FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is propane?
- Propane comes out of oil and gas wells and is a liquefied petroleum gas. Through a refining process propane is made and stored as a liquid under pressure becoming a gas when utilized.
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- Is propane considered a green fuel?
- Because propane is non-toxic it is not dangerous to ground water supplies or soil. It is the cleanest burning of all fossil fuels and vaporizes quickly so it doesn’t spill or leave a residue. Propane is approved as a clean fuel listed in the 1990 Clean Air Act and National Energy Policy Act of 1992.
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- Where can I put the tank in my yard?
- Our 325, 500 and 1,000 gallon tanks are required to be a least 10’ from a door, window, opening, source of ignition or property line. The tank also must be within 120’ from your driveway so that we can reach the tank with the hose on our truck. Our 120 gallon tanks must be 3’ from doors, windows, openings and 10’ from a source of ignition. Our 100# tanks must be 3’ from doors, windows, openings and 5’ from a source of ignition.
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- How do I read my gauge on my tank?
- The gauge reads the percentage of fullness. Due to the expansion of the gas, tanks are considered full at 85%.
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- Can I paint the tank in my yard?
- If it is a customer owned tank, then you can paint the tank. However, we do recommend that you paint the tank a light color due to heat being attracted to dark colors. If we own the tank, we will maintain the tank and keep the tank painted.
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- Can anyone fill the McMahan’s tank in my yard?
- No, it is illegal to fill another company’s tank.
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- How much propane will I use in a year?
- There are many factors that contribute to usage including other appliances that run on propane, weather, insulation, how warm you keep the temperature in the house and house size. Give us a call and we can discuss these items to give you a more accurate answer.
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- How can I budget my propane cost?
- We offer several programs including prebuy, cap or level billing. These programs are offered in July of each year.
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- How is propane pricing determined?
- Propane is traded on the commodities market and can fluctuate like the stock market. Since propane is a by-product of crude oil and natural gas, the pricing of these items influence the direction of propane.
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- How do I know when my grill tank is empty?
- The only accurate way to measure how much gas is in a tank is by weight. On the collar of the tank you will see the letters “TW”. This stands for tare weight, or weight empty. Gas grill tanks are 20# tanks, so if the tare weight is 17#, the full weight of the tank is 37#.
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- Why won’t my grill work when there’s still gas in the tank?
- It could be a number of problems with the grill, but the most common problem is turning the tank on too quickly. There is an excess-flow fitting that fits onto the tank and if you open the tank too quickly, it will slug off. This is common and can be corrected by turning the tank off, then turning it back on very slowly.
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- Why does nothing come out of my grill tank when I open the valve?
- Due to a safety feature on the valve, the tank must be hooked up for product to be released.
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- Is it less expensive to refill a grill tank or to exchange the tank?
- It is less expensive to refill your current tank instead of exchanging it for a different tank. Most cylinder exchange cabinets charge $20 for 15-17 #'s of gas. At McMahan’s we only charge you for the gas we put in your tank. We charge $16 for 20 #'s of gas.
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