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LP gas question

BobT

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BobT Grand Master

BobT

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We have an LP gas fireplace. We supply it with a 125 gallon tank. Right now it is down to about 20% full and since the heating season is about over I'm wondering if it is better to fill it now or wait until next fall.

If we have it filled now when it is only in the 30s, I wonder about the possibility of building up pressure over the summer when the temperature climbs into the 80s.

Anyone with experience with this?

Thanks,

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Dave Mentor

Dave

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My cabin tank's about the same size. I'm not sure but, maybe that's why they only fill the tank to 80% level?

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CAMAN Experienced

CAMAN

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Dave's right, they only fill it about 3/4 full for the possibility of expansion. Feel free to fill it whenever you think you can get the best price. As long as you have no leaks in the system it shouldn't be an issue.

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Ice Chicken Apprentice

Ice Chicken

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It really shouldnt matter when it is filled. when lp is delivered it is temperature compensated to 60 degrees meaning that no matter the air temp it is delivered as if it were 60 degrees.with yearly load limits now on you may want to wait until they are off to save your lp supplier the possibility of a heavy fine for being overweight on a restricted road.been fined a few times usualy about a 400 dollar fine.

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BobT Grand Master

BobT

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Right now wouldn't be the best time anyway as they might have a hard time getting in here with all the mud. Leaving it empty for the summer shouldn't hurt anything either should it? I'm thinking about condensation but also I would expect there's no moisture inside to condense anyway.

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1luckydad Apprentice

1luckydad

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It should be cheaper to summer fill if you can. Just do it before corn drying starts, as that will sometime start jumping up the price.

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vister Mentor

vister

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farmers typically use a "cheaper" lp for drying grain. i believe its illegal to hook it up to the house, as its a different tax, like offroad diesel for machinery

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Tom7227 Grand Master

Tom7227

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Bob - do the Google with lp as prices and you'll get linked to some articles that explain what makes things go up and down. I'm not sure that it's as simple as avoid it during grain drying. It depends a whole lot on the price of natural gas and who needs what where.

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BobT Grand Master

BobT

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farmers typically use a "cheaper" lp for drying grain. i believe its illegal to hook it up to the house, as its a different tax, like offroad diesel for machinery

I don't think it's a different type of fuel. It's probably just not assessed the taxes and that's why it's illegal to use it to supply the home.

Thanks for the information, Tom. I'll give that a try.

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LightningBG Mentor

LightningBG

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Why the heck are they putting a special tax on home LP anyways. It's not like gasoline tax and goes to the roads (supposedly, ie. general fund).

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Ice Chicken Apprentice

Ice Chicken

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residential propane isnt taxed. the reason propane is cheaper for crop drying is the volume of gas they use. if you went through thousands of gallons a day you would also get quite a discount.

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LightningBG Mentor

LightningBG

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residential propane isnt taxed. the reason propane is cheaper for crop drying is the volume of gas they use. if you went through thousands of gallons a day you would also get quite a discount.

I think you are spot on.

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BobT Grand Master

BobT

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Why the heck are they putting a special tax on home LP anyways. It's not like gasoline tax and goes to the roads (supposedly, ie. general fund).

That is a good question.

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BobT Grand Master

BobT

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residential propane isnt taxed. the reason propane is cheaper for crop drying is the volume of gas they use. if you went through thousands of gallons a day you would also get quite a discount.

Just like anything else. Bulk buying is beneficial. Buy your dog food in 50# bags instead of 5# and you save money. That's how buying clubs work like Sam's. By buying in bulk you save packaging and distribution costs so you can get it at lower rates. Larger grocery stores usually offer better prices overall than your local small town for the same reason. They buy in larger quantities for lower cost.

Buy gasoline or diesel in bulk and you can save money too. I think the local distributor would require a minimum of 500 gallons per delivery in order for me to realize any savings on my farm diesel. That's about a four or five year supply for me. Not worth the cost of the storage but I'm sure some of my neighbors use much more than that easily.

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walleyemaniac Collaborator

walleyemaniac

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I use to work for an LP company and ya that's why they only fill to 80% is to allow for expansion. Usually late summer is when you get your best deal. Most companies will run specials then to get everyone filled up before they get busy with drying and cold weather. Just check with your provider mid to late summer they'll usually tell you if they have something coming up. At least they did back when I was in the business. Been on natural gas now for so long and just have to bite it. I don't pay attention to LP anymore. Only my 20's for the porty and the grill.

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LightningBG Mentor

LightningBG

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Originally Posted By: Ice Chicken
residential propane isnt taxed. the reason propane is cheaper for crop drying is the volume of gas they use. if you went through thousands of gallons a day you would also get quite a discount.

Just like anything else. Bulk buying is beneficial. Buy your dog food in 50# bags instead of 5# and you save money. That's how buying clubs work like Sam's. By buying in bulk you save packaging and distribution costs so you can get it at lower rates. Larger grocery stores usually offer better prices overall than your local small town for the same reason. They buy in larger quantities for lower cost.

Buy gasoline or diesel in bulk and you can save money too. I think the local distributor would require a minimum of 500 gallons per delivery in order for me to realize any savings on my farm diesel. That's about a four or five year supply for me. Not worth the cost of the storage but I'm sure some of my neighbors use much more than that easily.

Do you have access to smaller quantity farm diesel somewhere? Otherwise you're paying the road tax which you don't want to be doing on your tractors.

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BobT Grand Master

BobT

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I don't have to pay road tax for my diesel. I still get it delivered to my farm in bulk. I just don't buy enough bulk to qualify for the reduced rate from my supplier. My guess is that they don't want to bother with the low amounts like my 150 gallons and so they charge full price, less the taxes.

Thanks for the thought.

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