Propane Bottles

MikeDahlager

MikeDahlager

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2010
Messages
123
Location
Spokane, WA
I'm sure many of you already know this................

While I was preparing for my annual Elk hunting trip I was checking on my 3 propane bottles. I found that I had 1-20# bottle which was empty, one about 1/2 full and one about 3/4 full. Up to this time I always did an exchange of bottles at the grocery store at $19.00/ bottle. Since I had the 2 bottles with product still in them I decided to drive a couple of extra miles to the gas company and have all 3 of them filled. While the bottles were being filled I was talking to the guy filling them and found out that the bottles you get in exchange are only filled to 15#, not the 20# I assumed I was getting. He said that all exchange bottles are only filled to 15#. I sat down with my calculator and discovered that I have been paying twice the going rate for propane in exchange for the convenience of swapping bottles. In addition, when using propane as the primary source of heat and cooking you want to have full bottles to begin with as the nearest source can be many miles away.

I will be filling my present bottles from now on rather than doing an exchange.

Mike
 
Yup.

LPG weighs 4.25 pounds/gallon.

The empty tank weight (tare weight or TW) is stamped on the tank collar.
A bathroom scale and a little calculation will tell you how much propane is in the tank.
 
I wasn't aware that we were getting cheated each time we exchanged a tank. That's the last time I'll do that unless my tank is pretty old and hosed....and I just want a better tank.

Of coarse the only tanks I could exchange are the ones for the bbq at home...as the camper tank is a special horizontal tank. The standard tanks cost about $25....where as the horizontal ones are $180.
 
I was aware, been refilling the same tanks for 6years.


I too, have used the exchange system occasionally, but I have a 30lb horizontal bottle in my Hallmark and have to fill that every time. I know the flat fee for the exchange program is a rip off, no matter how full they get it. The one thing I have found out however, is the places I fill my camper bottle all have stated no one totally fills any bottle. They say they have to allow for expansion. Most have told me they fill them to roughly 85-90%. Regardless, the filling vendors are only charging you for what they put in the tank and aren't building a flat rate mark up into the tank like the exchange programs. I have also found that RV vendors charge less than the "Gas Company" vendors. I had the gas company charge a flat rate of $33.00 to fill my 30lb tank even though it was not even close to empty! :eek: I then started taking it to a local RV park, and pay far less.

Live n Learn!
 
I too, have used the exchange system occasionally, but I have a 30lb horizontal bottle in my Hallmark and have to fill that every time. I know the flat fee for the exchange program is a rip off, no matter how full they get it. The one thing I have found out however, is the places I fill my camper bottle all have stated no one totally fills any bottle. They say they have to allow for expansion. Most have told me they fill them to roughly 85-90%. Regardless, the filling vendors are only charging you for what they put in the tank and aren't building a flat rate mark up into the tank like the exchange programs. I have also found that RV vendors charge less than the "Gas Company" vendors. I had the gas company charge a flat rate of $33.00 to fill my 30lb tank even though it was not even close to empty! :eek: I then started taking it to a local RV park, and pay far less.

Live n Learn!


I guess it depends on the vendor. Mine charges by the pound.
 
I guess it depends on the vendor. Mine charges by the pound.


I pay by the gallon at mine.
 
The (horizontal) tank in my FWC Hawk says to "fill no more than 80% full" or something like that. I think that's pretty standard.
I'm sure that most refill stations charge by the gallon -- just like gasoline. Every place I've had mine refilled is $/gal (currently $2.19/gal at my closest source).

I found this interesting and useful propane-fuel fundamentals link yesterday:
http://www.propaneca...om/propane.html
 
They are n'tsupposed to fill over the 80%. I have a 500 gal. tank (not on the camper :eek: , that can only get 400 and your really don't want it to ever go empty. In this climate I can go nearly 3 years without a refill :)
 
They are n'tsupposed to fill over the 80%. I have a 500 gal. tank (not on the camper
ohmy.gif
, that can only get 400 and your really don't want it to ever go empty. In this climate I can go nearly 3 years without a refill
smile.gif



Yeah...In that propane-facts link I posted above, in their explanations for tank-pressure, etc, they assume a tank filled no more than 80%...so there's probably a good reason why that's standard.
 
Yeah...In that propane-facts link I posted above, in their explanations for tank-pressure, etc, they assume a tank filled no more than 80%...so there's probably a good reason why that's standard.


There must be a "vapor area" in the tank (the 20%). If not, you wouldn't be able to use a good sized appliance without running short of vapor (gas). The liquid must have adequate space to vaporize in order to generate gaseous LPG so it can be delivered to the appliance.
 
I too have a bulk 250 gal. tank. Current price is $2.75 gal.
Was in Flagstaff last week, they pay around $2.25-2.50. Was told that in Nevada it is more than 3.25.
Course, it varies between summer/winter.

For small tanks, try welding supply shops as they tend to be lower than the corner gas station.

All of the current tanks (with the triangle shaped handle) have a float valve that shuts off around 80%, so the moron can't over fill it. I have been around too full tanks when they vent after sitting in the sun - and it scares ya.
 
Yeah, been to a few fires caused by overfilled propane tanks when I was with CDF. Why you can't refill a tank now unless it has an OPD (overfill prevention device).

I get my propane free.
 
You work for a company that receives bulk propane. They write hundreds of gallons thats vented normally in filling the tanks so a few gallons in my tank isn't noticeable. Unfortunately this may come to an end. We're going to convert over to batter powered forklifts in the near future. I'm sure a few propane lifts will remain but it probably spells then end of my freebies.
 
Well, 5 gallons of LPG is not that much compared to diesel we pay for....

I was in AZ last week. Gas was $.50 less/gal than Cali, but diesel was the same price. Lowest was $3.09 while gas was ~$2.55.
 
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