Spring has officially sprung. Those April showers didn’t just bring May flowers. It brought in calls to the energy division that flooding on some of our customer’s property tipped over their propane tanks. The first thing propane tanks do when the water gets high enough for them to float is roll over. This rollover can allow liquid to reach the vapor valve. The last thing you want coming through a propane line and traveling to your house is propane liquid. It can cause a pressure surge, which over-pressurizes the piping, regulators and appliance valves. This can cause leaks and a potentially very dangerous situation.
What do you do if you know a flood is coming? Tie the tank to a tree or some other object that likely won’t float away. Shut the tank off. (If it’s flooding already, skip securing it to a solid object and shut the tank off.) Then jump in your vehicle and beat a hasty retreat to high ground. After the flood has receded, check your tank. If it has rolled over, give us a call so we can reset the tank and check your propane system for leaks. If the regulators have been submerged in water, they must be replaced. We can take care of that. If you have any gas valves that have been submerged, such as on your furnace or water heater, they need to be replaced. For the water heater, call your plumber. For your furnace, call your HVAC professional. Don’t skip replacing submerged regulators and gas valves. Your life could depend on it.
Believe it or not, it’s already time to think about the coming winter. Auto-renew contracts have begun via email. Budget contracts are following closely behind over the next month. In June, we will finish up our regular contracts and will have sent contracting options to over 12,000 of our customers. Please do not hesitate to call us with any contracting question. Better yet, if you’ve got a neighbor who doesn’t use us for propane, please send them our way. More stops on our route reduces our delivery costs, resulting in more cash back for you.
At the end of the month, the nation will be honoring the heroes who died for this nation. I was fortunate to have served alongside some of them in the Iraq War. Take a moment to reflect on their sacrifice and their families who lost someone very dear to them.
Thank you for your business.
