The week to call is before the weather turns
A North Texas cold snap does not come on gradually. It arrives on a Tuesday, the whole county turns the heat on the same night, and the phone rings all day Wednesday.
We have hauled propane out of Azle since 1946, and that week looks the same every year. The good news is that it is an easy week to get ahead of. It takes one walk out to the tank before October.
What the dial is telling you
The gauge under the dome on your tank reads a percentage, not gallons. It is the share of the tank that still has propane in it.
Two things about that number are worth knowing. First, a tank is only filled to about 80 percent, and that is by design. Propane sits in the tank as a liquid, and liquid expands when it warms up, so the space at the top gives it somewhere to go on a hot afternoon. A full 500-gallon tank holds roughly 400 gallons, not 500. Plan around the smaller number.
Second, take the percent times your tank size and you have a working figure. Twenty percent on a 500-gallon tank is about 100 gallons. In a cold week with the furnace running all night, that is a short list of days.
If the glass is fogged, the lid is stuck, or the needle has not moved in months, do not guess. Call the office and we will look at it.
Twenty percent is the line to watch
Below 20 percent you have almost no cushion if the weather turns and deliveries run behind.
If a tank goes all the way empty, adding propane is not the end of the job. The pilots go out, and the whole system has to be pressure-tested for leaks before anything is lit again. That is the national fuel gas code, not a fee we invented, and in a cold snap it is a slow visit.
Why the fall is easier than January
In October a delivery is a routine stop on a normal route. In January that same delivery is competing with every other house in the same spot, sometimes on roads that are iced over. We get to people as fast as it is safe to, and weather can hold a truck up. Nobody can promise a clock time in an ice storm.
A tank filled in the fall gives you weeks of room. A tank at 15 percent in January gives you days.
Bottles count too
If you heat a shop with a bottle, run a grill through the fall, or keep cylinders for a forklift or a job site, this is the month to bring them in. Bring the bottle to the counter at 140 W Main St in Azle and we will fill it while you wait. Winter hours start October 1: Monday through Friday, 8 to 5, and Saturday, 8 to 1.
A bottle has to be in good condition and in date. Federal rules do not allow anyone to fill one that is out of date or damaged, and we check the date stamped on the collar of every bottle that comes across the counter.
Carbon monoxide and the smell of gas
Propane appliances work hardest in winter. A working carbon monoxide alarm belongs on every level of the home.
Propane is given a rotten-egg smell on purpose so you can smell a leak. If you smell it, or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get everyone outside first. Call 911 from outside, well away from the building, then call us at (817) 444-4613. Do not look for the leak yourself, and do not go back inside until responders say it is safe.
Questions we get
How do I read my propane tank gauge?
The dial under the dome reads percent, not gallons. Multiply that percent by the size of your tank for a working gallon figure: 40 percent on a 500-gallon tank is about 200 gallons. A tank is filled to about 80 percent by design, so a full 500-gallon tank holds roughly 400 gallons. If the face is fogged or you cannot tell what you are looking at, call the office and we will check it.
At what percentage should I order propane?
Order while the gauge is still above 20 percent. Below that you have very little room if a cold snap slows deliveries down, and a house with the furnace running all night can move through the bottom of a tank faster than people expect. Calling in September or October also means your delivery is a routine stop, not a call during the busiest week of the year.
What happens if my propane tank runs completely empty?
The pilots go out, and the whole system has to be pressure-tested for leaks before anything is lit again. During a cold snap that visit takes longer. Do not relight anything yourself. Call us as soon as you know the tank is out and we will tell you what has to happen next.
Do you refill propane bottles and cylinders?
Yes. Bring the bottle to the counter at 140 W Main St in Azle and we will fill it while you wait. It has to be in sound condition and in date, and federal rules do not allow anyone to fill a cylinder that is out of date or damaged. If you are not sure about yours, call (817) 444-4613.
Call the office
During office hours a person picks up. Not a phone tree.