LPG Cylinder Swap

I bought the tanks and have them filled, why would you swap a new tank with another one? I bet the "grocery store" you swap it with doesn't give you a full tank.

One gallon of propane weighs 4.2 lbs. A 20 lb. tank should hold 4.7 gallons of propane. Most "exchange" places only fill them to 75% or about 3.6 gallons. Total rip off. I have mine FILLED locally rather than exchange them. You can feel the difference between a full 20 lb. tank and the 3/4 full ones they give you at the big box stores.

Reading a bit I see complaining about swapping and getting cheated, but then I also read the same of having them filled. Does anyone place a scale down at fillup?

I wouldn't want to swap out new cylinders for an unknown one...

We have a propane business not far from us. I'd go there for now. I wondered about other times such as when you are out all summer, which we are looking forward to doing. The grocery store sure would be convenient... As an aside I'm wondering about filling our grill's cylinder there now that I'm thinking about it, rather than swapping it (15 lbs for about $15). I'll be sure to weigh it just to see from now on.

The standard bbq tank are 20# tanks and commonplace on many RVs. When they are exchanged they are not fully filled and will contain 15# or thereabouts. We always have them filled where propane is available, but over the last dozen years we have run dangerously low on a Sunday or where there was no propane refill service in the vicinity which resulted in using the exchange method.

On both occasions exchanges were from Walmart and their low everyday pricing was within a couple of dollars of what 15# of propane would have cost at our local propane company. I don't fret the small stuff, exchanged tanks were in better condition, we were able to stock up on supplies, and on both accounts, we were able to continue our extended off the grid trips without issue.

Some people think exchange tanks are a rip off? Try my local propane supplier.
They charge the same price to top off a partially depleted tank as they do to refill a completely empty tank. I like to start a trip with two full propane tanks. However I always wait until I find a propane dealer that charges by the gallon to refill a partially used tank. Shop local.......not in my home area.

3oaks wrote:
They charge the same price to top off a partially depleted tank as they do to refill a completely empty tank.

That's to discourage people wanting a half-gallon 'fill up'.

How much is partially depleted to you?

You're definitely better off getting your tank refilled somewhere that charges by the gallon. I have 2 30# tanks on the rig and also carry a 20# bottle for the grill. o always have enough propane on hand to be able to wait until I find the most economical way to refill them.

3oaks wrote:
Some people think exchange tanks are a rip off? Try my local propane supplier.
They charge the same price to top off a partially depleted tank as they do to refill a completely empty tank. I like to start a trip with two full propane tanks. However I always wait until I find a propane dealer that charges by the gallon to refill a partially used tank. Shop local.......not in my home area.

My local refiller keeps legitimately full 20# cylinders on-hand. So I'm exchanging, but for a full tank. $20 versus $30 at Lowe's for a 3/4 full tank.

It is not all cut and dried ! The capacity of a cylinder will vary with the temperature at the fill site . Can you imagine the problems with filling a semi-truck with cylinders in New Jersey winter and trucking them to South Florida . fifteen percent expansion is not uncommon . They are trucked all over the nation . Twenty percent of the interior must be left for expansion in swap situations .