Propane Tanks Question

[fallsrider]

We bought our '95 TT 14 months ago. The seller said he thought both 30 lb. propane tanks were empty. Apparently not, because we just ran out of propane this weekend on the one tank we've been using, and I know there is some in the other tank because I removed it and shook it after we bought the trailer.

All along, I've figured we will eventually need to replace the tanks one at a time as they run out, because they are old and cannot be refilled or converted. 30 lb. tanks are expensive, though.

I contacted my local mobile RV repair guy and asked where is the best place around here to get tanks and get them filled. He said that he converts his trailers (his wife runs a trailer rental business) to regular 20 lb. tanks to make them easy to exchange. He said my cover should work with the smaller 20 lb. tanks.

Has anyone done this, and do you think it is a good idea? We don't run the furnace much because we camp on W/E sites, but we do use the stove, and occasionally heat water on gas. I did get to thinking that there would be less weight to haul around. I just don't want to regret that decision later on if it is better to stay with the 30 lb. tanks.

[rbpru]

We bought our trailer used and the dealer supplied two 20 gallon tanks. They can be exchanged at almost any gas station.....but it is cheaper to go to the local LP dealer.

The other advantage of the local LP dealer is they can top off the tanks. After my last trip one of my tanks was over half empty and the other was down a third.

I had them both topped off, so I did not have to wait for them to empty or exchange a partially full tank.

[blawless]

We switched to 20lb BBQ exchange tanks in our 5th wheel when the 30's expired. When traveling it was not always easy to find propane refill stations. But every gas station, Home Depot, Corner stores, Hardware stores all carry exchange BBQ tanks. Even a large number of campgrounds are now carrying exchange tanks because the regulations for operating a refill station area are very restrictive. When a tank runs out it is very easy to put it in the car/truck/SUV on your daily site seeing, grocery or Walmart trips...

Convienence vs Quanity: The cost is easier to take and is spread out on trips, so if your not using it why pay for storing it for long periods then find out your tank expired. The exchange tanks don't expire.. and on average equal in cost.

B.

[fallsrider]

LarryJM wrote:

edbehnke wrote:
what's the big deal? just go out and buy 2 30 pounders and be done with it.

you can get them filled at lots of places.

I agree in the overall scheme of things $150 is less than a couple tanks of gas pulling a trailer. Then you're done for another 10 to 12 years.

My view it's just another cost of living the RV lifestyle.

Larry

That's easy to say, but for some of us, spreading out our camping dollars is a necessity. I can get 2 tanks for $150, but they will be empty tanks. Then they have to be filled. That's more $$.

My previous post about home delivery, one tank at a time, makes much more financial sense to me. I still have some propane in the 2nd tank, so now I will have 1 full tank and a partial for only $70. The expense of exchanging the 2nd tank will be delayed until sometime later next year.

[LarryJM]

edbehnke wrote:
what's the big deal? just go out and buy 2 30 pounders and be done with it.

you can get them filled at lots of places.

I agree in the overall scheme of things $150 is less than a couple tanks of gas pulling a trailer. Then you're done for another 10 to 12 years.

My view it's just another cost of living the RV lifestyle.

Larry

[fallsrider]

I just discovered something I didn't know. I had done searches for propane in my area before, but I must have missed this. There is a service in our area called My Propane Butler. Their website is www.mypropanebutler.com. They will deliver a full 30 lb. tank to my house for $37.95, and they will charge a $25 fee since my tank doesn't have the OPD valve. So for $62.95, I can get a full updated (OPD) tank delivered to my door. I don't think that is a bad deal, considering I will be saving some gas driving around (in a gas guzzling Suburban) and time making phone calls. I just leave the empty tank next to the house, and they will exchange it. This sounds like a reasonable deal to me.

I know they may not fill the tank completely full, but I will have a good tank that I can get refilled by the gallon later on. I think I have found my solution.

UPDATE: I ordered this home delivery. With tax, the order was $40.51. The order said $30 fee for no OPD, not $25. So now my total will most likely be $70.51. I'm thinking that is still reasonable.

The standard delivery date is 11/18. That is one week from today. I'm in no hurry, so that works for me. For $9.95, you can get same day service, and for $4.95 you can get next day service.

If you like this idea, maybe there's a service like this in your area.

[fallsrider]

brirene wrote:
Just tried to fill one of mine this past weekend. Typical of my luck, the tank was dated 11/02, which put it exactly one day beyond the allowable refill date without recertification. As we were out of town camping, and this propane refill center refused to refill my tank, I made a few calls and was surprised to find that a Tractor Supply store (TSC) exchanges 30# tanks. Cost me around 47 bucks, but I figured a recert and fill of my old tank wouldn't have been much less.

I hadn't considered TSC. We have one maybe 30 minutes away. I will call them. I would love to do an exchange, especially for the price you paid. According to their web site, a new tank is $70, but that doesn't include the propane. That's cheaper than some other places I have seen, though. Their web site says they refill by the gallon, but it doesn't mention exchanges. Thanks for the tip.

[fallsrider]

Huntindog wrote:

A conversion may not be as easy as it first appears. The entire hose/regulator assembly will sit lower. It may cause problems with the main hose being too long, and you may want to cut the hold down all thread to the shorter length to make it easier to deal with the shorter tanks.. If these mods are done, then switching back to the 30s would be more difficult.
Costco sometimes has the 30s really cheap.
If not, get them recertified. The one time you need more capacity, you will be glad you kept the larger tanks. And at selling time, the 20s would be a negative for some potential buyers.

In a fairly quick glance under the cover yesterday, it appeared to me, as well, that using 20 lb. tanks may not be so simple.

[fallsrider]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I wouldn't do this but it's up to you. I would just get them recerted for a few bucks and get on with life. I did my 30 lbs'ers a while back. New valves and the cert cost something like 40 bucks.

I was under the impression that once tanks got to be a certain age, they could not be recertified. I may be wrong. I'll look into this. Thanks.

[Huntindog]

A conversion may not be as easy as it first appears. The entire hose/regulator assembly will sit lower. It may cause problems with the main hose being too long, and you may want to cut the hold down all thread to the shorter length to make it easier to deal with the shorter tanks.. If these mods are done, then switching back to the 30s would be more difficult.
Costco sometimes has the 30s really cheap.
If not, get them recertified. The one time you need more capacity, you will be glad you kept the larger tanks. And at selling time, the 20s would be a negative for some potential buyers.

[brirene]

Just tried to fill one of mine this past weekend. Typical of my luck, the tank was dated 11/02, which put it exactly one day beyond the allowable refill date without recertification. As we were out of town camping, and this propane refill center refused to refill my tank, I made a few calls and was surprised to find that a Tractor Supply store (TSC) exchanges 30# tanks. Cost me around 47 bucks, but I figured a recert and fill of my old tank wouldn't have been much less.

[edbehnke]

what's the big deal? just go out and buy 2 30 pounders and be done with it.

you can get them filled at lots of places.

[Dakota98]

With your explanation of your useage, two 20's should be fine. Think of it this way. How much use & how often do you refill your BBQ tank @ home. That may be some measure, of sorts, to judge by.

[Dennis_Smith]

two 20 pounds is 9.4 gallons of gas, two 30 pounds is 14 gallons, you do the math as far as filling them up. They (20 pounds) will fit and work fine. If you don't use much gas then go for it. I buy mine by the metered gallon so it don't matter what size tank I use.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

fallsrider wrote:
We bought our '95 TT 14 months ago. The seller said he thought both 30 lb. propane tanks were empty. Apparently not, because we just ran out of propane this weekend on the one tank we've been using, and I know there is some in the other tank because I removed it and shook it after we bought the trailer.

All along, I've figured we will eventually need to replace the tanks one at a time as they run out, because they are old and cannot be refilled or converted. 30 lb. tanks are expensive, though.

I contacted my local mobile RV repair guy and asked where is the best place around here to get tanks and get them filled. He said that he converts his trailers (his wife runs a trailer rental business) to regular 20 lb. tanks to make them easy to exchange. He said my cover should work with the smaller 20 lb. tanks.

Has anyone done this, and do you think it is a good idea? We don't run the furnace much because we camp on W/E sites, but we do use the stove, and occasionally heat water on gas. I did get to thinking that there would be less weight to haul around. I just don't want to regret that decision later on if it is better to stay with the 30 lb. tanks.

I wouldn't do this but it's up to you. I would just get them recerted for a few bucks and get on with life. I did my 30 lbs'ers a while back. New valves and the cert cost something like 40 bucks.