# Friggin Propane Scam!!



## sbhcom (Aug 4, 2010)

I went to exchange my 20lb tank today and noticed that Home Depot only fills their tanks up 15lbs!  That is 25% less than I thought I was paying for, so on my way home I stopped for gas and saw the gas station only fills their tanks to 17lbs. 

I am going to start filling my tanks a full 20lbs. at my local ACE from now on.  Also there was a little piece of paper folded up on my tank that said amerigas is being sued in a class action because of this practice.  check out www.propanesettlement.com


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## cliffcarter (Aug 4, 2010)

Take it to some one that meters the flow, that way you pay for what you get, just like at the gas pump.


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## sbhcom (Aug 4, 2010)

Yea, thats what ACE chrges to fill a 20lb tank with 20 lb, for the same price that I paid at Home Depot.


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## food & fish (Aug 4, 2010)

Dont know about usa but here in aus the truck that fills the servo tank also fills the barby bottle tank [same gas ]

Our barby bottle is 9 kg and to swap one from a retailer is $34.00

 you can fill one from the servo highley elligal i wouldent do it with tung in cheek  is $10.00


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## food & fish (Aug 4, 2010)

Also here in aus we have a swap and go so every 5 or6 years just use swap and go that way you always have an in date bottle


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## garyt (Aug 4, 2010)

I use U Haul, they charge by the gallon, and stay the heck away from Blue Rhino. they short fill also.


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## coffee_junkie (Aug 4, 2010)

Food & Fish said:


> Also here in aus we have a swap and go so every 5 or6 years just use swap and go that way you always have an in date bottle


We have that too, it is regulated my the dept. of transportation, for new tanks it is 12yrs and re-certified tanks are good for 5 years. The place where I get fuel is metered AND has a scale. A completely empty tank will take 4.4 to 4.6 gallons (20lb tank) to fill, depending on the OPD valve. I filled propane tanks and sold gas grills, refurbished used gas grilles during college.

I never do a tank swap until my tank is up for re-certification, I know I pay a little more but it is way more convienent to me to just swap it rather than going to the one place in town that will re-certify them.


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## roklimo (Aug 4, 2010)

Yup, the trade-in deals have very quietly reduced the fill on their 20# bottles.  Sux don't it?


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## mballi3011 (Aug 4, 2010)

Now I guess I'm lucky for I have a gas store that giuves you 20lbs of propane but they also carry alot of hot sauces and rubs and bbq sauces too. They say that they have 1000 different suaces and rub and a 10-12 different types or wood chips and maybe 10 different types of chunks too. Now I also know that the C-stores with their ameragas and blue rhino brnd are all short filled.


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## forluvofsmoke (Aug 4, 2010)

I've never used LPG tank exchange systems, just because of my suspicions about their practices. I had heard about this very thing going on quite awhile back when prices started climbing...they just keep their retail price the same which makes them look good to the consumer, while they sit back hoping no one will notice the tanks getting lighter. But, 20 bucks for a refill is outrageous to begin with, especially when you can get a bulk supplier to do it for 10 and some change.

If I need propane on a Sunday, I could go to the local gasoline/convenience store for a Blue Rhino exchange, but I rarely run out on a weekend. And, I can fill my own bottles 6 days/week at the local bulk LPG supplier. If I really screwed up and wanted to do a propane fired cook on a Sunday and ran out, I can fall back on a charcoal fired cooker...that's my favorite way to cook nowdays anyway.

Eric


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## harryho (Aug 4, 2010)

My local equipment rental place refills 1 bottle at a fixed rate for 5 gallons regardless of how much they put in there. But for 2 or more bottles they actually charge you for the number of gallons used to fill both of them up.

So I take 2 bottles at a time knowing that at least one of them was completely empty and the other only partially used up.


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## jirodriguez (Aug 4, 2010)

Yeah... I always went to gas stations that had a metered flow, that way I only got charged for the amount that was actually put into the tank each time.


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## richoso1 (Aug 4, 2010)

JIRodriguez said:


> Yeah... I always went to gas stations that had a metered flow, that way I only got charged for the amount that was actually put into the tank each time.


That's how I pay for my gas at the local rental yard, I pay for was was metered into my tanks.. I own two tanks, I don't likle the exchange idea.


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## dforbes (Aug 6, 2010)

Thanks for the information. I did not realize this. Up until last year I always to them in to be refilled. I have only traded twice. I have a couple of 100 lb cylinders I am going to fill up, then fill my small ones on my own.

Dennis


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## smoke 2 geaux (Aug 6, 2010)

I totally agree with all these posts.  Stay away from those swap-out deals.  I get my tanks filled at a KOA campground near my house.  Friendly folks and a good price, and I only pay for what I get.


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## flash (Aug 6, 2010)

Yep, Wal-mart does the same thing.


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## food & fish (Aug 6, 2010)

dforbes said:


> Thanks for the information. I did not realize this. Up until last year I always to them in to be refilled. I have only traded twice. I have a couple of 100 lb cylinders I am going to fill up, then fill my small ones on my own.
> 
> Dennis


Hi Dennis unless your 100 lb cylinders are marked liquid withdrawl [witch i dought] you will have to turn the 100 lbers upside down to make it work


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## jonnyguru (Aug 7, 2010)

SBHCOM said:


> I went to exchange my 20lb tank today and noticed that Home Depot only fills their tanks up 15lbs!  That is 25% less than I thought I was paying for, so on my way home I stopped for gas and saw the gas station only fills their tanks to 17lbs.
> 
> I am going to start filling my tanks a full 20lbs. at my local ACE from now on.  Also there was a little piece of paper folded up on my tank that said amerigas is being sued in a class action because of this practice.  check out www.propanesettlement.com


Yup.  15# fill is a Blue Rhino/Amerigas thing.  It's $17.99 to exchange at Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart, etc.  That's a $1.20 per pound.  17# is actually normal.  The local Thornton's (a local gas station chain) is $19.99, but that's for 17#, so it's actually cheaper at just under $1.18 a pound.


coffee_junkie said:


> We have that too, it is regulated my the dept. of transportation, for new tanks it is 12yrs and re-certified tanks are good for 5 years.


Actually it's 7 years after getting re-certified after 12... and Blue Rhino/Amerigas don't give a crap how old their tanks are.  At the beginning of the season, I got an Amerigas tank from Home Depot that was 18 years old!  Needless to say, Ace Hardware wouldn't fill it.  I don't blame them.  I went to Thornton's and did the exchange and now have a tank that's only 6 years old so next time around I can just do the refill at Ace for only $18.99.


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