Comments on: Pathetic Propane Portions

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:26:04 +0000

Wish that incredible shrinking phenomenon would happen to my belly!

It would seem that as we eat less, we’d all get thinner…but that would be way too convenient!

By: Andrea

Andrea — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:27:15 +0000

I noticed that too … but then I only exchange tanks now and then. But I burn a *lot* of propane for my propane/oxy torch; what I do is go to the U-Haul down the street that refills (not exchanges) tanks. It costs me only the cost of the propane–$12 for a *full* tank versus $21 for exchange for only 3/4 the propane.

If you do that, make bloody sure you have your tanks inspected regularly and that the valves and other parts are in good working order. Having your tank explode is not remotely healthy or inexpensive *eek!*

By: Shadox

Shadox — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:29:57 +0000

This whole thing could be totally resolved by forcing companies to write in 12 point font, in red letters, on the product every time they reduce the size of the product. God knows they are diligent about advertising whenever they increase the size.

By: jim

jim — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:22:11 +0000

Yet another sneaky way companies are shrinking portions, kinda jerky of them… but I suppose most people just don’t notice.

By: jay

jay — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:51:30 +0000

I’ve just gotten bitten by the under filled propane tank. I broke out my grill about a month and a half ago. Exchanged my tank which usually lasts about half the summer at the rate at which I use it. This past week the tank was empty!

For me I grill late at night when I get home from work and the propane store is closed. Even if the store was still open the closest place that sells propane in the city is like 45 minnutes away with traffic. Awesome. The PIA of replacing the tank is certainly worth paying more to get the standard amount.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:36:34 +0000

Interesting article. I actually think I got an under filled tank this past weekend. I didn’t exchange it but had it filled, but two things sort of caught my attention. First, the person who was filling it seemed to have very little knowledge. Second, when I picked up the tank I thought it felt a few pounds lighter than usual. I didn’t think much of it since I don’t carry around full tanks that often, but in the back of my mind I thought something didn’t feel quite right.

They at least used a scale for filling it, but I wonder if they knocked it down a few pounds to make it appear full a little early? I used to fill propane back in high school, but back then a lot of tanks still didn’t have the OPD valves so it was very important to weigh each tank individually and set the scale each time. I forget how much a typical full tank would usually weigh on a scale so I can’t say with certainty they deliberately under filled. But I’m assuming the scale was set a few pounds light, maybe even by accident, and the lady filling it just took for granted it was full.

By: Darin

Darin — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:19:39 +0000

UHAUL fills propane in a lot of locations. Check their site to see if they have a filling station near you.

I have used them for a couple of years. The other nice thing is that you don’t have to wait until your tank is completely empty like with the exchange places.

By: Zyzzyx

Zyzzyx — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:18:10 +0000

“In my area, no one refills liquid generic propane tanks – it’s always an exchange system. ”

And just what do folks with RVs do? Trailer or motorhome. Many of those use tanks larger than your standard grill-sized tank, I seriously doubt they pull them off for exchange every time, especially with the far more solid mounting setups.

I’d check with any area RV-type shops or dealers, ask them about where to get propane refills.

That’s a bummer, as here probably 20% of the gas stations have a propane tank and filling station. Nice and easy to deal with.

By: Cos

Cos — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:06:35 +0000

yeah, this seems wrong. i’ve always wondered why these exchange systems don’t do the same sort of thing as the butcher: visually, “that” pack of steaks is the same as the others. it’s packaged using the same styrofoam tray, etc. but then it’s weighed, priced and tagged.

altho i already know why they don’t do it, too much work. but if you think about it, maybe some bottles have 3.75 in them, some have 4.90, all priced by the unit. same bottle, different prices. people trying to save a buck would maybe opt for a lesser filled bottle.

again, too much work. the exchange system works on a much more simple property: bottle in/bottle out.

By: Kosmo @ The Casual Observer

Kosmo @ The Casual Observer — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:04:44 +0000

Yikes, that’s pretty sneaky.

(You proably couldn’t put 100 pounds of propane in the tank, though – I suspect that the tank would go KABLOOEY first)

I ranted about this sort of thing a while back ( http://www.observingcasually.com/give-me-back-my-food/ ) and I realized this morning that the snack size Mounds bars are thinner than they had been.

Ugh. Just raise the price and keep the portions the same.