Cold Season Preparation

Before weather turns cold, it is a best practice to test all of your propane equipment before you actually need it. For heaters and gas logs, turn the pilot on. Make sure the pilot will stay lit when turning the gas valve to the ‘on’ position. You may also want to turn on any other type of heaters that utilize propane to make sure they start and power cycle. If you experience any problems, let your local propane provider know so that we may schedule a service call, before the weather gets cold. We experience very high call volume and service work requests during the month of October. When the weather cools off, and seasonal residents are traveling between homes, our service requests triple in volume. By testing your equipment early, you can avoid the wait during our peak times.

Also check your tank propane levels by utilizing the gauge on top of your tank. This is a convenient way to see how much propane you have available. The gauge measures the percentage of propane left in your tank. For example, if the needle is pointing to “80”, this means your tank is completely full. Tanks aren’t filled to 100% because we have to leave room for the liquid and vapor to expand and contract with the changes in the outside temperature. If you notice your tank is down to 20% and you haven’t received a delivery yet, you may call our office to have a delivery dispatched. However, most of our customers are on a “keep full” basis, and we will stop by monthly in our regular route to top off your tank in the winter months. Then, not as often in the summer. We also keep on record all of the propane appliances in your home, and how may BTU each of them are; so that we are aware of what your average usage should be. That is why we set the size tank you need; and know that it should be plenty of capacity until we are able to run our monthly routes.

In addition to your tank level, check for a clear path to your propane tank. It needs to be free of any overhanging tree limbs, overgrown bushes, or other yard debris. Our drivers need a safe path to travel from the truck, while pulling a hose, to your tank. When snow is on the ground, drivers may not be able to see all the way to the ground and may become entangled in debris that is under the snow. This would prevent us from making a safe delivery; and our main goal is SAFETY. Safety for our drivers and equipment, and also for yourself and your property.