16 replies to this topic

[MikeDahlager]

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

[Desert Rancher]

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.

[Barko1]

Never used an exchange, I guess they are more convenient for some but you pay heavily for that.

[leadsled9]

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.

[pods8]

I was aware, been refilling the same tanks for 6years.

[Phird05]

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! I then started taking it to a local RV park, and pay far less.

Live n Learn!

[MikeDahlager]

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! 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.

[pods8]

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

I pay by the gallon at mine.

[MarkBC]

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

[Barko1]

They are n'tsupposed to fill over the 80%. I have a 500 gal. tank (not on the camper , 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