Sit-rep in your area?

[JettaKnight]

As I have been told the tanks at any place the exchanges are filled on an line that is measured to be as close to the government minimum allowed to call it a tank of gas. If one goes to a refill place, TSC does it by the gallon not tank or pounds, they generally fill what the tank will hold, and that is quite a bit more than the exchange tanks. My TSC filled weighed a good bit more than the exchange tanks do and I filled mine for an average of $13 at TSC.

Every refill station I've been to used a scale.

 

[JettaKnight]

At least by 5 pm, there's no TP in stores, but there was mozzarella cheese.

 

[dprimm]

At least by 5 pm, there's no TP in stores, but there was mozzarella cheese.

Great. Now I am hungry again.

 

[JettaKnight]

Great. Now I am hungry again.

Does this help?

 

[churchmouse]

W 38th st Meijer's is fairly well restocked but no Lysol's/wipes etc. NADA

Limits in Ground beef and chicken.

 

[churchmouse]

Does this help?

Stop it man.....

 

[maxwelhse]

I think it's like $14.92 at Walmart. Menard's and Tractor Supply are more of a drive for me, but one thing I like about Menard's is that they have their propane tanks in a "self-serve" type of vending machine. Pay by card, it unlocks the cage and rotates a full tank to the front, you take it and replace it with your empty and away you go. At Walmart you're at the mercy of the employee with the key, and they're not always the most prompt about getting to you.

I had no idea that was "a thing". Menards is radically inconvenient for me, but if I ever need one at an odd time, I'll certainly remember that.

 

[bwframe]

Stopped at the bank on the way back from a work delivery yesterday.

As I'm grabbing the tube with a wipe and using hand sanitizer judiciously, watched a middle-aged grey bearded guy at the drive through rubbing his hands over his face and beard.

 

[maxwelhse]

As I have been told the tanks at any place the exchanges are filled on an line that is measured to be as close to the government minimum allowed to call it a tank of gas. If one goes to a refill place, TSC does it by the gallon not tank or pounds, they generally fill what the tank will hold, and that is quite a bit more than the exchange tanks. My TSC filled weighed a good bit more than the exchange tanks do and I filled mine for an average of $13 at TSC.

Just to put it out there, the max fill from my old company on a propane tank was 80% (at least a residential one, which have vastly less strict standards, so this may not be true for the little guys) to give the gas room to expand with temperature increases. It's a safety feature. If TSC is filling yours to 100%, that might be dangerous and they could be doing it out of ignorance.

I thought that was BS until I looked at the gauge on my previously filled to 80% residential tank and saw it report over 90% in warmer weather.

Side bar: Always try to get your residential tank filled when it's as cold as you can manage vs. cost/gallon. They'll put more fuel in it (by maybe a few percent vs. when it gets warmer, but still...). I only had to fill once a year and either late spring / early fall gave me the best mix of cost/gallon vs. ambient temp.

 

[JettaKnight]

Just to put it out there, the max fill from my old company on a propane tank was 80% (at least a residential one, which have vastly less strict standards, so this may not be true for the little guys) to give the gas room to expand with temperature increases. It's a safety feature. If TSC is filling yours to 100%, that might be dangerous and they could be doing it out of ignorance.

I thought that was BS until I looked at the gauge on my previously filled to 80% residential tank and saw it report over 90% in warmer weather.

Side bar: Always try to get your residential tank filled when it's as cold as you can manage vs. cost/gallon. They'll put more fuel in it (by maybe a few percent vs. when it gets warmer, but still...). I only had to fill once a year and either late spring / early fall gave me the best mix of cost/gallon vs. ambient temp.

You'd think they'd get meters that measures gallons AND temperature so that the amount is always the same. PV = nRT, and all that (that works for liquids too, right?).

 

[CampingJosh]

You'd think they'd get meters that measures gallons AND temperature so that the amount is always the same. PV = nRT, and all that (that works for liquids too, right?).

My local co-op does make the adjustment.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I had no idea that was "a thing". Menards is radically inconvenient for me, but if I ever need one at an odd time, I'll certainly remember that.

I don't know if they all have those "vending machine" exchanges or not, but it is handy.

 

[dprimm]

Does this help?

No. Now I am even hungrier.

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

Wow the cheese really grew exponentially in that oven

 

[maxwelhse]

You'd think they'd get meters that measures gallons AND temperature so that the amount is always the same. PV = nRT, and all that (that works for liquids too, right?).

I'm still speaking about residential so I don't know how the little guys are filled, so... They did the adjustments on the bill to reflect actual delivered fuel, but the guy running the actual pump that filled the tank was absolutely no different than you or I pumping gas at the local station. He just filled it up until it said ~80%. So... Due to the ideal gas law, that 80% could mean a lot of different things depending on ambient temp. I'm not saying I'm getting more propane "for free" if it's cooler when delivered, just more is delivered in general because the volume (based on pressure from how the gauge looked) available in the tank varies with temp. When the difference between winter and summer fill up prices can be $1/gallon or more, I wanted as much delivered at the lowest price possible so I tried to do my best to time it well.

Edi: Also, the tank is never dead empty when you call them to fill it... or at least it isn't if you're doing it right. So just bringing X amount of propane every time isn't how it works.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I think it's like $14.92 at Walmart. Menard's and Tractor Supply are more of a drive for me, but one thing I like about Menard's is that they have their propane tanks in a "self-serve" type of vending machine. Pay by card, it unlocks the cage and rotates a full tank to the front, you take it and replace it with your empty and away you go. At Walmart you're at the mercy of the employee with the key, and they're not always the most prompt about getting to you.

DONT buy ANYTHING at Walmart that requires specific key managers to complete the purchase. NEVER. I quit buying spirits there because the last time I did I had to literally wait almost 10 minutes AFTER I paid for a CSM to show up with the gizmo that takes the anti theft thing off the bottle (They dont even trust their cashiers with this tool anymore ) . I was just turning to walk away from the cashier and preparing to tell the greeter to go to hell when the alarm goes off when I hear "excuse me sir! I'm coming!"

You'd think they'd get meters that measures gallons AND temperature so that the amount is always the same. PV = nRT, and all that (that works for liquids too, right?).

This is correct. When compressing gasses, heat is generated. Even filling Liquid propane you still have gas in the tank that will heat as you compress it by adding liquid. Its possible to overpressure a tank by filling it "full".

I've got a 2500PSI rated 25lb CO2 tank at work we adapted with a nitrogen valve to run a regulator on. We fill it with breathing air (same that firefighters use in SCBA to prevent water/oil from standard compressors contaminating our equipment) so that we can not waste cans of compressed air for dusting off equipment economically. (costs us pennies to refill the 25lb tank) We can only fill it to 1800psi due to the pressure/heat issues.

 

[maxwelhse]

DONT buy ANYTHING at Walmart that requires specific key managers to complete the purchase. NEVER.

Best Buy lost me as a customer, entirely, almost 20 years ago because of that... I waited 2 hours to spend 2 grand on a laptop. I don't like working that hard to spend my money.

In the same token, I long ago started getting my propane tanks swapped at gas stations and truck stops, at considerable % price mark-up, exactly because of that. I don't use enough of the small tanks to make a huge difference to my annual budget and the extra $5 to not wait around for 100 years for someone to show up with a key is well worth it to me.

I haven't bought any booze in forever, but the local liquor stores had better service, selection, and prices anyhow so I did most of my business with them back when I was doing more entertaining.

Generally speaking, I will shop wherever it's less hassle for me, even if it's a few bucks more expensive. I like to reward those that appreciate my business. The grocery store I shop at doesn't even have self check outs, they still have baggers at every lane, and they'll still load it in your car if you want them too. They have about a dozen checkout lanes and when things are busy (not just Thanksgiving and Christmas) they actually staff all dozen. I'm happy to pay them for that.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

DONT buy ANYTHING at Walmart that requires specific key managers to complete the purchase. NEVER. I quit buying spirits there because the last time I did I had to literally wait almost 10 minutes AFTER I paid for a CSM to show up with the gizmo that takes the anti theft thing off the bottle (They dont even trust their cashiers with this tool anymore ) . I was just turning to walk away from the cashier and preparing to tell the greeter to go to hell when the alarm goes off when I hear "excuse me sir! I'm coming!"



This is correct. When compressing gasses, heat is generated. Even filling Liquid propane you still have gas in the tank that will heat as you compress it by adding liquid. Its possible to overpressure a tank by filling it "full".

I've got a 2500PSI rated 25lb CO2 tank at work we adapted with a nitrogen valve to run a regulator on. We fill it with breathing air (same that firefighters use in SCBA to prevent water/oil from standard compressors contaminating our equipment) so that we can not waste cans of compressed air for dusting off equipment economically. (costs us pennies to refill the 25lb tank) We can only fill it to 1800psi due to the pressure/heat issues.

Unless they've changed it, the Walmart I go to (U.S. 31 South) doesn't have them on the bottles, which frankly, surprised me. I usually get my booze at Kroger anyhow and they've got the tools at every register. I've not bought any liquor at Walmart for a few years, so maybe they've changed that now.

As far as the propane goes, it's hit or miss. They usually come out within 5 minutes or less (which seems like forever), but I have had to go back inside to remind them I'm waiting before. This last tank I bought, the guy with the key just happened to see me waiting (he was out gathering carts I think) and came and unlocked it. He told me they hadn't even called him yet.

 

[printcraft]

Both Kroger’s in kokomo were out of TP, meijer had about 10 jumbo packs on the rack.
Walmart was stacked to the ceiling with TP of every variety.

 

[Vigilant]

Customer that already shuttered 4 stores had another store’s employees quit, wholesale. Everyone of them said they can now make more on unemployment than by working because of the “free” $600.00.