Does Anyone have Heritage Propane? (Oldsmar: rental, insurance, appliances)

[algia]

We never had it before...can you give us pros and cons PLEASE.....
How dangerous is this for small kids?
Does this blow up?
Can it get hit by Lightning?
Does it smell? Does it smell ALL the time?
Is it installed in the house?
We were told it was just for the water heater, but when I called, they told me it is the ONLY way we can get the house heated?
How much do you pay for a 4 bedroom house?
What is a furnace?
Is this in the garage?
How is the heat from it is spread through the house? do they have separate vents?
Are you supposed to run the air too?
If this is running, does that mean it is warming up the house too? how is this separate from the water?

I am sorry for all these questions, it's just we never had this before and were wondering how much of a extra financial burden this can be? and how dangerous it really is.

Thank you

[MortonR]

Propane is very safe, and is no more dangerous that natural gas, which is the primary fuel used to heat homes and run water heaters north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

One caveat regarding propane: Since it is a petroleum product, the price fluctuates constantly, and will be closely tied to what you see happening at your local gas station.

Our home is about 10 years old, and we put in propane for water heating and clothes drying. We recently converted to electricity for both, because the price of propane increased over the last 10 years to the point where we were paying nearly $300 for our monthly propane bill.

By doing so, I figure I have already paid for the new water heater and clothes dryer in the first 6 months.

RM

[Keeper]

Who did you call the propane co or someone about the house? In FL I think you are better off with just using electric. You can't just wait until the price goes down to get propane if you run out. Also, you have to pay a large chunk at the time of fill up. Of course you probably won't have to fill up for a few months but are you able/willing to pay several hundred dollars out of pocket for that fill up?
I had propane in an old house one time and it was a heater in a closet which had no vents to other rooms. It was for the original house but the people had added on to the house so there was no heat in that part of the house.

You need to find out how old the heater is and ask if it is tied to the central a/c vents. That raises another question does it have central air?

[bapcha]

Is a subsidiary of Energy Trans. Partners - ETP - listed on the NYSE as a Master Limited Partnership. You can buy partnership units - like you would, a stock.

Bapcha

[Sunscape]

This is a very old posting, from last year!
Why you brought it up, I don't understand.
We have Heritage propane. It works fine.
I think this poster must have already have finished with this subject.

[iluvpugs3]

I had Hillsborough Gas, which Heritage bought out. The prices jumped up. I wrote to the President and Office Manager, but never even got a reply. You need to watch the bills, as they had all kinds of charges added. After I complained, they deleted them. I called other propane companies, and there were cheaper prices, but the problem comes with the tank and who owns it. You pay a daily "rental" charge. You never own it, although you should after 5 years paying 19 cents a day. The new company doesn't want to play around with the tank ownership. Some companies have a swap deal with Heritage. As far as danger is concerned, I've never had a problem and haven't heard of any explosions. There is no smell. I do love using gas for cooking. Its easier to control very low or very high gas versus electric. I was brought up with gas stoves, so I was not afraid. It is easier to accidentally leave an electric stove on than a gas stove. I would never have had a gas water heater or gas heat if I knew how expensive it would be. Now, I rarely put the heat on in the winter. I'd rather just use an electric blanket or heating pad than turn on the heat. The company is not easy to deal with. They don't want to deliver propane to me on a monthly basis because I use too little and its not worth their time. They deliver every 5 months. You know those Propane Gas Commercials - forget it. I have no idea how they can say gas is more efficient or less expensive. In the five months February - June my bill was $165. In the previous five months, it was $360. I only use my water heater (2 people in the home) and occasionally use my stove. That's it. Good luck.

[frustrated in NPR]

We have Heritage Propane except for running out because I will not give anyone permission to use my credit card without knowing about it they have been alright. They are very expensive to what I here other people pay for their gas companies. My husband lost his job and they don't care. Our bills run 300's every 3 months

[algia]

Well, luckily since I originally posted this we moved to another home that does NOT have gas........and it is awesome.....but in those 4 months we had gas with Heritage Propane our bill was never under $390 and $400+......... last bill was $480 and the gas was only related to the water heater and we don't waste hot water in any way and after we saw the first bill we stopped turning the heat up and put on more clothes and when I called to complain that we didn't even use the heat and the bill was $400 they casually told me that the gas is directly related to the gas at the pump and when that goes up so was ours........and that was when the gas at the pump was $4 bucks! so, no thanks..........I rather freeze than have gas as a heating option in the house!

[JakeKrost]

Heritage Propane Inc. brought out my local propane provider. Heritage Inc. is NOT trustworthy! They create many fake charges. When questioned Heritage employees switch explainations, for example tank insurance surcharges or under usage surcharges. Be careful if they swap tanks as they will lie about your tanks propane content and short it, be on site for tank swaps! Be onsite when they make a delivery and check the gauage yuorself, they can NOT be trusted.

[Dax13]

Originally Posted by Annie of Oldsmar

This is a very old posting, from last year!

I do realize that this is an old post, but thought I would add a bit more info for those looking at propane. Propane used for cooking only is awesome and very economical, especially if you like to bake. Unfortunately, for hot water and/or heating, it can be expensive.

Tanks are usually owned by the company and you pay a rental fee, depending on the size of the tank. Cook only usually has a 200 lb tank (looks like a keg on steroids) or 2 100 lb cylinders tied together, set above ground, outside your house. If you have hot water, dryer, and/or heating, you would have a 120 or 250 GALLON tank. If you have a propane powered generator, it can be 250 on up. These tanks can be above ground or buried. Nowadays, most companies will not bury new tanks unless the homeowner actually purchases the tank, which can be expensive. If the gas company owns the tank, only they can fill it. (State Law) If YOU own the tank, you can price shop for each fill.

Because propane is a liquid and we use the gaseous state, a tank can only be filled safely to 80%. For a 120 gallon tank, that means 96 gallons. Each tank has a gauge on it that shows percentages. A fill-up would only show 80%. Most companies recommend you refill at 20%.

Gas companies have specific routes that they deliver to each day. Therefore, if you call at 20%, you can wait until their next scheduled delivery day. If you let it run out, or you can't wait, you are usually charged an extra delivery charge for the "off-day" fill. You do have the option of letting the company "auto-fill". Based on appliances and past usage, they forecast your usage, and automatically schedule deliveries. If you DO run out, it's on their dime.

Pricing is a whole nuther matter. It is based on usage. A cook-only customer will pay a minimum of a dollar more a gallon. More usage equals cheaper gas. AND it is negotiable. Trust me.

Gas appliances are usually more expensive. You may have to call your gas company to service your appliances. If you run out, you WILL have to be home when they fill, and unless you have Auto-fill, you WILL have to pay for a pressure and leak test. If you want the gas company to light your pilots for your furnace, you will have to pay for a service call. Changing out appliances is not a simple unplug/plug.

OK....sorry for the long post, but if I left anything out, just ask.