Anyone install a LP tank at their house?

Like the title says! My wife and I are considering doing the same and we have a few questions:

1) How long does a tank last when you are using just a gas fireplace and outside burners?

2) Was it worth it? We have a new electric water heater and an electric heat pump that isn't dying anytime soon. That being the case, would it be worth the expense?

3) How much did it cost (we're in the central part of NC for reference)?

Thanks!

depends on what your paying in electric her kwh, and what the price of propane there to do some math

at around 2.70 or more per gallon, with electric in the 10 cent area per kwh, electric is gonna be the better choice...

depends on what you wanna do with it ...

cant answer the questions tho on how long they last etc., as i'v never had one

I've thought about installing an outside LP tank not to save money so much (my furnace runs on natural gas), but as a source of propane for my brewing as well as a backup source of heat should we lose either gas or electric.

I can't run propane through the furnace without changing the orifices, but there are other ways of providing heat that don't require the use of the furnace.

As far as is it worth it--as jayjay says, you have to do the math, and you have to decide what peace of mind is worth (if you use it as a backup) or just to provide another source of brewing heat. Of course, you can run burners off 20# canisters, which is what I do currently, so there's no absolute reason you have to use a permanent exterior tank.

And as to how long it lasts--that all depends on the size of the tank and the rate at which a gas fireplace or other burners will consume that gas.

I installed a 500 gal. tank to supply a whole house backup generator. Excessive for what you want, but necessary for an all electric home in an area prone to power failures. Purchased the tank rather than renting it because the projected usage was too low for the major propane companies to offer a deal on rent. They like to sell you at least 2 x tank volume propane per year if possible on a tank rental contract.

Over 100 gal. so the tank had to be away from the house, smaller tanks may be installed near a building. Site for tank was chosen away from all structures, within reach of propane delivery truck hose from driveway. Had to reroute an electric fence to keep spark source away.

I trenched from the tank site to the house, laid some PVC electrical conduit and back filled the trench. Propane company delivered and set the tank, ran the piping and put the required low pressure regulator at the generator location. Cost was about $1700 plus the $2.40 per gal. for 400 gallons of propane.

Since the tank is mine, I can buy the propane from any supplier instead of being locked in to one source.

Check the fireplace specifications for usage and keep in mind that a tank is filled to 80% capacity.

piratefan said:

Like the title says! My wife and I are considering doing the same and we have a few questions:

1) How long does a tank last when you are using just a gas fireplace and outside burners?

2) Was it worth it? We have a new electric water heater and an electric heat pump that isn't dying anytime soon. That being the case, would it be worth the expense?

3) How much did it cost (we're in the central part of NC for reference)?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

We just changed propane delivery/suppliers after upgrading our cooktop from electric to gas/propane. We also have had a gas insert fireplace for years.

We run our gas fireplace almost every night during the winter (we are in Southern Maine) and on/off all weekend. We typically fill our 60lb propane tank 2-4 times a winter. I'm told the cook-top does not typically consume that much propane (10-20 gallons/year).

It cost around $625 to set the new tank, run the new line to the cook-top, connect the existing fireplace line, leak test, and fill with 50 gallons of propane. Almost $200 of that total was the propane at market price.

I wouldn't swap out your electric for propane since they are new. I'd probably invest in a gas generator to keep them running in the event of a extended power-outage instead.

Hope this helps