I called the supposed original owner, Suburban Propane, who said they never had a tank at my location - and they said they never sold anything to the Heritage Group whom Amerigas bought.
But, they did say that, if someone doesn't pay their bill, they have an easement in the contract that allows them to drive on the property to take the tank back.
i replaced the high pressure regulator on my tank just this year. it lasted 12 years. out of curiosity, i took it apart, so that's how i know what's inside it. it also was red, as is the replacement. my low pressure regulator is gray.
why would you have 3? are they cascaded, or do they make up some sort of manifold and feed 3 different lines from the high pressure line?
Basically I can save more than the cost of the tank and maintenance simply by switching suppliers at will.
But, if I am to buy the tank, it's not clear based on my research *who* owns that tank.
It could be Suburban Propane (who originally bought it). Or the Heritage Group (who apparently thinks they bought it). Or it could be Amerigas (who bought the Heritage Group). Or, it could be me (who bought the house with the tank).
It could even be the title company, if they missed a lien on the property that comes up later to bite me. :)
I called Suburban Propane and Amerigas. They both said nobody will sell me a regulator, even if I buy the tank from them.
So how did *you* buy your regulator?
Apparently all propane pressure regulators have to be replaced every 12 years, but where do you buy them from if the gas company won't sell them to you?
One low-pressure regulator (brown) is at the outside wall of the house. Another low-pressure regulator (gray) is at the power generator. Another low-pressure regulator is on the line to the pool heater & BBQ. The red high-pressure regulator is on the line coming out of the tank.
let me rephrase: i had one (of the 4 propane delivery companies that i normally use, since i own my tank) replace my high pressure regulator. iirc it was amerigas.
i tried to find the internal parts to mine, since the regulator body was in fine shape, but the internal rubber diaphragm was worn out. i couldn't find any rebuilding parts.
however, they can be found on the net.
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mine was the 1.1mbtu version. not very expensive at all.
it's not rocket science. you shut off the gas, unbolt it, bolt on the new one, test with soapy water. what's to fear but a little immolation?
the next time i'll just do it myself and save the service charge. it's pretty simple. there's nothing on it that states it has to be replaced on a 12 year schedule. you can tell if you tighten up the bolts that connect the two halves, and still get a couple soap bubbles produced. the internal seal has gone south at that point. my tank is buried and is downhill (thus lower, and propane sinks) than the house, so there not too much danger from a minor leak if you catch it in time. i also live quite some distance from anyone else so it's quite diffused by the time it gets anywhere.
This is beautiful information for alt.home.repair! These have to be replaced, apparently, every 12 years, whether they need it or not, so, it makes sense for us to buy them ourselves, since Amerigas told me they charge $300 and it's still "their" regulator!
If I replace it myself, for less than $100, that's another bonus for owning my own equipment!
Is there an actual DATE STAMP on the things? (Note: When I get home, I'll check.)
PS: Here's a reference that says it must be replaced every 12 years:
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However, this article says it's more like 15 to 25 years:
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So, does anyone know if this 12 years is a law or just Amerigas scare-speak?
Keep calling enough and eventually something is sure to happen. Why you you're not happy with a tank that has been free for 3 years and won't just let a sleeping dog lie is beyond me and I think everyone else here.
not on mine, either low or high. there's also no tag or sticker on it with anything additional that the installers left. my low pressure regulator is next to the house, and the only additional inspection in the 12 years since installation was when the guy was replacing my high pressure regulator, just to see if he had any more business to do on the same trip.
amerigas didn't tell me it's required to change the regulator on any schedule, nor did any of the other fill companies ever do so. iirc it was somewhere around $300 for the part + installation, and they do not own the regulator. it's attached to my tank, and is my regulator. your link states that this is a con for user owned tanks, btw.
as a matter of fact, i got a fill about 4 days before i smelled gas, so it might have even been slightly leaking during the fill and they didn't even mention it.
i do know that i can use different fill companies only after each come out and do an inspection for safety (inside and out). however, they only did that for the 1st fill, and none has ever been back for another check. i'd guess they do some sort of check on the tank regulator by smell only, and the driver must be immune to the smell. i've never seen them use a sniffer or soapy water for a test when doing a fill.
of the 4 companies i use, the difference between high and low can be (at certain times of the year) $1/gallon. for a 250g tank, that's only 1.5 fills to pay off the service call for the regulator. i get a fill every
10 months or so, when i want to, not on the company's schedule. i can time buying to the low cost season, although amerigas sometimes sends me a coupon for .50-$1/gallon about once every couple years.
Yeah, I did, many years ago when I bought a sailboat
I had just installed an on demand hot water heater, wanted all up to snuff so went to the gas place and told them I wanted a regulator for 15" WC (water column). Went back to the boat, had my wife up on deck to turn on the tank; when she did I lit the heater and I HAD FIRE EVERY WHERE!! Good thing my wife was on deck to shut off the tank because I sure couldn't get to the water heater. Could have been a real disasteer; as it was, I lost most of my eyebrows, moustache and beard.
I returned to the gas place, expressed my extreme dissatisfaction. Turned out they had given me a regulator for 15 psi, not WC. Big difference.
I'm sure you've run the numbers but don't assume the numbers are the same for everyone. Even if the rental agreements are identical (highly doubtful) people will have different priorities for their cash or other intangibles. Personally, I don't want to own a tank but would be convinced if the numbers came out in my favor big-time.
Yes, I got that. STFU until they send him a bill (or contract). It's not his responsibly to pay for it until the payment is requested. He has signed nothing.
Or demand a new tank for his $15/mo (seems like a lot, though).
I wouldn't even *think* of owning the tank with the numbers being that the tank "could" pay for itself in just a couple of fills.
That it might spontaneously ignite is not a worry.
More to the point of home repair, the regulators (of which I have
3 low pressure and 1 high pressure) seem to need replacing, by law? about every 12 years (if you believe Amerigas) or every
15 to 25 years (if you believe the propane association).
Amerigas: 12 years:
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Propane Association: 15 to 25 years:
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The cost to replace 1 regulator is $300 if Amerigas does it, and about $73.22 if we do it ourselves.
Now that you've scared the wits out of me, I went to look at my four regulators.
At least this is directly a home repair question.
Can you explain what these numbers mean so that I can buy my own replacement regulators when their time comes due?
RED High Pressure regulator on the propane tank: Fisher Controls Date: 11/02 (so 12 years would be 11/2014) ORF: 13/64 IN (presumably that's the orifice) SPG: 5.5 - 10.5 PSI (presumably that's the pressure range) But there are no BTU figures???
GRAY Low Pressure regulator on the propane tank: Fisher Controls Date: 11/99 (so 12 years would be 11/2011) ORF: 13/64 IN (presumably that's the orifice) SPG: 9.5 - 13 IN WC
BROWN Low pressure regulator at the generator RECO ELON College NC LV 4403
GRAY Low Pressure regulator at the house RECO Chicago ILL USA
2403
Notice there are no dates on two of the regulators, and, one regulator is past the 12-year cutoff date. Also notice there are no BTU figures, so how do I figure out a replacement regulator?
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