propane for house question

[seth]

Guys---

The new house has propane for heat. Couple o questions, since I am guessing a few of you have it. How much is propane running a gallon these days? We have a 1200 gallon tank. Also, how often do you have to get it filled, twice a year? Live in VA now with all four seasons still.

 

[perk_1405]

i know its best to fill up during the summer months, because of demand and you get a better price..

 

[Scrambler1]

Last time I filled mine up it was a little over $3 a gallon. I have a 1000 gallon tank and I'm good for about 4-5 months between fillups depending on pool use.

Make sure that you don't let the tank get much below 1/4 full. If its less than that and you get a real heavy rain the tank could start to float. Basically it would look like you had a nuclear submarine coming up in your yard.

 

[seth]

Damm thats funny.

Sorry for asking so many questions, but some of this is new. Used to oil and gas, not propane.

Do you budget the price and pay throughout the year, or just a one time payment?

 

[GriMacE 06QuadSRT10]

500 gal tank here - have had it for 5 years -- it is for 2 gas pack roof house heaters only -- runs $2.50 gal. I get it topped off every month in the winter and pay on budget plan throughout the year.

They are not buried here so no risk of submarine -- LOL

 

[Scrambler1]

Damm thats funny.

Sorry for asking so many questions, but some of this is new. Used to oil and gas, not propane.

Do you budget the price and pay throughout the year, or just a one time payment?

The best way could vary with the company you use. Since we don't have much of a winter season on the Sc coast the price doesn't vary by season. Most people have heat pumps for the A/C system and the gas is for water heaters, cooking, pool, backup generator, etc. That's the way my house is.

For me I have them come out every 4 months and fill it for a discount per gallon. I pay a little more for an unscheduled fill and a fee for an "emergency" fill. Emergency being within 24hrs. I just budget every month for that payment.

 

[Ram From Hell]

Guys---

The new house has propane for heat. Couple o questions, since I am guessing a few of you have it. How much is propane running a gallon these days? We have a 1200 gallon tank. Also, how often do you have to get it filled, twice a year? Live in VA now with all four seasons still.

Are you expecting to have fewer than four seasons at some point?

Make sure you own the tank that came with the house. Out here, only the gas co that leases the tanks will fill them, and will charge accordingly. If you own, the price is much more competitive.

Also, consider replacing the tank-style (if you have one) with an on-demand unit. It will save a substantial amount of fuel every year, and you can even get a tax credit for it.

 

[seth]

What is an on-demand unit? I popped the green cover and there are no stickers from a propane company,nor did we get any mail from a propane company in the three weeks since we closed. It feels like we own it.

 

[Ram From Hell]

It's easy to tell an on-demand heater from a tank-type. They have no tank, mount on the wall, and are about 20" tall, 16" wide and 8" deep.

You can buy them in a variety of BTU ratings, depending on how much hot water you would ever need at one time, and what temperature the water coming to the house is to begin with. We can have three showers running simultaneously, with the water as hot as we need it to be. Ours, if I remember correctly, is a 200k BTU unit at 90% efficiency. It just ramps up the burner as demand increases, then shuts off entirely when demand ceases. Bought mine on ebay for about $800.00 shipped, and I'll bet it's about half paid for itself in two years.

Here's a sampling on ebay:

http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_sopZ3?_nkw=takagi+water+heater&_fromfsb=&_trksid=m270

 

[seth]

Oh, hot water isn't a big deal for me. I have propane furnaces for heat, not heat pumps. I assume thats where most of my gas is going.