We were camping at Killbear Provincial Park recently. It's a park we routinely go to and there is store just outside the park that sells the usual supplies including refilling of propane tanks. I was disappointed to find out that the owner had gotten rid of his refill service.When I asked him about it he told me that the cost of getting the required licence and the cost of the liability insurance was prohibitive as he simply did not sell enough to justify the cost.This concerns me that it might be an indication of where the industry is going. We have no problem getting our tanks refilled in major centres, but I wonder if finding refill stations is going to get harder and harder.Also I bought a small 10 lb tank for my BBQ. Those are not available at exchange locations.FYI

I've always found refills hard to find in the areas I like to camp in as well. The only time I'll exchange is when a tank is expiring or the valve starts acting up.I wonder are refilling stations more common in the west, or the south?

In California nearly every equipment rental yard will ReFill your tanks.

Joseph T wrote:When I asked him about it he told me that the cost of getting the required licence and the cost of the liability insurance was prohibitive as he simply did not sell enough to justify the cost.This concerns me that it might be an indication of where the industry is going.Also I bought a small 10 lb tank for my BBQ. Those are not available at exchange locations.Hardly an issue, especially if your trailer has dual tanks. That 10 pounder you have can also be used a spare and 16 oz canisters, 'though expensive, are readily available just about anywhere. Carry a "2nd Chance" or "steak saver" adapter and you can even use one to run your camper in a pinch. No way I'd waste $$ on way overpriced, typically underfilled propane exchange tanks when here in Ontario Costco's propane pricing for refills is so inexpensive, about $12 Cdn at the moment for a 20 lb fill.

Pretty much, any RV repair shop will sell re-fill propane as do some Home Improvement stores, sometimes boat marinas.I found I preferred to have my -previous- 20 pound's refilled instead of exchanged. If I have a good tank, I want to keep it. I no longer have 20 pounders at all, only 30, and those can't be exchanged anyway. If in doubt, check with your campground host, campground park ranger, or campground store or local bait and tackle shop. There is always someone who will be able to tell you where you can get fill up's opposed to exchanges.

I treat my propane tanks nicely and I don't want someone else's "beat up" tank.

Refill Propane vs Exchange | Good Sam Community

valhalla360
Navigator
Oct 10, 2018
Yes they are moving more and more to exchange...the vast majority of sales are your typical BBQ tank and it saves them the hassle of teaching someone to fill.

I'm kind of surprised, manufacturers haven't started spec'ing 3-4 BBQ tanks instead of a couple 30lb tanks.
BB_TX
Nomad
Oct 10, 2018
Thanks Beverley&Ken for getting back to the OP’s question. :B
Beverley_Ken
Explorer
Oct 10, 2018
Here in Ontario , it’s more about cost to the dealer / campground to provide the service. When regulations were changed , maybe 10 years ago, the cost for small operations became ridiculous, The Campgroud owner said that the initial inspection, new mandatory equipment would have cost him $25000 and then yearly inspections licences of $5000. Plus yearly training for any staff that would be doing refills. Good Bye propane.
Oh yes , he would have lost a considerable number of campsites, since residential units were not allowed in a certain radius of the refill location. Campsites, in the eyes of the inspector, are considered residential units
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Oct 10, 2018
Not that this matters much to most RVes, but ...

What you get at your refill station is not likely 100% pure propane (C3H8). It is typically blend with butane (C4H10), which is a bit cheaper. The amount of butane typically depends on the time of year. One problem with butane is that its boiling point (the point where it turn from liquid to vapor) is around 34F (1C) while propane is about -44F (-42C).

In winter, if your tank contains a high concentration of butane (from a summer fill up) you may not have enough vapor to actually get it to burn !
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Oct 10, 2018
schlep1967 wrote:
One thing about exchanging tanks. Most of them do not fill the tanks. Instead of 20 lbs you will get 16.

20 lb propane bottle exchanges are one of the biggest rip offs in the modern world of conveniences. They do tell you (in fine print) that they only put 15 lbs of propane in the tank for "safety" reasons. That is a CROCK OF SH!T. The tank is deigned, tested and certified to hold 20 lbs. There is even a built in Overfill Protection Device (OPD) to prevent this occurrence.
SoundGuy
Explorer
Oct 10, 2018
LOFAT36 wrote:
You think $12 is expensive ? Try $21 in BC

Just my point - the OP is here in S Ontario where a 20 lb fill at Costco is ~ $12 Cdn. Exchange tanks at many times that are pointless.
LOFAT36
Explorer
Oct 10, 2018
SoundGuy wrote:
Joseph T wrote:
When I asked him about it he told me that the cost of getting the required licence and the cost of the liability insurance was prohibitive as he simply did not sell enough to justify the cost.

This concerns me that it might be an indication of where the industry is going.

Also I bought a small 10 lb tank for my BBQ. Those are not available at exchange locations.

Hardly an issue, especially if your trailer has dual tanks. That 10 pounder you have can also be used a spare and 16 oz canisters, 'though expensive, are readily available just about anywhere. Carry a "2nd Chance" or "steak saver" adapter and you can even use one to run your camper in a pinch. No way I'd waste $$ on way overpriced, typically underfilled propane exchange tanks when here in Ontario Costco's propane pricing for refills is so inexpensive, about $12 Cdn at the moment for a 20 lb fill.

. You think $12 is expensive ? Try $21 in BC
mowermech
Explorer
Oct 10, 2018
Tom_M wrote:
Many Tractor Supply stores refill propane tanks. They are usually the cheapest.

Within 7 miles of my house, I can get cylinders filled at Big R, Ace hardware, U-Haul, and Tractor Supply.
They all fill by the metered gallon (no weight), and I think they are all $2.49/gallon.
I think there are a couple of exchange facilities also, but I have never used them so I don't know where they are.
westernrvparkow
Explorer
Oct 10, 2018
BarabooBob wrote:
I was traveling through Maine recently and saw a sign for $11 tank refill. A very nice lady came out and filled my tank to its maximum weight. The tank actually had 20 pounds of propane in it when she was done. She said that during the summer, she fills 10 to 20 tanks a day. She said that they price their refills to be about equal to what they charge for delivered lp only they don't have to deliver it. Most people have partial tanks that they want topped off, it still cost $11. She fills it to the full weight.
Ok, now let someone come on and tell us that a full tank is only 80% capacity, and then claim that 16 pounds is full. Please do some research. These tanks have a 100% volume of 25 pounds.
Even if all the tanks were completely empty, filling 20 tanks in a day is only 100 Gallons of propane. My home and business tanks average around 500 gallons each per fill. My guess is a delivery driver fills 10 or so tanks daily, so they are selling about 50 times the propane as the store on a daily basis.
We quit filling tanks years ago. The profits in filling the tanks was negligible and the labor pretty intense. Seems people on vacation like to fill tanks on the wettest, coldest days of the year when recreation is pretty much out of the question. Filling 20lb tanks is more customer service than a profitable venture.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Oct 09, 2018
Refills are generally more cost effective. First you get more propane and 2nd it costs less per gallon.

There are always Places that can refill.. Google as follows Propane near ##### (The 5 digit zip code of the park)

Depending on where you are
Gas Stations
Hardware Stores
Campgrounds
Pilot/Flying-J
Propane Wholesalers (I like Parker's in Flint. MI. Carmichaels in Tekonsha MI and both the Ace Hardware (I think might be True Value) and the Tractor Supply next door in Seneca SC) to name but 3 places.

NOTE Carmichaels is hard to find for most folks. not for me.. (Farm I grew up on).