Do it Yourself: Re: [DIY] Re: LP Gas

19 February 2012

Re: [DIY] Re: LP Gas

I know I am late in replying here...but have read the reply from Jan Flood and her answers to you are correct as can be considering the question you ask. I too was once on LP gas...living out in the country where one coudl not get natural gas. In those early days the LP tank was already here on the property and was being rented by the former owners. I continued to rent it just because I didn't know much about LP gas at the time. While renting they had to keep up the maintence on the tank......which was nothing that I could see.

I did find the prepaid LP gas was cheaper if one prepaid. when LP gas was lower in price......but they also came out to top off my tank when I didn't want or need them to fill it at all and they went ahead and did it without my permission to do so and charged me at a high rate when the rates where high. It was my opinion they were just trying to get back at me for the pre-paid gas at a lower rate.

I felt they where takeing advantage of me and told them to back OFF ! I got pretty ticked off about it and told them to only come when I called them to come... as one can read the dail one's self on the LP tank and learn to know when it's time to call the company and tell them to get to you and fill it up. I didn't need them to fill my tank up or top it off without my permission to do so!!!! Just don't let them take advantage of you in this way.

If you intend to stay put on this property for many years and if you have the money up front to buy an LP tank instead of renting it ..then do that......if you don't find you can afford to pay for a big enough tank then rent it until you can........but no matter what you decide..... to rent or own..........don't allow them to fill your tank or top it off without your permission to do so.

----- Original Message -----

From: suzie

To: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 5:43 AM

Subject: Re: [DIY] Re: LP Gas

check with the companies, if you use a lot of LP they don't usually charge tank rental. and they do all upkeep on the tank.

----- Original Message -----

From: jworman

To: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 8:22 PM

Subject: [DIY] Re: LP Gas

--- In DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com, Charlie Rettberg <charlie.rettberg@...> wrote:
>
> GOOD AFTERNOON, DIY'ers!!
>
> We are looking at purchasing some rural land and building on it. I have
> been told that natural gas is not available in the area, so I am
> considering LP.
>
> Ultimately, we would like to cook, heat water, and have a backup generator
> for the well pump driven by the LP. We live in coastal SC; Hugo had power
> off in this area for a couple of weeks.
>
> My questions to this group are:
>
> What questions should I be asking about LP in general, and what questions
> do I need to ask of potential suppliers?
>
> Do I need to buy a tank, or are those generally rented? Assuming they are
> generally rented, what does rent usually run for an LP tank, and what sizes
> should I be focusing on for a family of 8 and about 2000 sq ft?
>
> --------
> Charlie Rettberg
> charlie.rettberg@...
>
> Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on
> your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make
> your paths straight.
>
I don't know the regulations in SC. I live in New Mexico, so things may be different. I tend to be an 'owner' when it comes to tanks. Propane, oxygen, acetylene, CO2, etc. Over the years I've saved a ton of money by owning.

We have 3 125 gal propane tanks. Our house does run on natural gas, but last year there was a colder than usual week, and the natural gas was shut off to some towns. Ours was one of those towns. We have a wood burner, but much of the house was pretty cold. That won't happen to us again. I put in a propane tank, feeding a small wall heater in the kitchen. The living room has the wood burner. We will be able to get through another cold snap.

One other 125 gal tank is being plumbed into the green house for winter heat.

The third tank is out by the well house. If the electricity goes out for any period of time, this tank will supply fuel to my Miller Bobcat (LP model) that has more than enough watts to power the well pump. When we have water, I can move the Bobcat near the house and use extension cords to power certain things. I haven't gone so far to install a transfer switch for the whole house.

It may be overkill, but peace of mind has a value too.

Often, the bigger the tank you have, the cheaper propane is. Here it's about $3.40 / gal for BBQ tanks. It gets down to $2.90 / gal for a tank 500 gals and up.