Ha - thanks for that :-)
I think they delivery company get really upset if you run the tank dry though and charge extra.
Maybe I could use the old "use it until it breaks, then back off a little" trick and when it runs empty, direct a hairdrier into the furnace vent to put some of the propane back into the tank...
I'm liking that. The tank's quite a way from the house, so with a long enough lever and a fulcrum close to the tank I could check the weight right at the back door, and with a minimum of effort. Although I might need to climb a ladder to reach the top of the lever, I suppose.
re: "I think they delivery company get really upset if you run the tank dry though and charge extra."
Why? (Seriously)
Rig it, so it's like the red cross, and their blood bag weights. When it hits a certain weight, it goes tilt. In your case, when it reaches a certain empty, the weight on the end goes down, and the tank goes up.
Well, they insist on doing a full leak check on the supply lines if the tank goes empty, and charge for it (50 bucks I think).
Quite why running it dry would cause joints to fail though, I don't know - maybe it's that they won't take the customer's word for it that it's only
*just* gone dry, and assume that the system's been empty for a while.cheers
Jules
Thanks.
re: (They) assume that the system's been empty for a while.
You'd think they could just check their records for the last delivery and determine the max time it could have been empty.
Of course, that would be "work" and they'd miss the opportunity to make a fairly easy (I think) $50 or whatever it is.
My company doesn't do a leak test- but they have to insure that a homeowner is home & check all appliances for working pilot thermocouple. They also have to be sure none of the burners on the stove are turned on. They've offered to light my pilots for me so I assume that they could spend an hour at a house where there was nobody around to get everything up and running again.
I'm on automatic delivery, so the last time I ran out was several years ago & it was their fault, so I apologies instead of charges.
Jim
True - but I suppose they don't know if any construction's happened in the meantime or any other stuff (I was surprised that the line from our tank was only buried about 6" down and was just regular old copper pipe). If it might have been empty for more than a few minutes I guess they want to take the line that they have to do a check just in case.
I agree there - I'm sure it's a nice little earner for them. They do recommend calling them and scheduling a delivery when tank level gets to
20% though so that they can get the supply truck out before it runs out.
Interesting - how does that work then? Do they have some high-tech sensor dohickey hooked up to the phone line which calls out when it needs refilling, or is it that they just send a guy round to check every once in a while?
They ask what appliances I have running, and ask to be notified if I add more. Then they ask about family size. A chart helps them determine that a family of 4 with a stove, water heater, and dryer will use nn gallons a month. Then their computer keeps historic records and they adjust accordingly.
I threw them off when I added a space heater. Now they also take into account heating degree days & historic usage. It took them a couple years to get a handle on that because I use the gas heater more in spring and fall than the dead of winter. But now they have it down. I rarely go below 40% full.
[BTW- my fuel oil is automatic too-- based on history and heating degree days. In 20 years I have never run out. I have a 275 gallon tank. They usually deliver between 120-150 gallons.]Jim
While I jokingly posted a method about keeping track of the number of hours of propane use before the tank ran out, I was actually only half joking.
What your supplier is doing is more or less what I suggested - they're just using data that is a bit more solid than a "one time run-it-dry, now we know" scenario.
They also have the advantage of being able to fill it at will *before* it should run out. And they already have to plug those numbers into a computer for billing & inventory.
The only disadvantage of automatic delivery is that you are at their mercy for pricing. Neither of my vendors is the least expensive in my area. But they are both reliable & the peace of mind is worth a few bucks a year.
Jim
Interesting way of doing it! I guess that anything apart from heating will be pretty consistent most of the year (drier use falling during summer if you hang clothes out instead). The heating can probably be quite variable - but maybe they're smart enough to look at the weather and factor that in when doing estimates...
cheers
Jules
Maybe if it's empty, they worry that there was a catastrophic leak that caused it and hence are afraid to fill.
If there is still propane and pressure in the tank, they can be pretty sure that there is no serious leak or if there were, that someobdy would smell or otherwise notice it.
Empty tank means no clue why it is empty and since people usually get it filled before empty, it is a reasonable hypothesis that something unnatural may have caused it to be empty.
I'm just speculating of course but it sounds reasonable at least.
The only appliances using propane are likely the furnace, space heaters, ki tchen stove, and clothes dryer. The stove and dryer are used fairly consis tently each month throughout the year. Use of the heating appliances varie s with the weather, so propane use per month is likely to be a constant (am ount used by stove and dryer) plus an amount that depends on the weather (f or heating appliances).
Early on the first day of each month, read the meter and record the result in a log book. Also, look on the internet to find heating degree days for the most recently available month and record that in your log book.
After you have two months of data, graph propane usage vs. heating degree d ays and draw a smooth line (probably a straight line) through the points. The y-intercept will give you the amount you use for the stove and dryer an d the slope of the line will give you the amount you use per monthly heatin g degree day.
Then, just figure out how many heating degree days your tank is good for an d track the cumulative heating degree days since you last filled the tank. (Would be convenient to fill the tank on the last day of the month.)
Here is one place you can find the heating degree days for your location: h ttp://
To get it from the source, go to:
If you want to predict your electric costs for cooling, you can follow a si milar technique with Cooling Degree Days and electricity consumption.
For the "Normal" HDD and CDD per month, go here and enter your zip code:
kitchen stove, and clothes dryer. The stove and dryer are used fairly cons istently each month throughout the year. Use of the heating appliances var ies with the weather, so propane use per month is likely to be a constant ( amount used by stove and dryer) plus an amount that depends on the weather (for heating appliances).
t in a log book. Also, look on the internet to find heating degree days fo r the most recently available month and record that in your log book.
days and draw a smooth line (probably a straight line) through the points. The y-intercept will give you the amount you use for the stove and dryer and the slope of the line will give you the amount you use per monthly heat ing degree day.
and track the cumulative heating degree days since you last filled the tank . (Would be convenient to fill the tank on the last day of the month.)
d2=-81.6304&e=0
ngs you want.
similar technique with Cooling Degree Days and electricity consumption.
Sorry about the duplicate posting. I just learned how to reply to a reply.
For the "Normal" HDD and CDD per month, go here and enter your zip code: ht tp://
replying to BillGill, Jc wrote: Small holes should be drilled before the filter, after the filter, before the air conditioning coil and after the coil if one is present for checking static pressure throughout the system. Same holes could be used for temp readings. But there is much more a tech should be doing than just selling "expensive" filters. Checked draft, flame signal and using an analyzer to check flue gases would be just a few.
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