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So, here's my question:

What is the best place in Halifax to get propane, taking into account three factors:

- Price of the propane + tank rental/deposit
- Distance from your home to fill
- Frequency of fillings (how much storage your tank has)

I'm thinking that it might be easiest to rent a propane tank from Irving like the kind that you would have on a house for a propane stove. That way the distance to fill would be zero, and the frequency of fillings would be almost zero.


The other option I am thinking of is driving out to Costco every month or two and filling up those 30lb propane tanks that I hear they fill for $30. What is the deposit cost on one of those bad boys anyways?

Costco is where I go.

-Cheap
-Close
-I fill 2 tanks at a time

Canadian Tire in Dartmouth Crossing is cheap too, about $15 plus tax for a 20 lb tank.

CostCo (at least in Moncton) also sells 100lb. propane tanks now. Been thinking about grabbing one for brewing purposes.

jeffsmith wrote:CostCo (at least in Moncton) also sells 100lb. propane tanks now. Been thinking about grabbing one for brewing purposes.

they have em in halifax. They look great, but i cant imagine trying to move them very far

My feer with a large tank is "forgetting" to turn off the bbq and running it for three days. If I loose a 20lb tank its $15 the large tank would be much more.

Sandy

I think Costco's rate is $0.62/lb + HST

CorneliusAlphonse wrote:

jeffsmith wrote:CostCo (at least in Moncton) also sells 100lb. propane tanks now. Been thinking about grabbing one for brewing purposes.

they have em in halifax. They look great, but i cant imagine trying to move them very far

It would definitely require a truck or SUV and a couple people to safely lift. I wouldn't think about trying to haul it in my little Civic.

GAM wrote:My feer with a large tank is "forgetting" to turn off the bbq and running it for three days. If I loose a 20lb tank its $15 the large tank would be much more.

I agree. In my case I'm 30-35 minutes away from CostCo, so the more propane I can get at once (without having to store more than two tanks), the cheaper it's going to be in the long run.

IIRC, Rona has a reasonable deal on propane too. Costco doesn't have deposit on tanks, you have to buy them. How much are you planning to go through? And at Costco, they used to do the first fill free with a the purchase of a new tank. Not sure if they still do that.

mr x wrote:IIRC, Rona has a reasonable deal on propane too. Costco doesn't have deposit on tanks, you have to buy them. How much are you planning to go through? And at Costco, they used to do the first fill free with a the purchase of a new tank. Not sure if they still do that.

Rona used to be online with Costco prices but last time i went it was more expensive for sure. Costco also has 30lbs tanks sometimes too. We have a couple of those for our big batch system.

mr x wrote:IIRC, Rona has a reasonable deal on propane too. Costco doesn't have deposit on tanks, you have to buy them. How much are you planning to go through? And at Costco, they used to do the first fill free with a the purchase of a new tank. Not sure if they still do that.

Not any more ... but I think the first one is discounted.

Costco is a great place to get propane.

I have one of those large propane cylinders attached to my house to run the propane fireplace. It cost over $300 to fill and you lease it (something like $110/year). Irving charges less than most gas stations to fill and I'm on a delivery schedule. I've often thought about getting a line run off of it to run the bbq and burner, but never made the call. The tank is on the exact opposite side of the house from where I bbq and I brew in the shed.

I settled for a second tank from CostCo. My in-laws are in Moncton, so they come visit often enough that I can send the empty with my father-in-law to get filled.

can 20lb tanks be connected together in series for youse who are afraid of running out?

Hey Folks...Make sure you avoid the Canadian Tire Gas Bar in Lower Sackville...Big time rip off...19.95 per fill no matter how much you need ...half full top off still 19.95...Still can't believe it...Make sure everyone knows...

jeffsmith wrote:

CorneliusAlphonse wrote:

jeffsmith wrote:CostCo (at least in Moncton) also sells 100lb. propane tanks now. Been thinking about grabbing one for brewing purposes.

they have em in halifax. They look great, but i cant imagine trying to move them very far

It would definitely require a truck or SUV and a couple people to safely lift. I wouldn't think about trying to haul it in my little Civic.

This brings up a question I had. I want to grab one of these to plumb into my propane fireplace, as well as into my BBQ. Where I need help is in determining and finding the appropriate regulator for the tank, for both applications. Anyone have any ideas?

I'd call the fireplace and gas store in Burnside. They might not want to help, but I'm sure they know what needs to be done.

there are quick connect air type fittings available for bbq and other periphery they run about 300 $ per appliance, I have propane stove and hot water in my house with a large tank that is filled twice a year for 350 and has a 75$ per yr lease.

these fittings are very common in places where natural gas is readily available (ei Alberta) as the house is generally heated by a nat gas furnace, hot water, and stove so lines are every where.

propane companies are very careful about where tanks are located and what is running off of them, our house was already plumbed for propane and had the hot water tank installed before we bought it but the dealer would not deliver the tank until their tech came and inspected the house/gas lines. he ended up replacing the HW tank exhaust vent and quick connect flex hose for the range as well he converted our range from nat gas to propane.

if money is not a problem that quick connect is wicked but initial set up would be costly if propane is not already there, i fill 20lb tanks

cheers

Costco for sure.. and if any of you see a guy with 5 20lb tanks in line that is probably me .. I usually fill 5 at a time. (I use them to run my pool heater as well as bbq and cooker)

Costco recently dropped their propane price ... $0.54 per pound. Less than $12 for a fill up on a 20 pound tank last night.

Just to freshen up the data - I was just at Costco and propane is now $0.75/lb + tax.

Yes, good to know. As far as I can tell, still the cheapest place in town(s).

I was in a pinch for propane, had them filled at the irving (corner bb road and Sackville drive). Still $19.95, but when I take gas and time into consideration works for what I need in a pinch.