Should you Fill your Tank or Exchange it?
Dear friends, I’ve wanted to do this for a while. Quite a few customers ask me why I charge a few dollars more than some propane exchange places. I spend some time explaining to them that in fact they’re paying less per pond/gallon than what they believe. Indeed, most people don’t know that they’re only getting 15 lbs of propane when they swap their tank versus 20 lbs when they fill it. The trick is to divide whatever they’re paying at the exchange place by 15 (lbs) and multiply by 20, and that will be the real price.
Ex: $16.99 ÷ 15= $1.1326 per lb, then 1.1326 X 20= $22.65 for 20 lbs. So the price is most time higher to swap tanks than it is to fill them. Some customers have told me that my propane must be of a better quality because it lasts quite longer. But no, my propane is not better as it is the exact same as everybody else’s. We just happen to fill it with the maximum amount allowed (which is what you paid for). That is when you get 15 lbs as the tare weight varies from 16.6 lbs to 20 lbs, so is the amount of gas in the 20 lbs tank the same as in the 15 lbs? To know use a scale. on the handle of the tank you’ll find the tare weight TW, so once you get the total weight of the tank you just exchanged, subtract the TW weight and you’ll get the real amount of gas inside.
Ex: Total weight= 31.6 lbs – 16.6 TW= 15 lbs of gas.
Another downside to swapping tanks instead of filling is, how old is the tank you’re getting (I’ve seen tanks from 1960)? Sure, they’ve been re-painted and they look OK/good, nonetheless they’re still old, old tanks with sometimes defective valves, cracked gaskets, rust all over, especially under the tank.
When you go to a place where they fill your tank, the tank is inspected and filled with 20 lbs of propane. When you swap tanks you don’t know how old the tanks is, how much gas you’re really getting (it’s never more than 15 lbs), you don’t know if the valve is in good shape or not, while paying at the very least 25% more.
So my friends, choose wisely.
