Propane shortage

[Turbys_1700]

15 years ago or so I put in a set of gas logs to supplement my newly installed heat pump...
I have a 120 gal tank that gets filled once a year...
I typically don't use the logs just in case of emergency...
Great peace of mind when we have power outages to keep part of the house warm...
I feel for folks that use more than I do...
Before the heat pump conversion I was burning 700 gallons of oil per year...

 

[flusher]

My propane guy showed up last week. My 250 gal tank was at 40%. Generally he waits until it drops to 25% to refill. Said his price now is $3/gal and advised that I wait until March to refill. We're in the third year of drought around here and the afternoon high is reaching 75F with overnight low in the mid 30s so the furnace isn't running too much. I thought that the new oil fields in North Dakota were supplying gas as well as crude. He said that they were burning off the gas and that the EPA made them stop. And there is a problem with lack of facilities for transporting gas from that area and separating out the propane.

 

[LD1]

where is the best place to purchase a 1000 gal tank? we have a 500 gal rental but I need about 800 gal a yr so we always get a fill in jan at the high price because we cant make it through the winter. my supplier is trying to make us go monthly or charge a low use fee. I am thinkingI will just buy a 1000 gal tank and fill during the summer and tel them to pack sand

Who is your supplier? An do you have something like a farmers coop in your area. That is who my tank is through. Only filled twice in 7 years, no rentals or minimum usafea charges. And always cheaper than others in the area like wise, Ferrell, Amerigas, etc.

 

[deerseeker001]

they have all the answers don't they.

 

[charlz]

My understanding on propane is that it is mostly produced as a byproduct in oil refining which means there is essentially a limited amount of it produced. Plastic manufactures use it as feedstock in the summer months and when the fall heating season comes around and prices start to rise they switch to other feedstock. Propane prices are lower in the areas around the Mississippi as it is cheaply transported on barges. Out West here it is always more expensive as there are less refiners and it is mostly transported by rail.

After my first winter in this house I put in a pellet stove which I have calculated runs at least 55% cheaper on a per BTU-BTU basis. Avoided propane costs paid for my pellet stove in 4.5 years. Instead of getting 3-4 refills on my 500 gallon tank per year I now get a fill every couple of years. My last one was September of 2011 and I still have 60% in my tank. Only my furnace and kitchen stove are propane. This winter and last winter we had unusual cold spells that last a couple weeks each and required me to run the furnace as the pellet stove could not keep up. Otherwise a 500 gallon tank would run my cookstove for a good long while. The local propane company I use was bought out last year so I am waiting to see if they start stuff like the 'low use fee' someone mentioned earlier in this thread. My tank is a rental so they could I guess. If needed I will buy an underground one and tell them to kiss off and buy my propane from someone else.

 

[charlz]

For you guys on natural gas, what are you paying per Therm?

 

[bucktaker]

Who is your supplier? An do you have something like a farmers coop in your area. That is who my tank is through. Only filled twice in 7 years, no rentals or minimum usafea charges. And always cheaper than others in the area like wise, Ferrell, Amerigas, etc.

Would like to keep my supplier out of the loop on a tank purchase.....really Im fed up with their antics and will at least switch suppliers next summer.

 

[Dutch445]

i just made a payment for a delivery in december. 2.39 per gallon. i wanted to tell them not to
deliver this cycle, because price increases, and the fact that i'm no longer heating with it (put in
a coal stove). if i tell them i'm not using it for heat, then my price changes with lower usage.

 

[LD1]

Would like to keep my supplier out of the loop on a tank purchase.....really Im fed up with their antics and will at least switch suppliers next summer.

I wasnt suggesting you buy a tank from them or even clue them in. Mainly just curious as to who you had a bad experience with.

I know alot of people (that I know personally) have had issues with about every major player in my area.

I have never had issues with farmers coop out of marion county. Like I said, no yearly lease fees, no minimum usage, etc. Aside from this time when they filled me up without my requesting....I have nothing bad to say. (but they quickly fixed that issue).

After reading these numerous threads here on TBN about yearly leases, minimums, etc: had me wondering if I by chance owned the tank??? (came with the house). I called them and asked them. They said no, they own it. I asked about how come I never get a bill for a lease, or never any extra charges for not using much. They said they dont do that. After talking to others here on TBN, people said that they could be making it up by charging more, and that most places charge extra for leased tanks per gallon, and that if you owned the tank, the price would be alot less per gallon.

So that had me curious. Last time I filled two years ago, I called them all. Bennett, ferrell, wise, amerigas, etc. And inquired as to the price for a customer owned tank. They were ALL higher than what I could have my leased tank filled for with the exception of one. Dont remember which it was, but it was a whole whopping penny per gallon less.

So IMO, with the company I have, it aint worth owning a tank. They are always the cheapest, no yearly lease fees, no mark-up per gallon for lease customers, and no worrying about the tank. I have a broken gauge. two years ago it had moisture in it to the point it coundnt be read, the guy filling it broke the glass out so it could be read. Well, now it is rusted and the needle kinda sticks. Well, guess what, their tank, they fixed it and I didnt have to pay a dime.

So leasing does have its advantages if you have a good company. That is why I asked if you had a farmers coop down your way?

 

[charlz]

I was paying an extra 10 cents per gallon for 'insurance' on my leased tank. Anything goes wrong with the equipment and they fix it.... if it leaks all the propane out does it cover that? Nope. Pretty much a scam if you use a lot of propane. Now that they were bought out I have no idea what the prices are or how much they pad it with 'insurance' for leased tanks.