Convenience stores Garden centers BBQ specialty stores Supermarkets Gas stations
Let's spin the wheel of fortune and see if we can price shop all of them, just for you, without having any idea where you live, or what steps you've taken to research this locally.
Decided to give up the charcoal ghost and go propane. Just bought a new lp gas grill and cart. Where's the best place to pick up a tank...and do most refill their own or go to one of these swap your tank bins at 7/Eleven or Circle K type stores ?
I refill my own. Most of the supermarkets where I live have locked bins outside of their stores where you can exchange. I don't know how much it costs to exchange an empty one for a full one, but they're easy to have refilled.
Around here the cheapest thing to do is find one someone has put out for the trash because it is an old style that can't be refilled. Take that to HD or Lowes and they will give you a new one for a couple dollars. Then BJ's is half the price for a fillup as anywhere else.
I have about 5 or 6 tanks running 2 grills and a refrigerator. Now I only pick up the ones in the street if they are full, which they often are.
The places that swap tanks are generally the most expensive. I pay $10 for a refill at BJ's here in New England. Any store that sells grills will sell the tanks.
Advantage of getting them filled yourself is cost. Advntage of exchanging is you always have a tank. Tanks expire and need replacing or inspection. Personally I think I save more getting it filled for 10 years which will pay for a new one when the time comes.
I picked up old tanks with obsolete valves from garbage etc, turned then in at home depot as exchanges for the new valve type, take those tanks to local gas station for cheap refills, and when the tanks look bad, and begin to rust exchange them at home depot.for nicely refresed tanks. That way the tanks cost me ZIP, and the refills are usually cheap:)
I have about 8 tanks so I never run out, keep them in shed with door always ajar for safety........
Cheapest refills are local gas station with BIG tank, cheapest exchange home depot, pricest exchange the local convenience store, guess thats to be expected.
one advantage to exchanging tanks is they DONT smell like propane. cost perhaps 5 bucks more
No, the guy at the propane dealer does it. You walk out with the same tank you walked in with, as opposed to the somewhat-more-expensive tank swap stations at the quicky marts.
That's what happens around here (NY), but the others are saying the customers do the actual filling. I've never seen that here, so I wondered...
I used to have that done at a winnebago lot, and repair place. I didn't want to lose my matching CharmGlo tank. They even refilled it twice after the date said NO. I even painted the thing so they wouldn't notice how old it was. But they weren't fooled, and I ended up going to the supermarket or HD and it is about 15 or 17 dollars for an exchange.
I saw some tanks at a junkyard, one which has a lot of autos, but a lot of non-auto stuff too.
He asked me why I was buying one, and I told him the truth. He smiled and sold it to me for whatever he said before, 5 dollars?
It was almost 5 pm and I went straight to the HD, and who do I see when I'm coming out of the store. The same guy going in.
I have never seen a tank on the street, and I always look at the trash. I will keep my eyes open though. What kind of n'hood has tanks in the trash?
Someone told me that milk is usually cheap at a convenience store, to get people to come in. I can never remember the supermarket price to check, so do any of you know if that milk is cheap or not?
I have picked up several tanks out of the trash over the years, and bought one that looked brand new at a garage sale for $1.00. All were empty though. I refill them off my house tank, though they only get about 1/2 full before the pressure equalizes. (The house tank has a valve on it with a dip tube for liquid.) Besides the places like HD, Lowes and some hardware stores that have the exchange system, and regular propane dealers that refill tanks, around here some UHaul stores refill the small tanks also. Larry
Hmmm, Tank has to be recertified every 10 years here. And should never be overfilled. You don't have such a law where you live? No one will refill the expired tank. Date code is stamped on the tank valve guard. I hope you are not compromising your safety issue.
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