Beware of Blue Rhino Propane Tank Exchange

Multi-zoned homes and homes with a hot tub and jacuzzi require a considerably larger tank. Run your hand from top to bottom, and you will feel where the coldness of the propane starts—that will show you how much is left. An above-ground propane tank is recommended if your property is located in an area with frequent flooding.

DH installed two “new” propane heaters in my greenhouse before we moved, and I have to admit they worked great on their own all winter without any help from me. I went back about twice a week to check on the greenhouse, water my plants, etc., but the greenhouse was basically on its own all winter. The plants didn’t really thrive with the propane heat, but at least none of them died. My problems from the previous year had been caused from those piece of shi+ Northern heaters, which were defective from the very first day they arrived.

An empty 20lb propane tank is estimated to cost between $35 and $60. Unless it’s an oversight, most people don’t let their propane tank completely run empty. This means that exchange customers have to guess when their tank is almost empty. When one tank runs out, don’t swap it out at a gas station or whatever. Instead check with your local U-Haul, Ready Rents, and other places that refill propane tanks.

The refill cost, which usually ranges from $3 to $4 per gallon, determines how much you pay for the refill. Propane tanks can hold 20% more than 20 pounds but should not be filled more than that. The pressure relief valve of a propane tank may open if it is too blue rhino vs amerigas full, releasing propane into the air. In general, refilling your own propane tank costs between $3 and $4 per gallon, whereas exchanging your propane tank costs between $5 and $6. Some exchange programs only fill their 20 pound tanks with 15 pound propane.

blue rhino vs amerigas

The new OPD valves are designed to prevent overfilling (no more than 80%), but the tanks can generally be filled with much more than 17#. I know this, because I have had my tanks filled by propane suppliers for many years and weighed them each time I brought them home. The weight was always within a few ounces of the tare weight + 20. If you are Alan, you go to a near-by filling station and refill the bottle.

“the tanks are actually 25-pound tanks that can only be filled to 20 pounds. ” is a false statement. Heck, they could be filled to 10 pounds if that is what people or the company want. I have worked at a refill station for 10 years now and I can’t tell you how many complaints we get about Blue Rhino tanks. It is not unsafe to put 20lbs of propane in a tank, UNLESS that tank is exposed to 120 degrees F or above, at which point, the pressure relief valve with discharge to reduce pressure inside the tank.

blue rhino vs amerigas: How To Buy, Exchange, Or Dispose A Propane Tank

There’s a Shell station close by with gas-refilling capability. When you exchange, check the valve areas for blue or green residue. Meth cooks are buying propane tanks and emptying, then filling them with anhydrous ammonia and it weakens the tank structure. Blue Rhino is a leading brand of propane tanks and cylinders in the United States, and you can find their products at most major retailers. If you’re looking for a new propane tank, you should take a few moments to look through the size chart below. This chart shows the lengths of 48 different standardized propane tanks in inches.

  • When one tank runs out, don’t swap it out at a gas station or whatever.
  • DH installed two “new” propane heaters in my greenhouse before we moved, and I have to admit they worked great on their own all winter without any help from me.
  • The tank initially contains air, which will not compress to a liquid at anywhere near the pressure that propane will.
  • Wow, I haven’t been on Garden Web in 7-8 months and what a surprise to find this thread I started several years ago back on the first page, LOL.

If you intend to fill up the propane tank, make sure it is fully loaded and weighs as much as possible. When traveling, make sure to bring a tank exchange with you, so you don’t run out of propane. Our Blue Rhino cylinder comes pre-filled with propane, so you can get started on your grilling adventure right away. Furthermore, we are the only propane tank manufacturer in the United States and Puerto Rico, so you can be confident that you are purchasing a tank of the highest quality and at the best possible price. You can get your Blue Rhino propane tank for less than what it would cost to buy it in full today. The return on investment may require you to use greater than 20 one pound cylinders.

The costs to purchase a big propane tank averages $1,500 for a 500-gallon tank, and $2,500 for a one thousand-gallon tank. However, some propane exchange companies, such as Blue Rhino, will accept https://cryptolisting.org/ your unused propane cylinders and recycle them for free. If you have a propane tank that you don’t want, you can swap it out with a Blue Rhino display and we’ll take care of the rest.

In early 2014, Ferrellgas decided to shake things up a bit and acquire some midstream — transportation and storage — assets. With energy prices sky high, it seemed like a potentially lucrative investment, despite the fact that the company had no experience in the midstream space. This was so full of crap because I filled out the form that I had 22 tanks in the years time period. As part of a $6.5 million settlement over the amount of propane in the tanks. The retail store will allow you to pick the Blue Rhino tank you want.

Does Blue Rhino Accept Expired Tanks?

The majority of Blue Rhino tanks can be refilled by any qualified and trained propane supplier. While consumers who purchased either AmeriGas or Blue Rhino propane tanks may be affected by this settlement, it only resolves the claims made against AmeriGas; the Blue Rhino case is continuing in court. 10lb tank holds 10 lbs of propane, 20 lb tank holds 20 lbs of propane, 30 lb tank holds 30 lbs of propane. These cylinders are meant to hold 20 lbs of propane @ 80% of the tanks capacity. Blue Rhino is most certainly ‘short-filling’ their tanks to line their already bulging pockets. Also, Blue Rhino puts a plastic ‘sleeve’ around its tanks which advocates rapid rusting resulting in an ugly and sometimes unsafe cylinder.

blue rhino vs amerigas

On the other hand, I have never had a problem with Blue Rhino. In the past year I have had two Amerigas tanks with valve problems. One was very difficult to open and close; the other, once opened it would not shut off. I grabbed a full 20 lb bottle of Blue Rhino out of the cage and had the attendant weigh the bottle. As for this new ‘magnetic valve’, I have only seen a few up in MA over the past 10 years.

ALWAYS transport and store a cylinder in a secure and upright position so it will not fall, shift, or roll. When faced with resistance from Wal-Mart, the two companies secretly agreed to coordinate their negotiations, pressuring the retailer to accept the reduced fill level. Use our visualizations to explore scam and fraud trends in your state based on reports from consumers like you. Memo from Chair Lina M. Khan to commission staff and commissioners regarding the vision and priorities for the FTC. Get stock recommendations, portfolio guidance, and more from The Motley Fool’s premium services. As for me, the only way I’ll be investing in propane is to put a canister of it under the grill.

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I think the company stinks in for the money it always goes in the attorneys pocket you get nothing. Without proof of purchase, Class Members will be eligible for up to $2.50 per tank for up to 50 tanks, or $125. Class Members who provide proof of purchase are eligible for up to $5 per tank, with no limit on the number of tanks that can be claimed. With all this said, stay away from Blue Rhino and Amerigas. Blue Rhino is now owned by FerralGas which is the largest propane supplier in America.

blue rhino vs amerigas

The sad part is very few people even know they are buying an exchange tank that is only 75% full. The cost is minimal.Filling a propane tank today got us 4.7 gallons at $2.99 per gallon, for the princely sum of $14.05. Contrary to what’s been erroneously claimed by others, 20 pound DOT cylinders are actually designed to be filled to 20 pounds.

Get into location

Offer your customers the convenience they expect, while generating foot traffic, revenue, and visibility for your retail business. The companies also are prohibited from sharing sensitive non-public business information with competitors except in narrowly defined circumstances. The consent agreements also require the companies to maintain antitrust compliance programs. More information about the consent agreements can be found in the analysis to aid public comment for this matter on the FTC’s website. If they took their tank to an exchange, they’d be giving away that remaining propane, he said. Backyard grillers who found themselves a little short on flame in recent years may have been burned by Blue Rhino and AmeriGas Cylinder Exchange, the two leading suppliers of propane exchange tanks.

It seems like Blue Rhino sells at a lot of gas stations around here, so I’ve been using them more lately. The FTC will publish the consent agreements in the Federal Register shortly. Interested parties can submit written comments electronically or in paper form by following the instructions in the “Accessibility” portion of the Federal Register notice.

They will however often result in a tank being under-filled as this is not a safety concern. Now, before getting too upset, a slightly under-filled tank is not a concern, IF you are only charged for the propane received. Make the supplier weigh the tank before and after the fill and determine exactly how much propane you received. Sometimes one wrong move can come back to haunt a company, and that’s exactly what has happened with Ferrellgas Partners. Propane distribution — which is the primary business of both Ferrellgas and AmeriGas — is a pretty boring but reasonably stable business. While propane tanks for gas grills provide some income during the summer months, the big money comes during the winter, when demand for propane for heaters and heating systems drives heavy distribution.

A propane tank exchange with Blue Rhino Propane is a bad idea. Blue Rhino is installing valves on their tanks to allow them to only refill Blue Rhino valves. Their tank-for-tank service means you will be locked into their tank-for-tank program and will not be able to refill your propane tank at a local propane dealer. Not all Blue Rhino tanks (or those that haven’t been retrofitted with TS2 valves) have been retrofitted with the TS2 valve. If you live in an area where Blue Rhino is authorized to sell propane, you may be able to find an OPD tank there. It is critical to recognize the TS2 indention in order to be certain.

Can You Exchange An Out Of Date Propane Tank?

OPDs were introduced because so many unqualified and/or negligent people were overfilling tanks, which can be very dangerous to say the least. If Blue Rhino ships out tanks with 17 pounds, they have found a way to get paid 12.5% more $$$ per tank, but they probably have their description carefully crafted to deceive buyers. It is well know they have proprietary fill valves designed to screw customers into being captive.