Damn propane got expensive

[Finster]

Sitting outside the local convenience store while Mrs Finster ran in to get s drink. I guess it's been awhile since I bought propane

[jlazar]

I got an exchange last weekend at HEB for 19.99. Walmart was the same price.

[DTro]

Not sure- but thinking you don't have to pay sales tax! Your in my world

[McFlyfi]

I just exchanged 4 cylinders, $19.99 each at WalMart.

[mrteddyprincess]

As long as my tank is "new" enough, my local Ace Hardware refills my tank for me. I couldn't tell you what the price is, but it's cheaper than exchanging tanks around here.

B

[McFlyfi]

I usually re fill my cylinders at Tractor Supply. But one of them was out of date, and three others were within a year.

[ssandy_561]

The Key to having a “new” enough tank is once the tank is about 5 years old, do an exchange and get a newer tank that they will refill with no questions.

[Darchie03]

you can also. get it inspected by a. propane supplier then good for another 5 years

[Jfrosty27]

Yes it sure has gone up. And for a few years now they are only filling the 20lb tanks with 15lbs of gas!

[Andrrr]

Really? Where did you see that?

[Jfrosty27]

Andrrr It’s been at Kwik Trip, Ace Hardware, pretty much everywhere for a few years now. They show it in very fine print on price card on the cage usually. Pretty sneaky.

[Andrrr]

Shysters!

[LA Pork Butt]

I think a new full tank is higher and the exchange price is higher than the exchange I did last year.

[SheilaAnn]

BF refills ours at our local party rental place. The price escapes me right now, but I recall it being very competitive.

Think tables, chairs, linens, grills, popcorn machines, etc.

[captainlee]

From what I heard those exchange cylinders aren't even totally filled, something like 80%. I take mine to our local LP distributor but haven't had to fill anything since the Fall.

[SheilaAnn]

captainlee that’s why I like the rental place. They fill it right before our very eyes.

[Oak Smoke]

In our area if you fill much above 80% there’s a good chance the pressure pop off valve will open on a hot day. That’s dangerous if you’ve stored it where the ventilation is poor or are cooking at the moment.

[fuzzydaddy]

I last paid $22.74 for an exchange at Home Depot which is the lowest price I have found in my area. This was about a week ago. I keep 4 tanks on hand. 1 on my gas grill and the others for hurricane preparedness. I have a gas/propane generator to run a few items if we lose power which we did with our last hurricane - Milton.

[Uncle Bob]

That exchange price is at the high end of the range during the past year or so, more typically the exchange rack supplies are in the low $20s. New tanks, on the other hand, have nearly doubled in price over the past couple years. New 20 lb tanks are typically $60 today, they were around $35 a couple years ago. Two years ago I got a new 100 lb tank for $109, they're $200 today.

[Oak Smoke]

Those prices go right on up the size chart. 500 gallon tanks for homes and in my case a generator were easy to buy for around a thousand dollars a few years ago in our area. When I went to find one for our new generator I discovered there were no used tanks to be had. They had all been bought by people putting in generators before me. I ended up buying a new one for $4200 at the local dealer. Then it cost $1500 to fill it. He was the cheapest I could find.

[acorgihouse]

I don't think it is the cost of propane that has gone up, I think is more the cost of the tanks themselves. I also keep four tanks, one for gas grill, one for smoker, one for propane turkey fryer and one for Blackstone. When I got the Blackstone, I wanted a fourth tank. For many years, I have refilled my tanks at Ace HW or Tractor Supply. Usually around $20 to refill, no issue with that, but a pain for me to get the full tanks out of my vehicle and haul around the house. Until a year or so ago, it cost just a tad more to exchange, so I would refill my tanks until they "expired", then exchange. At the start of hurricane season, we have tax free hurricane prep week, and portable propane tanks are on the list. I was in Costco then, they had new, empty tanks, with gauge built in, but they were about $50 bucks empty with the tax free discount. I just picked up a full tank elsewhere, and was surprised it was over $60. My empty tanks were still around $20 to refill. In Nov, after all the hurricane mess, I had three empty tanks. I saw on here then someone mentioned home delivery of full or exchange tanks, by Cynch. I checked, they deliver here, so I ordered three exchanges and left empty tanks in driveway. Voila, they appeared, and were $24.99 each, similar to hauling to Ace. I just checked online, they are still $24.99 to exchange, but a new one filled is $64.99. Putting all that together, I'm pretty convinced it's not so much the propane cost, it's those tanks.

[smokenoob]

Ace Hardware in town is $20 for a full refill. CVS is an 80% refill exchange for $25.99
I guess you pay for the convenience when your grill goes cold at 7:30 PM and your guests are hungry!

[Steve R.]

Next time tell your guests it's BYOPT.

[captainlee]

We're lucky, our LP dealer leaves a couple of LP tanks partially filled back by the rear gate. The honor system, just return them. They are painted up to distinguish them. Hopefully the honesty will continue here.

[Michael_in_TX]

In a few weeks during our state's sales-tax holiday, I'll be buying (finally) a generator that can run on propane, so I'll be needing to buy tanks/propane for the first time in my life.

[Oak Smoke]

I have no idea if this is at all applicable in your situation but in our area you can buy a 100 gallon tank that is legal to have next to your house. That would run a generator several days and they come to you to fill it. We have one for our propane gas kitchen range. This house was all electric until we remodeled the kitchen.

[SmokeyGator]

Do yourself a favor. Check what the consumption rate for the generator is. Then call Strickland Propane and ask Hank how much it will cost to get a 250 gallon tank delivered and filled. You can use the large tank to fill 20 pounders if needed, but even a small generator will go through a 20 pound grill tank quickly. A 5kw-7kw hr set will use up about 1-1.5 gph. A 20 pound grill tank holds about 5 gallons. Bonus for going with propane: long term storage is not a problem, unlike gas or diesel.

[Michael_in_TX]

Panhead John Yeah, I was kinda of surprised the list seemed a bit limited when I looked at it. I was hoping a window AC unit would have been on it.

[Mosca]

I get a standard tank refill at A&R Building Supply for $10. It used to be $7.

[smokenoob]

You 🏆 😁

[Finster]

Winner winner chicken dinner