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A first for us (propane)


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We have purchased propane from coast to coast and many places in between. Today, in a little town in New York, we encountered what is, for us, a first. The one local dedicated LP service company doesn't fill small tanks (we have two 30 pounders on our fifth wheel) - they only deliver to homes and businesses. We were referred to the one agricultural supply in town who does fill our types of tanks. Halfway through the transaction, I was informed that they only fill for a flat fee - regardless of how much LP it takes to fill the tank. So, for 2/3 of a 30 pound tank, we paid $18. We decided to chalk it up to a learning experience and move on. Has anyone else experienced this and, if so, how common is it?

 

Rob

2012 F350 CC LB DRW 6.7
2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes, solar, DP windows
Full-time since 8/2015

 

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You paid $18 for 20 pounds . I just paid $15 to have a 20 pound tank filled . It was as close to completely empty as possible . I say the scale read a touch over 37 pounds .

 

As for the flat rate thing , I've heard about it , but have never had to deal with it .

Goes around , comes around .

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The flat fee based upon the size of tank is not uncommon. In the nearest town to us there are two propane suppliers, one who sells by the gallon and one fee for tank size. There are also some locations that exchange your bottle for a full one for a fee.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Rob,

The flat rate thing is not "uncommon" but I've only ran into it a couple of times. I only fill my tanks when completely empty but I'm not a fan of the flat rate. Dennis

Trailer: Montana 5th wheel, model 3582Rl, model year 2012

 

Truck: Ford 450 PSD Super Duty, 2002 Crew Cab, Long bed, 4:88 rear end, last of the 7.3 engines, Automatic Transmission.

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That practice is far more common East of the Mississippi I'm afraid. As others have suggested, don't take your tanks in to be filled until empty.. but whatever you do.. DO NOT get involved with the suggested "tank exchange" programs! That is the biggest scam since bottled water.

 

Ie., you're exchanging for an "unknown" tank.. paying for a 20# fill.. however you're really only going to get.. at most.. 16#'s of fuel and "some" of those tanks are going to have proprietary valves that are unfillable outside of the exchange program.

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That practice is far more common East of the Mississippi I'm afraid. As others have suggested, don't take your tanks in to be filled until empty.. but whatever you do.. DO NOT get involved with the suggested "tank exchange" programs! That is the biggest scam since bottled water.

 

Ie., you're exchanging for an "unknown" tank.. paying for a 20# fill.. however you're really only going to get.. at most.. 16#'s of fuel and "some" of those tanks are going to have proprietary valves that are unfillable outside of the exchange program.

 

Don't worry - I know better than to get into a tank exchange "scheme." My tanks are only a little over a year old, look like new, certified/industry standard, and a perfect fit for my RV. I'm not about to swap for anything else.

 

Rob

2012 F350 CC LB DRW 6.7
2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes, solar, DP windows
Full-time since 8/2015

 

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I have come across the same thing with them charging just a flat fee regardless of how much propane they put into it. I think it is total BS as it RIPS OFF the consumer. But if they tell you about it upfront then it is buyer beware.

2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear

2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3

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This to me is one of the advantages of trailer and 5th wheels. You have 2 tanks and don't need to fill until you switch over. We have encountered, on a very infrequent basis, the flat fee. Since we would only fill an empty tank it made no difference to us.

 

The motor home is a worry with only one tank. If there were reliable gauges it wouldn't be too bad. We have a differential between our 2 gauges(inside and on tank) of 1/4 of a tank. We use the lowest one to plan our refills. We are also finding out the MH is more difficult to get filled by a park. The tank is on the driver side and most don't have long enough hoses. We now fill up at a propane dealer but call first.

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This to me is one of the advantages of trailer and 5th wheels. You have 2 tanks and don't need to fill until you switch over. We have encountered, on a very infrequent basis, the flat fee. Since we would only fill an empty tank it made no difference to us.

 

The motor home is a worry with only one tank. If there were reliable gauges it wouldn't be too bad. We have a differential between our 2 gauges(inside and on tank) of 1/4 of a tank. We use the lowest one to plan our refills. We are also finding out the MH is more difficult to get filled by a park. The tank is on the driver side and most don't have long enough hoses. We now fill up at a propane dealer but call first.

 

Making sure we had enough in the MH tank was always a concern . Once I installed an 'extend a stay' type extra tank ( 20 # ) , we run off the little tank until empty . Switch to the MH tank until the little tank is refilled and then switch back to the little tank . The MH tank is basically a reserve . I'm about to refill the MH tank for the first time in over 2 years . It's down to about 1/3 tank after using it part of the winter before the little tank came into play . IIRC , there was about 2/3 in the MH tank at that time .

 

Anyway , I guess we've been fortunate to not have to deal with the flat rate dealers . It wouldn't make much difference to us , but ...

Goes around , comes around .

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Yes the midwest will take your money as I have paid as much as $ 40 for a 40 # tank fill. On a Motor home, Menard's will fill the on-broad tank on a per gallon charge but in individual tanks are flat rate.

Clay & Marcie Too old to play in the snow

Diesel pusher and previously 2 FW and small Class C

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Why is propane figured in lbs but is sold by the gallon ? I always carry a 3rd tank so my fittings aren't left in the open for a bug to crawl into.

Jim Spence

2000 Dodge 3500 1 ton QC 4x4 dually 5.9 diesel LB

BD exhaust brake, 6 spd manual trans

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That practice is far more common East of the Mississippi I'm afraid. As others have suggested, don't take your tanks in to be filled until empty.. but whatever you do.. DO NOT get involved with the suggested "tank exchange" programs! That is the biggest scam since bottled water.

 

Ie., you're exchanging for an "unknown" tank.. paying for a 20# fill.. however you're really only going to get.. at most.. 16#'s of fuel and "some" of those tanks are going to have proprietary valves that are unfillable outside of the exchange program.

 

A few years ago when I was still in the s&b I took a 20# to the hardware to get filled. The guy said the certification on the bottle was about to expire and I should do an exchange next time to avoid buying a new bottle.

 

Jeff :)

Tina and Jeff

Class of 2011

"RV there yet?"

2005 Gulfstream Endura

and a 1987 Jeep Wrangler

 

http://rvtravelswith...a.blogspot.com/

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...Today, in a little town in New York, we encountered what is, for us, a first. The one local dedicated LP service company doesn't fill small tanks (we have two 30 pounders on our fifth wheel) - they only deliver to homes and businesses...Has anyone else experienced this and, if so, how common is it?...

We have encountered this a number of times in various locations across the country. Some distributors/wholesalers do not even have a small tank filling station. Some may only have a person to answer the phone, take orders, etc., with the other employees out making deliveries. A few that I have talked to have said that they do not want to undercut their wholesale customers that are resellers.

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A few years ago when I was still in the s&b I took a 20# to the hardware to get filled. The guy said the certification on the bottle was about to expire and I should do an exchange next time to avoid buying a new bottle

 

I'm not sure what type of exchange the folks you mentioned was talking about. There WAS an exchange program a few years ago where you could take your old model valve tank in for a "new one" (recycled tank with a new valve stem), or the "exchange system" where you take your old tank in and change it out for a "compliant" pre-filled tank.

 

Prices are relative, but in the pre-filled tank exchange program.. basically how they "getcha" is... if you were to take a standard tank to be filled it would run you around $12 for a full 20# tank. In the tank exchange you would switch out an empty tank for a filled one.. at around $15 a pop.. but you'll probably only get around 16# of fuel for your trouble. For a backyard barbecue person that burns a tank a year that's no skin off their nose, but for us.. loosing $6 of the good stuff PER fill.. over the course of the year can translate into a $50-$60 loss. Dual tank that up and the price tag get's a little extravagant, IMO. Talk about a fuel surcharge.

 

I dunno about you. but I can eat pretty darn good for more than a few days on 100 bones. ;) That's pretty much my monthly budget.

 

Not to mention that in the empty/"full" tank exchange program you'll be stuck driving longer distances finding a vendor within the program.. but don't bet your life on it when you'll really need one.

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Yarome has the same feelings I do about the "one price deal" as I do. Mainly mid part of US on east. Propane is strange beast. Here in Yuma, AZ. the Ferrell gas and Amerigas outlets don't really want the re-fill business so they price it high and very limited pump hours, hoping you go elsewhere and they don't have to get off there butt from behind the desk. Another great thing about propane in Arizona is they must have the price posted outside somewhere just like gas stations so you know what the rate is before you get blind-sided at the checkout counter. One of the few products in most places that you buy and you have no idea what the product costs. In Kalispell, MT. Northern Propane even has Terrific Tuesdays that knock down the gallon price. I believe in Texas that the Texas Railroad Commission is the grand poobah regulating propane refill. Now talk about something left over from "The Good Old Boy Network"!

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I'm not sure what type of exchange the folks you mentioned was talking about. There WAS an exchange program a few years ago where you could take your old model valve tank in for a "new one" (recycled tank with a new valve stem), or the "exchange system" where you take your old tank in and change it out for a "compliant" pre-filled tank.

 

 

Take your "old" tank that is out of date to a Blue Rhino and basicly trade your old tank for a new one. Then you can go where ever to get it filled when it gets empty.

 

Jeff :)

Tina and Jeff

Class of 2011

"RV there yet?"

2005 Gulfstream Endura

and a 1987 Jeep Wrangler

 

http://rvtravelswith...a.blogspot.com/

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Take your "old" tank that is out of date to a Blue Rhino and basicly trade your old tank for a new one. Then you can go where ever to get it filled when it gets empty.

 

Jeff :)

 

That^ .

 

Maybe everyone knows this : A 20# tank weighs 20#s or very close to it , empty .

 

AFAIK , if you read the collar of the tank , it will tell you that that 20# tank is considered full when 17#s of propane is added . Kirk is correct in the next post : all propane tanks are considered full when filled to 80% capacity .

 

From what I've seen , Blue Rhino exchange offers a currently certified tank with 15#s of propane . That is posted on the front of their exchange cage , along with a price .

 

I'll give up 2#s of gas and about 3 bucks extra for a certified tank that I can have filled anywhere else that does tank fillings . All that at my convenience and not having to find a place that does certifications and paying for it .

 

As for not knowing the price of propane until you reach the cashier , that is simply the customer not asking prior to having the tank filled . I always ask before , because I don't have more money than I know what to do with . ;)

Goes around , comes around .

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Why is propane figured in lbs but is sold by the gallon ? I always carry a 3rd tank so my fittings aren't left in the open for a bug to crawl into.

Actually, the way that propane is measured depends upon what it is put into. The removable DOT bottles on trailer type RVs are rated to hold a specified number of pounds of propane and the proper way to know when the tank is full is to look for the filled weight that is stamped into the metal and set the tank on a scale and fill it to the stated weight. The tanks are only filled to 80% of capacity. While some vendors still measure those propane fills in gallons, the proper fill is by weight and the law requires it be that way.

 

On the other hand, the ASME, fixed propane tanks that are found in motorized RVs and also the tanks found at houses which are permanently installed are all filled from a meter system to the manufacturer's stated volume in gallons, but also at 80% capacity. Those are regulated under a different set of rules than are those on RV trailers. Actually all portable propane cylinders are under the DOT rules and are rated in pounds of propane and not gallons and are filled by weight.

 

If you take your removable RV bottles to a Flying J, Love's, or most propane suppliers like Suburban, America Gas, or other companies, almost all of them will sell the propane by the gallon, even when they fill the cylinder by weight using a scale.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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A few years ago when I was still in the s&b I took a 20# to the hardware to get filled. The guy said the certification on the bottle was about to expire and I should do an exchange next time to avoid buying a new bottle.

 

Jeff :)

There was a place in TX that told me to recertify a tank was like $10.

2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear

2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3

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. While some vendors still measure those propane fills in gallons, the proper fill is by weight and the law requires it be that way.

 

 

Depends on where you are, Kirk. I RV primarily in the western states and I've yet to see a scale at a propane fill station. Using the 80% bleed valve is pretty much universal.

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Depends on where you are, Kirk. I RV primarily in the western states and I've yet to see a scale at a propane fill station. Using the 80% bleed valve is pretty much universal.

I should have said that some states have laws which require it done that way. In addition to the federal regulations of both DOT & ASME tanks, all except 8 states have additional laws which regulate the refilling of them and many cities and other political entities do as well. In general propane is more restricted in the eastern states than the west, probably because there is less common use of it.

 

I'll not debate what you have seen but scales are still used in many states including here in Texas.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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