Propane prices this winter

[DickR]

Originally Posted by map

.... when we were getting quotes for the standby generator one guy said we should get an additional tank. We currently have 2 / 100 gallon tanks for our heat......

A 100 gallon tank for a standby generator? Maybe in summer. Talk to your propane supplier about the correct size of propane tank for fueling a generator. It's more than just how many hours of run time you want during a power outage. A generator of a given size (KW) needs fuel at a certain rate to run at full capacity. As I mentioned earlier in this thread (#33), liquid propane is vaporized using heat absorbed from its surroundings, presumably air around an above-ground tank. Rate of vaporization is proportional to surface area for heat transfer and to temperature difference across the tank wall. When air temperature drops, the temperature of the propane in the tank (and the pressure) must also drop to provide the required temperature difference. At some very low outside temperature, the pressure of the propane boiling inside the tank drops to a point just barely adequate to move propane vapor to the generator.

The supplier should have tables that will give vaporization rate required for a given generator size and rate sustainable at some minimum air temperature for a given tank size. That sets tank size needed.

[map]

Originally Posted by DickR

A 100 gallon tank for a standby generator? Maybe in summer. Talk to your propane supplier about the correct size of propane tank for fueling a generator. It's more than just how many hours of run time you want during a power outage. A generator of a given size (KW) needs fuel at a certain rate to run at full capacity. As I mentioned earlier in this thread (#33), liquid propane is vaporized using heat absorbed from its surroundings, presumably air around an above-ground tank. Rate of vaporization is proportional to surface area for heat transfer and to temperature difference across the tank wall. When air temperature drops, the temperature of the propane in the tank (and the pressure) must also drop to provide the required temperature difference. At some very low outside temperature, the pressure of the propane boiling inside the tank drops to a point just barely adequate to move propane vapor to the generator.

The supplier should have tables that will give vaporization rate required for a given generator size and rate sustainable at some minimum air temperature for a given tank size. That sets tank size needed.

Thanks. Yes- that guy was trying to sell us a 14k generator. That would have been 3 / 100 gallon tanks, including the 2 we have already for heat.

We ended up with a 10k- hooked up to our 2/ 100 gallon tanks- again that also fuel our heat.

At our other home - which was 2600 square feet- we had a 16k with 2/ 100 gallon tanks, but we heated the house with oil, not propane.

One thing we did in our former home is if we had a long power outage, we shut the generator off over night to save on propane.

[mishman]

Just got 250 gallons today at $1.82/gallon. Not part of a buying coop but have threaten to join one if Eastern did not come down on their price. While not the lowest price around, I don't want to go through hassle of yanking their buried tank out of the ground and buying one so I can shop around. Typically use about 1200 gallons over the course of a year (heating, dryer, stove and hot water).

[tis]

Originally Posted by mishman

Just got 250 gallons today at $1.82/gallon. Not part of a buying coop but have threaten to join one if Eastern did not come down on their price. While not the lowest price around, I don't want to go through hassle of yanking their buried tank out of the ground and buying one so I can shop around. Typically use about 1200 gallons over the course of a year (heating, dryer, stove and hot water).

If you change they don't yank it out of the ground. The new company buys it. I asked.

[SAMIAM]

If it's above ground they swap it out and you have to get credit for remaining gas from the old tank.

[tis]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

If it's above ground they swap it out and you have to get credit for remaining gas from the old tank.

Right but mis said he/she didn't want to "go through the hassle of digging their buried tank out of the ground" so that's what I was responding to. Because I had thought the same thing.