Ok, here goes, I have had Ferrell Gas for 15 years for my 100 gal. Propane tank that they hooked up for my use. It is only for my fireplace. Now, I call them when I need Propane. Since it is only for the fireplace I do not use it much. About 5 years ago, they started to charge me rent on the tank (I was not happy about that) which is about 38.00 for the year (every April). Now, Last winter was very warm and so I did not use the fireplace at all nor did I need to call for a delivery. I do keep my pilot light on in the winter so the fireplace does work like a charm. OK, I have not had a propane delivery in over a year and a half, and here is the thing... I just got a bill in the mail for $100.00 for not using any propane, (Now I am really not happy about that).... Here's the thing, I have paid rent on the tank till April, I refuse to pay the hundred dollars, and I will call them tomorrow for an explanation.... What do they care if I use propane or not, I am not going to heat up the house in the heat! The water company did not charge me for not using water, the electric company did not charge me extra for not using a lot of electricity, so Why should the Propane company charge me for not using propane? I rent the tank, that's all they need to know....... Question.,, What are my options if I let them take the empty tank back in April? I always like to have it ready in case there is a storm and I need heat, It was a life saver when we had the ice storm 2 years ago and we lost power for 2 days, at least we had heat from the fireplace., I just hate to use it to waste money, and now I am being penalized!
Go to Lowe's, buy your own tank, fill it up at the station up on 42 and save lots of money (we did that last year and love it):-D
How do you lift those heavy tanks after you fill them with Propane, and do you have to unhook it to bring it to the gas station every time you want to fill it or top it off? Can I buy my own tank and have a gas company fill it on demand.? will they charge extra to do that, since I am Not renting their tank?
The tanks at Lowe's are about half the size as the tanks you rent. My DH picks it up and puts it on the back of his truck and then unloads it again by himself when he gets home. i don't know of any company that will fill your own tank since most of them these days charge the rental fee and you do pay extra for the gas to compensate them for salaries, gas, etc. It honestly is the best way to go to save money and not difficult at all.
Yep, I agree ... 100# tank (about 23 to 24 gallons) is $89 at Lowes. If they come get the old tank dont let them take the valve. Whoever had it installed was billed for the leed pipe and the valve. Best place to fill it is Davis Paint on Hwy 50 near the Hwy 210 intersection. Price is fair and the service is great.
Thanks for that info, I was wondering if I had to buy a new valve... If I buy a tank at Lowe's is the valve universal that it will definitely fit on the new tank? I paid for everything to be installed,,,, I just don't know if I am strong enough to lift that tank!
I want to do this and get rid of our gas company who charges us more because we are on "will call" rather than a scheduled delivery. However, I am concerned about leaks when we hook up a tank each time. A friend had a bad house fire because the gas company did not hook up the tank properly. Is it as easy as screwing in a hose and do you have to do something with the pressure in the tank when hooking it up each time? We use gas for our fireplace, a floor mounted unit in the garage and in the future a husband wants a gas stove. Will the tank from Lowes be big enough? How often do people refill (I know it depends on usuage)?
I did the "Lowes Tank" 2yrs ago. I only use for gas logs and I havent had to refill yet!! DR Wells is reasonable on their gas prices too!
You turn the valve off every time you disconnect. That stops the pressure. Mix some dish soap with water, make it 50/50 mix. Pour it over the threaded connection after you hook up the tank and open the valve. If it leaks you get bubbles. Remember the threads are backwards on tank valves. Left hand turn tightens it. Most Gas Supplier provided tanks have a (%) percentage gage on them. Watch the gage over a couple of days and that will give you the average usage. If you have a 300 gallon tank and you use 1% over 3 days you used 3 gallons (300 x 1% =3) (1%=.01). That's what I use so I average a refill on the 100# tank about every 25days. Costs $54 every time. I keep a grill tank (20#) filled for backup during the transition of tanks in case I can't get to it right away. If you add a gas stove it may increase by 2 fold on use. I know it's a bit more work but we save 18% from the "on call" prices. The other thing it does is make us conserve and stay aware of our usage.
Be sure if you tell them to come take the tank that they measure what is in it and you get that refunded to you. We went through this a few years ago for the very same reason, not only was the tank rental fee annoying to me, but they charged me more per gallon because I only used it for gas logs, as opposed to my neighbor who heats his house with propane. Then they would conveniently fill it up for me in April, just before summer! We took the gas logs insert out and put in an electric fireplace that runs off a regular wall outlet. I can have just flames, or heat & flames, and our generator can pull it for throwing heat in the event we lose power. It only costs pennies a day to run with flames only and its so pretty! We bought it at Lowes last fall, about this time, for $459 (the cost of 2 fill-ups on my tank).
Ok, I'm thoroughly confused. I went to Lowes at 40/42 this morning to purchase a propane tank for our gas logs. The guys there recommended TR Lee in downtown Clayton. Said it would be cheaper, that they didn't charge a rental fee for the tank. I left a message and am waiting for a call from them. If we purchase the tank, if I understand correctly, I then need a regulator and someone knowledgeable to connect it. The logs in our house have never been used. So, if I purchase the tank, who connects. I love DIY projects, just ask my family! I just don't want to see our house go "poofff" in a great cloud of smoke. I appreciate any advice/help. Thanks!
You need to call the company that put the logs in to make SURE things are done like they are supposed to be. If it's new construction and within your first year , the start up shouldn't cost you anything. If you do it yourself and it's wrong, you may "smoke" the inside of you house. Not good! I used to work for a builder.
Unfortunately, when we bought our house, it was almost two years old and the original owners had a three year old son and were afraid to hook up the logs. I called the builder, nothing is covered now, but you're correct, when the house was built he would have hooked up the logs at no cost to us.
He should at least be able to tell you where the logs came from though, if you call them and explain, maybe they can help. You never know.
WEll, with that all said, maybe it would be better to just get a tank from TR Lee in Clayton and be on a will call plan.... I just don't want to be charged for trying to conserve... And Ferrell Gas will definitely get the tank back EMPTY... in APRIL.
Hate to tell you this, but have had my round with FerrellGas. Picked mine up in may-June after not being used after a fill-up, and they said it was empty, and charged around $80 to pick it up! When I told them the tank was full, and I wanted a refund for the gas, they insisted it was not, but then caught themselves in their own lie by saying they did not charge to pick up empty tanks. I was fuming mad, but could not prove anything. I ended up getting them to not charge me to pick up the tank, but never got my money. I had taken out the gas logs, and had no use for the tank. By the way, it also took 5-6 months and multiple calls to get them out. Hope no one else gets sucked by them!
Hate to burst your bubble but TR Lee is who we were using and yes they do have a rental charge if you do not buy enough in a year - and with just using the fireplace, we never used enough. It took them 6 months to come pick it up after we cancelled, it sat in my yard unhooked up for 6 months, never a refund on the unused gas, and get this, a year later they sent me a bill for rental:shock::shock::shock:
