How to get a New 20lb Propane tank for FREE.

Just a quick video of how I get my new propane tanks when my old ones are out of date. Any one can do this most anywhere there is a propane exchange place in your town or close to U. I got mine at the wally world close to me for $14.48. Then I refill them at Tractor supply that for me is close & the least expensive place $12 to refill them Full 20Lbs not 15Lbs like the exchange tank. Hope this tip helps I have 6 to 8 tanks on hand at all times.

[bigmikewallace]

Good video... I work for blue rhino and yes, we want the old tanks out of circulation and have newer ones enter. So yes, we want you to exchange an older tank for a newer one.
Once the tank is picked up it goues through a wash, recertification, paint if needed and refilled. It receives a new lable and then gets put back on the truck for delivery.
If the valve is bad, it does get replaced and tested for any leaks. If leaks are present it will be rejected.
Thank you for your video.

[lzh]

Still some solid information in 2024. My husband passed away, he used to take care of this. This was good information. Thx👍

[Jasonthehammer]

I was an assistant scoutmaster for a Boy Scout troop- I went to the dump- and there was six to seven out of date propane tanks- I asked the guy if I can have them- he said take them! So I did- and did exactly what you did- great tip/ the lady who took the tanks even said these were out of date but don’t worry I will give you new full takes for the price of the propane only. The troop got six full tanks for all their camping!

[josefk]

From my personal experience the amount of fuel that gets placed in a refilled tank varies upon where you choose to have it filled. In my town there are a couple of places that offer such services. One of the locations, Thatherton Fuels will only fill a 20lb cylinder to "around" 15 pounds but will tell you that it is fully filled. Across the street though at Strickland Propane I can take a cylinder in and get it filled to the full 20lbs and be charged only pennies more. I, like yourself absolutely love firing up my Vogner Char-King Imperiale as much as possible and have found that by shopping around you can really find great deals. Thanks for the videa.

[tallboyyyy]

The Home Depot near me in NH has an automated cylinder exchange. Put your card into the machine and tell it if you are exchanging an empty or just getting a full tank with no exchange. If you are exchanging a locker type door pops open and you put in your empty tank and close the door. Then another door pops open and you take the full one. Nobody there to check how old your tank is, just a sensor on the machine that can tell if you actually put an empty in the locker or not. The store doesn't even need to be open. It's available 24X7. The cheapest place to get a tank filled around here is U-Haul unless you heat your house with propane then your propane company may fill 20 lb cylinders for free if you are a regular customer on automatic delivery.

[stevesmith]

I was thinking why not just get yours recertified, but you're basically getting a new valve and some free gas! Thanks for sharing 🤠

[akjeff]

Another way to tell if it has the new valve is to look at the handle. The old ones have 6 little nubs on the handle, the new ones only have three.

[millardiii]

My Experiences: Don't get your Blue Rhino tanks from a big box store like Walmart or Lowes. They won't let you pick your tank. They get it for you and that is that. Best to get them from a place like a gas station or a hardware store where the people are more cooperative.

Tractor supply not only fills the tank fully, but they also give you credit for fuel left in the than. Around me, only Tractor Supply and the welding gas companies do this. Most places that fill tanks charge a flat fee even if there is fuel left in the tank.

If you ever see unsafe behavior filling propane tanks, call them out loudly to a manager! a decade ago, I watched an Ace Hardware employee smoke a cigarette while filling a propane cylinder. I took a picture on my cell phone and took it in to the manager. He was thankful and gave me a full loyalty card to get my next tank for free. Remember, its your tax money that is going to fund the fire department that has clean up the mess if the back lot explodes!

[omtbiker]

Local gas company near me, 15 to recert, new tank 30 bucks filled, and refill is 10. Can't beat that

[dogbone]

I had an old tank but kept on getting cold feet to exchange it. But you are right, the kid at the gas station didn’t give a hoot. Thanks for the kick in the pants to get me going

[fbm]

I'll now be looking for tanks along the side of the road, that alone was worth the watch

[lokpikr]

“i just ask them to open the little prison cell these guys are in” 😂😂😂

[scottstalnaker]

Back in the 60s I did something similar with soft drink bottles. Took the empty bottle back, got a penny for it, then bought a full, ice cold Coca Cola for a dime. Net cost nine cents. On a good day I could find enough empties in the ditches to drink for free.Ah, the good old days.

[joefyda]

I worked for Ceres Solutions ( COOP) back in the day in the tire shop. I was also certified to inspect tanks and update them. I also filled them. We never charged to certify them. All it is to inspect the tank for damage, correct valve and it works correctly. Tanks are usually cheaper to fill at the propane gas companies. Gas stations and places like Walmart get a fee for exchanging them.

[KocaineNWaffles]

I work for a propane company and we tell people all the time it's cheaper to exchange the tank than to have us recertify it. And it's not stealing people you bought the tank it is yours regardless of the sticker on it the only way you would steal from us is by taking the propane or tanks straight from the plant.

[WhatDadIsUpTo]

EVEN BETTER TIP:
Scrap yards take in BBQs all the time, but they don't process the propane tanks, because, if they grab one with one of those giant lifter machines, it can puncture and explode. My local scrap yard sells tanks empty or full for five bucks. I just take a handful of $5 bills to the scrap yard and take all the fullest ones and if I want, I can trade them in like has been suggested here in the video, but I save them for projects and just go get more at the scrap yard for five bucks each. I currently have 7, but my goal is to have 40 20-lb propane tanks full.

[geloradananrlyeh]

Some people exchange a tank before it is empty because they do not want to run out of gas with their steaks half cooked. I have seen tanks turned in that still have about five pounds in them, and they exchange them for a tank holding only fifteen pounds, but they are paying for a full tank of propane. It would be smarter to refill such a tank if they could, or run them empty before exchanging. Another reason to have full spare tanks on standby.

[condor]

The Blue Rhino site explicitly states that the will take any tank as long as no dents, foot ring is present, no major rust etc. They say nothing about the date so they expect people to bring out of date tanks for exchange. They recertify tanks as a part of their business model. They hope that you continue using their service based on having a good, convenient service. They price their product accordingly. So I see nothing wrong with taking and old tank and exchanging it for a new one.

[e-curb]

My city runs a huge recycling center where they take pretty much anything that can be recycled. They have a drop-off cage for propane tanks. When I have an old empty tank, I take it there. Then while I'm at the cage, I grab onto all the others and give them a tilt to find the ones that aren't empty. If I find one that's got propane in it, I zoom it out to my car then leave. Free propane!
I also keep my eyes open for discarded bottles. It is common to find them with propane still in them. I haven't paid for propane for at least 3 years.

[jimanddiana]

Yeah, this was news to me. Thanks! I think I paid $70 for my first and only new propane tank here in Los Angeles. Guess I need to shop around a little. lol.