We don’t have a lot of space, so we have only one tank. I fill it when it’s low, not when it’s empty, so exchanging would mean giving propane away. Just today, I went to fill up and had 3/20 pounds still in the tank. I weigh myself and the full tank so I can check the level later and get a pretty accurate estimate of what’s left when it’s appreciably lighter than “feels about half full.”
I’ve never seen a grill tank with a spit valve; do you have them in CA?
All of the tanks we use regularly have them, but then they’re a minimum of 10 gallon specialty tanks.
When you have a spit valve, that’s your indication that the tank is full. You can just look at the gallons used meter on the pump to see how much propane was used to fill the tank; you don’t need to weigh it.
[QUOTE=Spiderman]
I’ve never seen a grill tank with a spit valve; do you have them in CA?
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AFAIK, there’s no special tanks being made for CA. It’s not a valve with a handle - you need a screwdriver to open the bleed.
The dealers who exchange cylinders are probably no less likely to be profane than the ones who refill them, unless there’s something uniquely annoying about refilling them! 
Anyway, I prefer having my own tanks. It’s cheaper, it’s a habit I’m used to, and my main tank has a liquid-propane gauge that’s very handy. It’s not particularly accurate in that it reads empty long before the tank actually is, but it’s a reliable sign that it’s pretty low.
Sadly, the expense and regulatory burden of running propane filling stations around here and the preponderance of tank exchange places has made the filling stations a lot scarcer than they used to be. But they still exist not far from me and I still use 'em.
Another (late) vote for “owned”. There is an Ace hardware near my house that refills tanks, it’s just as close and much cheaper than the nearest exchange place. I actually have 3-4 tanks that I rotate through, keeping one in use and one full spare all the time. That way when a tank runs out not only can I keep cooking, but I can get the next tank in line refilled at my convenience.
I own 4 tanks, and a complete (from empty) 20lb refill on them runs about $10.50 each here.
Most local shops don’t actually check the date stamp either, as long as the tanks look good (no rust, paint not flaking off, etc).
I have three also, and I try to make sure two have fuel at all times, in case I want to use my gas grill and turkey fryer/corn boiler at the same time. I haven’t cooked a turkey in years, but I use the cooker for corn every summer.
Another vote for own. There is a hardware store right down the street that fills them.
This was my original idea, except there’s a site out there called Propane 101 that pretty much says…
- Don’t store full tanks outdoors because the elements could wear-and-tear them beyond safe limits,
- Don’t store spare tanks next to the one you’re using on the grill because a stray spark near a leaky tank could cause a BOOM
- Like the Elf says…
And if I can’t store the extra tank in the garage or outdoors and the grill itself is built with a device to prevent storage on the cart, then it’s not really convenient to get a spare tank just-in-case…
So this actually seems like a reasonable approach…
That site I mention above notes that the safe maximum volume of liquid propane is 80% of a tank’s volume. For a 20-pound capacity tank, that would be 16 pounds of liquid filled to the safe level. It seems to me this would mean…
…and that would mean they were going from exceeding the safe fill volume to filling less than the safe capacity. Neither option seems appealing to me and I have a big suspicion they’re lying somehow anyway.
It seems to me that a tank is not completely empty when the flame on the grill is sputtering and dying; it just lacks enough pressure to get pushed through the line to the burner. Furthermore, most people try not to wait until the grill dies in the middle of a backyard cookout so…
…which means the Rhino guys are making a profit not just from short-loading the bottles they provide (15lbs rather than the 16lb maximum safe capacity), but they’re taking the unused propane that consumers turn in and selling that remainder to the next guy (or girl) as if they were the ones who put all 15 pounds of fresh propane into that cylinder.
To be fair (or at least balanced) in the analysis, part of what they’re offering isn’t just the propane itself but the service of inspecting cylinders and taking bad ones out of circulation – not because they’re being nice guys or consumer friendly but because the media (and then all kinds of regulatory agencies) would jump all over them if there was a series of incidents involving damaged and uninspected bottles that were received and refilled in an exchange. And they’re selling you the quick-and-easy no fuss no worries exchange option, as well.
What I’d like, in order to optimize my consumption of the propane I buy, is a gauge or meter that I can connect in-line with the gas pressure gauge so I can glance at them and know when my tank is pretty darn close to empty as well as when I’m leaking gas out of the hose. Where can I find such a thing? All I’ve seen at the local hardware stores are the magnets with temperature-sensitive film that shows where the liquid level is within the tank, and what looks like a repurposed fish scale that you use to hang a propane bottle and determine its weight (with the assumption that you know exactly how much your tank’s metal weighs so you can subtract that and figure the difference is the weight of pure propane).
–G!
[QUOTE=Grestarian]
That site I mention above notes that the safe maximum volume of liquid propane is 80% of a tank’s volume. For a 20-pound capacity tank, that would be 16 pounds of liquid filled to the safe level. It seems to me this would mean…
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Propane tanks are one of the weird things in life where that safe maximum capacity is what the thing is advertised as, so a properly and safely filled “20 pound” tank will actually have 20 pounds of propane in it. The safety margin is already accounted for in the design of the OPD valve and the “spit valve” bleed screw. A dip tube behind that screw has its bottom end at the 80% volume level (4.7 gallons), and if the yokel at the gas station continues to pump in propane, the OPD will activate, preventing more from being added.
The scales are probably the easiest way to judge how much is in the tank. If you look at the collar around the valve, you’ll see exactly what it weighs. A BBQ tank usually weighs just shy of 17 pounds - both of mine are stamped TW16.6, meaning the empty tank weighs 16.6 pounds. It may take some looking as there’s a lot of data on these things.
I voted buy tank. But I have done both.
Getting my tank filled is just a short trip to the gas station down the block. But If I am going to home Depot already and have a tank that need to be filled. Then I pick up a Rhino tank.
I bought a new tank manufactured 12/15, pre-purged, and I had it filled with 4.6 gallons of propane. With tax the total was about $42. I assembled the new Char-Broil 5-burner gas grill this morning. I’ve just started it up for its 15-20 minute initial burn.
On the way home from getting the tank I stopped by The Market and bought two beef kebabs, two chicken kebabs, and two ears of corn.
I use 2 tanks with my gas grill. I always have a full spare. Refill then at Costco. Last refill cost $7.80. It’s way easy. Drop the empty before going in to shop and pick it up when you’re finished. If the date on your tank is running out then do the exchange. I think the current exchange price I saw at Lowes Hardware the other day was about $18. The last exchange I did, years ago I asked if I could pick my own new tank from the Blue Rhino Rack. So I was able to get a tank with a 10-12 year expiration date into the future.
BJ’s also does a refill at a good price.
What’s a BJ?
Eighteen buck, same as in town.
I used to have a tank that I would take to get refilled but where I live now I don’t even know where you can do that. I do the exchange just for the convenience. I use a service that picks up and delivers right to my door only for a couple of bucks more than taking it somewhere myself. Also I never have to buy a tank again.