Keep propane tanks filled this winter

A new state regulation, coupled with the lessons learned over past Midwestern winters, should encourage Missouri propane customers to keep their residential tanks topped off in the coming months.

“It’s always been a good idea to keep the top half of your tank filled, rather than the bottom half,” said Steve Ahrens, President of the not-for-profit Missouri Propane Education and Research Council (MO-PERC). “This year, it could save homeowners time and money, too.”

A regulation enacted by the Missouri Department of Agriculture, the agency that oversees propane in the state, requires propane companies to perform a leak test on any “interruption of service” to a propane gas system. Events that qualify as interruptions include repair work on the gas piping, adding an appliance or running out of gas.

“The leak test is not only required by the state, it’s also required by most insurance companies,” Ahrens said. “The gas company will have to send a technician to the home, and the homeowner will have to be there, too. These tests can take up to an hour, and may cost $50 or more, so the homeowner and the propane company both have real incentives to keep the tank full.”

Keeping a full tank can also mitigate the complications of sudden cold weather. “In Missouri, we can have 70 degrees one day and snow flurries the next,” Ahrens said. “If you wait until you really need propane, you’ve waited too long.”

Missouri’s unpredictable winters can quickly deplete not only your residential tank, but bulk storage tanks as well. “Sudden cold weather not only uses more propane, it may also have an effect on the supply available to your area,” Ahrens said. “If you don’t keep a minimum percentage in your tank, at least 20 percent, there’s a chance that you’ll run out before your propane company can send a driver to fill your tank. They may be coping with increased demand, bad roads and limited supply. Keeping your tank full reduces that risk.”

Ahrens explained that there are two kinds of propane customers: “will-call”, who notify the propane company when they want a delivery, and “keep-full”, who allow the propane company to automatically fill their tanks.

“Keep-full customers don’t have to worry about running out of gas. Even if the area gets a foot of snow, it’s the propane company’s responsibility to get the tank filled. If they don’t, the company normally won’t charge for a leak test, since it is their responsibility to keep the customer topped off.”

Will-call customers, on the other hand, place themselves squarely at risk.

“Drivers serve several homes on each route, and it only takes one glitch — an impassable road, an equipment problem — to create a backlog,” Ahrens said. “For will-call customers, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get propane before you run out. Propane companies will focus on meeting the obligations of their keep-full customers first.”

It all comes down to being prepared and being responsible. “You can’t avoid slick roads or cold weather or tight supplies, but you can keep your own tank full. Signing up for a keep-full program is your best bet going into winter,” Ahrens said.

“It will save you the worry and hassle of running out of gas, and could save money, too.”

Propane facts

* Propane is used by more than 178,000 Missouri households for home heating. The U.S. Census estimates that 13% of Missouri’s families use propane for heating hot water, cooking or drying clothes.

* Propane is more than twice as efficient as electricity in heating a home. The U.S. Dept. of Energy estimates that a million Btu (British thermal units) of propane costs $9.53. A million Btu using an electric heat pump costs $24.27.

* Propane customers, unlike natural gas or electric utility customers, can purchase their winter heating fuel in advance. The ability to lock-in heating costs is called a “pre-buy” contract.

* The average cost of residential propane in Missouri on Nov. 8, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, was 96.2 cents per gallon. The average price in the United States was 115.1 cents per gallon.

* Keep-full propane customers may pay less for their propane overall since some of the fuel is delivered during the summer, when the price is generally less.

* Will-call customers will incur higher charges when they buy at the peak of the heating season. Since they may also run out before delivery occurs, they also may incur service charges for leak testing.

* Leak-testing for out-of-gas situations is required by the National Fire Protection Association’s National Fuel Gas Code, which has been adopted as a state code by the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Division of Weights and Measures.

* The most common size of residential propane tank is 500 gallons. Tanks may only be filled to 80% capacity, since liquid propane must have room to expand. A tank that is less than 20% full is in danger of running out.

Remember to install safety device on propane cylinders

Now is a good time to equip your propane cylinders with an overfill prevention device because the Dec. 15 deadline to do so is looming.

The National Fire Protection Standard 58, adopted as part of the state’s regulations governing propane gas storage and handling, required most propane cylinders up to 40 pounds to be equipped with an overfill protection device by June 30. However, nationwide demand caused a shortage of the safety devices, so the department in June filed an emergency rule to extend the compliance date to Dec. 15.

“December is just around the corner, so we’re urging both consumers and propane dealers across the state to install the overfill protection devices as soon as they become available,” said Ron Hooker, director of the department’s Division of Weights and Measures, which performs safety inspections of public, industrial and commercial facilities using and storing propane gas. “Waiting until after the deadline will place those cylinders that require an overfill prevention device in violation of state law.”

The device prevents people from overfilling propane cylinders designed to hold up to 40 pounds. Missouri law requires propane cylinders holding 100 pounds or less to be filled by weight, the safest method of filling a cylinder if done properly, Hooker said.

The department is working closely with propane dealers, consumers and Missouri Propane Gas Association members to implement the requirement. For more information, contact the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Division of Weights and Measures at 573-751-4278.