Posted: 1/17/2011 3:07:58 PM EDT
| I have been paying around 17 or 18 dollars to have a 20lb propane tank filled up at my local propane supplier. Still better than trading tanks out at the gas station plus they fill them all the way up. Well I went to Tractor Supply today and had a 20 lb tank filled for $13.30 or so. The guy only put 4.4 gallons in, they charge for what they put in the tank. I believe it was 2.99 a gallon. Plus when I went to check out the check out lady gave me a $3 off coupon on my next fill up! If you have a TSC in your area might be worth going to for propane |
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Had a place that would put more than 4gallons in a 5 gallon tank, just the common 20lb tank and what not. Folks that filled their 1k gallon tank watched some 5 gallon tanks get more than 4 gallons put in them and the manager of the store got a bit of a talking to and he passed it on to his employees. The basic rule of thumb is 80% on propane tanks so a 5 gallon tank takes 4 gallons with 1 gallon left empty for expansion. A 500 gallon tank will get 400 gallons with 100 gallons left for expansion. I will play with tractor supply to see what they charge and how they do it. I am currently paying a somewhat high price locally but travel near a tractor supply and don't even know if they refill tanks or not. I do have some old tanks I will exchange soon though, got some rusty tanks and don't like em and don't feel like cleaning them up so I will swap em out once I empty them with the buddy heaters. I know more than once I have had stuff filled past the 80% rule of thumb stuff but I guess for legal reasons it is something that everyone signed documents on so getting 4 of the 5 lb tanks filled with a total of 18 gallons was not acceptable when the folks with the power to speak up decided to speak up. I am not an expert on this and don't pretend to be. I just accumalated 10 of the 5 gallon sized tanks over time by asking around and picking up curb side trash and am getting them filled up lately since I have been messing with the tanks and checking dates and condition and what not. And my co-op tracks my purchases and does drop the price bit by bit the more I use em for stuff. Still kind of high but they are close and I like to use em for a little bit of stuff just because they are so close if I had a major issue and did not want to travel much. |
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I'm not really up to speed on the tank exchange. Will they take a tank that has the old valve? What about rust on the outside? I have one like this and was thinking it was just scrap/trash? I had five or six old-style tanks that I swapped at a propane exchange kiosk at Homedepot. Worked great. After those were exchanged and then used up, I went to a place that refills propane tanks for a lot less and I could continue to use the swapped tanks since they had the newer OPD valves. |
| I have also exchanged the old style for the new style. I went to a gas station to do it and they probably didnt have a clue and I didnt tell them. I was just very suprised that TSC had prices this low on propane and it kinda pisses me off that I was paying way more at the propane distributor. My old propane dealer charged a flat rate, didnt matter if your tank was half full or not you paid the whole price. TSC just charges for what they put in. |
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Shop around for propane prices.
I just found out how big of a price spread there is between the different propane suppliers locally. The company I have been using for several years was charging different prices for my two 120 gallon tanks. One tank, which is owned by me, the company charged $4.09 per gallon to fill. The other tank, a rental with a yearly lease fee, they charged $5.15 per gallon. They will fill a small tank up at their dock for around $3.60 per gallon, but you have to drop it off & pick it up the next day most of the time. 
My local hardware store, which is usually one of the more expensive places to buy something, will fill a small tank for $2.59 per gallon while you wait. This is also the lowest price I have been able to find for propane in my area. Check out your local gas stations, hardware stores, etc... you may find a lot better deal. |
| Up in these parts.... had my 500 gallon tank refilled last week. $1.65/gal. Tank is owned by the lp company. I've asked them several times to add a wet line so I can refill my 20lb tanks, but they keep ignoring me. I'm never home when they come, so I cna't ask them in person. Any info on how to hook one of these up/where to purchase the supplies? |
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Up in these parts.... had my 500 gallon tank refilled last week. $1.65/gal. Tank is owned by the lp company. I've asked them several times to add a wet line so I can refill my 20lb tanks, but they keep ignoring me. I'm never home when they come, so I cna't ask them in person. Any info on how to hook one of these up/where to purchase the supplies? I have two 250 gallon tanks, both have wet line connectors. The output stem must have that accessory connection? Do you just need the hose and tank valve setup? You should be able to buy the complete hose and any other parts at the LP company. My LP Co. makes up hoses, sells a variety of propane heaters, cookers, etc and parts. YMMV BTW; propane in these parts is $2.40 a gallon. Central TX |
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Up in these parts.... had my 500 gallon tank refilled last week. $1.65/gal. Tank is owned by the lp company. I've asked them several times to add a wet line so I can refill my 20lb tanks, but they keep ignoring me. I'm never home when they come, so I cna't ask them in person. Any info on how to hook one of these up/where to purchase the supplies? We had our company owned tank filled 2 weeks ago. $4.96/gallon. 
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Up in these parts.... had my 500 gallon tank refilled last week. $1.65/gal. Tank is owned by the lp company. I've asked them several times to add a wet line so I can refill my 20lb tanks, but they keep ignoring me. I'm never home when they come, so I cna't ask them in person. Any info on how to hook one of these up/where to purchase the supplies? i can get you anything you need if you're not able. just get in touch with me and we'll figure out what parts you'll need. |
| Does anyone make an adapter that allows you to use the BBQ tanks (5 gal?) with propane appliances (like a catalytic heater) meant to be fed by the small, disposable propane bottles? I have several camping-sized devices that use small propane bottles which I would like to feed from the larger tank. |
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Up in these parts.... had my 500 gallon tank refilled last week. $1.65/gal. Tank is owned by the lp company. I've asked them several times to add a wet line so I can refill my 20lb tanks, but they keep ignoring me. I'm never home when they come, so I cna't ask them in person. Any info on how to hook one of these up/where to purchase the supplies? okay, according to your pictures you have a new style withdrawl valve like this one: http://www.dultmeier.com/products/0.763.772.3325/301 to put a liquid valve on top of it you'll need an adapter: http://www.dultmeier.com/products/0.763.764.4080/6924 and then the actual valve: http://www.dultmeier.com/products/0.763.772.3327/6714 from there you'll just need a hose with a 1/4 turn valve and a POL. i've never dealt with the company those links are to and don't know how the prices are, i'll have to look tomorrow. those are just references for now but it'll give you an idea of what you're looking at. ETA: liquid rated hose, 12' of 3/8" should do you: http://www.dultmeier.com/products/0.763.766/252 and a POL to hook up to the bottle. m318 should do http://www.dultmeier.com/catalog/0.763.764.3390 or if you want to get fancy http://www.dultmeier.com/catalog/0.763.764.3385 and after that it's time for a trip to the hardware store. you'll need some brass or forged reducer fittings to get everything to match up together and you'll need a 1/4 turn valve rated for at least 200lbs. get some teflon paste for all your fittings as well, the tape sucks. |
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Does anyone make an adapter that allows you to use the BBQ tanks (5 gal?) with propane appliances (like a catalytic heater) meant to be fed by the small, disposable propane bottles? I have several camping-sized devices that use small propane bottles which I would like to feed from the larger tank. sure, lots of places do here's one http://www.outfitterssupply.com/Bulk-Tank-Hose-Adapter-for-Camp-Chef-Oven/productinfo/WCC-HRDSP/ |
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Does anyone make an adapter that allows you to use the BBQ tanks (5 gal?) with propane appliances (like a catalytic heater) meant to be fed by the small, disposable propane bottles? I have several camping-sized devices that use small propane bottles which I would like to feed from the larger tank. sure, lots of places do here's one http://www.outfitterssupply.com/Bulk-Tank-Hose-Adapter-for-Camp-Chef-Oven/productinfo/WCC-HRDSP/ Is a pressure regulator needed to use that? |
| That fill your bottle deal and charge for the full thing is pretty standard with the propane dealers. Pisses me off. Our local uhaul will fill your tanks and only charge for how much they put in. I do this all thetime for my RV as I have run out of gas in one of those before for the heater and it makes for a long night with the wife. I am always refilling partials and said to hell with the propane dealers. It would be nice to be able to fill out of my house tank though. I'll have to look into that. How would one regulate the amount you are putting in the bottle??? Same sale idea using a bathroom scale?? |
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Does anyone make an adapter that allows you to use the BBQ tanks (5 gal?) with propane appliances (like a catalytic heater) meant to be fed by the small, disposable propane bottles? I have several camping-sized devices that use small propane bottles which I would like to feed from the larger tank. sure, lots of places do here's one http://www.outfitterssupply.com/Bulk-Tank-Hose-Adapter-for-Camp-Chef-Oven/productinfo/WCC-HRDSP/ Is a pressure regulator needed to use that? no, the regulator is on the other side of the fitting on anything that uses disposable cylinders |
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That fill your bottle deal and charge for the full thing is pretty standard with the propane dealers. Pisses me off. Our local uhaul will fill your tanks and only charge for how much they put in. I do this all thetime for my RV as I have run out of gas in one of those before for the heater and it makes for a long night with the wife. I am always refilling partials and said to hell with the propane dealers. It would be nice to be able to fill out of my house tank though. I'll have to look into that. How would one regulate the amount you are putting in the bottle??? Same sale idea using a bathroom scale?? without a pump you'll need to use pressure differential to fill the tank. open the 80% bleeder on the side of the valve and let fill until liquid appears. |
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Went to one tractor supply and they don't fill tanks or exchange tanks. They sell brand new 20, 40, or 100lb propane tanks but they can't tell you where to get them filled. I just asked a couple of the workers there and this one is not out in the country like the other one I go play with. But it is the one I was near yesterday and I figured I would let folks know to check before thinking all tractor supplies offer this service. I was more entertained that they sell brand new but empty tanks and have no clue where you go to get them filled. Most places will exchange old tanks and in talking to some folks that is kind of expected to happen. Part of the contract with the company that takes the empties and refills them covers dealing with disposal of empty old tanks that can't be refilled and exchanged again. I know some places have said they won't take old stuff but when I worked at wally world I exchanged the tanks for the customers a fair bit and I never had a boss sit me down and try to explain to me that I needed to check on new valve vs. old valve and also check the dates stamped into the tank. Walmart exchanges the tanks and with the turnover of employees there it would be a big deal to try and keep everyone fully aware of everything then needed to be aware of I think. I have one old rusty tank I am using up now, the rest of mine are in pretty good shape and just going to get refilled. I will probably buy some larger tanks eventually as well. This winds up being similar to fuel cans. Little fuel cans are nice for some stuff, larger cans have their uses, and the larger fuel tanks or drums also have their uses. |
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What is the limit on hauling stuff to get filled? 4 of the 20lb tanks does not cause anyone locally to bat an eye, and that is what fits on my hitch hauler easily. The mention of the 100lb tank is good because that is about what I was thinking would be my personal limit on what I want to transport and get refilled. But is there an issue if you haul two or three 100lb tanks in at a time to get refilled? I will admit I made a note to read up on tn laws and dot regs and what not but I am going to work in a bit and don't feel like playing in the mess of regs that are out there. As an aside the local fellas who refill my 4 at a time refills figure I am heating with 20 lb tanks and that is true to some extent but I am currently helping some other folks get setup with backup heat and the 20lb tanks can often be found for free or cheap for the asking. The local fellas don't really seem to care about what I haul in, they will refill tanks that are rusty and while they may just need a touch of paint I find it simpler to exchange for a fresh tank. |
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I weighed my 4 20lb tanks this morning with my big fish scale.
3 of them weighed 33 or 34 lbs. One that was a trade in weighed 31.5. I have no idea what these usually weigh filled, but I am thinking that I should watch the weight so I can tell if one is leaking. I can also check the weight after they are filled by local companies until I get a feel for who fills it the best. Any thoughts on this? |
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I weighed my 4 20lb tanks this morning with my big fish scale. 3 of them weighed 33 or 34 lbs. One that was a trade in weighed 31.5. I have no idea what these usually weigh filled, but I am thinking that I should watch the weight so I can tell if one is leaking. I can also check the weight after they are filled by local companies until I get a feel for who fills it the best. Any thoughts on this? not all empty tanks weigh the same. on the collar you will see stamped somewhere, "TW XX.X" that will be the tare weight, or what the bottle itself weighs. on new tanks this can range from 16.6 to 19.1 that i've seen. old tanks can weigh significantly more. take your tare weigh and add 20 lbs (for a 20 lbs cylinder of course) and you'll have what the tank should weigh full. also keep in mind that the OPD valve may cut off before it gets a full 20 lbs in it. ETA: to know for any size bottle, add the tare weight of the bottle and use this chart to cross reference "WC." "WC" (also stamped on the collar) stands for water capacity and indicates how many pounds of water the cylinder will hold. the chart tells you how many pounds of propane goes in that size bottle 
ETA2: here's an interesting writeup Cylinders Filled By Weight Following the visual exterior bottle inspection, the bottle filler will look for two other things prior to hooking up the fill hose with the cylinder on the scale. These two things are the water capacity and tare weight. The water capacity is how much water the propane bottle will hold in pounds. The "WC" stamped on the bottle followed by a number such as "47.6" means the bottle will hold 47.6 pounds of water. The tare weight (empty weight) indicated by a "TW" is also followed by a number such as "18" meaning the bottle weighs 18 pounds when empty. The numbers here would likely be found on a five gallon propane bottle (also known as a 20 pound cylinder) used for a barbeque grill. The bottle filling station will generally have a cylinder filling chart that converts water capacity (WC) to pounds of propane that the filler will refer to before filling the bottle. The chart will show that 47.6 pounds of water converts to 20 pounds of propane. In other words, a propane bottle that will hold 47.6 pounds of water will hold 20 pounds of propane. This indicates that the scale needs to be set a little over 38 pounds (20 lbs + 18 lbs = 38 lbs) to obtain the weight of the bottle when it reaches its allowable capacity. After the scale is set and the hose end nozzle is hooked up to the cylinder, the attendant may open the bleeder valve, reset the meter and begin pumping propane into the bottle. The attendant will stop the pump once: The bleeder valve starts to spew liquid The scale indicates the cylinder has reached its legal filling capacity The OPD valve stops the flow of propane into the cylinder (if equipped with an OPD valve) Some companies will load your cylinder in your vehicle for you once the cylinder has been filled while some companies are not allowed to do this due to liability reasons. So don't be offended if you have to load your own cylinder. The bottle filling attendant is just following the rules. |
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I weighed my 4 20lb tanks this morning with my big fish scale. 3 of them weighed 33 or 34 lbs. One that was a trade in weighed 31.5. I have no idea what these usually weigh filled, but I am thinking that I should watch the weight so I can tell if one is leaking. I can also check the weight after they are filled by local companies until I get a feel for who fills it the best. Any thoughts on this? not all empty tanks weigh the same. on the collar you will see stamped somewhere, "TW XX.X" that will be the tare weight, or what the bottle itself weighs. on new tanks this can range from 16.6 to 19.1 that i've seen. old tanks can weigh significantly more. take your tare weigh and add 20 lbs (for a 20 lbs cylinder of course) and you'll have what the tank should weigh full. also keep in mind that the OPD valve may cut off before it gets a full 20 lbs in it. ETA: to know for any size bottle, add the tare weight of the bottle and use this chart to cross reference "WC." "WC" (also stamped on the collar) stands for water capacity and indicates how many pounds of water the cylinder will hold. the chart tells you how many pounds of propane goes in that size bottle http://www.propane101.com/images/cylinder-filling-chart.jpg thanks! |
| Been filling the 100#ers, for our cabin, at U-Haul. We have two that we cycle through. When I called around, there were cheaper there than any of the local propane places. They have a price break for 'large" tanks...maybe after the first 25#s. Most of the time they will not refill it in the pickup, but its no problem to tilt over and slide back into the bed when filled. |