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Earlier this month the Kansas City-based law firm Stueve Siegel Hanson filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Kansas against Ferrellgas Partners, which owns Blue Rhino. The suit, which seeks class-action status, was filed on behalf of a California man who claims the propane firm shortchanged consumers. The decision about propane tank exchange vs refill is less about what is the better option, and more a matter of convenience vs price. So, is it cheaper to exchange a propane tank or refill it? But there are advantages and drawbacks to both.
AFAIK, you can exchange them at either place – whichever is more convenient; i.e. you’re not going to be locked into a brand. It’s usually cheaper to just get them refilled if you have that available as an option nearby. Locally, I can get mine refilled at B.J.’s for either $9.99 or $10.99 (I can’t remember which it is), and I can get it refilled at a hardware store for about $14.
This is because propane tank refilling must be done by skilled professionals specifically trained to work with propane, a highly flammable gas. Keep in mind that this price is listed on Walmart.com, but prices may vary by region or store. According to several online sources, Walmart typically charges about $5 per gallon for propane exchange. Walmart sells a variety of propane tank sizes, including 14-oz cylinders, 16-oz cylinders, 15-lb tanks, and 20-lb tanks. They also sell empty 5-lb tanks if you’re interested in filling a tank elsewhere.
I recently bought a Weber Q 100 grill and Weber 6501 adapter hose for use with 20 lb. You can get up to $2.50 per tank without uploading proof (claim up to to 50 for $125 total). No proof of purchase is necessary to obtain settlement benefits, do not fill it out if you never purchased these products to qualify.
Do you accept only Blue Rhino tanks for exchange?
They claim that some of their tanks do not have the TS2 valve. I have asked the place where I refill and was told that they have never come across one that they could not fill. Apparently there is a triangular indentation on the value itself on the TS2 valves . That way you can run your tank empty before refilling or exchanging, knowing that you have a spare to finish cooking that expensive steak. It will cost you about $20 to $25 up front, but you may save in the long run and will not run out in the middle of the BBQ. If you have just one tank and return it with 5 lbs left to avoid running out, you are now getting a higher percentage yet of waste.
Can I use Blue Rhino propane in my RV?
If your RV uses a traditional grill tank, Blue Rhino's more than 54,000 convenient locations have the propane you need.
In order to get flow IN to a TS2 valve, a magnetic key must be inserted into the indentation to hold a steel ball out of the way. I had posted this information on the Appliances forum in a thread about gas grills. Thought I would post it here as well for reference. If you’ve been harmed or cheated by a company, we’ll help assess the facts and build a plan of action.
Beware of Blue Rhino Propane Tank Exchange
Unless the propane tank is completely empty, customers will lose propane when they exchange their tank. And when they are already paying more money for less propane, losing any amount of propane just adds insult to injury. 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.
$60 to $80 or more vs. the $20 to $25 for the 20 lb tank. On the TV show “King of the Hill”, Hank Hill works for a company that sells “Propane and propane accessories”. You pay only for what you get even if your tank is not empty . You pay for a full tank even if your return tank is not yet empty.
How To Buy, Exchange, Or Dispose Of Your Propane Tank
The propane company only has to add 10 lbs to your tank when they refill and sell to someone else. For the customer it is also quick and convenient. Filling a tank sometimes requires waiting a bit for the employee who is trained to become available to fill the tank. You don’t have to worry about your tank being out of date. The exchange places will take the out of date tank because the propane companies can easily recertify the tank. When purchasing propane at Walmart, you can do so in one of two ways–by purchasing a brand new tank or cylinder or by exchanging an empty tank for a full one.
How much propane does it take to heat a 2000 square foot house?
Propane Usage Based on Household Square Footage
1,000 square feet will use an average of 440 gallons on an annual basis. 1,500 square feet will use an average of 670 gallons each year. 2,000 square feet will consume up to 900 gallons on an annual basis.
Many nursey locations have a propane fill station. Blue rhino has some bs “proprietary” valve, you can’t refill them. After disconnecting them from the stove/lantern, I could hear hissing of the escaping gas.
Get your Propane Tank Delivered Right to You
You might prefer the additional storage of a 1000-gallon tank for a cost of $three,100 to $4,500 installed. For small grilling and auxiliary propane tanks, anticipate to spend between $50 and $one hundred fifty for an empty shell. I.E. they are the only people in the world who can safely fill a propane tank. The TS2 provides no other “safety” than preventing others from refilling. This is NOT the same is the Overfill Protection Device which has been required for all tanks for quite some time now. Use the tank exchange when your tank is out of certification and cannot be refilled.
- However, Coleman and BernzOmatic propane cylinders are not available for exchange at Walmart.
- When you exchange a propane tank, you are only guaranteed 15 pounds of propane per 20 pound tank.
- Both clearly state on the front, “Net Weight 15 lbs.”.
- In order to take advantage of Walmart’s propane tank exchange option, you will need to supply your own empty 15- or 20-lb propane tank to initiate the exchange.
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Beware if you plan to use the Blue Rhino tank exchange service for buying propane. While tank exchange has grown in popularity, consumers can still take their tanks to firms that will fill them to a safe, full capacity. In many cases, an AJC survey found, consumers can save money — and grill longer on a single tank — by refilling instead of exchanging. Last summer two of the nation’s leading sellers of pre-filled grill tanks — Blue Rhino and AmeriGas — reduced the amount of propane in their tanks from 17 pounds to just 15 pounds. Company officials said the change allowed their tanks’ retail price to remain the same at a time when propane prices had spiked.
We’re here to protect you and your business.
The majority of Blue Rhino tanks can be refilled by any qualified and trained propane supplier. Last month a frustrated Joseph Viggiano of Marietta complained to state regulators about what he considered short-weighted AmeriGas propane tanks at the Publix on Sandy Plains Road, records show. Whether you choose to refill or exchange your propane tank, propane is the best way to keep your summer cooking. https://cryptolisting.org/ Propane is an affordable, easy to use, and efficient fuel that excels in backyard barbecues. Propane provides immediate heat and precise temperature control, which gives you the flexibility to prepare a variety of dishes that would be challenging with other outdoor heat sources. Exchanging your propane tank at a Blue Rhino partner is quick and easy and can be done any time of the day.
If you don’t want 15 pounds but want 20 pounds, you can go wherever you want that fills them to 20 pounds. “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. I was in a hurry and did a tank swap at Walmart recently, which is supplied Blue Rhino in the DFW area.
You may be entitled to get back up to a $12.50 check from this AmeriGas & Blue Rhino Propane Settlement if you are eligible! Simply complete the short form by March 8th to submit your claim. Instructions for these warn of the tanks freezing up and suggest wearing gloves to prevent frost burns.
Propane tanks bigger than 500-gallons will require permanent underground set up typically. Check the Blue Rhino sign again……they only put 17 pounds of propane in your 20 pound tank….they underfill it, too. Take a bottle of water with you to the refilling station. When the tank is full, pour the water down the side of the tank. The problem I found with that is some of the places have filled only fill it half way.
This is because national fire codes prohibit filling tanks to their designed capacity, for safety reasons. The price, including delivery, works out to about $1.31 per pound of propane — about what consumers pay for the propane they get at tank exchanges at Lowe’s and Home Depot. While a grill tank holds a little more than 4 gallons of propane, Wesson said most customers only need 2 or 3 gallons to top off their tanks. 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 is against the law to submit the form if you do not qualify. In any case, weighing will probably give you a better indication than your average car’s gas gauge will. I have one vehicle which sticks on Full for a long time then quickly drops.
They are necessary for some items, such as the catalytic heaters, in which the cylinder is part of the physical support. One way to tell how much propane is in the tank is to weigh it. You can use your bathroom scale to weigh the tank, then subtract the Tare Weight, which is stamped metal piece that is welded to the tank. The tank is NOT filled all the way to the top with liquid. When filled the tank often gets cold due to some evaporation of the liquid.
We are not paid by Aldi or receive free goods or services from Aldi. Also, propane is heavier than air, so if you do have a leak, the propane will settle in low laying areas. Shut all electricity off and call your fire department if you suspect a leak. Finally, if you are dissatisfied with a Blue blue rhino vs amerigas Rhino tank, please return it to the store for a refund or replacement. Blue Rhino is not only installing OPD valves, they are installing their OWN proprietary OPD valves, called Tri-Safe II valves. You can identify a TSII valve by the little triangular indentation on the side of the valve.
How long are Blue Rhino propane tanks good for?
Look for a date stamp on or near the collar of the tank. The date (month & year of re-qualification inspection) is usually stamped on the edge of the tank collar. Tanks without unacceptable defects are good for up to 12 years from date of manufacture.
If you have gas installed at your house already, you can have your gas company run an outlet to your barbecue and be free of the extra cost and many headaches of 20 lb cylinders forever. In November 2020, Defendant AmeriGas agreed to settle the class-action claims. The Court gave its initial approval to the settlement, and the Claims Period opened on January 6, 2021.
10lb tank holds 10 lbs of propane, 20 lb tank holds 20 lbs of propane, 30 lb tank holds 30 lbs of propane. 20 lb tanks are more commonly known as BBQ size tanks. These cylinders are meant to hold 20 lbs of propane @ 80% of the tanks capacity.