Back to the cost of propane.

[TheProfessor]

Propane.

I recently paid Amerigas a pre-buy for season at price of $3.07 gallon. Minimum 300 gallons.

My neighbor just had a delivery of propane from another company at a price of $2.02 a gallon. Is this a mistake? I read the invoice/slip and it states $2.02 gallon from another company.

Is Amerigas price way over?

[Sunbeam lodge]

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

Propane.

I recently paid Amerigas a pre-buy for season at price of $3.07 gallon. Minimum 300 gallons.

My neighbor just had a delivery of propane from another company at a price of $2.02 a gallon. Is this a mistake? I read the invoice/slip and it states $2.02 gallon from another company.

Is Amerigas price way over?

Rymes
31.6 gal
cost $4.639 per gallon

[JPC]

I'm not in the Lakes Region (Milford NH) but I paid $2.94/gal for 600 gal pre-buy. That includes a 5 cent discount for veteran status.

[inquiring one]

Rymes: On 8/21 I was billed at 3.50 per gallon.

[dpg]

My neighbor just had a delivery of propane from another company at a price of $2.02 a gallon. Is this a mistake? I read the invoice/slip and it states $2.02 gallon from another company.

$2.02 are you sure? That's way too cheap something doesn't sound right.

[Broken Glass]

I am an owner at Overlook in Laconia on Paugus Bay (Paugus Bay Cam). We were able to get a contract price for this coming winter for $1.99 per gallon from Eastern Propane. We have bulk storage tanks on the property and the gas is metered out from there. This may have something to do with it. I have a commercial building in Hampstead NH with a similar setup. We cant come close to that price from Palmer Gas. We consider ourselves very lucky at Overlook this winter!

[BroadHopper]

Prices varies big time. I use to purchase propane from Kidder Fuels in Tilton and Ferns from Concord. You will be surprised how far dealers will deliver. My former neighbor use to get his from Plymouth!

Have you tried Huckleberry in Loudon?

[crowsnest]

Time to get 3 quotes

[SteveA]

We only use propane for our stove at home.. so we don't buy more than once a year. The delivered yesterday 25.8 Gals. Price... $5.36

[@thelake]

Laconia Amerigas seems to be quoting $1.99 to bulk/contract/community customers.

Fred Fuller (thank you for super low priced gasoline in Moultonborough!) is in the propane game. He's offering a contract of $1.799 per gallon for the upcoming heating season. This price would be in locked-in through April 30, 2013. They would do the tank installation and gas appliance safety check at no charge.

I'd switch if i wasn't tied down with so much equipment. ( and still may...)

[BroadHopper]

Why is everyone quoting by the gallon? I thought they sell propane by the pound?

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Why is everyone quoting by the gallon? I thought they sell propane by the pound?

Only when you are filling gas grill bottles

We get billed per gallon at home.

[diz]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Why is everyone quoting by the gallon? I thought they sell propane by the pound?

I've always paid by the gallon. I think it's because it's a liquid in the truck and stays that way in our tank. Liquids are easier to measure with a flow meter.

[Happy Gourmand]

I see prices above ranging from 1.77 to 5.36. How can there be such a disparity in prices for a commodity like propane? I'm not sure what I'm missing, but this thread makes me happy that I use oil at our cottage in Meredith and natural gas at our home in Nashua.

[tis]

We just paid 3.54 from Rhymes. I think because we don't use much in our generator. It goes on once a week to test it, but unless the power goes out, we don't use it.

[fatlazyless]

...gee whiz....the price for home heating oil and gasoline are easy to see....just look at any Fred Fuller oil ad in the newspapers or drive past any gasoline station.......but propane pricing is not usually promoted by any propane companies in their advertising; Irving, Dead River, Rhymes, Amerigas, Eastern, Fred Fuller, Wallace .......no one promos the price of propane publicly in their promo ads.....like they do with heating oil..............ok.....here's my dumb question........so, why is that?

[overthetop75]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

...gee whiz....the price for home heating oil and gasoline are easy to see....just look at any Fred Fuller oil ad in the newspapers or drive past any gasoline station.......but propane pricing is not usually promoted by any propane companies in their advertising; Irving, Dead River, Rhymes, Amerigas, Eastern, Fred Fuller, Wallace .......no one promos the price of propane publicly in their promo ads.....like they do with heating oil..............ok.....here's my dumb question........so, why is that?

It has to do with your annual use and if you own your tank or rent it. At one house I have a 6 burner stove and nothing else that uses the propane. Since I don't use it for heating and I don't use enough per year for the tank rental. I have to pay for the tank at around $80 per year and I have to pay a higher rate. So I would say most people who are getting 2-3 price range use more then 100 gallons per year.

[BroadHopper]

A friend got her propane locked in at 2.799.

[codeman671]

When we installed our generator I bought a 320 gallon tank.
It was $1k to buy, but I get the discounted rate on LPG, about $1.00 less than those who rent. I figured that after a few seasons it would have paid for itself, which it probably has in savings. These larger generators can use from 1.5 to 2.5 gal per hour. Figure in a week without power a few times and you will kill a few tanks. When we had the big ice storm a few years ago we were displaced for a week. Hotel rooms, struggling to keep the pipes intact, eating out, and the overall nuisance made it all make sense.

If you are in it for the long haul, buy your own tank and shop your propane like others do with oil.

[fatlazyless]

A 100-gal tank, known as a Q tank, is a very common tank and it typically does not get buried underground, and always seems to not be owned by the homeowner, and is owned by the propane company.

So, if one can purchase a 320-gal or 500-gal or larger tank then why is it almost impossible to purchase a 100-gal Q tank? Yes, it needs to be pressure tested every ten years, but still, how come you cannot find someone to sell you a Q tank?

And, the reason is pretty simple.......the propane companies do not want to sell Q tanks because it puts an effective stop to propane price competition between companies since by renting a Q tank, the homeowner cannot price shop propane and easily switch suppliers to a lower price.

It is similar to having ,for example, Irving Oil own the gasoline tank in your car and requiring that you only purchase Irving and then explain that the tank needs to be tested and certified every ten years, and for that reason, you cannot own the gas tank in your car.

[Belmont Resident]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

A 100-gal tank, known as a Q tank, is a very common tank and it typically does not get buried underground, and always seems to not be owned by the homeowner, and is owned by the propane company.

So, if one can purchase a 320-gal or 500-gal or larger tank then why is it almost impossible to purchase a 100-gal Q tank? Yes, it needs to be pressure tested every ten years, but still, how come you cannot find someone to sell you a Q tank?

And, the reason is pretty simple.......the propane companies do not want to sell Q tanks because it puts an effective stop to propane price competition between companies since by renting a Q tank, the homeowner cannot price shop propane and easily switch suppliers to a lower price.

It is similar to having ,for example, Irving Oil own the gasoline tank in your car and requiring that you only purchase Irving and then explain that the tank needs to be tested and certified every ten years, and for that reason, you cannot own the gas tank in your car.

Not sure if it is the same thing you are talking about but I bought a 100lb propane tank at Lowes a couple of years ago. I use it for my propane space heater in my garage and at new construction job sites.

[fatlazyless]

The 100-lb tank which holds aproximately 25-gallons that you bought at Lowe's is about 1/4 of the size of the 100-gallon tank known as a Q tank. The Q tanks are about three times as wide and a little bit taller, and are a very popular size for homes that have say a Rinnai space heater, or a fireplace insert, and/or a propane kitchen stove. Q-tanks usually get set on three flat cement blocks and can be painted to blend in with a house.

Just like the Bell System dial telephones from the 1950's-60's-70's-80's, the Q tank is almost always, 99%, owned by the propane company and leased out to the homeowner, as opposed to belonging to the home owner. Is it possible to purchase a Q tank ....... not really....at least not locally here in central N.H. .....as far as I know.

[SIKSUKR]

Here you go.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...ropane%2Btanks
http://www.buyersforsale.com/propane-tanks-for-sale/

[fatlazyless]

The first link does not have a q-tank, but the second link, Northern Tool, with 70 stores nationwide, has a Q-tank for $699.99 plus a shipping weight of 298-lbs.
Now, that seems like a very expensive price considering one in decent shape for fifty bucks at a yard sale, or a local pawn shop, or someplace, would be more my cup of tea, thank you. These tanks probably have a shelf life of 40 years since all they do is to sit in one spot.......and need to be pressure tested for leaks every ten years or something.


Is there a propane know-it-all out there who can chime in here?

My hunch is that there is no way that Amerigas, thenation's largest propane business, pays anywhere even remotely close to seven hundred dollars for their white q-tanks.