Chris Jones
Member
I had a gas fireplace installed in 2005 and the local gas company that installed it owns the 100 gallon tank and kept it full for me. Keeping it full meant they visited me once sometime in December and filled it up. On average that required only 20 to 30 gallons. With all the fees and surcharges the bill came to about $180. Now they say I should have been paying a $75 tank rental fee as well and that going forward unless I purchase 96 or more gallons from them during the year (June to May) I will owe it. The fireplace is a luxury I can no longer afford and I'm working on an "exit strategy."
During their cleanup of customer accounts they screwed up and didn't visit me last Dec 2013. So my tank is now at 30% having been used the winters of 2012/13 and 2013/14 without a fill-up. I have no way of avoiding the fee for 2014/15 but intend to use it more this winter and use all the gas out of it then in April tell them to come get their tank. If I don't use it down to below 5% they'll charge me to pump the gas I paid for out of the tank and I don't get any refund for that gas.
Perhaps I'll just get rid of the gas fireplace but I would like some advise on purchasing a tank--I'm thinking a 100 pound cylinder (Lowes $130) and taking it to Ace Hardware when needed to fill.
The gas company will not deliver to an owned tank unless I show them a bill of sale from a dealer and they indicated the tank must be tested routinely too. Perhaps this doesn't apply to small tanks but I've never had Ace look twice at a 20lb tank before filling it. Don't know if they would check out a 100lb tank or not.
Advise and ideas welcome.
During their cleanup of customer accounts they screwed up and didn't visit me last Dec 2013. So my tank is now at 30% having been used the winters of 2012/13 and 2013/14 without a fill-up. I have no way of avoiding the fee for 2014/15 but intend to use it more this winter and use all the gas out of it then in April tell them to come get their tank. If I don't use it down to below 5% they'll charge me to pump the gas I paid for out of the tank and I don't get any refund for that gas.
Perhaps I'll just get rid of the gas fireplace but I would like some advise on purchasing a tank--I'm thinking a 100 pound cylinder (Lowes $130) and taking it to Ace Hardware when needed to fill.
The gas company will not deliver to an owned tank unless I show them a bill of sale from a dealer and they indicated the tank must be tested routinely too. Perhaps this doesn't apply to small tanks but I've never had Ace look twice at a 20lb tank before filling it. Don't know if they would check out a 100lb tank or not.
Advise and ideas welcome.