Propane hidden charge.

homedad · Jan 5, 2026

I have natural gas in my home and propane in my workshop. I keep the workshop at 45degrees when not in use so I use very little gas. I haven't even filled it in the last 2 years but needed a fill. I checked the price and found that the price that I would be paying was about $1.50 more per gallon than any of the competitors so I switched. The new company disconnected the old tank and hooked up the new one. There was maybe 30 gallons in the old tank and I calculated that it would cost me more to configure a flexible hose and fittings to use it up from the place they dropped it so was willing to eat the cost. I just called to have the old tank picked up and they informed me that when I signed up I had agreed to a $420 pickup charge to remove it from my property. If I had known this I would have been better off just paying the higher rate at the pace of consumption I have. I guess I should have read the lengthy contract much closer.

mrmikey · Jan 5, 2026

Did you see proof that you actually did sign up for that $420 charge?

2LMAKER · Jan 5, 2026

When I quit using propane the company I was using had a different take on it.I told them there some gas left in the tank and felt I should get reimbursed. They said yea but it usually evens out as to what they charge to pick it up. I told them I'll open the valve so noone will be buying propane that is already paid for.then I'll put it in the road and next time they are coming by the can pick it up.
Within a week they came by and picked up. I didn't get anything for gas left in tank though

Oaktree · Jan 5, 2026

I switched providers a couple years ago, and don't recall there being any charge to pick up the old tank. The old provider did pay me for the gas remaining in the tank, but it wasn't very much...probably their wholesale price. There wasn't much co-ordination between the office and the tech who picked up the tank. A couple days after they took the tank I got a notice that they would be coming.
We're in a similar situation as far as usage...it's only for cooking & hot water and we don't use enough to qualify for any sort of volume rate. In fact, the main reason we switched providers is because the old one started charging us a tank rental fee.

homedad · Jan 5, 2026

mrmikey said:
Did you see proof that you actually did sign up for that $420 charge?

No. I'd been with them so long that I can't even find the contract. I just looked it up on their website and it is there under Terms and Conditions.

anomad · Jan 5, 2026

homedad said:
I have natural gas in my home and propane in my workshop. I keep the workshop at 45degrees when not in use so I use very little gas. I haven't even filled it in the last 2 years but needed a fill. I checked the price and found that the price that I would be paying was about $1.50 more per gallon than any of the competitors so I switched. The new company disconnected the old tank and hooked up the new one. There was maybe 30 gallons in the old tank and I calculated that it would cost me more to configure a flexible hose and fittings to use it up from the place they dropped it so was willing to eat the cost. I just called to have the old tank picked up and they informed me that when I signed up I had agreed to a $420 pickup charge to remove it from my property. If I had known this I would have been better off just paying the higher rate at the pace of consumption I have. I guess I should have read the lengthy contract much closer.

Why can't you run natural gas to the shop? Just curious. I'm sure you have a good reason.

mrmikey · Jan 5, 2026

I just looked it up on their website and it is there under Terms and Conditions.

It's there now for current customers signing up but was it there when you signed up. I don't trust any company as far as I can throw them, I'd ask for proof if not just for the principal.

Mtsoxfan · Jan 5, 2026

What about returning it yourself? Seems like I heard that somewhere recently.

drizler · Jan 5, 2026

mrmikey said:
It's there now for current customers signing up but was it there when you signed up. I don't trust any company as far as I can throw them, I'd ask for proof if not just for the principal.

Very good point right here!! Do a show me that contract where I signed and and see what they say. If they don’t then just do whatever you will with a new setup and tell them their tank is going to be awaiting them coming and taking it. Don’t be surprised if they just forget to indefinitely.
That’s the headache of dealing with propane companies. They’re just like welding outfits. They try to control you through the tanks and then doing so we often try to rob you blind every way they can. That’s why I use my own tanks . If you don’t use massive quantities of it and you’ve got a truck, you can often just use a double manifold in a couple of hundred boundaries and switch them out. I’ve been doing it about 35 years.

Too many Kubotas · Jan 5, 2026

Simple solution; buy the tank(s) and then buy the propane from whatever outfit is least expensive at the time.

RayIN · Jan 5, 2026

Many(40) years ago I was going to switch providers; called the old company and they mentioned a removal fee. I said show me the contract i signed. A few days later they called to say they couldn't find it. I replied GREAT! Now the tank is mine, since I didn't sign a contract. Two days later they called to say they found the signed contract, and it did not mention a removal fee; "we will be there next xxxday to pick it up".
The current provider leased me a 1,000G tank. Several years ago they called to tell me, due to my useage they are coming to remove the 1,000G and and set a 500G tank. I told the woman on the phone "if you come to get the big tank, don't bother to bring a replacement". I still have the 1,000 tank.

homedad · Jan 6, 2026

anomad said:
Why can't you run natural gas to the shop? Just curious. I'm sure you have a good reason.

The gas line would have to go several hundred feet and turn several 90 degree angles to avoid a septic field, house, driveways and multiple unmarked utilities. If it wasn't for this charge it really is a minimal cost to heat the shop. When I'm doing bigger projects I use the wood stove.

Shenandoah MF1760 · Jan 6, 2026

homedad said:
I just called to have the old tank picked up and they informed me that when I signed up I had agreed to a $420 pickup charge to remove it from my property.

I'd ask them to prove it, as was previously mentioned by another.

The person on the phone is generally just there for sales and scheduling and not technical or business savvy.

I just had a new 1000 gal. tank buried at my place and the information I got over the phone verses what the installers did wasn't even close.

LittleBittyBigJohn · Jan 6, 2026

I've been happy with my propane supplier. I've had it for 2 years. I wanted to buy a tank and burry it, but the tank would have been something like $6,000-$7,000 dollars. Rental for an above ground tank is something like $60 annually. I opted for that route. I paid $1.65 per gal on my last fill up a few months ago. I use propane on my cooktop, fireplace, and tankless water heater. I have a 250 gal tank and fill it about every 7-8 months so far. I usually call when it gets just under 30% and they get there within the week to fill.

deserteagle71 · Jan 6, 2026

Only three different propane companies service the area of the state where I live. All three have firm policies that they WILL NOT fill a tank that is not owned by them.

That's what I found out when I was considering buying my own propane tank.

mrmikey · Jan 6, 2026

I don't have propane other than the 20lb for my bbq and the 30 I keep for my generator. It would make me nervous actually having propane in the house...I know but be that as it may, it does

.
Question, if you own the tank, doesn't it have to be tested every so many years, the same as a portable tank or not?

Sprinkler Fitter · Jan 6, 2026

mrmikey said:
I don't have propane other than the 20lb for my bbq and the 30 I keep for my generator. It would make me nervous actually having propane in the house...I know but be that as it may, it does .
Question, if you own the tank, doesn't it have to be tested every so many years, the same as a portable tank or not?

Most people keep the tanks outside.

ponytug · Jan 6, 2026

mrmikey said:
I don't have propane other than the 20lb for my bbq and the 30 I keep for my generator. It would make me nervous actually having propane in the house...I know but be that as it may, it does .
Question, if you own the tank, doesn't it have to be tested every so many years, the same as a portable tank or not?

Small tanks are DOT and have 12 initial year certification, followed by 10/7/5 recertification requirements, depending on the method.

How to Tell If Your Propane Tank Needs to Be Recertified or Requalified

Does your propane tank need recertification? Discover tank inspection rules, expiration dates, and safety steps for propane compliance.

www.ferrellgas.com

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/propane_en_v3.pdf

Large(r) propane tanks are ASME certified (rather than just DOT), and while they don't have a specific recertification time limit, they must be visually inspected at every fill. Usually heavier gauge steel is used for the tanks and they not designed to be moved with propane inside, exempting them from DOT regulations.