Propane tanks. Refill or rent?

[vash]

I’ve never really sat down and thought about it.

I Blue Rhino my single tank. I had lots but gave them away when we had to live in an apartment fir awhile.

Is going to Costco and buying a tank and filling it up repeatedly more economical?

[red-beard]

Most of the "tank rentals", they do not fully fill the tank. You can check this by weighing an empty tank, one filled by Blue Rhino and one from U-Haul. U-haul measures the weight of the tank and fills until it has 20 lbs of propane.

I also have to fill propane tanks for my forklift, so I usually do them as the same time as the gas grill tanks.

[red-beard]

Tanks have a date on them and need to be checked after 10 years, then I think every 5 years. I swap my expired tanks at Blue Rhino...

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by vash

I’ve never really sat down and thought about it.

I Blue Rhino my single tank. I had lots but gave them away when we had to live in an apartment fir awhile.

Is going to Costco and buying a tank and filling it up repeatedly more economical?

You know if the tanks in good condition if you do.
I did for 10 years but then the place I went to closed. Now it’s easier to just go swap it at Wally World. Cheaper too - a whole $3 a tank...

[BeyGon]

I have two tanks, when one runs empty I exchange and fill it within a couple days. I hate running out in the middle of something. We BB at least four evenings a week. I took them to a local spot for years then tried Lowes and Home Depot, they seemed cheaper but they don't fill them. Now I am back to a local indie guy that actually fills them.

[Bill Douglas]

I get refills so they really are full. Then if the tank gets near it's 10 year mark, or gets rusty I do a swap, then refill that one from there on.

[daepp]

REfills are a very expensive way to buy propane.

We pay $2.99/gal here; and I get them refilled they usually take about 4.5 to 4.75 gallons. So a full tank is approximately $13.50 - $14.00.

The exchange tanks available here are close to $21-$22 each. They only fill them to 80% capacity (and they're clear about this on their signage). So that comes out to $5.25 to $5.50 per gallon.

AND - if you bring in a tank with propane still in it (which is often the case - more on that later*) you forfeit that with the exchange program.

For people with only one tank who are considering, say, a holiday BBQ - they often exchange their tanks as they most certainly DO NOT want to run out. So their true cost per gallon is even higher.

[daepp]

* An empty 5 gallon propane tank weighs approximately 16.5 lbs. It is required to be stamped on the steel handle at the top of the tank. So if you use a bathroom scale you can see if it is truly empty. It is very tough to guess if a tank is empty unless you have another one to compare with, and even then it's tough.

The weight of the tank (if filled full of water) is also required to be stamped on the tank handle. It's usually around 47 lbs.

Finally, the date the tank was manufactured is stamped on the handle. All of the tanks I've seen say "Good for 12 years from date on tank". HOWEVER, there was a change in the law (at least in CA) that now limits them to 10 years - go figure...

The tank can be re-certified one time - I think for 5 years. This too gets stamped on the handle.

So the only time I do an exchange is if my tank is getting old. And the trick here is to search through the inventory and make sure to get a newer tank!

[LakeCleElum]

Refill your own tank - Blue Rhino is a rip off. You are not getting a full tank....

[wdfifteen]

From another thread:

I had a unique opportunity today. My wife swapped in a new a 20 lb tank exchange last Sunday and we had cooked one meal out of it. This morning I ran our other tank dry with the flame weeder and took it to the propane dealer to have it filled.

I weighed the tank before I took it in and though the tare weight stamped on it is 16.5 lb it weighed 16.2. Tare weight on the exchange tank was listed at 18 lbs.

Cost to fill was $15. I got 20.4 pounds of fuel at a cost of .74/lb or $3.12/gal.
Cost of exchange tank was $19.95. We had cooked a couple of burgers on it, so we used a little of the gas, but not much. I weighed the exchange tank and it had 15.5 lbs of fuel at a cost of 1.29/lb or $5.47/gal.
The propane place is right across the street from the exchange place. Exchange place is open 7 days a week, fill place is only open Mon-Fri. You pay a LOT for the convenience of exchange.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I used to refill but a 20+ minute drive vs. a 2 minute drive each way, I'm just refilling. 36 minutes is worth a lot more than $3.

[cabmandone]

I have two places nearby that fill an empty tank. I think Blue Rhino cost around $25 for an exchange where I could refill for $11 each. When you think about it, the exchange is a pretty sweet. I can buy propane for 1.18 per gallon. I need to get a pump and start pulling off the 2000 gallons I have here.

[T77911S]

they only put 15Lbs in the ones you exchange.

I just swapped my old ones for some of the exchangeable ones.

we have 2 places that are having propane wars so I can get 20lb for about $10.

[ckelly78z]

I take my old tanks to a local Coop, or tractor supply, and have them refill them....much cheaper, and more volume than Costco/Walmart trade-a-tank.

[vash]

it's the "buy in" that is annoying.

even the empty NEW tank to own at Costco is $20 something.
if i come in to a Blue Rhino empty handed..it think it's $50 to jump on board?

[wdfifteen]

A new tank is $29 at Home Depot, fill it and you are out $40 plus or minus. A new, filled tank at Walmart is $43. If you own, you have to have your tank recertified at 12 years of age and then every five years after. Most propane dealers will do it for about $5. It is a tossup if getting your tank refilled is a hassle, but if you use it a lot and a refiller is nearby, buying to own is a no brainer.

[drkshdw]

Last time I refilled at TSC it was $9 and some change to fill it.

For the initial buy-in, scour curbs (or craigslist) in the spring and fall for people throwing away grills. They also throw away the tanks because they don't know any better. Trade in the used, rusted, empty tank for a Blue Rhino (hand pick the cleanest one out of the cage) and when empty, refill it.

[red-beard]

I filled my two forklift Propane tanks today, one empty and the other partially ful: total was $32 for 13 gallons of propane. I swapped two out of date tanks at home depot, $19.99 each! These hold at maximum, 6 gallons of propane and buy they really only fill to 4 gallons. So, 8 gallons for $40 or 13 for $32.

[vash]

good ideas!!

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by cabmando

I have two places nearby that fill an empty tank. I think Blue Rhino cost around $25 for an exchange where I could refill for $11 each. When you think about it, the exchange is a pretty sweet. I can buy propane for 1.18 per gallon. I need to get a pump and start pulling off the 2000 gallons I have here.

I need to get a propane tank as a backup to natural gas for my generator...