Propane Tank, rent or buy 500gal

[Midniteoyl]

My heating bill is $600 for the entire winter... This is in SE Michigan and I buy 4 cord of wood a year from a hardwood mill in the area... If I had a $3000+ heating bill every single year, I would be living in a custom built home with every passive solar trick and several solar collectors....

This solar collector Hurras Solar Water Heater Collector 30 Tube delivers 24-40k BTU per day for a cost of $745. So spending $3000 on solar collectors should get you 96-160k btu/day from the sun, provided you can position the collectors in a spot with proper solar exposure.

Of course that means you need a water based heating system, which unfortunately the majority of homes in the US do not. One would need a suitably sized insulated hot water storage tank which one would draw from all night as well as the circulating pumps, thermostats etc.

Its just that I would never be able to retire when facing these kinds of expenses (only going to rise in the future) in addition to property taxes, income taxes and all the other unavoidable things in our lives...

Mines a little higher than $600, but not much. Less than a tank of propane and $250 worth of wood (I get it >$100 a cord) plus electric for the fan/blower..

As for the 'rental fees', around here, its done as $1 a month, or 10 cent more per gallon, 250 gallon minimum fill.. I just pay my Co-Op the extra 10 cents and have to struggle to use 250 gallons. Even so, its the same price as the fellas who charge the $1 a month..

 

[Midniteoyl]

To own is about 1500 -2000k around here, to rent will cost an additional 1.00 per gallon, the tank should come with an ASME cert, save this. There should be no issues with the tank once the certification has been performed. There should be a serial number or perhaps even a plate on the tank, that correlates with the pressure test on the certification paper work.

A DOLLAR per gallon???!!? I would buy at that price,, ridiculous!

 

[LD1]

To rent or to lease all has to do with where one lives, and the choices tehy have for a supplier.

I do not own my tank. I do not pay a yearly rental fee for my tank. I do not pay a super-marked up price for propane, Inface even with the rental, they are one of the lowest in the area. And I do not have to worry about the tank if something breaks or goes wrong. I also only have it filled once ever 4-5 years, cause I dont use much.

My current cost if I needed filled is $1.899. And earlier this summer prices were down in the $1.30's

 

[bucktaker]

Anyone have any prices for a NEW 500 or 1000 gal above ground tanks with valve and regulator? Gonna buy this year and tell my current supplier Trupoint to pack sand after they tried to bill me a low usage fee for using less they their min amount. They bought out the old Landmark coop and even called me asking me if I owned the tank or if they did. I honestly replied it was a yearly rental for $1.00 from 1995 when I built this house. Told me if I didnt pay they 125 fee they would come get (their tank) I told them it was full of MY PROPANE. After an hour I would not budge they agreed to not bill me this year. I will buy and have it installed this spring when I am at my lowest tank level.

 

[aczlan]

Anyone have any prices for a NEW 500 or 1000 gal above ground tanks with valve and regulator? Gonna buy this year and tell my current supplier Trupoint to pack sand after they tried to bill me a low usage fee for using less they their min amount. They bought out the old Landmark coop and even called me asking me if I owned the tank or if they did. I honestly replied it was a yearly rental for $1.00 from 1995 when I built this house. Told me if I didnt pay they 125 fee they would come get (their tank) I told them it was full of MY PROPANE. After an hour I would not budge they agreed to not bill me this year. I will buy and have it installed this spring when I am at my lowest tank level.

You may be able to get the new company to pump out your old tank (if there is much left) and pump it into the new tank.

Aaron Z

 

[LD1]

Anyone have any prices for a NEW 500 or 1000 gal above ground tanks with valve and regulator? Gonna buy this year and tell my current supplier Trupoint to pack sand after they tried to bill me a low usage fee for using less they their min amount. They bought out the old Landmark coop and even called me asking me if I owned the tank or if they did. I honestly replied it was a yearly rental for $1.00 from 1995 when I built this house. Told me if I didnt pay they 125 fee they would come get (their tank) I told them it was full of MY PROPANE. After an hour I would not budge they agreed to not bill me this year. I will buy and have it installed this spring when I am at my lowest tank level.

Now you are starting to get me worried.

MY supplier is central ohio farmers COOP. Formerly Marion Landmark. I pay no fees at all and no lease. Only pay for propane once ever 4-5 years at rates that are usually among he best around EVEN if I owned the tank.

I sure hope things dont change with them.

 

[SPIKER]

LD1 I posted above, ha similar situation, rented tank with fee of 25/year. If I use less more than 1 fill up per year, no fees get applied (filled yearly with volume = tank size the fee is waived.) This was a COOP, they were bought out, by bigger "coop."

Then that went "Private" same name & tried to make more $ by saying everyone HAD to agree to a NEW CONTRACT and MORE FEES. I told them NO I DON'T, I have legal binding contract & the company that bought them assumed all legal responsibility for old contracts. (True in pretty much all cases unless the company abandons it at which point they could be fined/law suit filed against them.)

THAT company was bought out 3 or so years ago, I'm on the 3rd or 4th propane company & same contract and each time the NEW owners have pulled the "You have to sign a NEW CONTRACT bs." and I always reply with the above statement.

BUT I'm going to buy my own tank & fill thru lowest cost supplier when tank runs out. Made up my mind recently as rental tank propane is now almost a buck more per gallon. My tank is getting rusty and 14 years old has a re-cert date in a few years. I called current owners and sales guy wanted more for my old tank than a NEW one I said NOPE... Then I asked again few months later & they said they dont sell them anymore (lol guess not with price they quoted me the 1st time.)

Figuring I'd stay as a rental stuck using them as a supplier. When it gets down near 5~10% I'll ask again and then tell them I'm buying from them or the other guys their choice and tell them the price I have for full tank installed from other company. If they want to beat that price and fill my tank by enough to make up for a tank that is almost 20 years old then maybe I'll buy the OLD one and sandblast paint and make it look good...

Mark

 

[bucktaker]

LD1 my advise is to claim ownership of your current tank. Paint it up real nice and be prepared when they try with you what thye have done to me. Trupointe is the new Southwest Landmark.

 

[TCowner]

I wish I had purchased my 500 gallon LP tank as well. But since I've installed the wood stove I use about 300 gallons a year and that includes my hot water. So the price difference doesn't between suppliers doesn't bother me quite as much. When the back and knees finally give out and I can't cut wood anymore then I will either have to buy the tank or complain more.

 

[Midniteoyl]

LD1 my advise is to claim ownership of your current tank. Paint it up real nice and be prepared when they try with you what thye have done to me. Trupointe is the new Southwest Landmark.

Careful.. I bought a house to fix up that came with a 500 gal tank. I tried to get it filled and was asked to show ownership and pressure testing. I had neither. After a few calls, I managed to find a company that would fill 250 gal for me.. one month later the tank owners took the tank. Took me several calls and a fax to the CEO to get my money back for all that propane... minus a $75 'pumping charge'...