Does The Speedway Have Propane Tanks That Can Be Exchanged? 7-Eleven is an American convenience store and gas station chain with locations throughout the United States. Speedway stations can be found in around 32 states, with the majority of them concentrated in the Midwest’s core seven states. Before 2021, the company was an owned subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation, and it was one of Central Ohio’s major convenience store chains. Following the expansion, Ashland’s Super America and Marathon’s Speedway Convenience store networks merged to form Speedway super America LLC, which is owned by MAP. PFJ southeast LLC, a joint venture between Pilot Flying J and Speedway, now has roughly 41 speedway locations in the southeast US, which was revealed in 2016.
What You Can Find At Speedway?
Speedway distributes fuel, engine lubricants for automobiles, gasoline, diesel fuel, and other products as a gas station. The convenience shop, on the other hand, sells snacks, soft drinks, newspapers, magazines, confections, alcoholic beverages, lottery tickets, and other items. The speedway fill stations offer propane tank refills and exchanges. Blue Rhino, Indiana Oxygen Company, Southwest Gas Corporation, Miller Pipeline Corp., Ferrellgas, Silvertip Propane, and others are some of the well-known propane tank refills available at Speedway.
What is the best way to obtain propane?
The liquid propane tank that powers an outdoor gas grill can be found in a variety of places, including hardware stores, larger grocery stores, big-box home improvement stores, and mass merchandisers like Walmart and Costco. When the gas runs out and the tank is empty, you have two choices: have the tank replenished (a less expensive option) or swap the empty tank for a full one (a more expensive option), possibly at the same store where you bought the original. Is there a benefit to choosing one choice over the other?
Is it true that Blue Rhino accepts used tanks?
However, certain propane exchange firms, such as Blue Rhino, will gladly accept and recycle your unused propane cylinders at no cost to you. If you don’t want your propane tank, simply set it next to a Blue Rhino exhibit and we’ll take care of the rest.
Grilling
As previously stated, 20-pound propane tanks are used for small chores such as cooking single meals. If you’re grilling on a medium-sized barbecue, one tank of propane will normally last between 18 and 20 hours. Larger barbecues, on the other hand, can consume 20 pounds of propane in as little as 10 hours.
If you use a medium-sized grill on high heat, you’ll need one or two pounds of fuel per meal on average. That works out to about 8 grilling sessions per tank.
Furnaces
The industry standard for measuring the heating efficiency of domestic equipment is the British Thermal Unit, or BTUs. One gallon of propane equals 92,000 BTUs, and the average house furnace uses 100,000 BTUs. The average house furnace consumes about one gallon of propane each hour.
Depending on how often you turn on your furnace, a house furnace might burn anywhere from 500 to 1,200 gallons of propane every year.
Hot Water Heaters
The amount of hot water you use depends on how many bathrooms you have and how many people are in and out of your home. The average residence uses approximately 1.5 gallons of propane per day for conventional hot water heating.
For hot water, the average homeowner will use between 200 and 300 gallons of propane each year.
The average homeowner will consume about 2.5, 500-gallon propane tanks for house heating and cooking each year.
Is it true that all propane tanks are the same?
Customers who need a propane tank for a single usage and those who need to be able to use their tank several times are the two primary sorts of propane tank customers.
A single-use propane tank may be preferable for persons who just need to utilize a propane tank on a one-time basis.
After you’ve used your single-use propane tank, make sure you properly dispose of it.
If you’re concerned about the effects of propane emissions on the environment, keep in mind that propane is an approved clean energy source.
However, due of its ability to be reused, the great majority of individuals will require a refillable propane tank rather than a single-use one.
Reusable tanks are more likely to be found in home heating systems, and they are built to tolerate significantly more abuse.
It’s All In The Size (And The Valve)
After deciding whether you want a single-use or refillable tank, you’ll need to figure out what size and valve your tank requires.
There are four standard propane tank sizes on the market today. In a recent blog post, we discussed all of them, as well as which one is best for you.
As a rule of thumb, the more energy you use from your propane tank, the larger it must be.
However, in addition to the various sizes of propane tanks available, there are many valve kinds. The valve connects the tank to the fuel supply that will be utilized to refill it.
Today, tanks with a POL valve are uncommon, as they are the oldest design and thus the least safe of the three-valve options.
ACME valves vary from previous POL valves in that they have exterior threads. They are more practical than the POL valve since they may be tightened by hand.
The ACME valve, most notably, has better safety processes to ensure that no gas spills from your tank.
If you buy a new tank today, you’ll almost certainly find one with an OPD valve, which stands for Overfill Prevention Device.
These are the safest valves on the market, and they can be adapted into many older tanks. For many tank owners, however, this may not be the most cost-effective solution.
Because OPD valves use an internal float mechanism, they have a similar safety protocol to ACME valves, but it is more secure.
If you have a POL valve on your tank, you should replace it with one of the newer, safer valve varieties.
If you’re on the market for a new tank, look for one with an OPD valve for the most up-to-date design in your tank valve.
It’s critical that you keep your propane tank’s valve safely, regardless of which one it uses.
The Location/Installation Of Your Propane Tank
Propane tanks on the market today differ based on where they are located, in addition to their size, reusability, and valve type.
There are three more types of propane tanks on the market right now in terms of installation:
Some people believe that installing a hidden propane tank is far more difficult than placing one above ground. In actuality, the procedure isn’t as lengthy as it appears.
You’d also think that an underground propane tank would be safer than one that is positioned above ground, because above-ground propane tanks are exposed to weather changes.
However, you should consider where an underground tank will be built; if it will be in a flood-prone area, it may be preferable to purchase an above-ground tank.
Each tank type has its own set of protective measures in place to keep it safe from the elements, whether above or below ground.
In either case, a buried propane tank is likely to be more expensive, as you’ll need to acquire both the tank and the equipment for excavating land to install it.
Vertical propane tanks, often called cylinders, are typically smaller than horizontal tanks.
As a result, they’re more suited for tiny applications like a grill than for heating a whole house.
They are, however, far easier to transport than their counterparts as a result of this.
Does propane have a shelf life?
Another reason to use Bottini Fuel for propane delivery is that propane does not have a shelf life or an expiration date. This is due to the fact that propane is non-perishable! Other fuels, such as kerosene, diesel, heating oil, and gasoline, can degrade with time.
Where can I get the best deal on a propane exchange?
You can combine a new $3 off Blue Rhino Coupon with a $3 mail-in rebate right now!
That’s a savings of $6 on every new or exchanged Propane Tank!
Walmart has the most affordable price.
If you’re exchanging an empty tank, they’re usually $14.92 (it’s a lot more if you’re buying a new tank without an exchange).
Is Lowe’s capable of filling propane tanks?
As of 2022, Lowe’s offers an exchange service that allows consumers to trade in their old propane tanks for a refilled one for $19.97. Lowe’s, on the other hand, does not fill empty propane tanks. Lowe’s will exchange all dual valve propane tanks for Blue Rhino propane tanks.
Continue reading to find more about how much it costs to exchange propane tanks at Lowe’s, why Lowe’s does not refill propane tanks, and much more!
by Rich Morahan
Tanks for Propane Exchange are both valuable and risky. That is why they are kept in confined cages by shops. However, according to recent news reports, locks and cages are not always effective. Take a look at the following headlines and stories…
“Theft of propane tanks at a Walker County gas station was caught on tape.” WTVC, Walker County, GA, March 12, 2019: The incident occurred early Sunday morning, and video showed the robbers breaking into the holding cage using bolt cutters.
“Two Dayton establishments have reported propane tank thefts.” Dayton, Ohio, February 26, 2019 WHIO TV 7 (Channel 7): More than 20 propane tanks were stolen from two companies in Dayton, according to police. Propane cages had been harmed. Only eight of the thefts were caught on video surveillance. According to the study, a new full tank costs $50.
“Workers Assist in the Capture of a Suspected Propane Thief,” WNEP 16 Scranton, PA, February 9, 2019: Employees at a Scranton plant discovered up to 20 propane tanks had inexplicably vanished. Because the robber had only two tanks in his trunk when he was captured, the crimes most likely took place over several weeks.
“Propane tanks were stolen from two locations in Northeast Philadelphia,” according to the report. WPVI, Philadelphia, PA, Dec. 8, 2018: As they look for the individual responsible, police are trying to figure out why someone would take 18 propane tanks. The cage that locks the tanks was hacked open with bolt cutters, and 15 tanks were stolen, according to video. According to police, the gas station management is more concerned about what might happen to the tanks than about lost revenue.
There are evident patterns here – cages that have been cut, etc “theft spaced out over time and “surveillance” with blurry video All of the articles characterize these incidents as theft for profit, with the operators losing hundreds to thousands of dollars, but the Philadelphia article adds a more ominous note in at least one case: “The gas station manager is more concerned about what someone might want with the tanks than about the lost revenue.”
What may the robbers have in mind for those tanks? Are you going to use them to cook or store meth? Or do you want to utilize them to make explosive devices? Stolen propane and anhydrous ammonia tanks have a lengthy history of being used to make meth. Meth manufacturing, according to the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), destroys the tanks, weakening them to the point that they could explode.
The NPGA has issued a safety warning “This deterioration will cause the valve body or its components to shatter, which can lead to a forceful, unexpected ejection of the valve from the cylinder, resulting in personal injury or death.”
Tanks are most commonly stolen for use in the meth industry or for simple black-market resale, but there have been more nefarious possibilities, such as in Missouri in 2015, when the bulk sale of hundreds of cell phones coincided with the theft of dozens of propane tanks. With those options, it may be time to move on to the next level of exchange tank security, particularly for cages in high-risk areas.
If locks and cages are the targets, securing each tank with a set of reusable keyed alike locks is a simple approach. If you secure each tank and then lock your cage, you can be sure that even a SawzallTM wiz won’t be able to lift your tanks any further than the cage.
Locking up 20 or more propane exchange tanks with a nearly vandal-proof lock may be less expensive than installing a security cage, and locking up the tanks has other advantages.
During business hours, you can leave the cage door closed but unlocked, and simply go to the cage with a customer, remove the lock, and reuse it for your next refilled tank. You are doubly secure with the ease and security of a single corporate key when your locks and cage locks are keyed similarly with a registered vandal-resistant key.
Also, note that I said a vandal-resistant key with a keyed similar combination. There are now two tank locking devices on the market. A round tube is used in an older gadget “The key.” Because the plug may be opened with a piece of copper tubing, this device is not a lock. Instructions can be found on YouTube. One lock, comparable to a vending machine lock, is available on the market: a seven-pin brass lock with a tubular key. POLock was first offered by Lock America of Corona, CA, to block the outlet valve of residential and commercial tanks to prevent tampering and unlawful refills. Lock America has been in the lock security business for more than three decades. The same principle applies to the swap tank lock. The dealer tightens the brass fitting by hand and covers it with a brass slip ring cap. The cap spins, making it impossible to remove the fitting. The cap can only be removed with the dealer’s key to gain access to the fitting. The company’s key code is unique and registered for security and quick replacement (24 hours if the customer pays overnight charges).
The operator also receives a bonus with Lock America’s system. The cage door lock, whether it’s a disk lock or a hockey puck lock, can be keyed to the same key code by Lock America. You end up with a two-tiered defense.
Propane exchange tanks are a multimillion-dollar industry, and replacement tanks can cost more than $100. Although a security cage can protect the operator’s investment, security cages are not theft-proof, as seen by the news articles discussed here and elsewhere. In addition to the lock on your exchange tank cages, it may be time to install a real POLock as a second line of defense.