Moving into a new house can be one of the most exciting and stressful events in a person’s life. If your new house has propane, you might have questions. In this article, we’ll cover a few tips for your consideration that should make your transition to propane nice and easy!
- Ask who owns the tank – When you purchase a home, you typically buy all the fixtures with that home. Don’t assume just because you bought the house you also bought your propane tank. If that tank is leased, it is owned by the propane company and you as the homeowner are therefore legally obligated to only buy propane through that provider. If you are provided documentation that the tank is yours at closing, then you can shop around for your propane. You might consider asking for maintenance records at this time. Other than asking the previous owner or working through your realtor, you can also open the hood of the tank (or on the outside of the tank) to look for a company sticker. If there is company information on the tank, give them a call and give them your address and they can help determine ownership status and usage history.
- Ask about underground line location – Often times when we move into a house, we like to dress it up – plant trees, re-do landscaping, put in fences, etc. If you know where your underground propane lines are in your yard, you can avoid a potentially hazardous situation by damaging those lines.
Learn about your propane system – Ask your driver or service team member to show you how your tank works, how to shut it off, to identify the regulators, and any other questions you may have. Ask for a safety manual with a scratch-n-sniff test so you and your family know what propane smells like in case of an emergency. The more you are educated on your system, the better. - If you own the tank or looking to change to a new provider from the previous homeowner, here are some top qualities to look for:
- Honest pricing – Look for any fees other than price per gallon. Don’t get trapped in an introductory rate to then get burned by high fees and high rates down the road.
- Service matters – When you need a delivery, does the company come in a few days, or a few weeks? Fast, efficient, and quality customer service help keep you warm and keep your risk of running out low.
- Offers automatic fill – Let someone else worry about keeping your tank full.
- Offers buying plans to save you money – Different buying options, like pre-buy or summer fill, can be very attractive to help save your family money!
- Locally staffed professionals – Is your prospective provider local? Are you getting a live, local voice or an out-of-town call center? It makes a big difference when your provider knows your area, lives in your area, and services your area.
- 24 Hour Emergency Service – Ask about emergency services. If you were to run out of gas in the middle of the night or you might suspect a leak, ask how quickly you can get a service call or a delivery and what fees are associated with that call.
We might be partial, but we think you’re going to love propane. If you’re looking for that quality propane provider you can count on, give Collett Propane a try. We’re sure you won’t regret it!