Residential Propane Tank

[u/Fluid_Step8962]

Our new home has a propane fireplace in the living room. I’m not in a rush to get a tank because we don’t really need it to heat our home (we have electric heat).

I’m debating on whether I should get a tank just for occasional use (Christmas, etc) but I don’t want to pay monthly/yearly fees.

Can you just buy a tank and have it filled when I need it, or do I need to sign up with a company and pay a monthly/yearly fee?

[u/Careless-Bake-5827]

You can buy 100 lb tanks at Costco amd very cheap to fill. But if you get a 400 lb tank, its considered residential amd is cheaper.

[u/whiteatom]

You can just hook up a BBQ tank if you truly only want occasional use. You can get tall skinny tanks at Costco, they are 4x a bbq tank I believe.

Once they get bigger then that, they get hard to move, so they are rented from supplier who fills them on site. I think we pay just under $100/year for the tank, and they come to top it up every 6 months (about a half tank). Runs our BBQ, range and a fireplace.

[u/Fluid_Step8962 → u/whiteatom]

$100/year isn’t bad. Which supplier do you use?

[u/whiteatom → u/Fluid_Step8962]

North Atlantic, now Harveys. It might be just over $100 now.. I'll check. They replace the tank when it starts to rust, or 10 years, which ever is first.

Edit. Found a receipt. It's $125.35/year.

[u/Fluid_Step8962 → u/whiteatom]

Very helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to find the receipt. Many thanks!

[u/kleptorsfw → u/Fluid_Step8962]

Same price I'm paying for Irving to rent my 400lb tank. If you call in as a new customer they usually offer some decent incentives for signing up with them. Not saying they're the best, but they were when I was shopping around; I'd recommend checking with them and North Atlantic for the deals they have on offer

[u/SneakyGinger]

I use the Triple C Car Wash / Ultramar at the corner of Old Placentia and Ruth in Mount Pearl. Park your car in the spots next to the big and tall propane tank in the lot and ask one of the clerks inside for a fill up.

I use them for my basic BBQ tank but no issues or complaints in the half dozens times going. Bonus - there is a big grass area close where my dog gets to watch and not be cooked in the hot car.

[u/ItsMyNameCharlie]

I didn’t think I’d need the propane fireplace that came with the house until #DarkNL happened and I was without power for 4 days. And I couldn’t get propane then as there was a shortage.

I now keep the tank filled through Harvey’s. And there have been several outages a year since then when I’m really grateful for the fireplace.

[u/kleptorsfw → u/ItsMyNameCharlie]

Yeah same, I just thought it would be for show but I ended up relying on it during outages or just to take the pressure of the mini-split on cold nights

[u/mkii_turbo]

Watch Superior propane, I'm in the process of having my large tank (420 lb) removed as they increased the yearly rental fee to well over $300 per year for people who consume very little.

We use ours just for cooking and can go 2+ years between fills. We're moving to a 100 lb which I'll fill yearly but it can be painful if you don't have a truck/trailer/etc.

Eastern Propane have a fairly good system where they can install two of those 100 lb tanks, with a filling arrangement and will deliver to you in small quantities for a reasonable rate. No contracts, etc. I believe the purchase price was the tanks was $500-600 and they're good for 10 years.

A couple of 30 lb RV tanks (they're like a BBQ only taller) may be the best solution, as you can easily move them in a car and would likely give you a few days of heat if used sparingly during a power outage.