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dba123 Rookie Author Phoenix Posts:2 Points:4,840 Joined:Apr 2010	Message Posted: May 3, 2010 11:24:54 PM Ignore dba123 Report Abuse How about a section that tracks propane prices/locations?

dba123

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Phoenix

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Message Posted: May 3, 2010 11:24:54 PM

Ignore dba123 Report Abuse

How about a section that tracks propane prices/locations?

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TallMaryAnn Rookie Author Salt Lake City Posts:5 Points:1,510 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Aug 24, 2011 3:29:09 PM Ignore TallMaryAnn Report Abuse I think scoutmaster is missing the point. The prices are all over the place, and if we are getting gouged, why not make the effort to correct it by buying from the fair dealers? Don't ya think?
maxstar Champion Author Chicago Posts:18,477 Points:808,570 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Jun 5, 2011 1:48:49 PM Ignore maxstar Report Abuse I think that KCWeb's idea is one that makes sense now since it would display and allow updates only for fuels that a station carries. Right now only Reg, Mid, Prem and Diesel are displayed and updates allowed whether the station carries the products or not. His idea would eliminate displaying products that a station does not carry (like diesel) and instead list a product that they do (like propane). KC provided a link to that thread below. It is worth a look.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,253 Points:3,252,645 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Jun 5, 2011 6:38:48 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse Reporting prices for any vehicle fuel I agree with! Reporting propane prices to refill/replaces 20lb tanks, no. And let's not forget mary jane and speeders CampK!
CampKohler Champion Author Sacramento Posts:9,457 Points:1,562,315 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Jun 4, 2011 1:24:13 PM Ignore CampKohler Report Abuse SM: I think reporting coke is going to far; we'd also have to include crank and meth.
KCWeb Champion Author Texas Posts:1,870 Points:230,550 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jun 3, 2011 11:12:29 AM Ignore KCWeb Report Abuse I really think any "vehicle fuel" is worthy of consideration for tracking along with gas and diesel, however staying practical means we might not need to place a high priority on adding that feature until the fuel usage was more common. Of course, with Propane as a vehicle fuel, the usage already is more common in several states, and has been for years. CNG is likewise already more common in a few states, mostly along the east and west coasts. EV and Hybrid battery charging will soon be quite common, as well. Again, all of these are vehicle fuels, so it is already desirable to track their prices on the websites for states and areas where they are more prevalent. Of course there is the "clutter" aspect to deal with, but then the idea we are currently discussing in the "Only display price fields for fuels with boxes checked in MSL" topic, under this same category, would be beneficial for also helping reduce the multiple fuels clutter. One man's clutter is another man's vehicle fuel, in this case, so again, adding the tracking will be an inevitable need in the future, if it's not already. [Edited by: KCWeb at 6/3/2011 11:16:29 AM EST]
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,253 Points:3,252,645 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Jun 2, 2011 9:16:46 PM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse There are hundreds of places to get and/or replace propane tanks. Gas stations, drug stores, convenience stores, home improvement stores, etc. None of these prices are visible by just driving by. Just listing that the station carries propane is sufficient. Remember, this is a gasoline station price site. Heck, let's start listing Coke prices! I think it is more important to get some of the holes like stopping the ability to post grades a station doesn't have and posting prices for a station in any state of closed/deleted plugged.
CampKohler Champion Author Sacramento Posts:9,457 Points:1,562,315 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Jun 2, 2011 4:30:59 PM Ignore CampKohler Report Abuse SM: The point of a tank exchange feature for stations is that people who travel use those tanks for space heating, water heating and cooking in vehicles. While they can get them filled where it is possible, they can also get them exchanged if that is all that is available, even when most stores are closed.
KCWeb Champion Author Texas Posts:1,870 Points:230,550 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jun 2, 2011 2:32:09 PM Ignore KCWeb Report Abuse Yes, scoutmaster, that's a point made earlier in the first three replies to the OP. As with the mid and premium grade fuels, and even diesel, (even regular) the prices are not always posted visibly for "drive-by" spotting. However, those prices still get posted by folks either fueling up there or actually driving through the bay. E.g., I actually do make a point of driving through several of the stations I report, depending on how practical it is... and I also post a ton of drive by's. Based on what I've seen in the Forum, I know I'm not the only one that routinely does this, and in fact, if there were a less common fuel like Propane being sold, I would make the extra effort to spot it, for that very reason, knowing my efforts would more likely be filling a void, as opposed to only doing what is most likely to being already redundantly covered by other members (though that's a good thing, too). [Edited by: KCWeb at 6/2/2011 2:40:05 PM EST]
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,253 Points:3,252,645 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Jun 2, 2011 1:47:03 PM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse Usually, propane tank replacement prices are not posted so they can be see while driving by like gas prices. That means you would have to drive in & probably park and go in and ask. Not overly practical.
KCWeb Champion Author Texas Posts:1,870 Points:230,550 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jun 2, 2011 1:28:38 PM Ignore KCWeb Report Abuse Along this same lines, it would be nice if only the price fields for applicable fuels for that station showed, which would remove both unnecessary clutter and prevent a larger portion of the erroneous entry problems. As for reporting propane prices being "unmanageable", it wouldn't be as complex as it might seem, since the ambiguity between bottle exchange and tank or bottle filling would be solved via the wrong price entry fail-safes currently already built-in to the system. In other words, the bottle exchange price would be a multiple of 20x or more of the per pound price, and would subsequently be rejected by the system. So, the per pound price for filling up your vehicle's tank, or your smaller bottle would be all that could be listed, no matter what the member was trying to report. (Eventually, we'll want to add CNG prices, too, and perhaps even Battery charging rates.) [Edited by: KCWeb at 6/2/2011 1:33:52 PM EST]
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,253 Points:3,252,645 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Jun 2, 2011 10:17:59 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse Check boxes in the MSL are fine but reporting the prices would be unmanageable. [Edited by: scoutmaster at 6/2/2011 10:18:10 AM EST]
KCWeb Champion Author Texas Posts:1,870 Points:230,550 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jun 2, 2011 9:18:48 AM Ignore KCWeb Report Abuse That is a good point, Scrapheap (and CampK). It would undoubtedly be an issue. [Edited by: KCWeb at 6/2/2011 9:24:54 AM EST]
Scrapheap Champion Author Virginia Posts:14,541 Points:2,357,555 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Jun 2, 2011 9:14:15 AM Ignore Scrapheap Report Abuse Right but I think CampK is suggesting two different check boxes in the MSL, one for propane filling for vehicles and another for tank exchanges for grills. Unless you live in an area where stations provide propane for vehicles, you may be mistakenly clicking the propane check mark because you see propane tanks for grills at a station. What is wrong with that?
KCWeb Champion Author Texas Posts:1,870 Points:230,550 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jun 2, 2011 9:12:45 AM Ignore KCWeb Report Abuse Yes, CampK's particular post was on a tangent, as he said. Actually, though, I'd say "tank filling" is pretty much a universal option for all vehicles... (though perhaps not an enjoyable one, at current prices). [Edited by: KCWeb at 6/2/2011 9:16:01 AM EST]
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,253 Points:3,252,645 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Jun 1, 2011 8:17:54 PM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse Based on CampK's post, he is referring to propane used for your grill, not vehicle. You don't have "tank exchange and tank filling" for vehicles.
KCWeb Champion Author Texas Posts:1,870 Points:230,550 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jun 1, 2011 7:07:32 PM Ignore KCWeb Report Abuse There are also a lot of trucks, pickups and even other passenger type vehicles that typically run on both gas or propane, depending on what's selected. (Same internal combustion engine, only with a kit added.) Of course it is most common with pickups, where they have the room for the extra propane fuel tank. CNG is the same story, as far as that goes, since it essentially takes a very similar conversion kit but a higher pressure tank, that can also be smaller and still be practical. Of course, Propane has been around a lot of years, and filling sources are far more common than those for CNG... at least for now.
Scrapheap Champion Author Virginia Posts:14,541 Points:2,357,555 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Jun 1, 2011 5:56:51 AM Ignore Scrapheap Report Abuse There are vehicles that run on propane. Among there uses are equipment used indoors where the exhaust from diesel powered equipment would build up and be toxic to the operator. You may have seen them on fork lifts for example. These vehicles do not use propane tanks from gas grills. They need their tanks refilled. I'm under the impression that it is not uncommon for gas stations in the heartland to have this capability, though I have not seen stations on the east coast with this capability.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,253 Points:3,252,645 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: May 31, 2011 10:15:44 PM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse So we are not talking about stations that carry propane for vehicles but propane for grills? There are literally hundreds of places other than gas stations that sell propane for grills! If ya want a list for propane for grills, start another site for it!
CampKohler Champion Author Sacramento Posts:9,457 Points:1,562,315 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: May 31, 2011 4:13:37 PM Ignore CampKohler Report Abuse At a slight tangeant, there should be two MSL station features for propane: tank exchange and tank filling. Then we would have to have some way of reporting prices for both.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,253 Points:3,252,645 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: May 31, 2011 5:24:25 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse Please don't apologize for any of my posts, KC.
kwzh Champion Author San Jose Posts:20,645 Points:3,681,655 Joined:Jul 2001	Message Posted: May 31, 2011 12:19:27 AM Ignore kwzh Report Abuse Agreed -- local forum is the right place for it, until such time that the system supports it directly, which is likely to be never, I'm afraid.
KCWeb Champion Author Texas Posts:1,870 Points:230,550 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: May 30, 2011 10:27:49 PM Ignore KCWeb Report Abuse Hey dba123, Sorry about the two posts of limited scope beyond their own needs, but yes, I can imagine for the many of you driving propane fueled vehicles it would sure be nice to have the price posting and subsequent shopping capabilities. I have even considered posting the propane price in the comments field when I have seen it, however I am also trying to include the octane levels and presence of E10, when I know it, and given the field's character limit, I chose propane as the sacrificial lamb... Sorry. 8¬( The other reason the comments field is inadequate, anyway, is because anything you post there, will get deleted the moment another member updates a gas or diesel price. Seems for the immediate, the idea proposed in the earliest posts of starting a "Topic" for that in your local "Category" may be your only viable option for now. It might actually work better than it sounds, if you can get a few propane users in each area on board with the posting. In fact, I would probably post what I saw there, too, for my area, if I knew the thread existed. Chances are, some of the other gas or diesel users might do the same in their areas. [Edited by: KCWeb at 5/30/2011 10:29:13 PM EST]
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,253 Points:3,252,645 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: May 30, 2011 9:16:18 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse Propane prices? For what purpose?
ernie425 Rookie Author New York Posts:22 Points:604,915 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: May 30, 2011 9:05:18 AM Ignore ernie425 Report Abuse E 85 Ethanol prices too.
REDFINGER Champion Author Montreal Posts:1,380 Points:282,750 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: May 30, 2011 8:45:36 AM Ignore REDFINGER Report Abuse propane price list is good.
dunebuggy1 All-Star Author British Columbia Posts:609 Points:75,015 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: May 24, 2010 5:50:35 AM Ignore dunebuggy1 Report Abuse Good idea for me, a block for propane, Fort Richardson would be easy as a few of us pre-pay and would only have to inquire. No extra signage needed.
bytebug Champion Author Orange County Posts:26,379 Points:4,122,655 Joined:Oct 2001	Message Posted: May 16, 2010 8:09:43 AM Ignore bytebug Report Abuse I don't drive a tank, and was unaware that they took propane. I always thought they were fueled by diesel.
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:13,910 Points:1,632,600 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: May 4, 2010 10:21:49 AM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse Mapcat has the right idea. The Columbus forum used to have a thread on that topic that was fairly popular until it was lost when the member who started it quit the site and asked that all of their topics be deleted. As kwzh posted, it is rare that propane prices are visible from the street and I think the price posts should be limited to motor fuel. [Edited by: SUVFan at 5/4/2010 10:22:19 AM EST]
mapcat Champion Author Ohio Posts:16,077 Points:2,758,725 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: May 4, 2010 9:14:05 AM Ignore mapcat Report Abuse If your local (Phoenix) forum doesn't have a topic regarding propane prices, start one, and post the prices there when you see them. I only know of one station in my general area that posts the prices on a sign large enough to see from the street, so if that's the case where you are, like kwzh said, don't expect much.
kwzh Champion Author San Jose Posts:20,645 Points:3,681,655 Joined:Jul 2001	Message Posted: May 4, 2010 5:01:45 AM Ignore kwzh Report Abuse Many stations in my area offer refills of propane tanks, but since they don't post the price visibly on the pylon where motor fuel prices are shown, it wouldn't be nearly as easy to track. However, the system does already have a way to keep track of which stations deal with propane, which is perhaps the best we can expect here.