Cynch propane delivery

[Honeyman]

Anyone used this service? Seems like a great idea and the pricing is fair.

www.cynch.com

[Honeyman]

UPDATE: Worked great, could not have been easier. Left my tanks out this morning and when I got back a few hours later, they had been exchanged. Normally, I just refill 'em at a rental equipment place near me, but they closed. Considering I had 5 tanks, I thought I'd give this a shot. A couple of my tanks were pretty rusted out and they were swapped for ones in much better condition.

Exchanges were $23.99 each, though your first is $10. Not sure if the price varies depending on the metro area.

[Bryce]

I pay 17.00 out the door at the place I get my tanks filled. They last longer than the exchange tanks in this area too. I have four tanks in use on a grill, smoker and two fire pits with a fifth for back up. Not sure the 35.00 price difference is worth the convenience of home deliver to me.

Then again I'm much younger than you.

[Honeyman]

I pay 17.00 out the door at the place I get my tanks filled. They last longer than the exchange tanks in this area too. I have four tanks in use on a grill, smoker and two fire pits with a fifth for back up. Not sure the 35.00 price difference is worth the convenience of home deliver to me.

Then again I'm much younger than you.

LOL....

I've got a grill, fire pit, 2 outside heaters and a spare. I dont know how to tell what lasts longer since I'm grilling different things, use my pit/heaters at various temps, etc. Like I say, I used to just refill em too but my go-to place closed and the other joint near me is a bunch of assholes.

At this time in my life, convenience is very important to me. Schlepping 5 tanks across town back and forth isn't worth it to me.

With the COL increase in your social security check, maybe you'll splurge next time.

[Bryce]

Heh...no SSI for me. I'm waiting till 67. No sense in retiring when mama won't. I'll still have two years after that till she's 62 so I'll train dogs full time till then.

You've been having some cool temps out there lately so I imagine those fire pits are getting a workout.

[Honeyman]

Heh...no SSI for me. I'm waiting till 67. No sense in retiring when mama won't. I'll still have two years after that till she's 62 so I'll train dogs full time till then.

You've been having some cool temps out there lately so I imagine those fire pits are getting a workout.

Supposed to be near 80 Christmas.....only the grill tank will be fired up.

[km1125]

IIRC, you usually get about 20% more propane in each tank of you refill vs exchange, so factor that into the price too. You might check the actual specs on the exchange place on how "full" they fill the tanks.

It definitely makes sense to exchange old or rusty tanks though for nice shiney new ones!!

[Honeyman]

IIRC, you usually get about 20% more propane in each tank of you refill vs exchange, so factor that into the price too. You might check the actual specs on the exchange place on how "full" they fill the tanks.

It definitely makes sense to exchange old or rusty tanks though for nice shiney new ones!!

How do you check how much propane is in a tank? I just put one tank back on my Weber Genesis and it shows as full.

[Bryce]

By weight. A gallon of propane weighs about 4 and a quarter pounds. Weigh a tank when empty and then again when full. Most commercial places will only put four gallons in a five gallon tank.

[Plate Cap]

The standard BBQ propane bottle is a 20lb tank. Most exchanges only fill to 15 lbs. The cost to exchange and get 15 lbs of new propane is typically more than refilling and getting 20lbs.

One advantage to exchange is if you have a cruddy tank covered in food grease or rust.

Generally speaking, the exchange program targets Mom in the minivan looking for convenience, some idiot that doesn't know any better, or those that don't want to 'bother' with a refill. Refilling means less travel, more burn time, and overall fewer cycles.

Whatever you do, give serious thought to how you transport them. Placing them in a trunk or inside a car is not only dangerous but illegal. They do leak, and if they puncture in an accident, those in the car are toast.

[Honeyman]

Thanks for all the info, guys. Learned more on this thread than in 10 years of political potpourri!

[ZenithCKLW]

Isn't there a warm water test to determine the propane level? Something about dripping warm water down the side, and feeling where on the tank the water turns cold since propane absorbs the heat? I guess this would only be practical for small tanks like for a grill or RV.

[km1125]

Isn't there a warm water test to determine the propane level? Something about dripping warm water down the side, and feeling where on the tank the water turns cold since propane absorbs the heat? I guess this would only be practical for small tanks like for a grill or RV.

Yea, kinda. It's a rough measure of how much is in the tank, just about the same as the pressure gauge does, but neither are really accurate. The weight method is the most accurate way to tell exactly how "full" or "empty" a tank is.

Why? Well, the pressure method relies on the actual temperature of everything and changes in temperature will affect the pressure. Just releasing some propane, via usage, will also lower the temperature (and corresponding pressure) quickly. Sitting the tank in a cold garage or out in the sun or under a hot grill also affects both.

The level is dependent on the tank design. No tank is allowed to be filled to "full" actually, because that's a hazard. For the last decade at least, there have been valves installed in the top of the tank to make sure it cannot be filled too much, as there's be no room for expansion when the temperatures changed. So there's always some empty space even on a 100% "full" tank. The tank can still hold 20lbs of propane (for a "20 lb" tank), but there will be some empty space above the liquid propane and the amount of this space is dependent on the valve and the tank design. If you actually marked a "full" tank using the "warm water" method, then you could reuse the "warm water" method to see how much remaining propane was in that tank and get a pretty decent accuracy.

[Turkeytop]

Here in Ontario it's always cheaper to refill a tank than it is to exchange. But when we're in Florida there isn't much difference either way.