Not licensed for motorhome propane?

[DonTom]

At the Chevron Gas Station in Ely, NV, behind the station where there are a bunch of RVs, there is a propane fill station.

I parked my motorhome there and went inside and asked to get my motorhome propane tank filled. I was told they are NOT licensed for motorhomes, just portable tanks.

This was the first I heard of such.

Is a propane license needed to fill the portable tanks, or is no license necessary for that? Or are there two types of propane licenses? Or was I being BSed for some reason?

I realize this could be a NV state law or whatever, but I have gotten propane countless times in Nevada before and this is the first time I heard of needing a different propane license for motorhomes.

BTW, there are two places to get propane for motorhomes in Ely. The KOA and the C-A-L Ranch store. I went to the latter. So no problem, just a curiosity.

-Don- Bean Flat, NV

 

[Martian]

Being that on board tanks cannot be filled by weight the supplier must be trained/certified to be able to fill them. Same here in SC and was the same in NY.

 

[boatbuilder1]

I know that at the BJ's in Sarasota, FL they have a sign that states they can not fill any tanks larger than 30lb portable tanks.

 

[DonTom]

Being that on board tanks cannot be filled by weight the supplier must be trained/certified to be able to fill them. Same here in SC and was the same in NY.

I know that at the BJ's in Sarasota, FL they have a sign that states they can not fill any tanks larger than 30lb portable tanks.

Does this mean they do not require any training /certification/ license at all for filling the portable tanks for the public?

-Don- Bean Flat, NV

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Regs vary widely from state-to-state, and even county to county, or larger cities. And then there are the rules the facility's insurer might lay on the business owner. Any sign you see or a statement from an attendant could well be an over-simplification or misinterpretation.

It's fairly common for there to be some required safety training for dispensing propane. But there are also places that simply don't want to bother. For most stores, dispensing propane is strictly a customer service to attract more business and not a profit-making endeavor. Insurance costs alone likely assure that.

 

[DonTom]

For most stores, dispensing propane is strictly a customer service to attract more business and not a profit-making endeavor. Insurance costs alone likely assure that.

I don't see why they cannot adjust the price to make some profit.

But a county worker I met at a gas station in Baker, NV told me the reason why nobody there sells propane, yet many RVs go though there.

I was told by him , nobody there wants to bother with propane sales.

IMO, most motorhomes will just get propane and not bother with anything else they sell, as I did yesterday at Cal-Ranch.

-Don- Bean Flat, NV

 

[LarsMac]

The Dino station up the road is the only place in the county with Propane, and the manager won't allow any of the employees to fill Propane tanks. We have to call ahead and set an appointment for when he will be there.

 

[John From Detroit]

On a guess the "Not licensed" store does not have the needed fitting.
IT is easier to blame the government than the owner who did not buy the coupler.

 

[DonTom]

On a guess the "Not licensed" store does not have the needed fitting.
IT is easier to blame the government than the owner who did not buy the coupler.

I carry one of those adapters in each of my RVs as I have been to several places that did not have the motorhome adapter.

I did mention at the Chevron Station that I did have my own propane adapter. That didn't make any difference to them.

FWIW, it has been mostly Cheverton stations where I have had the issue with them not having the correct adapter for motorhomes.

-Don- Kingston Campground, NV

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I don't see why they cannot adjust the price to make some profit.

It's a high-overhead service, so it's not a matter of an extra $0.25/gal. You have to buy and find a place for a 300-500 gallon storage tank plus a high pressure, explosion-proof pump with a scale or certified fuel meter and the associated power source. Fire regs in most places require it to be enclosed in a safety fence and away from other buildings too. And adding propane service to your business will increase your insurance costs at least a few $thousand/year and likely much more in metro areas.Then you need safety-trained staff and it take 20 minutes of the worker's time to fill a 10-40 lb portable tank. Motorhome tank fills usually eat up more time (and space) simply due to vehicle maneuvering. And a few minutes more at the check-out counter.

Stores can make it more cost-effective by batching refills, e.g. one or two days per week, reducing the labor cost to a couple hours/week.

 

[DonTom]

It's a high-overhead service, so it's not a matter of an extra $0.25/gal.

Is it even possible for them to make some profit on propane after a few years? It sure does sound like it is not worth the trouble.

I can now well understand why not many will bother with it.

I now question why anybody does.

-Don- Kingston Campground, NV

 

[RayIN]

The family-owned LP business that owns and fills my 1,000G LP tank at home also filled my MH 40G tank. He retired, sold the business. The new owner is a state-wide business, I've no clue if they will fill my MH tank, so I'll depend on getting it re-filled at PFJ in the future. Although, their LP personell are kinda sloppy.
The last time it was filled at PFJ the young man filled my tank, then filled 3 20# cylinders for another man. He didn't turn off the pump between customers and never gave me any gallonage figure to give to the register clerk.
(trained personnel_right)

 

[Lou Schneider]

At the Chevron Gas Station in Ely, NV, behind the station where there are a bunch of RVs, there is a propane fill station.

I parked my motorhome there and went inside and asked to get my motorhome propane tank filled. I was told they are NOT licensed for motorhomes, just portable tanks.

This was the first I heard of such.

Is a propane license needed to fill the portable tanks, or is no license necessary for that? Or are there two types of propane licenses? Or was I being BSed for some reason?

I realize this could be a NV state law or whatever, but I have gotten propane countless times in Nevada before and this is the first time I heard of needing a different propane license for motorhomes.

BTW, there are two places to get propane for motorhomes in Ely. The KOA and the C-A-L Ranch store. I went to the latter. So no problem, just a curiosity.

-Don- Bean Flat, NV

Nevada doesn't differentiate between filling a motorhome or a portable tank. Both are filled by volume until the 80% bleeder starts spitting liquid fuel.

 

[NY_Dutch]

It's a high-overhead service, so it's not a matter of an extra $0.25/gal. You have to buy and find a place for a 300-500 gallon storage tank plus a high pressure, explosion-proof pump with a scale or certified fuel meter and the associated power source. Fire regs in most places require it to be enclosed in a safety fence and away from other buildings too. And adding propane service to your business will increase your insurance costs at least a few $thousand/year and likely much more in metro areas.Then you need safety-trained staff and it take 20 minutes of the worker's time to fill a 10-40 lb portable tank. Motorhome tank fills usually eat up more time (and space) simply due to vehicle maneuvering. And a few minutes more at the check-out counter.

Stores can make it more cost-effective by batching refills, e.g. one or two days per week, reducing the labor cost to a couple hours/week.

Most large LP distributors will equip businesses like gas stations with everything needed to refill what ever level of tanks they want to deal with. I don't know what the financial arrangements are though, beyond buying the LP from them.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Most large LP distributors will equip businesses like gas stations with everything needed to refill what ever level of tanks they want to deal with. I don't know what the financial arrangements are though, beyond buying the LP from them.

In our RV park the propane distributor gave us everything we needed. Tank, pump, meter, hoses, etc. He said our once a week filling sessions sold more propane than anyone else in Pahrump.

 

[NY_Dutch]

In our RV park the propane distributor gave us everything we needed. Tank, pump, meter, hoses, etc. He said our once a week filling sessions sold more propane than anyone else in Pahrump.

I wonder if they do something like prorating the LP price to the dealer depending on volume. There's a gun shop near me that gets their 500 gallon tank refilled about twice a year, while the gas station/refiller a few miles the other way, has two 5,000 gallon tanks and gets refilled about every week to ten days. It's not uncommon to see pickups and flat beds with a dozen or so 100 LB cylinders getting refilled at one of the two filling stations there.

 

[DonTom]

Nevada doesn't differentiate between filling a motorhome or a portable tank. Both are filled by volume until the 80% bleeder starts spitting liquid fuel.

Does that mean I was BSed?

I was thinking perhaps they want to save their propane for the permanent RV residents there.

This was at the Chevron Gas Station in Ely, NV which has a small RV park behind it on the east side of the building.

Their propane refill station is NOT where it can be seen from the front. But it will be seen if their public dump station is used and then you go around to make the turn easier.

-Don- Kingston Campground, NV

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Most large LP distributors will equip businesses like gas stations with everything needed to refill what ever level of tanks they want to deal with. I don't know what the financial arrangements are though, beyond buying the LP from them.

It has to be paid for somehow, whether built into the wholesale fuel price or as a direct expense to the retailer. Financial arrangements vary, and discounts for higher sales volumes are common in the fuel business. I suspect that a propane retailer that handles 3 thousand or so gallons/week can be profitable. Enough volume to have a full time pump jockey and to amortize the equipment.

Nevada doesn't differentiate between filling a motorhome or a portable tank. Both are filled by volume until the 80% bleeder starts spitting liquid fuel.

Many states allow fill-by-weight (scaled) or fill-by-volume (metered and using the 80% "spitter" valve). Fill-by-weight works for portable (DOT) bottles that have a certified weight, but fixed (ASME) tanks can only be filled by volume. Portable bottles can also be filled by volume. Generally the retailer can charge by the amount of propane sold or have a fixed charged based on the rated tank size. A fixed charge lets the retailer get paid for the cost of providing and dispensing the fuel, which is often a greater expense than the propane itself. If you get many customers who just top off a 20# bottle, adding only 1-2 gallons, a fixed refill fee makes sense.