Help! any converts to propane heat from oil~

[SIKSUKR]

The big variable here as to whether a mini will be enough for your house in real cold temps is how tight how well your house is insulated.

[marinewife]

******UPDATE ON THE NEW SYSTEM*********

Well, readers, Strogen's came through! 2 trucks pulled up this morning at 8am and worked tirelessly to remove the oil system and install a new propane system.

Thanks to Paul Smith, eternally grateful, this guy moved MOUNTAINS for us, in under a week, from visit to install-
If you ever need a reputable sales/service, his # is : 603-833-3557

BUT WAIT, there's more- I called Eastern for the propane tank install, 1 mo. out,
Amerigas, 1 month out, Rymes, who CAME to see it, and was supposed to send me an emailed proposal on Monday 4 days ago, NEVER got back to me. The sales mgr, Jerry Neal, never called me back, didn't send out a proposal promised by Tuesday, so today, I started crying.

One of the Strogen workers told me to call Wolfeboro Oil. I called and a friendly gal named Jody took my info and said to come down and fill out paperwork. I drove over at 9:30 AM today, she gave the paper to the owner, he came out to meet me, and 20 minutes later, he was at my HOUSE, explaining what needed to be done.

1 hour later, there were workers here, a truck, and a new 500 gallon tank with the owner, Howie Bean, digging a trench to put down the pipe for the install.

I will never be able to thank him enough- I will have heat tomorrow.

Heaping praise on 2 companies who put customers and service way ahead of the rest, Strogen's and Wolfeboro Oil !!

[Hillcountry]

Very good to hear! Glad it all came together for you (no thanks to the no shows)
Enjoy your new system!

[tis]

Very happy to hear this. A few years ago a major wind storm went through our area and power was out everywhere. We weren't home and were very concerned because our generator had been running and didn't want it to run out of gas. So I called Rhymes and they told me I was scheduled for a delivery in two weeks. I explained the situation and they were firm-two weeks. So I called Howie and he said since we did own the tanks he could deliver to us and he did so immediately which put our minds at ease. I had previously switched to Wolfeboro Oil for our oil from Irving because they, Irving, let me run out of oil a couple of time (on automatic delivery) and I called them telling them I needed oil and they told me I couldn't possible be almost out of oil ) They argued and argued with me, and if I hadn't known one of the delivery drivers, they wouldn't have delivered to me and I would have run out. That was the final straw, I made the decision to change. Fun disclosure Howie is a relative but he is great. You made a good choice.

[Sue Doe-Nym]

I should probably have started a new thread, but just want to caution you if Amerigas is your propane company. We have a 500 gallon tank and we are on “automatic delivery”, so when I checked the level this morning and found it at 20% with no delivery scheduled, I called the 800# since this is not a local operation anymore. I waited on HOLD for over 90 minutes before anyone took the call, and was told that it would probably be filled in 5 to 10 business days, which makes me very nervous, especially given our frozen pipe disaster of last December. We need to decide whether the attractive price per gallon warrants the stress. My intention is not to complain, but to give a heads up to Amerigas customers.

[TheTimeTraveler]

Originally Posted by Sue Doe-Nym

I should probably have started a new thread, but just want to caution you if Amerigas is your propane company. We have a 500 gallon tank and we are on “automatic delivery”, so when I checked the level this morning and found it at 20% with no delivery scheduled, I called the 800# since this is not a local operation anymore. I waited on HOLD for over 90 minutes before anyone took the call, and was told that it would probably be filled in 5 to 10 business days, which makes me very nervous, especially given our frozen pipe disaster of last December. We need to decide whether the attractive price per gallon warrants the stress. My intention is not to complain, but to give a heads up to Amerigas customers.

When it comes to the health and safety of both you and your property then I would not hesitate to spend a little more to get dependable delivery service.

NO ONE should be cold, or have frozen pipes! Totally unacceptable!

Bite the bullet and make the switch.

[Sue Doe-Nym]

I should have said that Amerigas has never let us run out of propane, and our disaster wasn’t caused by anything they did or didn’t do, but having everything orchestrated out of a national call center is a trifle disquieting.

[tis]

What is wrong with these companies that the resist delivering?????? What is the problem? They are selling their product!

[Sue Doe-Nym]

Originally Posted by tis

What is wrong with these companies that the resist delivering?????? What is the problem? They are selling their product!

I wish we knew. One possible explanation could be that, with everything computerized, they try to minimize the number of deliveries necessary per household while supplying the necessary amount of propane......so that, for example, they can adequately service a customer with 3 deliveries instead of 4 in a given season, that would save them (Amerigas) money. Take that x thousands of customers, and it’s a win for them. That’s the only plausible explanation that I can come up with.....does it make sense?

[tis]

Originally Posted by Sue Doe-Nym

I wish we knew. One possible explanation could be that, with everything computerized, they try to minimize the number of deliveries necessary per household while supplying the necessary amount of propane......so that, for example, they can adequately service a customer with 3 deliveries instead of 4 in a given season, that would save them (Amerigas) money. Take that x thousands of customers, and it’s a win for them. That’s the only plausible explanation that I can come up with.....does it make sense?

Probably yes. But still, when you are on automatic and run out of oil they shouldn't argue with you when you beg for oil. Do they think you are so stupid you don't know that you are out? Just because their degree days or whatever say you shouldn't be out? Or when you had a bad storm and your generator has been running for days but they didn't seem to know we had a storm here because they didn't have it in Concord. That's why it's too bad all the local companies are disappearing. I deal with every single small local company that I can.

[Sue Doe-Nym]

I agree....whenever we had the slightest problem, we would phone the local office, and everything was a breeze...so you’re right....much better dealing with the local companies. We’ll see how this plays out during the next week or so.

[tis]

Originally Posted by Sue Doe-Nym

I agree....whenever we had the slightest problem, we would phone the local office, and everything was a breeze...so you’re right....much better dealing with the local companies. We’ll see how this plays out during the next week or so.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

[fatlazyless]

What's worked great for me with Amerigas when my tank got low is e-mail at www.amerigas.com, located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. I e-mail them: "Hey Amerigas-Laconia NH, my tank is down to 20% so's I was wondering if you can do a fill up." ..... and e-mail seems to work very smooth .... two days later the tank got filled, and the next day after my one and only e-mail I got a courtesy e-mail reply, acknowledging my e-mail.

Best way to communicate with King Amerigas is by e-mail cause they probably don't particularly, really want to talk to you, and prefer e-mail.

[SAMIAM]

Had the same problem with Irving...actually ran out twice over a two year period. Happened both times mid winter when we were in Fla.
Luckily my neighbor checks the house frequently and we got an emergency fill before damage was done.
Anyway...switched to Rymes (now owned by Superior) but still have service from Laconia and Ossipee.
Glad you survived your close call.

[Hillcountry]

I switched from Irving for the same reason...auto delivery and they let my tanks almost run out. Not my idea of having confidence that you are guaranteed to be warm when you need it most.
When I bought a limited amount of propane a couple of weeks ago they called because the driver told them I wanted a 50% fill because I had an early December appointment with the new company for a 500 gallon tank install.
Well, the call was to “pitch me” to stay with them and she apologized profusely for the auto delivery shortfalls...she said they would “modify” my delivery schedule so this would ever happen again, blah blah blah, but I stood steadfast and told her I was going with the new company. She then offered her “personal email and number” so that if I wanted to go back to Irving she would handle it personally. I said “thank you” that would be great and if the new company was unsatisfactory in any way, I would contact her. This was 2 weeks ago and no email from her came forth...just like the auto propane delivery.
Time will tell how the new company will be...

[tis]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

Had the same problem with Irving...actually ran out twice over a two year period. Happened both times mid winter when we were in Fla.
Luckily my neighbor checks the house frequently and we got an emergency fill before damage was done.
Anyway...switched to Rymes (now owned by Superior) but still have service from Laconia and Ossipee.
Glad you survived your close call.

I had my problem with Irving too and the generator problem with Rymes. Both were in Ossipee but with both I had the trouble after they moved. They were great when they were local.

[pondguy]

Makes me glad I don't have gas.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by pondguy

Makes me glad I don't have gas.

You need some Boston Bake beans.

[longislander]

Oil v. propane

When remodeling our L.I. (NH) home we looked into oil or propane. When we sold that home and built on the Neck road we went the same route.

Pricing (acquisition and ongoing costs) and technology were paramount.
With some advice from my son who has a degree in HVAC and has worked in that field ( industrial, not homes) suggested propane for many reasons, especially ongoing maintenance.

Our heating and plumbing contractor suggested we look into Our Town Energy Alliance (OTEA) for supplying of the propane. We did, and got an account with Eastern propane. We have been happy with the service. We are also on auto delivery, and have never been disappointed. Yes, getting down to 20-25% before delivery is not uncommon.

Pricing is adjusted yearly with broker rates.


https://www.otchoice.com/

https://www.otchoice.com/content/about-2

https://www.otchoice.com/energy-and-fuels

[Whimsey]

We also have Eastern thru Our Town coop. Last season they installed a device on my gauge that notifies them at 30%, 25% and 20%. Since then they have reliably shown up at 20%.

[jeffk]

I had a different reason to switch. Oil is dirty. My oil furnace died when the heat exchanger cracked sending blowback combustion fumes into the house. EVERYTHING was coated with soot. I had to have professional cleaning services come in to clean EVERYTHING and had to wash ALL my clothes and dishes and anything else that was not in a sealed area. The insurance paid for the professionals but it was a BIG hassle. I replaced the oil furnace with a propane furnace.

Propane furnaces might suffer the same problem BUT the combustion fumes have far less soot and would make far less mess.

I also recalled that my parents had gas heat and rarely had to have service done on their boiler (even if it might have been recommended that they do). It ran fine. If you don't service an oil furnace yearly, you are looking for trouble. With the propane furnace I got then and at another house, I got service every 2 - 3 years and never had a problem.

In addition, with oil, the tank is usually inside the building, especially in cold climates. Propane stored outside, freeing up some space in your basement. With the oil tank inside, part of the service is to check the lines which requires they be opened and bled. No matter how carefully it is done, it stinks and oil can drip on the floor.

I believe that calculations I did at one time showed that propane is probably a bit more expensive that oil, which has a higher BTU rating. However, when you factor in the required yearly oil maintenance, the cost is about equal. The mess factor associated with oil tipped the balance to propane.

Also, you can also have on demand hot water heaters with propane. Not sure if that is possible with oil.