Another reason not to use propane

While grilling out over this wondrous weekend, you might have noticed your propane not lasting as long as it used to. It wasn’t a figment of your imagination. Very quietly, propane suppliers have been cutting the number of pounds they actually put in their tanks.

When you buy a 20-pound propane tank, it contains 20 pounds of propane. But when it’s refilled, a supplier puts a little less in. Last year when propane prices went through the roof dealers started putting a lot less in — up to 25 percent less — instead of raising prices. Propane is now half the price it was last year, but according to the Associated Press, suppliers haven’t added back the extra pounds:

Until last year, Blue Rhino and Amerigas, two major suppliers, put

17 to 18 pounds of propane in each 20-pound tank. Tanks should not be

filled completely for safety reasons. About a year ago, that amount was cut to 15 pounds to save consumers a price hike, Blue Rhino spokesman Chris Hartley said … He would not say if there were plans to return propane refills to

the same levels as before the 2008 price spikes, but he did say that

energy markets remain volatile.

An investigation is being launched in California but so far, no action in Kansas or Missouri. The Kansas Propane Education and Research Council doesn’t mention the subject on its Web site, though it does want you to know it’s illegal to fill up a propane tank that’s not yours. The Missouri Propane Gas Association is similarly silent.

Home Depot said it’s received no customer complaints about the switch but that’s because most customers are likely unaware they’re paying the same price for less.

It might take a PhD to cook correctly on charcoal, which may contain carcinogens, but at least the bricks are tangible and you know what you’re paying for.

(Image via Flickr: Oboe Panda)