Amount of propane in 20lb cylinders

The way I understand it, those 20lb propane cylinders are made to contain 20lbs of propane. That's just the weight of the propane, not the tank itself. Is this correct?

I just noticed that the local dollar store has exchange tanks, and a sign says "Net contents 15lbs". That would mean they are only 3/4 filled. I know some companies do this, which is really unfair, but they know most people dont read the signs, and as long as it's posted, they can get away with it.

The propane company is "Amerigas".

After reading that, I took my tank to a company that will refill them with the actual capacity.

Reply to
Paintedcow
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Reply to
hubops

Pissed me off a while ago. Propane is about 4 lb/gal. I sent a letter to state AG but got no reply.

Reply to
Frank

"Blue Rhino" is the same.

They are "making things more affordable" -- keeping things at the price people were accustomed to pay. Same with the 1.75qt or even 1.5qt packs of ice cream that used to be half a gallon.

Perce

Reply to
Percival P. Cassidy

Have you compared prices? Like, dollars per pound? The corner store here sells by the pound. The tank is on a scale to calculate weight. They do tanks up to

100 pounds propane, the scale is set to 100 plus tare wt. minus the weight of the remaining propane still in the tank. For instance, the tare wt. is 75 lbs, on the scale the tank weighs 90 lbs so there are still 15 pounds in it. The tank is filled to 175 lbs on the scale but the customer is charged for 85 lbs. I'd say a very honest business, eih? ;>)} phil k. gets charged for 85 lbs of propane.
Reply to
Phil Kangas

The tank itself is about 17 pounds. Yes, it can hold 20 pounds but with OPD vales you don't want it full.

The way to get a fair price for a fill is to pay by the gallon. More places are doing that so you don't get screwed if your tank is not empty.

If the tank is filled with 20# the OPD valve often blocks the flow, especially if you open the valve quickly.

If you go to a place that just swaps your tank, be sure to take a jar of KY or Vaseline with you so you feel less pain.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

If it's 4lb/gal, that's less than 4 gal. (15 lbs). I had my bulk tank filled about a month ago, and paid $0.96 per gallon. So, that's slightly less than $4 worth of gas for $20. What a ripoff! That's over $5 a gallon.

I wish I could fill them myself off my bulk tank, but thats not possible without some expensive equipment.

The company which fills my bulk tank also charges $20 to fill those cylinders, but at least they put in the whole 20lbs.

Reply to
Paintedcow

My propane dealer charges me like 8 buck per to fill mty 20's . Gave me a discount last time because one still had 3 lbs in it .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

I think the last time I went to BJ's it was 9-something to fill a 20 lb tank with 17 lbs, the standard weight these days.

U-Haul charges per pound, and I think it might a little less than BJ's but it's more of a hassle. U-Haul is always crowded, you have to go in, wait, go out to the fill station, go back in and usually wait again to pay.

The propane at BJ's is sold at the tire shop...never a line. I pull right up to the propane station tank, go inside to pay, and then back outside to get filled up. Since I have a spare tank and always run one dry then swap 'em, I never pay extra for anything left in the tank.

Right now one tank is over 12 years old so I have to replace it. I can swap it with at a Blue Rhino place, but their tanks are often just a few years from retirement so they expire fairly soon. DAMHIKT

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Best place to fill propane 20's around here is Costco. Less than half the price of the next best player in the region.

Reply to
clare

19.3 lbs is 80% fill on a "20 lb" tank - no reason to reduce the fill beyond that.

An OPD will block flow if you open a half full tank too quickly.

Reply to
clare

I've done the swap a couple of times in recent years - but only to swap a non-OPD tank in for an OPD tank .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

This one makes the rounds now and again. I've heard that some places fill 15#. When I worked (briefly) at U-Haul, they filled 20#. Lines or not, they get my refill business.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

My tanks are marked "TW 16.6". The tank itself weighs 16.6 pounds.

My FIRST propane tank was Blue Rhino (15lb), and the second (about 5 years ago) was Amerigas (17lb at the time, they've changed to 15lb). Since then, I've had them refilled (19-20lb for about the same price as 15).

I did, and then weighed the tank: 36.6 pounds (16.6 for the empty tank).

Reply to
Mark Lloyd

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