The cost of propane

[lugoismad]

Originally Posted by brusso

You have to remember that they only put 80% in any size tank. So a 20 lbs tank will only have 16 lbs

LOL not where I go. They pump that stuff in until it won't take it anymore. I'm honestly afraid to drive home with them in my trunk if its warm out.

[wahoonc]

Our Tractor Supply is $2.49 a gallon, hardware store down the road is $2.09, local LP supplier is $2.19... go figure.

I have a Viking Tank and have had a couple of places refuse to fill it.

Aaron

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Broadway Joe

I was just posting to show the relative prices. The op asked cost of propane.

No harm no foul.

Understood

[brusso]

The tank is designed to only hold 80 %. They can let it fill for an hour, when it blows out the little screw on the side it is at 80%. The lpg inside is a gas in it's liquid state. You have to leave the 20% for expansion room.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by brusso

You have to remember that they only put 80% in any size tank. So a 20 lbs tank will only have 16 lbs

They only put 80% of a cylinders 'water' capacity into a tank...not 80% of the propane capacity.

It's this misunderstanding that needs to be solved. Amerigas and Blue Rhino both got sued and lost for helping promulgate this misunderstanding somewhat.

The links here will help explain it:

If you will, start at this post in the thread below and read forward"

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tml#post292346

and the links in this post should help somewhat too:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post1437529

The more that people understand this, the more times the correct information can be shared. They confuse water capacity vs propane capacity
A propane tank meant for 20 pounds of propane, HOLDS 20 pounds of propane and still has the proper expansion space. A refill facility will usually put the proper 20 pounds into that size cylinder and then the excess over the 20 pounds of liquid propane blows out the overfill bleeder

[dennisewitte]

My brother's-in-law are big farmers in central Illinois and buy 1000s of gallons of propane in bulk to dry grain. Their cost is around $1 per gallon. So a $2 per gallon price at Tractor Supply is not too bad for small quantities.

[wmtire]

Another good link explaining a cylinders water/liquid capacity:

Propane Bottle and LP Gas Cylinder Filling

and this from the North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture:

http://www.ncagr.gov/standard/LP/LPg...stions.htm#FAQ

FAQ: What constitutes a full grill cylinder?
ANSWER: Grill cylinders are typically referred to as “20 lb.” tanks and hold 20 pounds of propane, a little over 4 ½ gallons, when full. For safety reasons, a “full” tank is about 80% liquid so there is expansion space if the liquid warms. There is an Overfill Prevention Device (OPD) built into the valve that will limit the fill to a little less than 20 pounds on a warm day. Also, there are cylinders that are larger or smaller than the “20 pounders” and hold appropriately larger or smaller amounts.
Most cylinders for sale at exchange cabinets contain less than 20 pounds of propane. Part of the reason for this is the OPD limitation mentioned above. The other reason is competition. Be aware that an exchanged cylinder probably contains about 15 pounds of propane and is required to show this in the net weight statement the label. These cylinders are filled to about 60%. Also be aware that an exchanged cylinder will not last as long fueling the grill as a container filled to about 80%.

[packrat48]

I always prefer refilling where they charge by the gallon rather than set fee per tank size.

[doulos]

$2.19 a gallon in Dayton Nevada.

[SpringerPop]

If you are in a major city, find the place that supplies the catering trucks (roach coaches). They WILL have the cheapest propane, or they will lose most of their business to someone who is.

Catering truck operators have to "cut it thin".

Pop

[Mr Havercamp]

Originally Posted by SpringerPop

If you are in a major city, find the place that supplies the catering trucks (roach coaches). They WILL have the cheapest propane, or they will lose most of their business to someone who is.

Catering truck operators have to "cut it thin".

Pop

LOL... I forgot all about roach coaches AKA maggot wagons. I have not seen one around Pittsburgh for at least 10 years on any of our sites, no idea why, recession may have put them under. I miss the free food as the site superintendent always could extort free food daily for letting them on the site. Never knew them to sell propane though at their location.

On a side note my wife worked for a few months at a company that refurbished and filled tanks for a large national company mentioned in this thread. I would not be surprised at all if you were to accurately measure the amount of propane in one when you exchange it at the big box, you're not getting what they say on the label. The equipment they used, basically big carousels that rotated and filled the bottles automatically was antiquated and had not been calibrated in years. Actually I am surprised the entire place has not went up in a fireball taking half the county with it. You would not believe it if you walked in the place.

[m35a2]

Originally Posted by brusso

You have to remember that they only put 80% in any size tank. So a 20 lbs tank will only have 16 lbs

Who is "they"?

Never noticed my refill guy put in any less than max. Uses a scale.

[B and B]

Well it was mentioned getting "ripped off". Propane here is $11 for 20 lb and $15 for 30 lb at Costco.

This Canada and in Canadian dollars. So in this case most here are getting "ripped off" unless you travel here and exchange your money to buy our natural resources.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by m35a2

Never noticed my refill guy put in any less than max. Uses a scale.

That's how my guys do it too. They have it on a scale while it's refilling with the bleeder open. They watch the scale and as it approaches the twenty pounds (or 30 pounds for my RV's cylinders) they get ready for the bleeder valve to start spurting, and shut everything off.

[lugoismad]

Originally Posted by Mr Havercamp

LOL... I forgot all about roach coaches AKA maggot wagons. I have not seen one around Pittsburgh for at least 10 years on any of our sites, no idea why, recession may have put them under. I miss the free food as the site superintendent always could extort free food daily for letting them on the site. Never knew them to sell propane though at their location.

I still see them around Cincinnati. I commute around 6am, and I see a number of them out on the highway headed to job sites.

One used to come by where I worked at a few years ago. I can still remember what my coworker would get every day. Truck would show up around mid-morning and he'd get a Big Red Soda and a pack of chocolate donettes.

[youroo]

Collett Propane,Lebanon,Ohio 10.00$ for 20# and 15.00 for 30# call ahead! Youroo!!

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by Kimber45

For those doing exchanges look close. I learned something on this forum a few weeks back. Read the fine print they are only putting 15 pounds of propane in the 20 pound tank. (thats why it seems like a good deal sometimes.)

Yup, you get less gas with an exchange.

[polishdon]

Clearly I need to shop around. Went to have my tanks topped off a couple weeks ago, the place that used to charge by the gallon changed to charging for a full tank whether it's empty or not. Got me for $40 for both tanks.

[lswartz]

$10 for a 20 pound tank at Delta PA.

[ben31]

If you have a Tractor Supply, I've found them to generally be the cheapest, since like someone said above (I can't find who posted it now) you only pay for what they actually add to your tank. However, I have stayed at a KOA and the one we stay at in Milton, FL is really cheap...if you are staying there or have a KOA card. If not, they are on-par with most everyone else. Our 30# tank was only $27 to fill this past November.