Who owns their own propane tank?

[VirginiaAgent]

(As opposed to renting one from the propane company).

I pay about $50 per year to rent my 100 gallon (not 100 lbs) tank.

To purchase it outright from the gas company would be $450. I'm wondering if that's a good price. If that's the going rate, it would take 9 years to recover the cost of the purchase.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Check your local Thrifty Nickel, Quick Quarter, etc, (want ad paper) for a used one. I've seen them advertised for a lot less. Also, we have a couple of local radio stations that have a time for listeners to call-in with buy, sell, and swap items.

Another thing to consider, here, the local propane companies charge extra if you are buying less than 100 gallons. It pays to have a bigger tank.

Mine is a 150 gallon that is probably 60+ years old. Still good to go. :thumbsup:

 

[Pixguy]

If your able to buy from any supplier, it sounds like a good idea. If your tied to that particular supplier, what guarantees do you have of pricing?

I paid over 2k to have mine installed and I own mine, but I can buy from any dealer I choose at a savings of at least $.50gal, which adds up quickly.

 

[Gator6x4]

A lot of Propane Dealers to insure high prices will not fill a tank that is owner owned. Some will fill the tank if they sold it. The propane bandits make the gasoline bandits look like amatuers.

 

[George2615]

I was with a propane company for almost 20 years. I had a 100 gallon tank sitting in my yard for the gas cooking stove only. I had it filled about once a year. That company sold out to another and all of a sudden the new company wanted me to pay rent on this 20 year old tank. Rental was $63 a year. I told them I wasn't going to pay $63 a year rental when I only used about $120 or so of propane a year so they could come pick up the tank. After a few phone conversations with them and a supervisor they reduced the rental to $1 for the year because they didn't want to lose a customer. I said OK for one year. After the first year they tried to bill me $63 again for the next year. I told them the tank was almost empty so come pick it up. About a week later a truck backed in my yard and driver was going to refill the tank. Fortunately I was home and stopped the driver telling him I had called and told the company to pick up the tank and not to refill it. The company had told him to refill it. (sneaky bas*****)

Had I not been home he would have filled the tank and the company would have billed me. The driver left so I called the company to come get their tank. They assumed the driver had already filled it and said I would have to pay a $50 fee for them to pump it out before they could pick it up. I told them the driver did not fill the tank and guaranteed it would be empty when they came to get it.

The driver was the same one who worked for the previous company and told me the new company lost a lot of customers when they started charging rentals on the tanks.

I ended up buying a smaller tank and regulator from another company for about $140 and take it to get filled myself when its empty.

 

[ultrarunner]

Have a large tank that I own... it is a year round... forget how big it is... maybe 1000 gallons...

The contract from 1963 said user has the right to purchase tank at anytime upon payment of $200... and I did 20 years later.

What I cannot prove is there was a jobber that was short filling second home tanks and then putting the balance into friends tanks...

For years, I would have one top-off and then for two years my consumption almost tripled... company changed ownership and back to one topping a year...

I made sure everything was off except for water heater pilot set to pilot.

 

[2diamondfarm]

I would love to buy a tank my propane co bills me $100 a year for rental for my 330 gallon tank but they waive it if I have 165 gallons put in .

 

[Pixguy]

I was with a propane company for almost 20 years. I had a 100 gallon tank sitting in my yard for the gas cooking stove only. I had it filled about once a year. That company sold out to another and all of a sudden the new company wanted me to pay rent on this 20 year old tank. Rental was $63 a year. I told them I wasn't going to pay $63 a year rental when I only used about $120 or so of propane a year so they could come pick up the tank. After a few phone conversations with them and a supervisor they reduced the rental to $1 for the year because they didn't want to lose a customer. I said OK for one year. After the first year they tried to bill me $63 again for the next year. I told them the tank was almost empty so come pick it up. About a week later a truck backed in my yard and driver was going to refill the tank. Fortunately I was home and stopped the driver telling him I had called and told the company to pick up the tank and not to refill it. The company had told him to refill it. (sneaky bas*****)

Had I not been home he would have filled the tank and the company would have billed me. The driver left so I called the company to come get their tank. They assumed the driver had already filled it and said I would have to pay a $50 fee for them to pump it out before they could pick it up. I told them the driver did not fill the tank and guaranteed it would be empty when they came to get it.

The driver was the same one who worked for the previous company and told me the new company lost a lot of customers when they started charging rentals on the tanks.

I ended up buying a smaller tank and regulator from another company for about $140 and take it to get filled myself when its empty.

and this is what they did to an employee??? jeesh

I've had a co. who for two years in a row filled my oil tanks in April instead of in August when we usually fill them and told us we never called them to say that we wanted will call. I've installed locks on my fillers and that co. will no longer be a supplier.

Your right, they're sneaky!!

 

[SandburRanch]

(As opposed to renting one from the propane company).

I pay about $50 per year to rent my 100 gallon (not 100 lbs) tank.

To purchase it outright from the gas company would be $450. I'm wondering if that's a good price. If that's the going rate, it would take 9 years to recover the cost of the purchase.

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Something to consider when owning the tank is you and only you are responsible for any tank maintenance. Example: If your state requires the regulator to be replaced ever 5 years it's on your shoulders to do it or have it done. If a valve leaks all the fuel out it's on you.

 

[nikdfish]

Our 500 gallon above ground tank came with the house. I think the prices around here are 75 cents less per gallon for self owned tanks, with the price difference being in lieu of tank rental.

Nick