my own trials, I have yet to try hydrogen:laughing:


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## csshih

I've been using airsoft green gas for a long time in my DX jet lighter.

green gas is made of propane, which is what you're using the adapter for.

it's fine.


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## Tony Hanna

I know there's a pressure difference, but I'm not sure how much. I could probably find out if you really want to know. I did a bunch of research awhile back on using propane and propane/isobutane blends as refrigerant (running propane in the central air in my house now). I've seen pressure/temperature charts for both on the web, it's just a matter of finding them again.


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## Guy's Dropper

I don't know, but for future reference, it's usually a good idea to find out if an idea is safe BEFORE you try it.


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## wapkil

Few years ago I looked at the differences between various fuels for backpacking stoves. Propane has much lower boiling temperature (butane becomes liquid right below 0 degrees Celsius). Propane will also have much higher pressure (4 or 5 times I think but you should check it). The higher pressure is the reason why LPG (i.e. propane) gas cannisters are much thicker than propane-butane-isobutane mixtures stove canisters. 

Every gas canister has much thicker walls than required in the room temperature because it has to tolerate heating (which raises the pressure) and still have a hefty safety margin. This makes it possible to use propane in butane cannisters in some situations. Nevertheless if you fill up a cannister designed for butane with propane and heat it afterwards it can explode. In the presence of open flame this explosion will have additional interesting effects on the surrounding objects.

Anyway if I were you I wouldn't trust my life to what members of a forum dedicated to flashlights think about combustion mixtures and explosive devices...


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