Propane rip-off: big sellers of exchange tanks are not filling them all the way

[SteveB]

Sounds like you live in a tough neighborhood, Jessica. The gas businesses here are geared to make people happy, so they will return year after year. Last trip in, I talked to them about installing a large tank for propane because we are converting to propane stove. Maybe it's just my attitude, but I have never had a problem with propane dealers, and I go out there when they fill the cylinders and make sure I get a ticket for only what they put in. A chimpanzee could read those simple gauges. If you're the trusting type who just takes them in and does very little in the way of monitoring them, then you get what you get.

Steve

[SteveB]

There's also a big difference between $20 and $40.

[Robert Neville]

Most grills can be rejetted for NG and that definitely is a convenience. However, if you like using a very hot grill, you may find that NG isn't to your liking as the BTU content isn't as high as LPG. The manual that comes with the conversion kit will show you the BTU difference after conversion - it's usually in the neighborhood of 10% less.

Of course, if you have a 500 gal tank supplying your house, running the grill off the house supply requires no conversion!

[SteveB]

We had to run a new line 100' to a location farther from the cabin. Used the old tank. Cost of changeover ......... $527. The prices in your area must be higher.

Steve

[SteveB]

When I went and priced a tank for running the kitchen stove, they said the same thing. If they own it, they do all the testing and maintenance, and it doesn't bump up from the $50 or $75 or whatever a month. If you own it, and you got a problem, you pay it all.

Steve

[gfretwell]

You folks certainly have cheap propane. It was about $17 bucks each the last time I filled my tanks. (3). They do fill them all the way tho. (crack open the screw on the side and fill until liquid comes out).

[Stormin Mormon]

Most dairy farmers do their own teating. Do propane tanks have teats?

[Stormin Mormon]

Sounds like the old guy at the propane place near me. Unscrew the valve on the side, and pump till it sprays liquid. He sure looked like he knew what he was doing. Old guys like that, I really respect.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Beats me, but I have 4 tanks.

[George]

Likely he means there is no natural gas on the street. My brother was in a similar situation. The nearest line was only 1/2 block away (maybe

250') and they wanted $9,000 quite some time ago to extend the line. He had the piping in his house sized for natural gas and put propane in and waited. Maybe five years ago they extended the line down his street to serve other new homes and he had them put a drop in to his house.

[Robert Neville]

That way of filling disappeared with the (now mandatory) OPD valve. You still have to open the vent to fill, but the OPD prevents the level from rising to the point where LPG comes out the vent.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Digging up the street for two blocks to the nearest gas line is considerably more than moving to a new location on your own property.

At work I had a gas line put in for about 120 feet. Took a crew about 4 days. Removed asphalt, trenched 48", hit rock and hammered away at it for about a day and a half. It was a freebie though as we are a large user (up to $20,000 a month)

[George]

Lots of liability associated with being a propane dealer. No dealers around here will fill anyone else's non portable tank. If you want to change suppliers you need to have them remove their tank and the new supplier will place a tank and inspect your piping and equipment before turning the gas on. The mom & pop guys aren't bad to deal with but Suburban:

is over the top. They are much more expensive than the other suppliers for fuel. Last year they instituted a large small use fee "cooking rate" increase and high low use prices without warning and then billed people $150 more when they called to have the tank removed. My brothers neighbor worked for them and he said they couldn't keep up with tank removals.

[Jim Yanik]

Robert Neville wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Just as easy to go to the Ace Hardware for a refill as to a store for an exchange.

having a spare tank is useful after a natural disaster like a flood or hurricane. you may not be able to get refills for some time after one.

some folks have dual hookups on their grills,one runs out and they just turn on the 2nd tank.

[Karla]

You are responding to posts about the "home fuel delivery man" who brings a truck of fuel to a house. The meters on the delivery truck going to the house are certainly of concern to the end consumer.

[Karla]

Of course it does. Earlier in the thread somebody claimed that the propane industry is in the right for charging for a full tank even if only a fraction is pumped, due to the "labor cost" of having someone fill the tank. A full service gasoline station also incurs "labor cost" of having someone fill the tank, yet they still only charge for the amount of fuel dispensed.

[Karla]

You must have not filled your tanks since the mandatory OPD valves appeared.

[Jim Yanik]

Karla wrote in news:gvbs74$5rf$ [e-mail]:

Oh,we went from exchange tanks to gasoline station pumps,to home propane delivery. Wow.

[Jim Yanik]

Karla wrote in news:gvbsfc$5rf$ [e-mail]:

often there's a higher charge for full-service. (they get you somewhere...) That's why there are few full service stations in the states that don't force it. I believe they even had to pass a law requiring one FS pump for handicapped people.(at least FL has one)

[Jon Danniken]

Welcome to usenet. ;)

Jon