DOOM ON!! Propane Shortage As Polar Vortex 2 Nears!!

Why did she not get it in the fall?I know this is colder than you guys in the south are used to.Can she get a smaller cylinder at a gas station to temp hook it to.

She bought the house this summer and did get about half a tank at that time, but she didn't keep an eye on the meter (hopefully lesson learned). It's kind of crazy because she is in a neighborhood in the city and I'm sure she's the only one with propane. I wonder how much it would cost for her to tap into the natural gas line and keep the propane tank as a backup? Not that it would be in time for the deep freeze this week... I don't know if a portable tank could be hooked up or not.

Last Edited by snark on 01/20/2014 09:12 PM

the 2 pack of 1lb propane cylinders at Walmart is up to $6.47. used to be $5.47

This Fracks me off to no end!!

hey OP! your post reminded me of this scene from one of my favorite shows. Stay warm where your are.

Last Edited by viddycrack on 01/20/2014 09:26 PM

Yeah, that has gone up- when I bought them last year I remember they were around 5 bucks-- can't ever have too many of those in your preps.

I use a kerosene heater for additional heat and had to go to 4 stations before I could get kerosene last week. It went from $20 for 5 gallons to 22.50 now.

$2.97 per pound last time we called.

100lb tanks are nice and portable, but it's a PITA to hook them up. It can be done, though.

The next couple weeks are going to be rough for those of us without natural gas or woodburning options.

Apparently a shutdown in Wisconsin isn't helping matters.
[link to www.kansascity.com]

Last Edited by snark on 01/20/2014 09:25 PM

We were limited to 4 per customer per day deer season.

Typical Idiot, waits till propane tank is empty in the middle of the winter before calling to fuel up..

CAN'T FIX STUPID...

Would it take a plumber to hook it up or is it something she and her husband could DIY?

She can't hook up to natural gas to run her propane furnace. She would have to change out the orifice to be able to do that. Natural gas and propane aren't the same weight and more of one or the other in the other type of gas appliance would be disastrous. She probably doesn't have access to natural gas, but even so, better safe than sorry.

I think if you have a house it's always a good idea to get a wood burning stove. Fireplaces are just not efficient heaters, and pellet stoves...well you have to have pellets. But with a wood stove as long as you have trees around in a pinch you can keep warm at least! Some stoves will heat a whole house but certainly can keep one room very toasty

My hubs DIY'd it. It just requires a basic understanding of plumbing fixtures and an unwavering attention to detail...and possibly several trips to the hardware store to get the right parts.

If she switches to natural gas it will require work to be done on all her gas appliances

Yeah my mom said they were about to call a state of emergency two weeks ago in Maine because the distributors ccan't even get enough propane

She needs to go to wally mart and get what ever electric heaters they have in stock now..

Just go buy like ten Blue Rhinos. Should last her a few days.

I called Friday to deliver my remaining pre-buy gallons. It's about 50 cents more a gallon now than what I had paid for it. They were supposed to deliver today, but I didn't see them. I may have just enough to get through the rest of the week.

I only wish I could get kerosene out here in NM for that price. Out here it is $8.00 a gallon....I kid you not.
and if you buy it at a place like lowes or home depot it is about $50 buck for 5 gallons. I have two kerosene heaters but they sit empty and not used due to cost.

No you can't hook up a portable tank to your existing lines. Very likely illegal and dangerous to do so. If she has a portable propane heater she can likely hook up a portable tank to that. Those things are pricey though and I doubt a small tank will see her through this cold snap. I would just go buy a couple of electric heaters at Walmart.

Even though it is like spring out here in NM....the local natural gas company has already told us that our gas bills are going up by about $10 and it is due to the extreme cold from the polar vortex. It was 60 degrees out here today....very very strange for January. Should only be a high in the 30's.

Last Edited by JasmineinNM on 01/20/2014 09:45 PM

I loaned her a bunch of space heaters we have. The only thing running on propane is her heat, everything else is electric. Really crazy because she is in a neighborhood in the middle of Nashville. So, she would have to buy a new furnace in order to use natural gas instead of propane? Bummer.

More on the shortage. :(
[link to fox8.com]

Cold Concerns: Energy Emergency Due to Propane Shortage

Posted on: 5:58 pm, January 20, 2014, by Dave Nethers

SEVILLE, Ohio–Just in time for another brutally cold winter, Ohio has joined other states in which customers who heat their homes with propane are being told that the fuel is in short supply.

Debbie Ponader and her husband say were warned by their supplier when they filled their tank in late December.

“They were telling us to conserve because there is going to be a shortage of propane so, they said this is your tank but should you need another refill and the supplies aren’t there, it might be difficult to fill your tank,” said Ponader.

Heeding the advice, Ponader said she turned the thermostats in her house down from 72 to 68.

But she said news of a propane shortage was surprising to her.

“We have lived here for 12 years and this is the first time we have ever heard that so it was kind of a shock,” said Ponader.

More at the link

yes you can and re start the pilot light most fittings are the same or there are adaptors I have a spare 100 lb cylinder you must live in a libtard state

Glad she has electricity too at least. You are a good person to loan her the space heaters.

It is always a good thing to have multiple means and ways to produce heat...........like kerosene, electric heaters, wood, natural gas and/or propane.............

then there is that wonderful "Buddy" heater....both the little buddy and the big daddy.

With adapters they can be hooked up to a Blue Rhrino propane tank instead of the little 1lb. bottles....or even a hundred lb. tank.

old school never fails get a wood stove dude, always bust up your cheap Chinese walmart furniture for heat if need be.

I went through several tanks of propane last winter because it gets below zero quite often. The propane company won't even come out and refill it until it hits 30 percent or below remaining. There's no need to call people names when you obviously have no idea what you are talking about.... maybe the OP's friend was in the same situation where the company wouldn't come until the tank was low...

It was a lot of work in the summer/early fall but I'm sure glad to have cut and split wood. Now propane is just backup. Propane is too costly, imo. It was averaging $600 a month to heat with here.

OMG...This is awful, and real doom. We heat off of electric and propane.

It is supposed to snow tomorrow around three inches...we will probably lose power...we always do...hoping we have enough propane.

Even if I called for more, it is so bad up here when it snows the truck cannot get up the mountain. Sooooooo...

Hope everyone stays warm.