Propane

Raider Bill · September 23, 2008, 05:27:56 PM

Next trip I need to get my cook stove up and working. I have not purchased the dryer yet
I see those 100 lb tanks for sale and wondered what is the cheapest way to go.
1, buy my own tank and either take them in to be refilled or have the truck come to me

2, have propane co supply and service tank.
Stove and dryer will be the only propane I need. Depending on operating price I could buy a elec dryer.

Will 5/8 copper work as supply line or does it need to be 3/4?

I've always herad that you should use flare fittings instead of compression is that true?

Raider Bill · September 23, 2008, 05:55:23 PM

wonder what happened there with the lines? Doesn't come up in the preview

WH_Conley · September 23, 2008, 05:57:42 PM

We have a propane hot water heater and cook stove. Was cheaper to take tanks and have them filled until 2 daughters moved back home. If you don't use enough there is usually rent on the company tanks. (250-500 gal) Don'y know about them providing 100 lb tanks.

3/8 line should do the job, make your splices outside the home. Safer to have 2 clean lines running in then to have splices inside.

I have heard the same compression vs flare. No idea.

beenthere · September 23, 2008, 06:16:37 PM

Quote from: Raider Bill on September 23, 2008, 05:27:56 PM
Next trip I need to get my cook stove up and working. I have not purchased the dryer yet
I see those 100 lb tanks for sale and wondered what is the cheapest way to go.
1, buy my own tank and either take them in to be refilled or have the truck come to me

2, have propane co supply and service tank.
Stove and dryer will be the only propane I need. Depending on operating price I could buy a elec dryer.

Will 5/8 copper work as supply line or does it need to be 3/4?

I've always herad that you should use flare fittings instead of compression is that true?

Take the bracketed 's' ~~out in point number one...~~

Raider Bill · September 23, 2008, 06:31:52 PM

Well there you have it!

Don_Papenburg · September 23, 2008, 11:59:14 PM

You want 5/8 from the main reg on the tank to the secondary at the house .
from there use black pipe . I used SS in ground and through walls/Floors . I polished the pipe that was exposed in the living area.
Use flare fittings on copper . If you need a splice inground , I solder the copper tube.

Raider Bill · September 24, 2008, 11:54:21 AM

depending on where I put the tank everything should be above ground.
Have 100" 5/8 copper I never used figure to save soem $$$ and use it.

Still wondering if having my own tank will save $$ or not be worth the hassle.

Haven't bought dryer yet. Looking at price of Propane maybe a elec dryer would be better for me.

Got to have a gas stove though.

Don_Papenburg · September 24, 2008, 09:11:37 PM

If you can get a tank cheep it is well worth the fredom to buy on the open market . I bought old NH3 tanks aired them out and put in brass valves . NH3 uses steel valves . Look at old farm sales or fertalizer companies for an old 300/500 gallon apllicator . Those have gone out of favor and should sell cheep.

Onthesauk · September 25, 2008, 11:24:37 AM

We wanted our tank buried, out of sight, so had to buy one, couldn't lease. But as a result we can buy propane from anyone, not locked to a single supplier, although have ended up staying with the Co-op.

Raider Bill · September 25, 2008, 11:34:29 AM

Do they or will propane companies fill on site privately owned tanks?
I'm going to put mine under the back deck.

What do you guys think, should I go with elec or propane dryer?

Norm · September 25, 2008, 11:47:00 AM

The ones around here will fill any tanks as long as they meet the safety codes.

As for the electric or propane dryer I would have told you propane a couple of years ago but with the uncertainty of propane costs I'd go with electric.

Tom · September 25, 2008, 12:41:27 PM

Most around here will only fill there own tanks. Some will fill homeowner owned tanks, but he homeowner must pay for a tank inspection.

flip · September 25, 2008, 01:14:57 PM

Go with the electric dryer.

Raider Bill · September 25, 2008, 02:40:56 PM

Quote from: flip on September 25, 2008, 01:14:57 PM
Go with the electric dryer.

I think I'm going to do that.

ADAMINMO · September 25, 2008, 04:22:05 PM

My wifes grandpa pays $35.00 per year for lease on his 300 gallon propane tank.Kinda cheap and worth it if you ask me. If anything goes wrong with it they fix it and is no problem to the person leasing it.

Raider Bill · September 25, 2008, 06:05:41 PM

Cheap for peace of mind I guess.

Sometimes I just think too much

Will check into it next trip.

Thanks!

Larry · September 25, 2008, 06:32:28 PM

Call all the propane dealers in your area. In north Missouri a propane dealer wouldn't even consider a gas delivery for a 100 pound tank. If you hauled it in (a hassle) for refill they would charge the same absurd price as gas for a 20 pound BBQ bottle. I had a 500 gallon tank for the house that I owned, and a 250 gallon tank for the shop that I leased. Lease was $30 a year and they maintained it along with painting it every few years if I asked.

thecfarm · September 25, 2008, 09:48:29 PM

We have a gas dryer. Wife wanted it for some reason.Dries clothes,it works good.

cheyenne · September 25, 2008, 10:50:11 PM

They may not let you put it under a deck & it must be 10' from any type of exhaust or heat source. Don't forget drip tubes on the appliances. 5/8 is fine use only flare fittings & use s/s flexable lines to appliances & leak test everything.....Cheyenne

scsmith42 · September 26, 2008, 05:00:06 AM

Bill, re propane I prefer the larger, burried self-owned tanks. It's nice to have a large supply on hand, and one less trip to make to town.

Re the dryer, gas works well, and if you have a small standby generator you have the added benefit of being able to run the dryer during a multi-day power outage (such as if an ice storm wipes out a lot of power infrastructure).

With an electric dryer, you'd need a pretty large generator (probably 12K or larger) in order to power it.

If in doubt, be sure to run both 30A wiring and a gas line while you're building so that you can choose between gas and electric in the future w/o having to rework your house.

That's also a nice feature of propane / wood heat - the furnace will work on a fairly small generator since all you're running is the blower fan motor.

Scott

SwampDonkey · September 26, 2008, 07:08:22 AM

In my folks' experience, they pay more in rent for the tank than they use in propane. :D They are on heat pump, which is a lot cheaper. The propane company here doesn't do maintenance, it's up to the user to hire an independent and to keep it painted. To top it off it's a monopoly so the propane company can't loose. :

Raider Bill · September 26, 2008, 08:27:56 AM

I'm convinced elec will be the way I go for the dryer. I did buy a 5 burner gas stove as I prefer to cook with gas and will proceed that way.
The deck is open on 3 sides, no exhaust, heat source nothin under it for 48 ft. Deck is 6' off the ground and will be a straight shot to run the copper all above ground.
Plus just having the stove propane cuts the size of the tank way down.

Rockn H · September 29, 2008, 10:57:33 PM

Just thought I would throw my two cents in.

Here it's state law that the tank must be located 10' away from any part of dwelling including porches and roofs.

Here one of our local suppliers charges the same (decent price) per gallon no matter what size tank, portable or stationary. They all charge more per year for their lease tanks though, if you don't use at least 100gal. I think it's $30 vs. $45. They will all fill a privately owned tank, but if it has less than 10% in it , again by state law, they have to do a pressure test on your system to check for leaks. The test is in the $40 range.
I'd make questions out of what everyone here has said and then take Larry's advice and call all the suppliers in the area. :D

Good luck....that is, I hope you don't have my luck and have to do it twice to get it up to state code.