Wow! I have been naive! Here's what I've learned. We are a gullible lot! Don't read everything every propane dealer/website tells you!
First, understand the OPD or Overfill Protection Device they've put in small propane tanks. Propane dealers really can't fill the tanks all the way. But they can make up stories about them. I have not filled these tanks myself, so I can't tell you exactly how full they can actually get them. Having fueled propane cars, and having a little concept of physics, I do know how. But the propane dealers won't/can't legally trust me to even be near them. I suppose there's a chance a propane dealer could scam you if they wanted to. But in my limited experience the dealers I've had fill mine by the gallon have given me more than they charged for. Unless they're basing their prices on tank exchange prices. In that case they're just plain robbing me! More on that later. It does make sense they would take an arbitrary number that's a bit more than safe and stick with it. That seems to be 75 or 80% full. As I have time I'll see if I can work it out and give some real stats, at least for my new Manchester 30lb tanks. I suspect its more like 90% since they used to fill to 85% before they got greedy.
One web site I read says, "When filling a propane bottle equipped with an OPD valve, the flow of gas stops immediately when the overfill protection mechanism closes. This is extremely hard on a propane dispensing pump resulting in more repairs and pump overhauls which can be quite expensive. The propane industry spends more money than they save as a result of the OPD valve requirement." I believe a 'propane dispensing pump' is a bit like 'blinker fluid'. It's simple boiling liquid vs. low pressure that transfers the propane from a liquid tank (high pressure) to an empty (low pressure) tank. Maybe bleed a little pressure off in the form of vapor (propane boils at -43.6?F) to allow more liquid in. It's not rocket science unless you ignite it...
I've seen on the all knowing interwebs that you can mess with these things, but I'm going to say 'don't do it'. Some safety devices are smarter than others. OPDs on propane tanks? Um... yeah. LP gas is nasty serious stuff when it gets loose. Let's be serious about it. Learn how the OPD works and how it might mess you up if you get too full, and how to fix it safely if you do. Or leave it alone and take it back to who filled it and you'll be fine! I ran into it with a brand new tank's first fill. So yeah, it's maybe good to know how to fix it. Seek OPD info on the interwebs and you shall receive.
Something you should also be aware of is they can only refill tanks up to 12 years old, then they have to be recycled or tested and reconditioned, and that gives them another 5 years. With that they can be re-dated and they'll have an 'E' added to the date to indicate the extension. Apparently you might find some with 'EE' which means they've been recertified twice and they could be something more than 22 years old. So if you're buying a tank, check the date!
I've been burning Blue Rhino and other brands of propane tank exchanges like crazy. Come to realize, I'm paying about 3 times what I should be. And When a tank only lasts a few days, it's a PITA to change them out so often.
So Blue Rhino labels their tanks 'Net 15 lbs'. At 4.2 lbs per gallon, that's 3.57 gallons. For around $21.00 each. That's $5.88 a gallon. It's also 75% full.
Tractor Supply Company, about 25 miles away, has propane for $2.09/gallon! They also fill them to 80%. I got a new 30lb tank from them and had them fill a 20lb tank as well. The 30lb tank had trouble pushing pressure at first. I did ask them to fill them as full as they could. I think bleeding the air from the 30 pounder the first time put it over the edge into trouble with the OPD.
Now I get propane is a market. It's price can be as volatile as the fuel. The hardware or tractor store you buy from might have locked in a rate by signing a contract for a period of months. It's a risky business for them. If they get burned by prices that sucks for them. They deserve a little reward if they're smart and they catch a nice windfall, so I'll give them my patience if they treat me honestly. I also get that each time they attach a tank they're doing work and wearing on their equipment. If they want to charge a reasonable per-tank fee I'm cool with that if they're up-front. All that's in an ideal world of good people dealing with good people. Right.
The reality, I think, is they almost all base their prices on that ridiculous tank exchange price of over $5.50 a gallon. They're making a killing if they sell much of it. Try phoning a hardware store that sells propane and challenge them with the numbers. You'll get an impatient, 'no, we don't price match on propane', especially if you're in a metro area. They don't care.
So how to get the best deal? Have an RV with a tank over 60 gallons or something. (That'd be 250 lbs. or 17 20lb-but-really-15lb exchange tanks or so.) Yeah, no.
But you'll likely have a little better luck with 30 or 40 lb tanks if you can. Get out of the exchange tank rat race. You can get even bigger, but that might be getting to the point of too-heavy-to-handle. Seek prices outside metro areas. I drove about 50 miles round trip to get 9 gallons. (I think he gave me more like 9 1/2 and said 9.) Assume my gas-eating machine gets 16mpg combined city/highway ($8.90 for gas) I saved over $34 in gas in chase for that $2.09/gal price. Hell, assume the federal tax rate of 57.5? a mile ($28.75) I saved $24.17. I'm going to buy a second 30lb tank and take 3 of my 4 20lb tanks to fill in the future (leaving one to run things). That'll make that price mighty worth the trip.
Meanwhile, I'll be calling around pestering other suppliers in the area to see if I can find one that's reasonable. The more of us that do that, the more likely it is they'll stop using the tank exchange prices as their reference price. I'll also be looking for places like farmer coops and coop fuel stations, farm supply, and small-town hardware stores that carry propane that I think are going to be more likely to treat their customers right.
So I found Tractor Supply Company. Post any others you find that charge less than $18 for 15lbs of propane!
Oh, yeah. One last bit. Why do they sell 20 foot + campers with ONE 20lb propane tank? Because they can, I suppose.
First, understand the OPD or Overfill Protection Device they've put in small propane tanks. Propane dealers really can't fill the tanks all the way. But they can make up stories about them. I have not filled these tanks myself, so I can't tell you exactly how full they can actually get them. Having fueled propane cars, and having a little concept of physics, I do know how. But the propane dealers won't/can't legally trust me to even be near them. I suppose there's a chance a propane dealer could scam you if they wanted to. But in my limited experience the dealers I've had fill mine by the gallon have given me more than they charged for. Unless they're basing their prices on tank exchange prices. In that case they're just plain robbing me! More on that later. It does make sense they would take an arbitrary number that's a bit more than safe and stick with it. That seems to be 75 or 80% full. As I have time I'll see if I can work it out and give some real stats, at least for my new Manchester 30lb tanks. I suspect its more like 90% since they used to fill to 85% before they got greedy.
One web site I read says, "When filling a propane bottle equipped with an OPD valve, the flow of gas stops immediately when the overfill protection mechanism closes. This is extremely hard on a propane dispensing pump resulting in more repairs and pump overhauls which can be quite expensive. The propane industry spends more money than they save as a result of the OPD valve requirement." I believe a 'propane dispensing pump' is a bit like 'blinker fluid'. It's simple boiling liquid vs. low pressure that transfers the propane from a liquid tank (high pressure) to an empty (low pressure) tank. Maybe bleed a little pressure off in the form of vapor (propane boils at -43.6?F) to allow more liquid in. It's not rocket science unless you ignite it...
I've seen on the all knowing interwebs that you can mess with these things, but I'm going to say 'don't do it'. Some safety devices are smarter than others. OPDs on propane tanks? Um... yeah. LP gas is nasty serious stuff when it gets loose. Let's be serious about it. Learn how the OPD works and how it might mess you up if you get too full, and how to fix it safely if you do. Or leave it alone and take it back to who filled it and you'll be fine! I ran into it with a brand new tank's first fill. So yeah, it's maybe good to know how to fix it. Seek OPD info on the interwebs and you shall receive.
Something you should also be aware of is they can only refill tanks up to 12 years old, then they have to be recycled or tested and reconditioned, and that gives them another 5 years. With that they can be re-dated and they'll have an 'E' added to the date to indicate the extension. Apparently you might find some with 'EE' which means they've been recertified twice and they could be something more than 22 years old. So if you're buying a tank, check the date!
I've been burning Blue Rhino and other brands of propane tank exchanges like crazy. Come to realize, I'm paying about 3 times what I should be. And When a tank only lasts a few days, it's a PITA to change them out so often.
So Blue Rhino labels their tanks 'Net 15 lbs'. At 4.2 lbs per gallon, that's 3.57 gallons. For around $21.00 each. That's $5.88 a gallon. It's also 75% full.
Tractor Supply Company, about 25 miles away, has propane for $2.09/gallon! They also fill them to 80%. I got a new 30lb tank from them and had them fill a 20lb tank as well. The 30lb tank had trouble pushing pressure at first. I did ask them to fill them as full as they could. I think bleeding the air from the 30 pounder the first time put it over the edge into trouble with the OPD.
Now I get propane is a market. It's price can be as volatile as the fuel. The hardware or tractor store you buy from might have locked in a rate by signing a contract for a period of months. It's a risky business for them. If they get burned by prices that sucks for them. They deserve a little reward if they're smart and they catch a nice windfall, so I'll give them my patience if they treat me honestly. I also get that each time they attach a tank they're doing work and wearing on their equipment. If they want to charge a reasonable per-tank fee I'm cool with that if they're up-front. All that's in an ideal world of good people dealing with good people. Right.
The reality, I think, is they almost all base their prices on that ridiculous tank exchange price of over $5.50 a gallon. They're making a killing if they sell much of it. Try phoning a hardware store that sells propane and challenge them with the numbers. You'll get an impatient, 'no, we don't price match on propane', especially if you're in a metro area. They don't care.
So how to get the best deal? Have an RV with a tank over 60 gallons or something. (That'd be 250 lbs. or 17 20lb-but-really-15lb exchange tanks or so.) Yeah, no.
But you'll likely have a little better luck with 30 or 40 lb tanks if you can. Get out of the exchange tank rat race. You can get even bigger, but that might be getting to the point of too-heavy-to-handle. Seek prices outside metro areas. I drove about 50 miles round trip to get 9 gallons. (I think he gave me more like 9 1/2 and said 9.) Assume my gas-eating machine gets 16mpg combined city/highway ($8.90 for gas) I saved over $34 in gas in chase for that $2.09/gal price. Hell, assume the federal tax rate of 57.5? a mile ($28.75) I saved $24.17. I'm going to buy a second 30lb tank and take 3 of my 4 20lb tanks to fill in the future (leaving one to run things). That'll make that price mighty worth the trip.
Meanwhile, I'll be calling around pestering other suppliers in the area to see if I can find one that's reasonable. The more of us that do that, the more likely it is they'll stop using the tank exchange prices as their reference price. I'll also be looking for places like farmer coops and coop fuel stations, farm supply, and small-town hardware stores that carry propane that I think are going to be more likely to treat their customers right.
So I found Tractor Supply Company. Post any others you find that charge less than $18 for 15lbs of propane!
Oh, yeah. One last bit. Why do they sell 20 foot + campers with ONE 20lb propane tank? Because they can, I suppose.
