Cylinder refill and exchange covers the small stuff most households and businesses actually run on: 20 lb grill tanks, forklift cylinders, patio heater bottles, and small camping canisters. You either swap your empty tank for a full one on the spot, or hand over your own cylinder to be weighed, inspected, and refilled while you wait. Fort Myers has 46 businesses offering some version of this, from hardware stores and gas stations with an exchange cage out front to dedicated propane dealers that do refills on site.
The two methods matter for different reasons. Exchange is fast and works anywhere the cage is stocked, but you're trading your tank's condition and fill level for whatever is in the cage that day, and exchange tanks are often filled to 15-17 lb rather than a full 20 lb to account for weight and safety margins. A direct refill, done by weight at a propane dealer, generally gets you closer to a true full tank and lets you keep the same cylinder, which matters if it's a newer tank or has a specific valve or gauge.
Before choosing a location, check that cylinders are inspected for dents, rust, and valve damage, that the scale or meter is calibrated, and that staff are trained to spot an expired certification date (tanks need requalification every 12 years, or 5 years after that). Our ranking weighs these factors along with pricing transparency, wait times, and how consistently a business fills to the correct weight. See the ranked guide to Fort Myers propane suppliers for how the 46 options compare, and read our methodology for the full scoring breakdown.