Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions about propane and/or McDonald and Hill? Then you’ve come to the right place. We are just waiting to provide you with answers. Check out some of the most frequent questions we get below, or if you can’t find an answer to your specific question, please Contact Us! We’ll be more than happy to answer any and all questions you have about the benefits, safety or costs associated with using propane gas!
Propane — sometimes known as liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG — is a gas normally compressed and stored as a liquid. It is nontoxic, colorless, and virtually odorless; an identifying odor is added so it can be detected. When used as vehicle fuel, propane is known as propane autogas. Propane is most commonly used for home and water heating, for cooking, and as fuel for engine applications such as forklifts, mowers, generators, and irrigation engines. However, its applications are rapidly growing due to new technology developments.
With an all-propane home, you’ll enjoy greater efficiency and energy savings compared with all-electric homes. Propane also offers comfort, reliability, and peace of mind for your family.
Please call one of our locations to have a salesman come out to your home and speak with you. We will answer all of your questions about propane service and give you an estimate to begin your gas service to all gas appliances. We have 30 day charge accounts for all propane customers with approved credit applications.
Switching propane dealers is easy. If you own your gas tank, then all that is needed is an approved credit application to set up a 30 day charge account. We will begin serving you propane immediately after your account is established. If you rent your propane tank from another company then you will need to do the following.
- First, we will set up a 30 day charge account with an approved credit application.
- Second, we will deliver one of our rental tanks to swap for your current rental tank. It is best to make this swap when the current rental tank reaches between 5% and 10%. We ask to make the swap when your tank is low to ensure that most of your current gas is used and not wasted because you may not receive a refund from your current company.
Residential customers can avoid the winter spike in their propane bills by using an easier to pay budget program. With the budget program, you pay a fixed amount each month that is based on your normal, annual propane gas usage. We have gas programs to fit any budget.
Contact us today and see how we can help you.
When it comes to your propane system, doing it yourself can be very dangerous! Propane is a safe and reliable source of energy, however, its safety depends on the correct installation and use of the propane appliances, valves, piping, regulator, and tank. A repair or change to a propane system is never as easy as you might think. A mistake could result in serious injury or death. Never try performing any gas installation or repair on your own!
With fireplace efficiency ratings over 90 percent, propane fireplaces can offer efficient space heating to parts of a home. By comparison, traditional wood-burning fireplaces are about 15 percent efficient, largely because they lose thermal energy from combustion up the chimney, as well as drawing heated air out of the home. Plus, with propane there is no messy clean up or wood to store.
No. Propane fireplaces are more environmentally friendly than electric fireplace units. The electricity used in electric fireplaces is often generated by coal-fired power plants which generate significant CO2 emissions, along with other pollutants. Plus, propane fireplaces produce fewer particulate emissions and less carbon monoxide compared with wood-burning fireplaces. In fact, jurisdictions in some parts of the country restrict the use of traditional wood-burning fireplaces during certain times of the year due to their detrimental air quality impact.
Propane offers storage tank or tankless water heater options, depending on your space and capacity needs. Propane tankless systems heat water on-demand and go into standby mode when the water is not in use, saving energy. Since they are mounted units, they save up to 16 square feet of floor space. Propane storage tank systems store a large amount of water waiting to be used throughout your home, keeping it at a comfortable 120 degrees.
A propane storage tank water heater safely delivers the same amount of hot water as an electric tank unit, all while taking up less space in your home — a 40-gallon propane unit can deliver as much hot water as a comparable 50-gallon electric unit. A larger electric tank experiences greater efficiency losses (thermal losses to the surrounding area) due to its greater surface area.
If you smell gas…
- Extinguish all smoking materials and turn off any open flames or sources of ignition.
- Vacate the building or vehicle immediately.
- Do not use any electrical switches, appliance thermostats or telephones in the affected area.
- Turn your main gas shutoff valve to the off position.
- Call your local propane supplier from a cell phone or neighbor’s phone. If you cannot reach your propane supplier, call the fire department.
- Stay outside and leave the gas off until the leak has been found and fixed.
- Let the service person or the firefighters check for propane gas leaks. Have them air out the area before you return.
- Have properly trained propane service people repair any leak, then check and relight all gas appliances for you. Even if you do not continue to smell propane, do not turn on the supply valve until a qualified propane service technician or emergency personnel tests for escaped propane. NEVER test for propane using an open flame. Only suitable leak detection devices should be used.