CAMPERS: Propane, where's cheap?/charges by weight/etc...

[ExtraSlow]

Well, dropped by the Fill-n-go on edmonton trail. Traded my expired 30 lb tank for a recertfied one (July 2016 date). Total cost for tank and fill was $52.45. I don't think I'm going to do much better than that.

While I was chatting with the guy, he did mention that they often run out of recertfied 30 lb tanks. I guess not that many people trade them in? They have tons of the 20 lb tanks though.

With how little propane I use, and the little bit left in my other expired tank, I should get through the rest of the summer.

[SOAB]

Do all Costco locations refill propane tanks? I need to hit up the Deerfoot meadows location tonight anyway so I could bring my tanks along.

[carson blocks]

Costco Balzac sells brand new 30lb bottles, $55ish if I recall. OP, could you run 2 tanks with an auto switching regulator? That's the setup my trailer has and it seems like it works well.

[codetrap]

.

[Thaco]

Originally posted by SOAB
Do all Costco locations refill propane tanks? I need to hit up the Deerfoot meadows location tonight anyway so I could bring my tanks along.

check the OP for locations, i just updated it.

[Thaco]

Originally posted by carson blocks
Costco Balzac sells brand new 30lb bottles, $55ish if I recall. OP, could you run 2 tanks with an auto switching regulator? That's the setup my trailer has and it seems like it works well.

yeah i actually found out my biggest issue was i was runnignt he water tank, which at the time i thought was the furnace because the furnace is automatic and i really didn't expect that because my last unit was a circa 1970's tent trailer which i had to light manually... everything works a lot more efficiently now, i perfer to not have auto switching because then i know when my tank is empty, running out and switching in the middle of the night is minor compared to running out completely and freezing all night.

[SOAB]

that happened to me last September long weekend. woke up freezing our asses off and had to go find a gas station that had propane. that sucked.

I've tried calling Costco before and vowed never to do that again.

[78si]

Does anyone know of a place in Cochrane that fills propane tanks?

[spikerS]

Originally posted by 78si
Does anyone know of a place in Cochrane that fills propane tanks?

When I lived in Cochrane, I used to fill up all the time at Fas Gas. was the cheapest place. Dont know if they still have it though.

[RealJimmyJames]

Top tip if you don't know where in a town to get propane. Look for a gas station with the big white propane bullet (can be either horizontal or vertical). Most places don't put propane on the sign, but those tanks are relatively easy to spot while driving. Just had a look at the google streeetview of the cochrane fas gas, and it doesn't seem to have one.

The "spring Hill" shell at the corner of 22 and 567 north of cochrane has one you can clearly see from the highway.
https://goo.gl/maps/16NLnUboRKT2

[SOAB]

Went to the Costco in Okotoks yesterday and filled 2 - 20LB tanks. total cost? 14 buckeroos. wow, that was cheap.

[jwslam]

BUMP
Finally running low on my 20lb bbq after 3 yrs.

Question:
Is Co-Op still a good bet for pricing? Not a Costco member.

Additional noob question:
Exactly how do I get it filled? Drive up to their propane bullet and... does someone come do it for me? Or I gotta figure out how to do it myself?

[Alterac]

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BUMP
Finally running low on my 20lb bbq after 3 yrs.

Question:
Is Co-Op still a good bet for pricing? Not a Costco member.

Additional noob question:
Exactly how do I get it filled? Drive up to their propane bullet and... does someone come do it for me? Or I gotta figure out how to do it myself?

Co-Op is still around $1+/lb, and you go to the propane tank and their is a button for service normally.
They will come and fill it, since you need "special" training to do it.

Costco is still cheapest.

Also make sure your tank isn't expired, you can only fill it within 10 years of the stamped year on the top of the tank.

[jacky4566]

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I don't understand camping with propane. Only wood.

These guys are talking about RV's and glamping :P

Although i have seen some nice RV's with wood heaters. Kind of a pain to keep clean.

What would be really cool is an RV with floor of batteries (like a tesla) and electric in-floor heat throughout. As a back country skier its so nice to wake up and put on warm ski boots.

[ExtraSlow]

Seasonal bump. Still like the Edmonton trail fill-in-go. Got two 20lb tanks filled today for $12.99 each. That's supposed to be the special Tuesday price, but maybe they are lazy and charge that 7 days a week? Or the young turbaned dude was hitting on me. Either way I like it. Regular price is $13.99. A good deal in any case even if your tank is not quite empty. Paying by weight would be a lot more.

[nzwasp]

So My propane tank has a gauge and it was full when I took it out on the weekend so I measured one day just using fridge the gauge didn’t move. Then the next day I had the hot water on the whole day (12 hours) the gauge read 75% full after that and it remained that way the rest of the trip. So I’m definetly only using the hot water by turning it on 30 mins before I want to use it.

Does anyone know if you can do a tank exchange with any tank or does it have to be the brand that they carry?

[Thaco]

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So My propane tank has a gauge and it was full when I took it out on the weekend so I measured one day just using fridge the gauge didn’t move. Then the next day I had the hot water on the whole day (12 hours) the gauge read 75% full after that and it remained that way the rest of the trip. So I’m definetly only using the hot water by turning it on 30 mins before I want to use it.

Does anyone know if you can do a tank exchange with any tank or does it have to be the brand that they carry?

those gauges are garbage, they are basiclaly full/empty gauges, not an indicator of volume left. the only way to really know how much you use is by weighing the tank

you should be able to tank exchange anywhere but you likely wont gt one with a gauge if yours is the built in style that costco sells, the most cost efficient way to get it filled is at costco, its like $11 for a full tank and they only charge for what they put in, every other place including those exchange places will charge you the full 20lbs regardless of whats left in your tank and will be $20+... the costco propane over a season will pay for your membership by itself if you don't already have one

[dj_rice]

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those gauges are garbage, they are basiclaly full/empty gauges, not an indicator of volume left. the only way to really know how much you use is by weighing the tank

you should be able to tank exchange anywhere but you likely wont gt one with a gauge if yours is the built in style that costco sells, the most cost effective way to get it filled is at costco, its like $11 for a full tank and they only charge for what they put in, every other place including those exchange places will charge you the full 20lbs regardless of whats left in your tank and will be $20+... the costco propane over a season will pay for your membership by itself if you don't already have one

This....my tank gauge said it was empty, took it to Costco, they filled it up and I paid the bill, it was about $5 they filled it up with.

[spike98]

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the only way to really know how much you use is by weighing the tank

No

https://mopeka.com/

and

https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/pro...hecker-_-30723

Uses ultrasonics to detect the levels from the bottom or with the other product, you can manually check level from the sides. They work well.

[speedog]

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Seasonal bump. Still like the Edmonton trail fill-in-go. Got two 20lb tanks filled today for $12.99 each. That's supposed to be the special Tuesday price, but maybe they are lazy and charge that 7 days a week? Or the young turbaned dude was hitting on me. Either way I like it. Regular price is $13.99. A good deal in any case even if your tank is not quite empty. Paying by weight would be a lot more.

My regular go to place fo propane and the young turbaned dude is cool, too easy to start shooting the shit with him about almost anything, very personable.