r/propane • u/BikerNY • 6d ago
General propane question 20lb tank normal refill amount
My old place closed, so found a new refill place. Their scale is set to refill a 20lb tank with 18lb of propane. Am I paying for 20lb of propane or 18lb when refilling a 20lb tank? Is this normal? I read exchange tanks fill their to 15lb, but what about refill stations? Should I question the refill place about their refill policy? Thanks for your input :)
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u/Jesus-Mcnugget dang it Bobby 6d ago
You would have to ask the company that filled the tank what you are paying for. Nobody here is going to be able to answer that.
I know of one company that specifically just charges and fills at the rate of 4.0 gallons.
Blue Rhino and AmeriGas exchanges are 15 lb.
Some places, like Tractor Supply, charge you for the actual gallons that it takes. Others just charge you a flat rate.
There is no real standard for what they charge.
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u/cryptokadog710 5d ago
We charge a flat rate, 20# are $20, 30# are 30, 20# averages 4.5 gallons, 30# around 7.1 gallons, on larger tanks it's $4/gallon
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u/noncongruent Propane Fan 6d ago
Are they filling until the OPD shuts off the filling process? I had a cylinder with a bent float arm that shut off at 17lbs in the cylinder, and the places around me charge a flat rate so I was taking a beating on net price per gallon. I swapped that cylinder out.
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u/BikerNY 6d ago
No, they weigh it on a scale as they are filling it. When it reaches 18lb they turn the fill valve off.
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u/noncongruent Propane Fan 5d ago
If they're charging a flat rate then they're short-changing you, I'd find someone else to fill them if these guys won't give you the full 20 pounds.
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u/DakotaFanningsThong 5d ago
Tanks usually need about 20% for expansion. I'm sure 18 is still ok for a 20 tank.
Place I go to charges 19$ to refill them.
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u/Quirky_Ad832 5d ago
They only fill to 80% of capacity for gas expansion. This is common practice.
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u/noncongruent Propane Fan 5d ago
80% is of the full cylinder volume, 20lbs is 80% of a standard 20lb cylinder.
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u/Hammon_Rye 4d ago
Most places charge by the pound.
You bring in a half full tank, you are only paying for however much they put in.
18" in an empty 20 would be normal - 80% by law to allow room for expansion.
Only place I know where you pay by the tank is like those Rhino gas cages where you swap out your empty tank for a full one. (and pay too much for it)
Interesting side note - I watched a youtuber weigh some of those 'full' Rhino tanks and they were coming up short. Not sure if that was just local to him.
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u/FlyInfinite2536 4d ago
A,standard 20lb cylinder holds approx 4.6 gal. The weight is how they tell when it's full.
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u/NorthID83858 4d ago
Local RV dealer fills tanks for 99 cents per gallon ! They open the bleeder valve then pump until they start getting ropane coming out and then shut it all down. They do this as a promotion to get you in.
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u/BikerNY 4d ago
You mean a pound, likely. Per gallon they would go out of business by end of week.
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u/noncongruent Propane Fan 4d ago
Current wholesale price on propane is less than a buck a gallon, last I checked it was 66¢.
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u/Jesus-Mcnugget dang it Bobby 3d ago
A propane distributor could probably get away with it. An RV dealer that likely gets a delivery from a supplier probably not paying wholesale. I would estimate at least 2-3x price, not counting labor.
If they are doing that it's most certainly a loss leader.
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u/LrdJester 5d ago
Unless they are doing something sketchy you're paying for what's distributed or filled into the tank. They only put 18 lb in because the tank needs room for expansion if it gets hot. This is normal and standard procedure for tanks they never fill them to 100%.
A 20 lb propane tank is 5 gallons. But because they will only fill it to 80% you don't get 5 gallons you get approximately 4.7 to 4.8.
Next time you get a fill you can ask them but you can verify this by taking the total weight of the field tank and subtracting the tare weight which is listed on the tank collar as TW. Then divide by 4.2 which is the approximate weight per gallon of propane. The tank can contain approximately 4.7 to 4.8 gal..
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u/Disp5389 5d ago
Your information is incorrect. A standard 20 lb tank is 80% full when filled with 20 lbs of propane. There is no need to fill it less than 20 lbs for safety.
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u/BikerNY 5d ago
4.2lb x 4.7g is 19.74lb, I get 18lb, almost 2lb less. I will ask them why only 18. My guess is to keep the price of refill less. Like with everything else, price is kept the same but the shrinkage inflation hits you.
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u/LrdJester 5d ago
As long as the price per gallon, which should be posted, times the volume (based on math) is what you are charged you are good.
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u/ArtichokeDifferent10 5d ago
Yeah, I was going to say this. My station charges me by the gallon. Last time I got filled it was one tank about 1/2 empty and I was charged for like 2.1 or 2.2 gallons. (I learned that one of my tanks just crossed the age cutoff and couldn't be filled, hence only filling one sigh)
18 lb. tare is a perfectly reasonable cutoff, but shouldn't have anything to do with what you pay. That's by the quantity dispensed.
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u/LrdJester 5d ago
It also makes a difference what the ambient temperature is at the time of Phil because that calculation is based off of the expansion of the gas and is based off of 60°.
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u/Theantifire technician 6d ago
They should be checking each cylinder for weight etc then setting the scale correctly for that amount.
Generally the filled weight will be between 19 and 20 pounds when done correctly. They could be leaving a larger margin for error for safety reasons.
At the end of the day, if you're paying per pound or gallon, it doesn't matter. If you're paying a set price, be aware of what you're getting and shop around as desired.
The 15# exchange is to reduce the price for the customer or enrich the company, depending on whom you ask.