MollyD & others interested in knowing about tank gauges for smaller tanks (22lb - 100lb tanks). Check with a home center or RV dealer. I ran across two lines of products at a local farm & home store that offers it, one was with BBQ accessories and the other was with RV propane accessories. Both are a combo percentage gauge and shut off valve that you install between the tank and the line/regulator. The price is about half or less than the model that you bought. (I like the little flag feature, but if I am running two tanks on a manifold I can check my tanks weekly if need be.) Right now I am between propane dealers, I got into a tank ownership disagreement with the one I have used for over twenty years, and he locked up my tank so I couldn't get it refilled! (Happened in mid January, so I had to buy a 55,000 btu space heater and a 100lb tank to keep my house warm until I could get an electrician out to install some electric baseboard heaters.) As to the smaller tanks being refilled from a bulk truck, most dealers can't do it. The fittings are different for the smaller tanks and the larger ones. Plus they set your tank on a platform scale while filling it to see how much propane is in the tank.

I found the gauge at Harriet Carter. Ended up buying 6 of them. 2 for us and 4 for friends, they really do work and I never run short of propane. Last week friends of ours ran out while cooking for a houseful up north. He went over to the neighbors cottage and "borrowed" their propane tank. Later that day the neighbor mentioned that someone had "stolen" the propane tank, but not the grill! Our friend quietly returned the tank when the neighbor wasn't looking. Shame on him. Well, he's getting one of these gauges! Kathy G in MI

The info you provided isn't enough to size the propane tank. You also need to consider the scenario and what applainces will be running at the same time and for how long. The big drivers will be the heating system, freplace, generator and hot water. Find out the gallons per hour ratings for each of these and multiply by the number of days you need. Keep in mind that the propane tank is only filled to 80% of maximum capacity to allow for expansion, so a 500 gallong tank will only have 400 maximum gallons; 1000 gallon tank has 800 gallons. Also- you need to figure that when an outage occurs you probably won't have a full tank. I looked at the Kohler 15kW specs and it is rated for about 1.5 gallons per hour of propane usage at a 50% load (idle speed). A 2 week outage would use over 500 gallons assuming you ran the generator continuosly for that entire time. So that alone would put you in the 1000 gallon tank class. But I would really think hard about this 2 week requirement. If that is what you really want - then you probably would need a generator that is liquid cooled and not air cooled (air cooled are cheaper). The liquid cooled gensets may consume more fuel - check the specs. 2 weeks of continuous operation is a long time on a genset. I worked out the tank capacity with the propane service provider. They not only sized the tank, but they also provided a special valve to ensure that the pressure was regulated when the genset is running. The tank size won't change the gas pressure coming into the house since it the regulator keeps the right pressure. I would also look at the genset size. Since your hvac is gas, you don't need a lot of power to keep the house comfortable and rive all of you appliances and well pump. A smaller generator will use less fuel and will be cheaper to install. I have a 12kW Kohler unit and it is more than enough to run the house during an outage. We live in VA and have had some long outages - over 24 hours with no power with near zero degree temps is a long outage. The 12kW works like a champ. Also - make sure you get BOTH the carburetor AND batttery warmer heater accessories for your genset. These are a must in cold weather and will make sure the unit starts in very cold weather.

A local Richmond, Va TV station recently did an expose on this industry. As it seems in the South Propane Dealers are NOT REGULATED in terms of home much they charge, what delivery fees are or what proper business practices & policies should be. This is why they get away with locking you in. Charging you more if you are not "their" customer and putting you on a minimum purchase required plan. It is all done in the name of their profits not yours. Personally after I found out I could buy my own 500 gal tank for 1500 & get my excavator to bury it. Pay a plumber who was a gasfitter to run the line to my house & fireplace & generator . I decided it was cheaper to do it myself & contract the jobs. Their charge would have been 5500. Then I would also be locked in to purchase my fuel only from them. Thats a bunch of crapola. Saved 3 Grand doing it my way. My excavator charged me only $200 to bury it & the plumber charged 800 for the line & the fittings. Their is very little required maintenace for this tanks. Don't let them pull that ruse on you!!!!. Here is a link that might be useful: WWBT12-Propane annual fee