Propane shortage

[in_betts]

This whole conversations sounds like the firearms and ammo and reloading supply shortage of 2013.The one big difference is you have to have the propane. Sure hope this gets better soon to cold to be without heat...

WAIT A MINUTE..............who ever said you don't HAVE to have firearms, ammo and reloading supplies????

 

[IndyGunworks]

For that matter, who ever said you HAVE to have propane?

 

[wolfman]

For that matter, who ever said you HAVE to have propane?

Anyone that already has that fuel as their only source of heat.

 

[IndyGunworks]

I am just saying that you dont HAVE to have propane. there are other ways of heating your home. This is a first world problem.

 

[wolfman]

I am just saying that you dont HAVE to have propane. there are other ways of heating your home. This is a first world problem.

Agreed. My previous comment was only a reflection of the short term problem of those that currently have to have it. I have what I feel is the "luxury" of being on natural gas for heat, but over the past couple of years, and after keeping track of several threads, have come to the conclusion that I will never be to the point where I am relying on only one type of fuel for heat. In the near future, my current nat gas forced air will be backed up by a vent less nat gas fireplace, and a multiple fuel gen set large enough to run at least the basics. If I ever move to where nat gas is not available, I will make sure that I have the equipment to use both propane and electric, along with some sort of short term use fuel such as wood or corn.

 

[Joe G]

I am just saying that you dont HAVE to have propane. there are other ways of heating your home. This is a first world problem.

Agree. If propane went up to $20/gallon I bet people would get pretty creative about how to heat their home. Right now the prices suck... compared to earlier in the season, but it hasn't hit the critical tipping point where most people will take steps to avoid using it. Most will try to conserve or delay buying if they can but I doubt we'll see a mass exodus from using it in the future. Unfortunately propane, fuel oil and the like are always subject to the kinds of price spikes just by their nature of delivery. Every few years the homes in the NE get hit with the big fuel oil spikes when the weather gets extreme too.

 

[B-lou]

Talked to a family member who works in mangament at a large LP supplier and HE said the shortage is really just a delivery problem cause first by the drought of 2012 where the corn crop was down a large amount so a lot less LP gas was used followed by a very mild winter where now the LP companies had to sit on large amounts of inventory so they reduced ther inventory for 2013 not being caught again like last summer...then a huge corn corp comes along and a extreme winter and now a LP shortage, so because of poor planning and not wanting to get caught with excess inventory the consumer is paying out the a**

 

[Hammer]

I am glad I still have 45% in my 1000 gallon tank which should last till this is over.


Or at least I hope it does.

 

[SMiller]

$6.18 plus tax per gallon as of close yesterday...

 

[PRasko]

I run two electric 1500 btu "forced air" space heaters. One upstairs, one downstairs, and it stays north of 68 in my house unless it dips below 10-15F outside. That's the only time I turn on my floor heat boiler.

It costs me about 125$ a month to run these two heaters non stop, 24/7. Where as, using the furnace to heat my house, would cost me over 350$ a month.

They came and tried to fill my propane recently, and when I asked them what the current market price was, I told them to **** off. I had 65% in my tank still. Didn't need or want it topped off at 3$ a gallon.

 

[sterve]

I run two electric 1500 btu "forced air" space heaters. One upstairs, one downstairs, and it stays north of 68 in my house unless it dips below 10-15F outside. That's the only time I turn on my floor heat boiler.

It costs me about 125$ a month to run these two heaters non stop, 24/7. Where as, using the furnace to heat my house, would cost me over 350$ a month.

They came and tried to fill my propane recently, and when I asked them what the current market price was, I told them to **** off. I had 65% in my tank still. Didn't need or want it topped off at 3$ a gallon.

I would be jumping up and down with joy if I could get propane for $3 a gallon right now!!!

 

[lovemachine]

I run two electric 1500 btu "forced air" space heaters. One upstairs, one downstairs, and it stays north of 68 in my house unless it dips below 10-15F outside. That's the only time I turn on my floor heat boiler.

It costs me about 125$ a month to run these two heaters non stop, 24/7. Where as, using the furnace to heat my house, would cost me over 350$ a month.

They came and tried to fill my propane recently, and when I asked them what the current market price was, I told them to **** off. I had 65% in my tank still. Didn't need or want it topped off at 3$ a gallon.

$3 a gallon is a very good price right now.

 

[ghitch75]

just hauled in 3.5 ton of lump coal for my boiler.......a lot cheaper than 6 buc's a gallon.......i have a 500G tank but it's not hooked to the house yet.....hope it goes down this summer.....will run dyer and back up boiler for my in-floor heat.....

 

[PRasko]

$3 a gallon is a very good price right now.

That was about a week ago.

And 65% in my tank is enough to last me until next winter. I started this winter season out at just a smidge over 70%.

I've only maybe kicked my boiler on for a week. When we had that "polar vortex".

 

[CountryBoy19]

Anybody want to drive a bobtail?

??? Wouldn't they still have to make a return trip? I imagine special licensing would be required for that no?

How far?

 

[wagyu52]

??? Wouldn't they still have to make a return trip? I imagine special licensing would be required for that no?

How far?

I deliver local, a bobtail is a truck chassis with a tank on. Propane is a hazerdous material, a HAZMAT endorsement is needed on a CDL license.
Our company currently has 9 semi tankers on the road to Texas and Mississippi to keep us in LP. Not sure about this on a national level but the state of Indiana has suspended the hours of service for the transport and delivery of propane. We can work as many hours a day we need.

 

[wagyu52]

Talked to a family member who works in mangament at a large LP supplier and HE said the shortage is really just a delivery problem cause first by the drought of 2012 where the corn crop was down a large amount so a lot less LP gas was used followed by a very mild winter where now the LP companies had to sit on large amounts of inventory so they reduced ther inventory for 2013 not being caught again like last summer...then a huge corn corp comes along and a extreme winter and now a LP shortage, so because of poor planning and not wanting to get caught with excess inventory the consumer is paying out the a**

NO, we do not have a shortage, we do have a infrastructure problem. US propane production increased almost a 1 billon gallons in 2013.
Yes we had a big demand for the 2013 corn harvest, but not the only cause.
The shut down of the Cochin pipeline for maintenance the month of December, that took 5 terminals off line.
Because the current administration has failed to approve new pipe lines like keystone, we have a shortage of rail cars capable of transporting products such as crude oil and propane.
The lack of propane storage in the north east. New England uses 7% of the consumer propane in the country but only has 1.2% of the storage. The 88.2 million gallon Finger Lakes LPG storage facility has been on Gov. Cuomo's desk since 2009 but he will not approve it.
Until 1/22/14 US propane was the cheapest on the world market. Propane exports have been at an all time high.
Of course all these problems are insignificant compared to the cold weather.

Every propane supplier I know offers summer pricing like prepay and monthly budget payments for winter delivery. Our locked in price is $1.76 per gallon from Oct to April. There is no reason a consumer shouldn't be taking advantage of these programs, in 15 years I have never seen a winter cash price less than the locked in price.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

Just filled my 20# tank for $18.19. Thinking I paid about $5 less over the summer

That's about what I paid last summer, but I got it from the appliance shop in Wanamaker, they are notoriously high on everything. That was for 15lb in my 20lb tank. (It wasn't empty)

 

[Bigtanker]

I deliver local, a bobtail is a truck chassis with a tank on. Propane is a hazerdous material, a HAZMAT endorsement is needed on a CDL license.
Our company currently has 9 semi tankers on the road to Texas and Mississippi to keep us in LP. Not sure about this on a national level but the state of Indiana has suspended the hours of service for the transport and delivery of propane. We can work as many hours a day we need.

This pisses me off. Because of the new hours of service the feds put into place for SAFETY, the propane haulers can't meet the demand. So they suspend the rules to save people money. Now the guy hauling a full tank of propane can drive tired and risk the lives of others. Yeah. That's safe.

Just goes to show the stupidity of .gov. They need to eliminate the whole hours of service rules.

 

[sig-guy]

I run two electric 1500 btu "forced air" space heaters.

That'd be 1500 watt heaters, there's 3.413 btu in a watt, so you are running 5119.5 btu heaters.